"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 Billboard Hot 100 chart on June 8, 2002, and numbers two and three, respectively, on the US Mainstream Rock and Modern Rock airplay charts, just behind Puddle of Mudd's "Blurry" on the former chart. It was also their first of three singles to top the Canadian rock airplay chart.[1]

"Wasting My Time"
Single by Default
from the album The Fallout
B-side
  • "Blind"
  • "Slow Me Down"
  • "Deny"
ReleasedAugust 28, 2001 (2001-08-28)
Genre
Length4:29
LabelTVT
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Default singles chronology
"Wasting My Time"
(2001)
"Deny"
(2002)
Music video
"Wasting My Time" on YouTube

Composition

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"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 runs 4:29.[A] According to the sheet music published by EMI Music Publishing, it is set in common time to a "moderate rock" tempo of 120 BPM.[3] "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.[3] Smith's vocal range on the track spans one full octave, from A4 to A5.[3]

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.[4] The song's lyrics find the narrator contemplating if he is wasting his time investing in a dead-end relationship.[5]

Music video

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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.[6][7]

Track listings

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Australia CD single[8]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Wasting My Time"
  • Dallas Smith
  • Jeremy Hora
  • Dave Benedict
  • Danny Craig
3:56
2."Slow Me Down"
  • Smith
  • Hora
  • Benedict
  • Craig
  • Chad Kroeger
3:23
3."Deny" (acoustic)
  • Smith
  • Hora
  • Benedict
  • Craig
  • Kroeger
3:54
Total length:11:17
UK, US, and Canadian CD single[9][10][11]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Wasting My Time" (radio edit)
  • Smith
  • Hora
  • Benedict
  • Craig
3:59
2."Wasting My Time" (acoustic)
  • Smith
  • Hora
  • Benedict
  • Craig
4:19
3."Blind"
  • Smith
  • Hora
  • Benedict
  • Craig
  • Kroeger
3:10
4."Wasting My Time" (video) 4:06
Total length:15:34

Usage in media

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"Wasting My Time" was featured on the soundtrack to Is It College Yet?, a movie-length installment of the MTV animated series, Daria.[12]

Charts

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Release history

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Release dates and formats for "Wasting My Time"
Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United States August 28, 2001 TVT [32]
United Kingdom January 27, 2003 CD Island [33]

Notes

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  1. ^ Length of the full version featured on The Fallout.[2]

References

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  1. ^ a b Shaw, Ted (November 6, 2013). "Singer Dallas Smith, country by default". The Windsor Star. Postmedia Network. Archived from the original on October 30, 2014. Retrieved September 22, 2015.
  2. ^ Hinds, Andy. "The Fallout - Default | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved October 28, 2016.
  3. ^ a b c "Default "Wasting My Time" Sheet Music in D Major (transposable)". Musicnotes.com. EMI Music Publishing. October 20, 2008. Retrieved October 28, 2016.
  4. ^ Billboard (113 ed.). Prometheus Global Media. October 13, 2001. p. 24. Retrieved October 28, 2016.
  5. ^ Dangelo, Joe (December 12, 2001). "Default Aren't Wasting Their Time, Thanks To Nickelback". MTV. Viacom. Archived from the original on October 29, 2016. Retrieved October 28, 2016.
  6. ^ "Wasting My Time - Default". Vevo. Retrieved October 28, 2016.
  7. ^ ""Wasting My Time" on Apple Music". Apple Music. Apple Inc. Retrieved October 28, 2016.
  8. ^ "DEFAULT - Wasting My Time (CD, Single / EP)". Rare Records (AUS). Retrieved October 28, 2016.
  9. ^ "Wasting My Time, Pt. I [UK] - Default | Release Info". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved October 28, 2016.
  10. ^ "Default - Wasting My Time - Amazon.com Music". Amazon Music. Retrieved October 28, 2016.
  11. ^ "Default - Wasting My Time - Amazon.com Music". Amazon Music. Amazon.ca. Retrieved October 28, 2016.
  12. ^ "Default - IMDb". IMDb. Retrieved October 28, 2016.
  13. ^ "Default – Wasting My Time". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
  14. ^ Pilling, Dean (August 26, 2016). "Gone Country: My list of rock stars who have made the leap into country music". Calgary Sun. Postmedia Network. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
  15. ^ "Default – Wasting My Time" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
  16. ^ "Default – Wasting My Time". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
  17. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
  18. ^ "Default: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
  19. ^ "Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
  20. ^ "Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. June 8, 2002. Retrieved March 1, 2023.
  21. ^ "Adult Pop Airplay". Billboard. June 15, 2002. Retrieved June 26, 2023.
  22. ^ "Mainstream Rock Airplay". Billboard. February 23, 2002. Retrieved June 26, 2023.
  23. ^ "Pop Airplay". Billboard. May 25, 2002. Retrieved June 26, 2023.
  24. ^ "Alternative Airplay". Billboard. March 2, 2002. Retrieved June 26, 2023.
  25. ^ "Top 40 Tracks". Billboard. Vol. 114, no. 23. June 8, 2002. p. 77.
  26. ^ "BDS CHART : Top 100 of 2001". Jam!. Archived from the original on July 26, 2002. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
  27. ^ "Most-Played Modern Rock Songs of 2001". Airplay Monitor. Vol. 9, no. 51. December 21, 2001. p. 40.
  28. ^ "Top 100 top played radio tracks in Canada in 2002". Jam!. Archived from the original on August 12, 2004. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
  29. ^ "Most-Played Adult Top 40 Songs of 2002". Airplay Monitor. Vol. 10, no. 51. December 20, 2002. p. 16.
  30. ^ a b c "The Year in Music 2002". Billboard. Vol. 114, no. 52. December 28, 2002. pp. YE-38, YE-87. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
  31. ^ "Most-Played Mainstream Top 40 Songs of 2002". Airplay Monitor. Vol. 10, no. 51. December 20, 2002. p. 12.
  32. ^ "Going for Adds" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1416. August 24, 2001. pp. 97, 102, 170. Retrieved June 5, 2021.
  33. ^ "New Releases – For Week Starting 27 January 2003: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. January 25, 2003. p. 33. Retrieved September 2, 2021.