Bobby Sherman – “Waiting at the Bus Stop” (1971)
At a time when the bright lights of teen idol stardom were beginning to cast longer shadows, Bobby Sherman released “Waiting at the Bus Stop” — a song that shimmered with his trademark pop optimism, yet hinted at something more wistful underneath. Nestled within the Portrait of Bobby album, the track marked a subtle turning point: a young star gently shifting from polished poster-boy perfection toward something more grounded, reflective, and human.
Co-written by Sherman himself alongside Georg Tobin, the song wrapped its bittersweet message in breezy instrumentation, evoking the feel of a late summer afternoon — warm, lingering, and quietly laced with the ache of passing time. There was a tender ache in the lyrics, a sense of waiting not just for a ride, but for clarity, for closure, for someone who might never return. It was pop, yes — but pop with a pause, a breath, a backward glance.
While Sherman was still smiling on magazine covers and lighting up TV screens in Getting Together, “Waiting at the Bus Stop” revealed the inner world of a man beginning to question where he stood. Not just a teen idol, not yet a mature artist — but something in between, navigating the space where image and identity start to pull in different directions.
The track didn’t storm the charts or redefine the genre, but that was never the point. Its quiet strength lay in its honesty. It didn’t shout for attention — it simply waited, much like its narrator, with quiet hope and gentle resignation. In that stillness, it found its voice.
Decades later, the song remains a footnote in Sherman’s discography — but a revealing one. It captures a moment of artistic vulnerability and transition, when fame softened just enough to let sincerity shine through. And in that pause, “Waiting at the Bus Stop” still waits — a forgotten gem humming gently in the background of pop history.
