written by David Foster & Linda Thompson

Air Supply is a veteran soft-rock duo from Australia who delivered an important string of hits in the eighties with power ballads including “Lost In Love,” “All Out Of Love,” “The One That You Love,” “Even The Nights Are Better” and “Making Love Out Of Nothing At All.”

Graham Russell was the main songwriting force of the duo while Russell Hitchcock’s tenor voice was its most distinctive feature. In 1984, Air Supply first crossed paths with David Foster. Foster and Graydon co-wrote with Russell and produced the song “I Can Wait Forever” from the platinum-certified soundtrack album for the hit movie “Ghostbusters.” In 1993, the duo released their album “The Vanishing Race” that was produced by Foster’s right hand man and famed engineer, Humberto Gatica. “The Vanishing Race” was another solid endeavor for Air Supply that presented a good set of songs delivered in the group’s classic soft-rock style.
“The Vanishing Race” most famous track is a rendition of Foster’s ballad “Goodbye.” This bittersweet composition has beautiful lyrics written by Linda Thompson and was originally recorded by Foster with the voice of the late Warren Wiebe. Also arranged by Foster, the Air Supply version follows the lines of the original in its intense developing music while showcasing Hitchcock’s voice that soars high in the song’s evocative refrain. Gatica’s production is top notch with great instrumental work by session aces including Dean Parks, Michael Thompson and the late Claude Gaudette. Although “Goodbye” was only a minor hit on the US and UK charts, it became a giant success in Asia where is reached #1 in several countries and helped its parent album to eventually sell over four million copies worldwide. It’s a given fact that “Goodbye,” with its gorgeous melody and lyrics, is one of the best songs co-written by Foster in the nineties. If you would like to take a listen to Wiebe’s version, just click here.

Listen

[audio:https://www.fozfan.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/goodbye.mp3|titles=Goodbye|artists=Russel Hitchcock and Graham Russell]

Lead Vocals : Russel Hitchcock and Graham Russell
Keyboards & Drum Programming : Claude Gaudette
Percussion : Rafael Padilla
Electric Guitar : Michael Thompson
Acoustic Guitar : Dean Parks
Synclavier Programming : Simon Franglen
Arranged by David Foster
Produced by Humberto Gatica

Lyrics

I can see the pain living in your eyes
and I know how hard you try
You deserve to have so much more
I can feel your heart and I sympathize
and I’ll never criticize all you’ve ever meant to my life
I don’t want to let you down
I don’t want to lead you on
I don’t want to hold you back
from where you might belong
You would never ask me why
my heart is so disguised
I just can’t live a lie anymore
I would rather hurt myself
than to ever make you cry
There’s nothing left to say but goodbye
You deserve the chance at the kind of love
I’m not sure I’m worthy of
losing you is painful to me
I don’t want to let you down
I don’t want to lead you on
I don’t want to hold you back
from where you might belong
You would never ask me why
my heart is so disguised
I just can’t live a lie anymore
I would rather hurt myself
than to ever make you cry
There’s nothing left to try
Though it’s gonna hurt us both
There’s no other way than to say goodbye

The soundtrack for “Ghostbusters,” the 1984 summer blockbuster, quickly followed in the movie’s footsteps to become a platinum seller and reaching the Top 10 on Billboard. The title track, written and performed by Ray Parker Jr., zoomed to the top of the charts around the world and was nominated for an Academy Award. The rest of the album included a couple of orchestral themes from the movie courtesy of composer Elmer Bernstein, plus a few forgettable pop songs with only one notable exception. Air Supply’s “I Can Wait Forever” is what you might call a diamond in the rough. David Foster and Jay Graydon co-wrote it with Supply’s Graham Russell, plus they arranged and produced this touching ballad. The mood of the composition is exactly placed in that soft rock zone that the Australian duo has brought many times to the top of the charts in the course of their career. It is also inspired by the stuff that Foster was creating with Peter Cetera for Chicago during that same time period. Foster on keyboards, a soothing grand orchestra plus some guitar licks courtesy of Graydon are the main elements that underline the powerful performance of Russell Hitchcock’s tenor voice. The arrangement has all the thumbprints of the eighties’ David Foster. The song builds up on a very emotional crescendo to its refrain, continues up an elegant bridge sung by Graham Russell, and ends with an orchestral coda that comes straight from songs like “Love Me Tomorrow” or “Hard Habit To Break.”

Listen

[audio:https://www.fozfan.com/archives/clips/i_can_wait_forever.mp3|titles=I can wait forever|artists=Russell Hitchcock & Graham Russell]

Vocals: Russell Hitchcock & Graham Russell
Acoustic Piano & Keyboards: David Foster
Guitars: Jay Graydon
Produced & Arranged by David Foster & Jay Graydon

Lyrics

When you say, I miss the things you do
I just want to get back close again to you
But for now, your voice is near enough
How I miss you and I miss your love
And though, all the days that pass me by so slow
All the emptiness inside me flows
All around and there’s no way out
I’m just thinking so much of you
There was never any doubt

Chorus
I can wait forever
If you say you’ll be there too
I can wait forever if you will
I know it’s worth it all, to spend my life alone with you

When it looked as though my life was wrong
You took my love and gave it somewhere to belong
I’ll be here, when hope is out of sight
I just wish that I were next to you tonight
And though, I’ll be reaching for you even though
You’ll be somewhere else, my love will go
Like a bird on it’s way back home
I could never let you go
And I just want you to know

Chorus
I can wait forever
If you say you’ll be there too
I can wait forever if you will
I know it’s worth it all, to spend my life alone with you
(repeat chorus 3 times)