I Can't Wait

Written by Nu Shooz founder John Smith, "I Can't Wait" is an uplifting love song: You know I love you even when you don't try I know that our love will never die She just can't wait to see him again, or at least hear his voice. Appropriate, as the group's lead vocalist Valerie Day was his girlfriend, and later, his wife.

The version of this song you've probably heard is the one with the stuttering vocal ("b-b-baby, I-I-I can't wait"). The original, which first appeared on the 1985 Nu Shooz EP Tha's Right, is more organic, focused on the horns. It was a Dutch producer, Pieder Slaghuis, who remixed the song, rendering it into a hit. He used a sampler to manipulate Valerie Day's vocals, creating a new hook. This technique of pitching up and chopping vocals to make a melody became a huge trend in the '10s, heard on tracks like "Turn Down For What" (DJ Snake) and "Run the World (Girls)" (Beyoncé). The remix appears on the group's 1986 album, Poolside.

Thanks to John Smith and Valerie Day for supplying this Nu Shooz timeline: June '79 - John Smith founds Nu Shooz in Portland, Oregon. May '83 - Percussionist Valerie Day becomes lead vocalist. Summer '84 - Nu Shooz records "I Can't Wait" with Fritz Richmond (Jim Kweskin Jug Band) as engineer. Smith and band manager Rick Waritz co-produce. April '85 - "I Can't Wait" breaks on Portland's #1 Top 40 station, KKRZ FM (Z–100), and quickly becomes a regional Top 10 hit. Fall '85 - Warner Brothers Records extends a demo deal to Nu Shooz, but passes on the band soon afterward, stating, "We've already got Madonna." Winter '85 - Dutch producer Pieder "Hithouse" Slaghuis discovers "I Can't Wait" on Hot Trax. His re-mix on Dutch label Injection Records becomes a hot-selling import in the United States and tops dance charts around the world. January '86 - Atlantic Records signs Nu Shooz. Recording sessions begin at Atlantic Studios in New York and the Sunset Sound Factory in Los Angeles. March '86 - The band's first album, Poolside, is completed after just six weeks. Fusion legend Jeff Lorber co-produces with Smith and Waritz. Summer '86 - Nu Shooz tours 70 US cities in 73 days. September '86 - "I Can't Wait" reaches #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. October '86 - Nu Shooz earns a Gold Album with Poolside. November '86 - Shep Pettibone's (George Michael, Janet Jackson) re-mix of follow-up single "Point Of No Return" reaches #28 on the Billboard Hot 100. Winter '86 - The band is nominated for a Best New Artist Grammy Award (Bruce Hornsby and the Range win).