“I Don’t Need to Wait”
Paula Cole is a singer, songwriter and producer from Massachusetts. She put out her first solo album, Harbinger, in 1994. Her second album, This Fireplace, got here out in 1996 and was an actual breakthrough; she was nominated for seven Grammys, and he or she received the Grammy for Greatest New Artist. In truth, that 12 months she was the primary girl in Grammy historical past to be nominated for Producer of the Yr and not using a male collaborator. For this episode, Paula informed me about how she made one of many huge hits from that album: “I Don’t Need to Wait.” It spent 56 weeks on the Billboard charts. After which, it was heard by hundreds of thousands extra, when it was used because the theme music for the hit TV present Dawson’s Creek.
As of late, Paula has been reclaiming her previous music in varied methods. A few years in the past, she re-recorded a few of her songs, together with “I Don’t Need to Wait.” And that’s the model of the music that you simply’ll hear all through this episode, and on the finish, in its entirety. And on September 10, 2026, Paula is placing out an archival assortment of her demos. It’s referred to as Sonic Memoir: Demos 1989-1998. It contains the unique demo of “I Don’t Need to Wait,” which you’ll additionally hear within the episode, as Paula tells the story of how she wrote and produced the music.
You should purchase or stream “I Don’t Need to Wait” right here, and you should purchase Sonic Memoir: Demos 1989-1998 right here.
Illustration by Carlos Lerma.
Jay Bellerose – drums, percussion
Greg Leisz – guitar (unique)
Tony Levin – bass
Roger Moutenot – engineer
Kevin Barry – guitar (re-record)
The Magic Store
Trying Glass
James Taylor – Fireplace and Rain
Tina Turner – What’s Love Received to Do with It
Yo La Tengo
