In his recent post, “Waiting (for Advent) with The Rentals,” Michael Iafrate mentions that he was “pondering fitting Advent tunes to post here at R&T.” That got me thinking about songs that have “waiting” as a theme which then led me to contemplate the act of waiting itself. When you think about it, we spend a good portion of our lives waiting. It occurred to me there are two different kinds of waiting. One type involves positive, excited anticipation of some future event like Advent when we await the celebration of the birth of Jesus. In fact the word advent comes from the Latin word adventus which means “a coming.”

There are lots of examples of advent-like events. Waiting to go on a vacation, waiting for the birth of a baby, a marriage, even waiting to go to see that rock band you’ve always wanted to hear in person. Our lives are filled (hopefully) with anticipation for events and experiences that we’re looking forward to, things that enrich our lives, make our futures exciting.

There is another kind of waiting which isn’t so pleasant. It entails trying to get through something we don’t want to experience. It might be a rather mundane event such as waiting to get out of the dentist’s chair or waiting to leave a 2 hour long performance of The Nutcracker in which, for the third year in a row, your young daughter is dancing the part of one of the mice.

However, waiting can also be immensely difficult and painful, even horrific or impossible. Hospices are full of people waiting to die. Church pews, counseling offices and support groups are overrun with individuals trying to recover from grief, tragedies, traumas and addictions. Hospitals are overflowing with people waiting to be healed.

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When pondering fitting Advent tunes to post here at R&T, it didn’t take long for “Waiting” by The Rentals, featuring ex-Weezer bassist Matt Sharp, to come to mind. Technically, though, the song is about the process of waiting that is often a part of good songwriting. Perhaps the experience of that kind of waiting might offer insights into the “spiritual” waiting associated with this liturgical season.

The Rentals, by the way, were at least a decade ahead of their time and far underrated during their initial run as a band from 1995-1999. Which may explain the current rediscovery and popularity of the band since they reunited a few years back. In addition to the live video above shot in 2007, hear the studio version here (you will have to sit through a commercial before you do, courtesy of Warner Music) and see if there isn’t something eschatological going on with the song’s freshness even fifteen years after its initial release.

Michael Iafrate
Parkersburg, West Virginia