I Miss You (Blink-182 song) explained

I Miss You
Cover:Blink-182 - I Miss You cover.jpg
Type:single
Artist:Blink-182
Album:Blink-182
Recorded:2003
Studio:The Rubin's House (San Diego, California)
Genre:
Length:3:47
Label:
Producer:Jerry Finn
Prev Title:Feeling This
Prev Year:2003
Next Title:Down
Next Year:2004

"I Miss You" is a song by American rock band Blink-182, released on February 2, 2004, as the second single from the group's self-titled album (2003). Co-written by guitarist Tom DeLonge and bassist Mark Hoppus, they employed a method of writing separately and bringing their two verses together later. The song features an acoustic electric bass, a cello, and a brushstroked drum loop. The song was inspired by the Cure song "The Love Cats" and contains references to The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993).

The song peaked at number one on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart and peaked at number 42 on the Billboard Hot 100. Although "All the Small Things" had more radio airplay, "I Miss You" is certified to have sold more copies, earning gold certification for selling over 500,000 copies. "All the Small Things" has never been certified by the RIAA, despite Nielsen SoundScan estimating its sales at also 500,000 copies in the year 2000 alone.[1] In the United Kingdom, the song was a national top 10 hit on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number eight.

Background

"I Miss You" was recorded in 2003,[2] and began production at the Rubin's House, a rented home in the San Diego luxury community of Rancho Santa Fe. The song was written using the same method with which the band wrote "Feeling This"; namely, DeLonge and Hoppus would discuss themes and then set off to separate rooms of the home to write alone.[3] The two would first have a discussion about the themes of the song "so that we were on the same page," and then they would go away to write, putting both parts together at the end. Tom wrote the second verse, and Mark wrote the first verse and the chorus. In 2018, Mark shared the original handwritten lyrics on Twitter.[4] "Mark was always really, really good with words, so a lot of times I would ask him for help with things, to get help with how I say things better [...] But we never really explained song meanings to each other," said DeLonge. Hoppus referenced Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas at the request of Barker, with the lines "We can live like Jack and Sally if we want... and we'll have Halloween on Christmas", toward his then-wife, Shanna Moakler.[5]

The trio struggled recording "I Miss You" at first, originally employing a completely different chorus reminiscent of what they considered adult contemporary music. The track was directly inspired by the Cure song "The Love Cats". In expanding on the song's lyrical meaning, DeLonge said: "The song's more about the vulnerability and kind of heart-wrenching pain you feel when you're in love and when you're a guy and you're trying to tell a girl, 'Don't waste your time coming and talking to me because, in my head at least, you probably already gave me up a long time ago.'"[6]

Composition

The song is composed in the key of B major and is set in the time signature of common time with a tempo of 110 beats per minute. Hoppus and DeLonge's vocal range spans from F#2 to F#4.[7] "I Miss You" is an all-acoustic affair, featuring a piano, cello, acoustic bass guitar, and a "brushstroked hip-hop groove."[8] The song's production was very layered, requiring multiple tracks. "There's probably 50 tracks of instruments going on the record," DeLonge said. In an interview with The Washington Post, he re-estimated the amount: "It's got about 70 tracks of instruments, all of which are organic/acoustic, none of them plugged-in."[9]

The song has been called emo[10] [11] [12] [13] and alternative rock.[14]

Reception

Commercial performance

"I Miss You" was sent to radio in early 2004.[15] The song performed best on Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart, where it peaked at number one for two weeks.[16] The song also charted at number 15 on the Pop Songs chart,[17] and number 24 on the Adult Pop Songs chart.[18] On the Billboard Hot 100, the song reached number 42,[19] and also peaked at number 44 on the Hot 100 Airplay chart.[20] Outside the United States, "I Miss You" performed best in the United Kingdom and New Zealand; in both countries it charted at number eight.[21] [22] It also charted at number 13 in Australia,[23] and number 21 in Ireland.[24]

"I Miss You" was supported by a controversial initiative dubbed "spin buys" by Billboard, in which labels, in Blink's case Geffen, spent thousands of dollars per week to have singles played multiple times from midnight to 6am at small and middle-market radio chains. While overnight airplay at radio at that time was "nothing new for the recording industry," label-sponsored spin-programs had risen considerably in popularity in 2004.[25] By May 2004, the track had accumulated more than 50,000 spins at radio,[26] and more than 100,000 by July.[27]

The song was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America on October 25, 2004, for sales of over 500,000.[28]

Critical reception

"I Miss You" received positive reviews from contemporary music critics. Jesse Lord of IGN praised the "well-thought-out dissonance" between Hoppus and DeLonge's respective vocal tracks, opining that it "expertly showcases and highlights the differences between the two."[29] Nick Catucci of The Village Voice praised the song, writing, "It's how Tom and Mark zing off of one another that makes Blink-182 one of the greats. Name another two dudes who can so naturally share a tender, swelling ballad like 'I Miss You.'"[30] A.D. Amorosi of The Philadelphia Inquirer wrote that "post-teen amour drips through an acoustic 'I Miss You', with singer-guitarist Tom DeLonge in Marshall Crenshaw mode."[31] Spin called it an "interstate breakup song," commending its use of strings and jazz brushes.[32]

Retrospective lists

In 2016, Stereogum ranked the song number four on their list of the 10 greatest Blink-182 songs,[33] and in 2022, Kerrang ranked the song number three on their list of the 20 greatest Blink-182 songs,[34] while Variety ranked it as one of the best emo songs of all time.[35]

Music video

"I think with this song we were rebelling against the pop side of our band, which we'd had for many years. We wanted to do something that was a little darker and more atmospheric and I guess people would have been surprised when they first heard it."
— Tom DeLonge on the song's creation
The song's music video is shot in the style of a 1930s film, and find the trio performing in a haunted house with ghosts circling around. Jonas Åkerlund, who also directed the Prodigy's "Smack My Bitch Up" and Christina Aguilera's "Beautiful," directed the video, which was filmed on December 17, 2003, in Los Angeles. "He's done amazing videos," DeLonge said. "We kind of had an idea of what we wanted to do, but it's gonna be interesting because with a guy like that, they bring so much artistic vision to the project. You don't really know what's going on in their head, like how they wanna film it and all that stuff." It also features Mark Hoppus playing a double bass, inspired by Phil Thornalley of the Cure's use of one in the video for "The Love Cats".

The song achieved heavy airplay on music video channels. It achieved its best airplay on Canada's MuchMusic, where it was the number one most-played video for the week ending February 22, 2004, as monitored by Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems. For Fuse, the song was the eighth-most played that week, eleventh for MTV, and fourteenth for MTV2.[36] It continued to be a strong performer on Fuse and MuchMusic into May, with the issue dated May 15 reporting it at numbers 9 and eleven, respectively.[37] It remained in the top 30 most-played at MuchMusic into January 2005.[38]

In popular culture

Chilean band Kudai used the drum sample of the song on their single "Escapar" from their 2004 album Vuelo. Australian band 5 Seconds of Summer covered the song on BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge in 2014.[39] The song was a primary inspiration for The Chainsmokers' 2016 hit single "Closer". According to Chainsmokers member Andrew Taggart, the duo repeatedly listened to the song while writing it.[40] In 2019, American singer-songwriter Skye employed an interpolation of "I Miss You" in his single "Voices", posthumously featuring rapper XXXTentacion.[41] In other forms of entertainment, the song appeared in several video games, including SingStar Amped and Rock Band 2, and was also featured on the television show Legit.

DeLonge's singing style on "I Miss You"–particularly his verse lyrics "Where are you / and I'm so sorry", or pronunciation of the word head as "yead"[42] —has been widely referenced throughout popular culture, and is considered something of a meme.[43] DeLonge has publicly embraced the attention.[44] [45]

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2004)Peak
position
scope="row"
scope="row"
Canada CHR/Pop Top 30 (Radio & Records)[46] 10
Canada Rock Top 30 (Radio & Records)[47] 7
Czech Republic (IFPI)[48] 6
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[49] 19
scope="row"
scope="row"
scope="row"
scope="row"
scope="row"
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Year-end charts

Chart (2004)Position
Australia (ARIA)[50] 74
UK Singles (OCC)[51] 114
US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)[52] 71
US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[53] 76
US Modern Rock Tracks (Billboard)[54] 11

Release history

RegionDateFormat(s)Label(s)
United StatesFebruary 2, 2004Alternative radioGeffen[55]
AustraliaFebruary 16, 2004CD[56]
United KingdomMarch 1, 2004[57]

Notes and References

  1. Best-Selling Records of 2000. February 10, 2001. 113. 6. 64. Billboard. April 27, 2014.
  2. Web site: Blink-182 Tone Down Pranks, Get Down to Real 'Action' on Next LP. Wiederhorn. Jon. MTV. November 8, 2003. https://web.archive.org/web/20040203170807/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1476576/20030811/blink_182.jhtml. February 3, 2004. All of the tracks were recorded over the past six months....
  3. Browne . Nichola . November 20, 2005 . Punk Rock! Nudity! Filthy Sex! Tom DeLonge Looks Back On Blink-182's Greatest Moments . . . . 1083 . 0262-6624.
  4. Web site: gvng . thnx fr th . October 17, 2018 . Looking in an old box I found my notebook from the @blink182 untitled album.pic.twitter.com/n05ThGfhNj . November 12, 2019 . @markhoppus . April 19, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210419074134/https://twitter.com/markhoppus/status/1052625028674535424/photo/1 . live .
  5. Blink-182 . 2003 . . liner notes . . . 000133612.
  6. News: Corey Moss . December 17, 2003 . Blink-182's 'I Miss You' Might Be Missing from Their Shows . MTV News . September 22, 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121104201701/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1481149/blink-182s-next-single-unplayable-live.jhtml . November 4, 2012.
  7. Web site: Blink-182 I Miss You - Guitar Tab . April 26, 2014 . Music Notes . EMI Music Publishing.
  8. Greg Kot . November 21, 2003 . Review: Blink-182 . . September 22, 2010 . November 7, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141107211325/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,543125,00.html . live .
  9. News: Richard Harrington . June 11, 2004 . Seriously, Blink-182 Is Growing Up . . February 25, 2014 . April 2, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150402164904/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A31210-2004Jun10_2.html . live .
  10. Web site: Lemeshow-Barooshian . Rae . October 23, 2018 . The Best Emo Song of Every Year Since 1998 . . November 10, 2018 . December 5, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211205031800/https://loudwire.com/best-emo-songs-every-year-1998/ . live .
  11. Web site: 8 EMO TRACKS FOR THE LOVELORN ANTI-VALENTINE'S LOSER. . January 3, 2022 . When The Horn Blows . February 14, 2015 . January 2, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220102161851/https://whenthehornblows.com/content//2015/02/8-emo-tracks-for-lovelorn-anti.html . live .
  12. Web site: Lowry . Candace . October 21, 2014 . Songs Every Former Emo Kid Will Never Forget Crying To . live . February 20, 2022 . . February 20, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220220181703/https://www.buzzfeed.com/candacelowry/songs-every-former-emo-kid-will-never-forget-crying-to .
  13. Web site: The 12 Best Emo Power Ballads. . May 18, 2023.
  14. Web site: July 5, 2017 . Ranking: Every Alternative Rock No. 1 Hit From Worst to Best . June 29, 2016 . . August 5, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210805015854/https://consequence.net/2017/07/ranking-every-alternative-rock-hit-from-worst-to-best/15/ . live .
  15. News: Jon Wiederhorn . December 1, 2003 . Coincidence? Blink-182 Releasing 'I Miss You' When Barker Takes Break . MTV News . September 22, 2010 . April 29, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140429104949/http://www.mtv.com/news/1480836/coincidence-blink-182-releasing-i-miss-you-when-barker-takes-break/ . dead .
  16. Blink-182 – Chart History: Alternative Songs . April 27, 2014 . . . November 21, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211121091815/https://www.billboard.com/artist/blink-182/chart-history/alternative-songs/ . live .
  17. Blink-182 – Chart History: Pop Songs . April 27, 2014 . . . November 21, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211121092507/https://www.billboard.com/artist/blink-182/chart-history/pop-songs/ . live .
  18. Blink-182 – Chart History: Adult Pop Songs . April 27, 2014 . . . November 21, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211121092520/https://www.billboard.com/artist/blink-182/chart-history/adult-pop-songs/ . live .
  19. Blink-182 – Chart History: The Hot 100 . April 27, 2014 . . . October 1, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191001092322/https://www.billboard.com/artist/Blink-182/chart-history/hot-100 . live .
  20. Blink-182 – Chart History: Radio Songs . April 27, 2014 . . . November 21, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211121091051/https://www.billboard.com/artist/blink-182/chart-history/radio-songs/ . live .
  21. Web site: Blink-182 - Artist - Official Charts . April 24, 2013 . . select "Singles" tab . March 13, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130313050022/http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/_/blink%20182/ . live .
  22. Web site: Blink-182 . April 24, 2013 . . May 21, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170521133133/http://charts.nz/showitem.asp?interpret=Blink+182&titel=I+Miss+You&cat=s . live .
  23. Web site: Blink-182 . April 24, 2013 . . September 19, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130919071611/http://australian-charts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Blink+182&titel=I+Miss+You&cat=s . live .
  24. Web site: Chart-Track . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140429050314/http://www.chart-track.co.uk/index.jsp?c=p%2Fmusicvideo%2Fmusic%2Farchive%2Findex_test.jsp&ct=240001&arch=t&lyr=2004&year=2004&week=12 . April 29, 2014 . April 24, 2013 . Irish Singles Chart.
  25. Brian Garrity . June 19, 2004 . Spin Buys Spark New Debate . . 116 . 25 . 1/65 . April 27, 2014 . October 17, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221017031936/https://books.google.com/books?id=MSUEAAAAMBAJ&q=spin+buys&pg=PA51 . live .
  26. May 15, 2004 . BDSCertified Spin Awards . . 116 . 20 . 87 . April 27, 2014.
  27. July 24, 2004 . BDSCertified Spin Awards . . 116 . 30 . 4 . April 27, 2014 . October 17, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221017031937/https://books.google.com/books?id=aRAEAAAAMBAJ&q=billboard+blink+spin+awards&pg=PA4 . live .
  28. Web site: American certifications – Blink-182 . April 27, 2014 . Recording Industry Association of America.
  29. Web site: Jesse Lord . November 24, 2003 . Review: Blink-182 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20101216055555/http://music.ign.com/articles/442/442001p1.html . December 16, 2010 . September 22, 2010 . IGN.
  30. News: Nick Catucci . December 2, 2003 . Review: Blink-182 . . September 22, 2010 . November 28, 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20091128074353/http://www.villagevoice.com/2003-12-02/music/what-s-their-age-again/1 . live .
  31. News: A.D. Amorosi . November 23, 2003 . Review: Blink-182 . . September 22, 2010 . April 19, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210419074010/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=m9wnAAAAIBAJ&pg=6796%2C1762272&dq=blink+182&hl=en . live .
  32. A.D. Amorosi . April 2004 . Playlist . . 20 . 4 . 90 . April 27, 2014.
  33. Web site: Trewn . Pranav . September 26, 2016 . The 10 Best Blink-182 Songs . April 7, 2022 . . April 7, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220407175402/https://www.stereogum.com/1899285/the-10-best-blink-182-songs/lists/ . live .
  34. Web site: Law . Sam . January 12, 2022 . The 20 greatest blink-182 songs – ranked . April 7, 2022 . . April 7, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220407175342/https://www.kerrang.com/the-20-greatest-blink-182-songs-ranked . live .
  35. Web site: October 18, 2020 . The 25 Best Emo Songs of All Time. October 18, 2022 . Variety.
  36. March 6, 2004 . Billboard Video Monitor . . 116 . 10 . 71 . April 27, 2014 . October 17, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221017031938/https://books.google.com/books?id=3A8EAAAAMBAJ&q=blink+182&pg=PA71 . live .
  37. May 15, 2004 . Billboard Video Monitor . . 116 . 20 . 81 . April 27, 2014 . October 17, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221017031937/https://books.google.com/books?id=1hAEAAAAMBAJ&q=blink&pg=PA75 . live .
  38. January 8, 2005 . Billboard Video Monitor . . 117 . 2 . 48 . April 27, 2014.
  39. Web site: Scherker . Amanda . September 4, 2014 . 5 Seconds Of Summer Revamps Classic Blink-182 Track, 'I Miss You' . September 5, 2014 . . September 6, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140906163209/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/04/5-seconds-of-summer-blink-182_n_5766442.html . live .
  40. Web site: Lauren Nostro . How Blink 182's "I Miss You" Inspired The Chainsmokers And Halsey's "Closer" . August 14, 2016 . . August 11, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160811173218/http://genius.com/a/how-blink-182-s-i-miss-you-inspired-the-chainsmokers-and-halsey-s-closer . live .
  41. Saponara . Michael . October 31, 2019 . Los Angeles-Based Singer Skye Connects With XXXTentacion For Haunting 'Voices': Premiere . November 8, 2019 . Billboard . January 3, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200103180608/https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/hip-hop/8541393/skye-xxxtentacion-voices-video . live .
  42. Web site: 50 Years of Music: 2003 – blink-182 - "I Miss You" . KEXP 90.3 FM - Where the Music Matters . . April 22, 2023.
  43. Web site: Darus . Alex . Tom DeLonge embraces blink-182 meme with lip sync restaurant selfie . Alternative Press Magazine . June 2, 2019 . April 22, 2023.
  44. Web site: Tom DeLonge loves 'voice inside my yead': "It's funny, I get it" . Kerrang! . April 13, 2022 . April 22, 2023.
  45. Web site: Tom DeLonge Knows This Iconic Blink-182 Lyric Is 'Funny' . iHeart . April 14, 2022 . April 22, 2023.
  46. May 14, 2004 . R&R Canada CHR/Pop Top 30 . . 1555 . 27 . October 14, 2020 . October 17, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201017131205/https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/2000s/2004/RR-2004-05-14.pdf . live .
  47. April 16, 2004 . R&R Canada Rock Top 30 . . 1551 . 59 . October 6, 2019 . July 18, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210718092038/https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/2000s/2004/RR-2004-04-16.pdf . live .
  48. Web site: Oficiální Česká Hitparáda – Pro týden 25/2004 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20040618235253/http://www.ifpicr.cz/radio.htm . June 18, 2004 . January 12, 2020 . IFPI ČR . cs.
  49. March 20, 2004 . Hits of the World – Eurocharts . . 116 . 12 . 69 . March 19, 2020 . January 21, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210121002816/https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/00s/2004/BB-2004-03-20.pdf . live .
  50. Web site: ARIA Top 100 Singles for 2004 . June 14, 2021 . Australian Recording Industry Association . October 16, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201016183710/https://www.aria.com.au/charts/2004/singles-chart . live.
  51. Web site: The Official UK Singles Chart 2004 . March 19, 2016 . . June 24, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210624172206/http://www.ukchartsplus.co.uk/ChartsPlusYE2004.pdf . live.
  52. December 17, 2004 . 2004 The Year in Charts: Most-Played Adult Top 40 Songs . . 12 . 51 . 26.
  53. December 17, 2004 . 2004 The Year in Charts: Most-Played Mainstream Top 40 Songs . Billboard Radio Monitor . 12 . 51 . 22.
  54. December 25, 2004 . Year in Music & Touring: Hot Modern Rock Tracks . . 116 . 52 . 70 . 0006-2510 . December 20, 2023.
  55. Web site: FMQB – Available for Airplay Archive . April 24, 2017 . FMQB . March 22, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130322142732/http://www.fmqb.com/Article.asp?id=16771 . live .
  56. Web site: February 16, 2004 . The ARIA Report: New Releases Singles – Week Commencing 16th February 2004 . dead . https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20040306130000/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/23790/20040307-0000/Issue729.pdf . March 6, 2004 . May 17, 2021 . . 26.
  57. February 28, 2004 . New Releases: Singles . . 29.

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