By the time the Babys had recorded their third album in 1982, they had essentially become John Waite's backup band. Two of their key founding members had already left and been replaced with salaried musicians. With the MTV craze at its height, it only made sense that the band's charismatic lead singer, Waite, should go off on his own, which he did when Jonathan Cain left the Babys for Journey.
Shortly after departing from the Babys he released a solo album entitled Ignition that was a moderate success with the song "Change." He then left Chrysalis Records, (which also had been the Babys's label), and signed with the powerful EMI/Capitol conglomerate. EMI had the promotional resources to make Waite a star in his own right. "Missing You" from No Brakes was Waite's first single under his new deal with EMI and it became a huge hit.
Waite went on to do several more solo albums, but failed to have the same hit action as he did with his first EMI record. In 2003, he toured as part of Ringo Starr & His All Starr Band, before returning to his solo career in 2005.