Miss You (Rolling Stones song)
| "Miss You" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| B-side | "Far Away Eyes" |
"Miss You" is a 1978 hit song by The Rolling Stones, from their album Some Girls.
Inspiration and recording
"Miss You" was written by singer Mick Jagger jamming with keyboardist Billy Preston during rehearsals for the March 1977 El Mocambo club gigs (yielding Side Three of the Love You Live album). Although guitarist Keith Richards is credited for co-writing, Jagger is generally regarded as the principal composer.
Mick Jagger and Ron Wood insist that "Miss You" wasn't conceived as a disco song, while Keith Richards said "...Miss You was a damn good disco record, it was calculated to be one". In any case, what was going on in discos did make it to the recording. Charlie Watts said that "A lot of those songs like Miss You on Some Girls... were heavily influenced by going to the discos. You can hear it in a lot of those four-to-the-floor and the Philadelphia-style drumming." For the bass part Bill Wyman started from Billy Preston's bass guitar on the song demo.[1]. Chris Kimsey, who engineered the recording of the song, said Wyman went "...to quite a few clubs before he got that bass line sorted out.", which Kimsey said "made that song".[2] Jagger sang a good part of the chorus using falsetto "ooh"s often in unison with harmonica, guitar, and electric piano.
Unlike most of Some Girls, "Miss You" features several studio musicians. In addition to Sugar Blue, who according to Ron Wood was found while busking on the streets of Paris, Ian McLagan played understated Wurlitzer electric piano, and Mel Collins provides the saxophone solo for the instrumental break.
The 12" version of the song runs over 8 minutes, and features additional instrumentation and solos, particularly on guitar . It was remixed by Bob Clearmountain, then an upcoming mixer and engineer . This song, the first edit the Rolling Stones did for a 12" single, also contains an additional set of lyrics in the second verse, after the line "Hey, let's go mess and fool around you know, like we used to". However, this version did use some "repeats & tape-loops" in order to construct its length.
Personnel
- Mick Jagger – lead vocals, backing vocals[1]
- Charlie Watts – drums
- Bill Wyman – bass
- Keith Richards – guitar, backing vocals
- Ron Wood – guitar, backing vocals
- Ian McLagan – electric piano
- Mel Collins – saxophone
- Sugar Blue – harmonica
Release and aftermath
"Miss You" became The Rolling Stones' eighth number-one hit in the US on its initial release in 1978. It reached number three in the UK. The song was originally nearly nine minutes long, but was edited to nearly five minutes for the album version, and to three-and-a-half minutes for the radio single, although an eight-and-a-half minutes long "Special Disco Version" was also released on 12-inch single - featuring the track at its longest and most complete. The B-side of the single was another album track, "Far Away Eyes", a tongue-in-cheek country and western tune sung by Jagger in a pronounced drawl.
A live recording was captured during the Rolling Stones' 1989-1990 Steel Wheels/Urban Jungle Tour and released on the 1991 live album Flashpoint. Justin Timberlake collaborated with The Rolling Stones for a live performance of "Miss You" at the Toronto Rocks festival. Jagger inserted the chorus of Timberlake's hit "Cry Me a River" during the song's breakdown.
In 2010, Rolling Stone magazine rated "Miss You" number 498 in its list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[2]
Cover versions
Sugar Blue re-recorded the song on his 1993-album Blue Blazes.
Etta James, in her "Matriarch of the Blues" 2000 album, covered Miss You.
It was covered by neo-soul singer Musiq Soulchild for his 2003 album Soulstar. In this version, the reference to "Puerto Rican girls" is replaced with "pretty girls".
It was covered in an instrumental jazz version by E Street Band member Danny Federici for his 2006 album Out Of A Dream. It was released as the first and only single from the album.
Joseph Arthur covered the song during his performance at the San Diego House of Blues on 19 October 2006.
American band Black Eyed Peas made a cover of this song in Fashion Rocks 2008.
Japanese singer-songwriter UA collaborated with the band Little Creatures for her 2005 album Nephew and covered "Miss You" in a downbeat, experimental style.
"The Dynamics", a British band, released a reggae version in 2008.
The song is also covered by the Swedish band The Concretes.
Australian singer-songwriter Paul Dempsey regularly covered the song on his 2010 Burning Leaves Australian Tour.
American band My Morning Jacket covered the song in October 2010 at a concert in New York City.
Acappella group Straight No Chaser covered the song initially for their "Songs Through The Decades" stint at Harrah's Casino and Resort in Atlantic City, New Jersey, summer 2010. The group continues to cover the song on their current tour.
Appearances in popular culture
"Miss You" was used in the opening scene of the pilot episode of Miami Vice, which first aired on 16 September 1984. The song was used in the 1986 Sean Penn crime drama, At Close Range. It was remixed by west coast hip-hop producer Dr. Dre for the soundtrack to Austin Powers in Goldmember.
The song was featured in a viral video skit known as "Jagg Off" where two men have to compete by doing "their best Jagger" as in imitating his on-stage dancing to the tune of this song.
See also
References
- ^ The Best of the Rolling Stones: Jump Back '71 to '93 (1993). CD liner notes
- ^ http://cbs2chicago.com/entertainment/rolling.stone.songs.2.1721498.html
