Wasting My Time
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"Wasting My Time" is a song by Canadian rock band Default for their debut studio album, The Fallout (2001). It was released as their debut single on August 28, 2001. The song was written by the members of the band and produced by Chad Kroeger and Rick Parashar. "Wasting My Time" is Default's most commercially successful song, having reached number 13 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and numbers two and three, respectively, on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks and Modern Rock Tracks charts. It was also their first of three singles to top the Canadian rock airplay chart.
Composition
"Wasting My Time" was written by Default (Dallas Smith, Jeremy Hora, Dave Benedict, and Danny Craig) and was produced by Chad Kroeger and Rick Parashar. The song is a power ballad that draws on influences of various rock genres and lasts for four minutes and twenty-nine seconds. According to the sheet music published by EMI Music Publishing, it is set in common time to a "moderate rock" tempo of 120 BPM. "Wasting My Time" was originally composed in the key of D major and follows a chord progression of Dsus9–Gsus9 in the verses and G5–B5–G5–A5 in the chorus. Smith's vocal range on the track spans one full octave, from A4 to A5.
Musically, the song features melodic verses of singing and clean, bright guitar picking. This moves into a hard-hitting, wailing chorus and a distorted guitar solo as the interlude. Eric Aiese of Billboard described the song as having an "early-90s grunge sound" while also noting the influence of alternative rock in its production. The song's lyrics find the narrator contemplating if he is wasting his time investing in a dead-end relationship.
Music video
A music video was filmed for the song and centers around a woman waiting for her companion. They finally meet at the end and embrace. Band performance fills the majority of the video and takes place in the woman's wrist watch, with the top part showing the city show through glass with the watch hands rotating around the band. The video contains scenes shot in downtown Toronto, Ontario outside the Westin Harbour Castle. It was directed by Noble Jones and premiered on August 7, 2001. The video has a guest appearance by Chad Kroeger in a scene where one man was fighting or struggling against three others.
Track listings
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Wasting My Time" | Dallas SmithJeremy HoraDave BenedictDanny Craig | 3:56 |
| 2. | "Slow Me Down" | SmithHoraBenedictCraigChad Kroeger | 3:23 |
| 3. | "Deny" (acoustic) | SmithHoraBenedictCraigKroeger | 3:54 |
| Total length: | 11:17 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Wasting My Time" (radio edit) | SmithHoraBenedictCraig | 3:59 |
| 2. | "Wasting My Time" (acoustic) | SmithHoraBenedictCraig | 4:19 |
| 3. | "Blind" | SmithHoraBenedictCraigKroeger | 3:10 |
| 4. | "Wasting My Time" (video) | 4:06 | |
| Total length: | 15:34 |
Usage in media
"Wasting My Time" was featured on the soundtrack to Is It College Yet?, a movie-length installment of the MTV animated series, Daria.
Charts
| Chart (2002–2003) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Weekly charts Weekly chart performance for "Wasting My Time" Chart (2002–2003) Peak position Australia (ARIA) 43 Canada Rock Airplay (Nielsen SoundScan) 1 Netherlands (Single Top 100) 97 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) 37 Quebec Airplay (ADISQ) 16 Scotland Singles (OCC) 71 UK Singles (OCC) 73 UK Airplay (Music & Media) 20 UK Rock & Metal (OCC) 6 US Billboard Hot 100 13 US Adult Top 40 Tracks (Billboard) 14 US Mainstream Rock Tracks (Billboard) 2 US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard) 11 US Modern Rock Tracks (Billboard) 3 US Top 40 Tracks (Billboard) 13 | Year end charts 2001 year-end chart performance for "Wasting My Time" Chart (2001) Position Canada Radio (Nielsen BDS) 79 US Modern Rock Tracks (Billboard) 83 2002 year-end chart performance for "Wasting My Time" Chart (2002) Position Canada Radio (Nielsen BDS) 24 US Adult Top 40 (Billboard) 29 US Billboard Hot 100 26 US Mainstream Rock Tracks (Billboard) 4 US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard) 37 US Modern Rock Tracks (Billboard) 8 Decade-end charts Decade-end chart performance for "Wasting My Time" Chart (2000–2009) Position US Hot Rock Songs (Billboard) 18 |
| Australia (ARIA) | 43 |
| Canada Rock Airplay (Nielsen SoundScan) | 1 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100) | 97 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) | 37 |
| Quebec Airplay (ADISQ) | 16 |
| Scotland Singles (OCC) | 71 |
| UK Singles (OCC) | 73 |
| UK Airplay (Music & Media) | 20 |
| UK Rock & Metal (OCC) | 6 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 13 |
| US Adult Top 40 Tracks (Billboard) | 14 |
| US Mainstream Rock Tracks (Billboard) | 2 |
| US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard) | 11 |
| US Modern Rock Tracks (Billboard) | 3 |
| US Top 40 Tracks (Billboard) | 13 |
| Chart (2001) | Position |
| Canada Radio (Nielsen BDS) | 79 |
| US Modern Rock Tracks (Billboard) | 83 |
| Chart (2002) | Position |
| Canada Radio (Nielsen BDS) | 24 |
| US Adult Top 40 (Billboard) | 29 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 26 |
| US Mainstream Rock Tracks (Billboard) | 4 |
| US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard) | 37 |
| US Modern Rock Tracks (Billboard) | 8 |
| Chart (2000–2009) | Position |
| US Hot Rock Songs (Billboard) | 18 |
Release history
| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | August 28, 2001 | Mainstream rockactive rockalternative radio | TVT | |
| Australia | February 11, 2002 | CD | TVTFestival Mushroom | |
| United Kingdom | January 27, 2003 | Island |