Juice Newton - Can't Wait All Night

This month marks the thirtieth anniversary of Can't Wait All Night, the sixth solo album from Juice Newton. The 1984 release spent ten weeks on the US Billboard Album chart, peaking at number 128. It also reached number 91 in Canada and number 42 on the US Billboard Country chart.


Side one opens with "A Little In Love", which hit number 44 on the US Billboard Hot 100. It also reached number 64 on the US Billboard Country chart, number 14 on the Canadian Adult Contemporary chart, and number 7 on the US Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. The track has an upbeat sound, an infectious chorus and an optimistic outlook; I can see how it had such crossover appeal.

Things slow down a tad with the steady and strong "(You Don't Hear) The One That Gets You".

The rocking title track "Can't Wait All Night", co-written by Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance, peaked at number 66 on the US Billboard Hot 100. In Canada, it hit number 85 on the pop chart and number 16 on the Adult Contemporary chart. Of the two singles on side one, I liked this one a lot more and was surprised it did not do better on the charts.

The ballad "Restless Heart", the third single, hit number 57 on the US Billboard Country chart and number 34 on the Canadian Country chart. It tells of the woman who admits her foolishness for taking back her unfaithful man.

"Easy Way Out" was co-written by Tom Kelly and Billy Steinberg, the two writers who also gave us such 80’s hits as Cyndi Lauper’s “True Colors” and “I Drove All Night”, Madonna’s “Like a Virgin” and Whitney Houston’s “So Emotional”.

Side two begins with the rousing "Let's Dance", a cover of the 1962 hit for Chris Montez. This version has a carnival vibe to it similar to Freddy Cannon’s 1962 hit “Palisades Park”. The crowd noises indicate that Newton recorded the track before a live audience.

Things slow down once more with the ballad "He's Gone", a final acceptance that a relationship is over.

"You Don't Know Me" was originally a 1956 hit for Eddy Arnold. Since then, so many artists have recorded their own version including Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson. Newton delivers a beautiful rendition.

"Eye of the Hurricane" was co-written by Robert Otha Young whom worked with Newton as part of her band the Silver Spur in the early 70’s. The eye refers to an unshakeable love in the center of a chaotic world.

The album closes with "Waiting for the Sun".

I have always liked the ease at which Juice Newton was able to cross over genres, much like Linda Ronstadt and Olivia Newton-John. For me, that makes Can’t Wait All Night an enjoyable contemporary country record. While I did not listen to this one back in the 80’s, it is certainly one I would like to find a place for today in my digital music library.

For more album reviews featuring Juice Newton, click here.