Song Facts: This can be found on shock/denial/anger/acceptance.

Footnote - the background photo was taken in Milwaukee, WI on 5/6/04 by Renata Hearn during the performance of Wasted.

According to US

Wasted was one of the songs that, when I first heard SDAA I thought, "whew...finally one I can really grab on to". I just liked it from the first moment I heard Rick strumming acoustically. I REALLY like that they left his footsteps walking away on it. It reminded me of how excited I was in 1983 when he sighed on Souls. I will never honestly tell anyone how many times I replayed the sigh....over and over :) The footsteps oddly kind of give me a glimpse of what it was like to be in the studio then...hearing the hard boots on the floor. 

A few lines (or the way Rick sings them) stick in my mind the most....."Yea, she knows it"...this one gives me goose bumps. I can't really explain why, such a small voice inflection would cause a physical reaction (also happens when he sometimes sings "you know he'll only USE you up" a little higher, in DTTS in concert) ....it just does. "You had the power to save my soul", is my favorite line from the song. It just says it all. This woman had a sacred power over Rick Springfield, if it was autobiographical and I think it was from a few of the comments I have heard him make about it. I will admit, I have wondered who this song was about 1 million times. Part of me feels a little guilty for it, like I should just enjoy the music for what it is and for how much Rick is willing to share with us all. But then the other part, the one that wants to know every-single-thing-I-ever could about Rick Springfield wonders all the time, speculates. Does SHE know she possessed this power? How does this all fit into reality, um....like a marriage? I know we will never know and I will always wonder. 

And a review would not be complete without mention of the dreaded TOE RING. I really do think it is an actual ring you put on the actual toe of your actual foot. It bugged me a lot in the beginning, but not so much now. We now know that the reference really does fit in the song, from the mouth of Mr. Springfield, so we will have to just go with it I guess. Overall, I love the words and I love the melody. I think Rick said he worked really hard on the vocals and hoped he got the right result in the end. They are perfect Mr. Springfield.... see....there are SOME perfect things in this world :) - Michelle P.

This is my favorite song on the cd. Before the cd came out and we were catching glimpses of lyrics here and there, I wasn't sure I was going to like it. We got the first 4 lines and I'm thinking, "hmmm, the 911 song"....
But then I heard it and it was the song that grabbed me right away. I'm not a big fan of the stuff in between the tracks either, but I like the footsteps. I don't even know what this song is about, so it's surprising to me that I like it so much. Usually the songs I really like are the ones that kind of have a full meaning from beginning to end. This songs almost seems like it's about two different people to me. I just love the tune and I love the rhyme that's going on. It does have one of my least favorite lines of all time in it.....uh Toe Ring? Couldn't we have taken some poetic license and changed it to something less weird? But I like this song so much, I can't even let that ruin it for me. I do feel like it ends too soon, though. I've heard some live versions of this song that were just incredible. The angst in his voice has really made for some powerful performances.  - rlh

How I love this song! I really like the fake hand-clapping sounds throughout, the rhythm, and the way he sings it. This song grabs me and pulls me in from the first line. He is obviously describing a woman who is very loose and carefree. He seems to think a lot of her, or else why would he be feeling their relationship was such a waste. He is onto her flirty games, and knows that it's all on purpose: "she wears her tank top way too tight, yeah she knows it." Rick seems to feel she has a lot of intelligence, that she could be president (or do something amazing if she were to put her mind to it). It seems she is a woman who would rather "work" her beauty and body, rather than her true inner being. He wanted so much more from her, and knew she had it in her. (but it's wasted�) 

His voice has so much emotion in this song. I can feel the pain and longing in his voice here as he recalls the relationship. My favorite line is when he says, "you had the power to purify my soul." I love how he says "purify!" Not only did he feel she could "save" his soul (his tormented soul? His soul that was longing for something more�), but she could "cleanse" it/him. He was sure that she was the one who would set him free, and wipe away any sadness or loneliness he has been carrying. She was obviously someone he had some strong emotions for. And it doesn't seem he's totally shifting all the blame her way: "was it something I said?" and "we had the power and we had control, but we blew it." I think he realizes this was a relationship that could never be. They had the power to make it work (for a short time), but I think he *knew* it would've been temporary. He could see she was a free spirit who would "spread her wings" and move on to the next "victim." And what a waste, because there is truly some potential in her somewhere. She continues to act as though she is jaded, and tormented and she masks her pain. I don't think this woman really knows HOW to be happy with happiness. 

I have pondered this song for some time, and I lean towards it being about someone Rick was involved with personally. But I have heard him say that he writes about things that affect him, or things around him. So at times I wonder if it's about someone he is close to, and their personal experiences, rather than his own. I guess we will never know. I cannot see Rick ever explaining this one! 

I also love the line "and just like me you erased it." I find that genius how it blends and rhymes with Wasted. This song is full of catchy phrases and hooks! The harmonizing from the guys backing his singing sounds incredible! I think the "oh no" is so heartfelt and full of emotion, and I find myself rocking out singing those two words. The guitar he used live with the "oh no" sticker was the bomb!!!! I adore how you can almost hear Rick's Aussie accent slipping out here and there in Wasted. He simply cannot hide it all the time! I think it's adorable how he says "make" and it's so heavy with his accent. 

The toe-ring part if rather puzzling. In one way it makes sense. He gave her something as a special token, and she lost it, as if it were just meaningless. What I find odd I guess is just his very blatant description of WHAT he gave her. He has me so used to figuring out codes and hidden meanings in his music, I guess the straightforwardness of "toe-ring" threw me for a loop! Lol

This is an EXCELLENT song. I am not sure in one word how it makes me feel when I hear it. I think it depends on the mood I'm in at that very moment in time. Wasted feels mostly like an "acceptance" song to me. I think he pretty much accepted the fact that they'd never be together. But there could even be some "shock" involved. Shock over the fact that in the end they blew it. Shock because they had such a power over one another, but never really put it to use. Shock that after all she's put him through, he's still drawn to her. I cannot imagine ever tiring of this song. - Kelley Pearson

Ahh, the Toe Ring. For months and months we pondered over that phrase, just wondering what in the heck he was saying, thinking to ourselves "it cannot possibly be toe ring" and then when the LE came out with the lyrics...BOOM there it was. Toe Ring. 

Definitely a "what the heck?" line. Sounds kind of cheap to me, for weeks after I received confirmation *in writing* that yep, that's what he was singing... I kept thinking to myself, "All you bought her was a pretty toe ring??" Humph. I guess that was Rick being frugal (again). But wait...then someone pointed out to me that he says, "You lost my pretty toe ring." Since then I've been on a mission to check out Rick's feet. Ever see him without socks?? That's been a hard one to confirm. - Michelle P.

The instant I heard this song, it became a favorite of mine. 'Favorite' barely scratches the surface of how I would describe 'Wasted'. It's honest, a song about what could have been should the two people have met in a different place, in a different time. It's a song that hits home and stings. 

The song begins with the lyrics saying what it is, what he noticed about her, what he loves about her�be it taboo or not. She is of the 'fairer' complexion, and highly sexual. I would venture to say that she is very much a female 'Casanova', not big on monogamy, but relishing every memory she spends with each man in her life. She is also smart in a way that could be described as intimidating by many men. A 'Take no prisoners' and an 'I will not settle' attitude. 

They have a mutual attraction and need for each other, but he understands their relationship is one that could never work. She needs him to fulfill a part of her life, but understand he does not belong to her, and thus it is impossible for him to 'make her whole' as long as he is where he is in his life and the commitments he has made. 

She possesses something he craves, physically, sexually and emotionally. He feeds off her energy and it kills him to admit it to himself. She understands his dark side and knows the right thing to say or do (or not say or do) at the right time. She is one of the few people that can pull him out from his dark place, without even trying. 

I believe that their relationship hit a point where it was 'fight or flight'. Do they throw their lives away and take the chance at hurting others while doing so? I believe they were dangerously close to doing that, but neither had the guts or the conscience to go through with it. Yes, they could have been together, they wanted to be together, but in the long run, too many people would have been hurt and their lives would forever be complicated. They let their ships pass.

I also believe he was teetering on really throwing it all away for her, but she knew what the fallout would be, and took the lead in the decision making, saving him from having to make that choice. When things would get to serious, and when neither wanted to read the writing on the wall as to which decisions they would make, she would distract him by 'spreading her wings' and 'forgetting about it', or at least she gave him the impression that this is what she was doing. The toe ring...it is not as obvious as the affection associated with a finger ring, but is is a sign of affection none the less. It was a subtle hint of his devotion, and what difference would it make if she lost it, when nobody could understand the significance of it anyway? 

Still, does she leave him alone, to continue with the life that he has made for himself? Apparently not. She felt the urge to call him, leaving him with the urge to take her calls. He's drawn to her like a dog to a bone, but never takes her home�it's a series of events and meetings and memories�and that's it. It's a relationship, time and effort that was 'wasted'. I don't think this was 'bad love', it was more like 'forbidden lust that could have been love'.  - Kat Mendelin

I love the opening guitar of this song and the hand claps. It's just so Rick. The song covers so many emotions; sadness, anger, admiration...I would love to know who the subject of this song is, I'm sure we will never know. I think it is about a relationship he had where he met someone unlike anyone he had ever met before. He put her on a pedestal. I get the definite sense that he was cheated on. But even when it was bad, he still loved this person somewhere inside. He shows his lyrical genius in this song with lines like.."I'm drawn to you like a dog to a bone. "You really can't say that your hooked on someone better than that. Definitely one of the best songs on SDAA. Elizabeth S.