I Miss You (Blink-182 song)

Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox song "I Miss You" is a song by American rock band Blink-182. It was released as the second single from the group's self-titled album (2003) on February 2, 2004 through Geffen Records. It was written by guitarist Tom DeLonge, bassist Mark Hoppus, and drummer Travis Barker, and was produced by Jerry Finn. The track marks a stylistic departure for the band, built around acoustic instrumentation including stand-up bass, cello, piano, and a brushstroked drum loop, layered into a moody, groove-driven arrangement. Its gothic style was inspired by the Cure.

The song was developed in a home studio that had been built out inside a rented mansion. DeLonge and Hoppus went to separate rooms to write lyrics based on the theme, finding ways to combine them after time apart. The song explores vulnerability and heartache in love, conveying the fear of emotional loss and unreciprocated feelings. The song's artful music video, shot by Jonas Åkerlund, depicts the trio in a haunted mansion run by ghosts. "I Miss You" topped BillboardTemplate:'s Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart in the US; it also charted across the globe, and was a top ten hit in the United Kingdom.

Music critics complimented the song's unconventional structure and tone. The song's dark, emo-inflected feel built lasting popularity, and DeLonge's distinctive vocal delivery in the song became iconic. "I Miss You" has been frequently covered by artists across genres; it was a primary inspiration for the 2010s hit "Closer" by the Chainsmokers. It has been recognized in retrospective rankings as one of the band's best songs. It is among the songs to surpass one billion streams on Spotify.

Background

Template:Multiple image "I Miss You" was recorded in 2003,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.<ref name="Kerrang05">Template:Cite journal</ref> 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.<ref name="Kerrang05" /> Tom wrote the second verse, and Mark wrote the first verse and the chorus. In 2018, Mark shared the original handwritten lyrics on Twitter.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Citation</ref> "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.<ref name="Kerrang05" /> 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.<ref name="Kerrang05" /><ref name="linernotes">Template:Cite AV media notes</ref>

The trio struggled recording "I Miss You" at first, originally employing a completely different chorus reminiscent of what they considered adult contemporary music.<ref name="Kerrang05" />Template:Efn The track was directly inspired by the Cure song "The Love Cats".<ref name="Kerrang05" /><ref name="linernotes" /> 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.'"<ref name="missingfromshows">Template:Cite news</ref>

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.<ref name=sheet/> Hoppus and DeLonge's vocal range spans from F#₂ to F#₄.<ref name="sheet">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The instruments are all acoustic, featuring a piano, cello, acoustic bass guitar, and a "brushstroked hip-hop groove."<ref name="missyou" /><ref name="ew">Template:Cite magazine</ref> The song's production was very layered, requiring multiple tracks. "There's probably 50 tracks of instruments going on the record," DeLonge said.<ref name="missingfromshows" /> 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."<ref name="wp">Template:Cite news</ref>

The song has been called emo<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and alternative rock.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Reception

Commercial performance

"I Miss You" was sent to radio in early 2004.<ref name="missyou">Template:Cite news</ref> The song performed best on BillboardTemplate:'s Modern Rock Tracks chart, where it peaked at number one for two weeks.<ref name="modernrock">Template:Cite magazine</ref> The song also charted at number 15 on the Pop Songs chart,<ref name="pop">Template:Cite magazine</ref> and number 24 on the Adult Pop Songs chart.<ref name="adultpop">Template:Cite magazine</ref> On the Billboard Hot 100, the song reached number 42,<ref name="hot">Template:Cite magazine</ref> and also peaked at number 44 on the Hot 100 Airplay chart.<ref name="hotairplay">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Outside the United States, "I Miss You" performed best in the United Kingdom and New Zealand; in both countries it charted at number eight.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It also charted at number 13 in Australia,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and number 21 in Ireland.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

"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 6Template:Nbspam at small and middle-market radio chains.<ref name="bb2" /> 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.<ref name="bb2">Template:Cite magazine</ref> By May 2004, the track had accumulated more than 50,000 spins at radio,<ref name="bb5">Template:Cite magazine</ref> and more than 100,000 by July.<ref name="bb6">Template:Cite magazine</ref>

The song was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America on October 25, 2004, for sales of over 500,000.<ref name="RIAA">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

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."<ref name="ign1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.'"<ref name="Village Voice">Template:Cite news</ref> 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."<ref name="TPI">Template:Cite news</ref> Spin called it an "interstate breakup song," commending its use of strings and jazz brushes.<ref name="spin">Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Retrospective lists

In 2016, Stereogum ranked the song number four on their list of the 10 greatest Blink-182 songs,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and in 2022, Kerrang ranked the song number three on their list of the 20 greatest Blink-182 songs.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

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<ref name="Kerrang05" />

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.<ref name="missingfromshows" /> 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.<ref name="missingfromshows" /> "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."<ref name="missingfromshows" /> 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".<ref name="linernotes" />

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.<ref name="bb1">Template:Cite magazine</ref> 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.<ref name="bb3">Template:Cite magazine</ref> It remained in the top 30 most-played at MuchMusic into January 2005.<ref name="bb4">Template:Cite magazine</ref>

In popular culture

Several artists have covered "I Miss You", including Australian band 5 Seconds of Summer,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> This Wild Life,<ref name="c844">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Slowly Slowly,<ref name="g001">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and Yung Pinch.<ref name="w881">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Indie artists ironically covered the song in 2020 for a viral response to Gal Gadot's ill-timed "Imagine" cover. The artists included Dr. Dog's Eric Slick, Mac DeMarco, Danny Brown, Fleet Foxes' Robin Pecknold, Natalie Prass, Kevin Morby, Caroline Rose, Whitney, and more.<ref name="l836">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Fred Again played a remix of the song at a Coachella set in 2023,<ref name="m040">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> while Chilean band Kudai used the drum sample of the song on their single "Escapar" from their 2004 album Vuelo. It has also been used as a cover for American Idol contestants.<ref name="z389">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> DeLonge has also covered the song with his other band, Angels & Airwaves.<ref name="w667">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2019, American singer-songwriter Skye employed an interpolation of "I Miss You" in his single "Voices", posthumously featuring rapper XXXTentacion.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> 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.

Popular singer Halsey has become infamous online for a cover of the single performed inside of a mall. In the clip, a 20-year-old pink-haired Halsey, who had gotten a small following on social media app Tumblr, was hosting an impromptu meetup with her fans. In an interview, she said: “I went and met all these fans,” the singer continued. “It was the first time I’d ever met a fan before, and they were like, ‘Will you sing?’ and I was like, I never sang outside of my bedroom before.” The performance was recorded in 2015, became popular due to her singing being noted as "terrible", and became one of her biggest career-defining moments.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Legacy

"I Miss You" continues to enjoy popularity decades after its release; it is one of several songs to count over one billion streams on Spotify, joining the platform's "Billions Club".<ref name="y601">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> DeLonge's singing style on "I Miss You"–particularly his verse lyrics "Where are you / and I'm so sorry" and pronunciation of the word head as "yead" in the chorus<ref name=" KEXP ">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>—has been widely referenced throughout popular culture, and is considered something of a meme.<ref name="q244">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Darus 2019">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> DeLonge has publicly embraced the attention.<ref name="Kerrang! 2022">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="iHeart 2022">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Finneas once described DeLonge's delivery: "Tom comes into that song like he was on a balcony and he jumped off the balcony onto the song."<ref name="p537">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> A 10-hour YouTube loop of only DeLonge's verse from 2015 went viral; an A.V. Club commentator dubbed it oddly "hypnotic."<ref name="b834">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The song has been a staple of the band's live performances since its release. It is typically ended with an extended coda that builds into a crescendo.<ref name="y787">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Chris Payne of Stereogum described "I Miss You" the band's most enduring song, highlighting its gothic embrace of the Hot Topic scene.<ref name="l755">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Variety ranked it as one of the best emo songs of all time,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and Rolling Stone ranked it among the "250 Greatest Songs of the 21st Century So Far" in 2025, praising its "vulnerability and mature candor."<ref name="c598">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> "I Miss You" has been considered such a singular track in the band's ouvre that later hits by the band, like "One More Time", emulate the brush-stroked approach.<ref name="p351">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Personnel

Per the Blink-182 liner notes.<ref name="linernotes"/>

Blink-182

• Mark Hoppus – acoustic bass, vocals
• Tom DeLonge – acoustic guitar, vocals
• Travis Barker – brushed drum loop

Additional personnel

• Roger Joseph Manning, Jr. – keyboards

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2004)	Peak position
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Canada CHR/Pop Top 30 (Radio & Records)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	10
Canada Rock Top 30 (Radio & Records)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	7
Czech Republic (IFPI)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	6
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	19
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UK Airplay (Music Week)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	29
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Year-end charts

Chart (2004)	Position
Australia (ARIA)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	74
UK Singles (OCC)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	114
US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	71
US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	76
US Modern Rock Tracks (Billboard)<ref name="Modern Rock Tracks-Year-End">Template:Cite magazine</ref>	11

Release history

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)	Template:Abbr
United States	February 2, 2004	Alternative radio	Geffen	<ref name="AltRadio">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Australia	February 16, 2004	CD		<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}Template:Cbignore</ref>
United Kingdom	March 1, 2004	Template:Hlist	Template:Hlist	<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

External links

• Template:YouTube