Wakeling then formed General Public with Ranking Roger in 1983, and they released their debut studio album, All the Rage, the next year.

He also recorded two other studio albums with General Public, Hand to Mouth (1986) and Rub It Better (1995), shortly after which the band disbanded.

In 1984, Wakeling, along with Ranking Roger, sang backing vocals on the song "Free Nelson Mandela" by the Special A.K.A.

They also provided backing vocals on the Madness studio album Keep Moving, singing on the tracks "Waltz into Mischief" and "Victoria Gardens".

He then produced the soundtrack for the John Hughes romantic comedy film She's Having a Baby (1988), in which he also recorded the title track.