Love Won't Wait

Following the release of her fifth studio album, Erotica (1992), Madonna and her producer Shep Pettibone continued writing more songs in the same vein as present in the album. However, she later abandoned the project and collaborated with record producers Dallas Austin and Nellee Hooper to create Bedtime Stories, her sixth studio album, released in 1994. Many of the songs from the writing sessions with Pettibone were not included and remained as demos. In the meantime, Gary Barlow wanted to release his debut album, Open Road, to coincide with his first single, "Forever Love". However, he wanted to continue recording songs for the album. He came across one of Madonna's demos called "Love Won't Wait" and decided to record it, after shortening the lyrics.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BwwLBaH9488C|title=1000 UK Number One Hits|last=Kutner|first=Jon|publisher=Omnibus Press|year= 2010|isbn=9780857123602|access-date=2 November 2014|page=98}}

Barlow's manager, Simon Fuller, chose Stephen Lipson to produce the song, seeing his success with 1980s artists like Grace Jones and Frankie Goes to Hollywood. Although the song did not sound like what Barlow would usually record, he nevertheless explained in an interview: "It took me a while to get my interpretation right because Madonna had written from a female point of view. It's not the kind of song I would write myself. But as soon as I heard it, I thought 'This is a hit'."{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EvQ1KIpNOoAC|title=Gary: The Definitive Biography of Gary Barlow|last=Smith|first=Sean|publisher=Simon & Schuster|year= 2013|isbn=9781471102240|access-date=2 November 2014|page=50}} A dance-pop song, "Love Won't Wait" is set in the time signature of common time with a tempo of 120 beats per minute. Barlow's voice spans between the nodes of C{{music|sharp}}m and A₃ and has a basic chord progression of C–A–B–C{{music|sharp}}m in the pre-chorus and E–B–D–A–C–E–A–C{{music|sharp}}m in the chorus.{{cite web|url=http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/forever-love-digital-sheet-music/19447060|title=Digital Sheet Music – Gary Barlow – Love Won't Wait|publisher=Sheet Music Plus. Alfred Publishing|format=The sheet music for "Love Won't Wait" can be found on the back side of "Forever Love"|access-date=25 November 2014}}

Barlow had arrived in the United States in February 1997 for recording the track, where Clive Davis, who was managing his career in the United States, played him a "poppier" version of the song, remixed by Junior Vasquez. He also requested Barlow to perform "Love Won't Wait" at the 1997 pre-Grammy Award party. However, the singer did not have any time to rehearse or memorize the lyrics, resulting in the performance receiving negative reviews from critics and audience alike. With The Times Barlow recounted the evening saying, "I don't remember the words. I came in at all the wrong times. I can see people drifting off to the toilet in droves. Talk about dying on your arse!" The combination of the negative review towards his performance and contractual obligations led to Barlow release "Love Won't Wait" as his second single on 9 April 1997 in Japan and on 24 April 1997 in the United Kingdom.{{cite web|url=https://www.oricon.co.jp/prof/68069/products/56964/1/|title=ラブ・ウォント・ウェイト {{!}} ゲイリー・バーロウ|trans-title=Love Won't Wait {{!}} Gary Barlow|publisher=Oricon|language=ja|access-date=16 November 2023}} The CD single consists of the single version along with the Vasquez remix and two other tracks from Open Road, "Meaning Of A Love Song" and "Always". Another song, "Cuddly Toy", was released on the B-side of another CD single for the song, released in May 1997.

An accompanying music video was directed by Rocky Schenck and was released on 28 April 1997. It features Barlow performing the song in France, walking down a highway littered with stage props and crew members actively changing the scenes as he walks forward. As he performs the chorus, he jumps off the set and walks towards his stage chair, where he sits and observes his surroundings. The video ends with Barlow running away from a woman down a country road, as the video fades from view.{{cite AV media |people=Rocky Schenck |year= 1999|title=Rocky Schenck : director, Texas reel |medium= VHS |time=15:00 |location=Hollywood, CA. |publisher=David Naylor & Associates |oclc=52690159}}

While the album received mostly negative reviews, songs like "Love Won't Wait" were considered a stand-out by The Times.{{ cite book|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=w1jVBAAAQBAJ |title= Gary Barlow – The Biography |last=Lewis|first=Justin|publisher=John Blake Publishing|year= 2014|isbn= 9781784182441|access-date=2 November 2014|page=132}} The Daily Mirror noted it as a "classic track you've known all your life". A reviewer from Music Week rated it four out of five, adding, "There's something vaguely reminiscent of those cheesy Seventies pop tunes about this Shep Pettibone-penned taster for Barlow's debut solo album. It's a killer all the same and the ex-Take That crowd will lap it up."{{cite magazine|first=|last=|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1997/Music-Week-1997-04-19.pdf|title=Reviews: Singles|magazine=Music Week|date=19 April 1997|page=29|accessdate=16 May 2022}} The magazine's Alan Jones commented, "The Madonna-penned track sounds like an inferior Cliff Richard record, with Barlow making a bizarrely accurate facsimile of Sir Cliff's falsetto. None of which will prevent it from being a big hit, of course."{{cite magazine|first=Alan|last=Jones|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1997/Music-Week-1997-05-03.pdf|title=Talking Music|magazine=Music Week|date=3 May 1997|page=25|accessdate=17 May 2022}} The Sunday Mirror gave it seven out of ten, and cautioned that "Take That fans will lap up another smooth one from Gary, but I can't help thinking he's trying to turn into Elton John far too soon."

In the United Kingdom, "Love Won't Wait" became Barlow's second solo number one single on the UK Singles Chart, following "Forever Love". It was number one for one week, and was present for a total of nine weeks within the top 100 of the chart. The British Phonographic Industry (BPI) certified it silver, for shipment of 200,000 copies of the single. The song also reached number one in Lithuania and Spain, and the top-ten of the charts in Denmark, Ireland and Taiwan. In Australia, "Love Won't Wait" peaked at number 16 on the ARIA Singles Chart.

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• UK CD1{{cite AV media notes|title=Love Won't Wait|others=Gary Barlow|year=1997|type=UK CD single 1 liner notes|publisher=RCA Records|id=74321 470 842}}

1. "Love Won't Wait" (radio edit) – 4:18
2. "Love Won't Wait" (Junior Vasquez mix) – 4:25
3. "Meaning of a Love Song" – 3:37
4. "Always" – 3:31

• UK CD2{{cite AV media notes|title=Love Won't Wait|others=Gary Barlow|year=1997|type=UK CD single 2 liner notes|publisher=RCA Records|id=74321 470 832}}

1. "Love Won't Wait" (radio edit) – 4:18
2. "Cuddly Toy" (Lush vocal radio edit) – 3:44
3. "Cuddly Toy" (Full On Retro vocal) – 8:51
4. "Cuddly Toy" (Dumb & Funky dub) – 7:45

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• UK cassette single{{cite AV media notes|title=Love Won't Wait|others=Gary Barlow|year=1997|type=UK cassette Single liner notes|publisher=RCA Records|id=74321 470 934}}

1. "Love Won't Wait" (radio edit) – 4:18
2. "Always" – 3:31

• Japanese CD single{{cite AV media notes|title=Love Won't Wait|others=Gary Barlow|year=1997|type=Japanese CD single liner notes|publisher=RCA Records|id=BVCP-8845}}

1. "Love Won't Wait"
2. "Always"
3. "Meaning of a Love Song"

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{{certification Table Top|caption=Certifications and sales for "Love Won't Wait"}}

{{certification Table Entry|type=single|region=United Kingdom|artist= Gary Barlow|title=Love Won't Wait|award=Silver|certyear=1997|relyear=2011|id=4064-3507-1|access-date=4 June 2020|refname="bpi"}}

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• List of UK Singles Chart number ones of the 1990s
• List of number-one singles of 1997 (Spain)

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• {{YouTube|Q7kHpSTs0uo|"Love Won't Wait"}}

{{Gary Barlow}}

{{Madonna songs}}

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Category:1994 songs

Category:1997 singles

Category:Bertelsmann Music Group singles

Category:Gary Barlow songs

Category:Music videos directed by Rocky Schenck

Category:Number-one singles in Spain

Category:RCA Records singles

Category:Song recordings produced by Stephen Lipson

Category:Songs written by Madonna

Category:Songs written by Shep Pettibone

Category:UK singles chart number-one singles