The song was a global hit, topping charts in many countries around the world, including Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, and the United States where it reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100.

[5] It was the UK's most streamed love song on Spotify ahead of Valentine's Day in 2013 and has since been covered by many artists, including R&B singer Monica.

[6] Marx wrote "Right Here Waiting" on the road as a love letter to his wife, actress Cynthia Rhodes, who was in South Africa shooting a film.

'”[9] David Nichols of Smash Hits stated that "really, "Right Here Waiting" is a beautiful ballad with an amazingly catchy tune and – like many other Richard Marx songs – it's destined to become a classic".

It features various black-and-white tour footage interspersed with color scenes of Marx playing the song to an empty auditorium with a grand piano at a (staged) soundcheck.

It was released only in the United States in December 1999 as the second and final promotional single from her second studio album, The Boy Is Mine (1998).

Produced by Canadian musician David Foster, "Right Here Waiting" peaked at number 32 on the Billboard's US Adult R&B Songs chart.