UK release date: 14 March 2005
UK re-release date: 14 November 2005
Jack Johnson writes feel-good music. Even when his songs touch on the melancholic, as in this case, there's something about his simple, laid back style that makes you feel immeasurably better when you listen to him. And this mellow, plaintive track, the standout song from his excellent third album In Between Dreams, is the perfect example of this.
A former surf champion as well as a musician, there's an honesty and warmth to the Hawaiian singer-songwriter's music. Sitting, Waiting, Wishing is a simply strummed tale of a guy being taken for granted that soon slips into a sweet, catchy chorus: "I am always, always waiting for you."
It's a touching, highly likeable song with Johnson making a charming, if slightly unbelievable, underdog. His voice underscored by Zach Gill's jagged piano, he makes one last plea to be noticed before he gives up on the girl who's treated him so shabbily. But nothing can dent Johnson's optimistic outlook for long and, like all his songs, you're left with the sense that everything will work out just fine.