Miss You (Aaliyah song)

Originally crafted for Ginuwine's second studio album 100% Ginuwine (1999), "Miss You" was written by Ginuwine, Johntá Austin and Teddy Bishop in 1998, and was produced by Bishop. In 1999, while Aaliyah was recording her eponymous third studio album (2001) at the Manhattan Center Studios, she requested Austin and Bishop to play her a couple of tracks they had produced with other artists, including "Miss You", for which Ginuwine had already lent his vocals. Bishop later commented: "She was like, 'I want to cut this record' [...] She got on the phone, called him and said 'Hey I know you cut this record already, but I would love to cut it'." Ginuwine allowed her to cut her own version of it and the same night, Aaliyah re-recorded the whole song. Although she reportedly wanted to put the song out herself, her label Blackground Records felt it was not a "smash record", thus the song was left unused until after Aaliyah's death.{{cite web|url=http://youknowigotsoul.com/?p=18342|title=Interview: Radio Constantly Changes But Teddy Bishop's Ability To Diversify Allows The Quality Of His Music To Stay The Same|date=February 20, 2012|accessdate=February 22, 2012|website=YouKnowIGotSoul.com}}

According to Billboard, lyrically "The verses paint it as a clear breakup song, about being left by her college-bound high-school lover — but with a more ambiguous chorus full of heart-tugging lyrics (“It’s been too long and I’m lost without you/ What am I gonna do?”) and a bird-twittering background hook that sounds like the singer’s soul flying free, it’s a tearjerker anyway".{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/media/lists/best-aaliyah-songs-9619318/|title=Aaliyah's 20 Best Songs: Staff List|magazine=Billboard|date=August 25, 2021|access-date=May 21, 2022}}

Sheet music for the song shows the key of B{{flat}} major with a suggested tempo of "moderately slow hip-hop (with a half-time feel)" at 112 beats per minute in common 4/4 time.{{cite web | url=https://www.musicnotes.com/sheetmusic/mtd.asp?ppn=MN0043874 | title=Miss You | website=Musicnotes | date=March 3, 2003 }}

"Miss You" was first made available on October 28, 2002, for streaming via AOL's program First Listen. Blackground Records and Universal Records serviced it to contemporary hit, rhythmic contemporary, urban contemporary and urban adult contemporary radio stations in the United States on November 12, as the lead single from I Care 4 U.{{cite web|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/2000s/2002/RR-2002-11-08.pdf|title=R&R's Going For Adds: Week Of 11/11/02|magazine=Radio & Records|page=34|date=November 8, 2002|accessdate=April 11, 2022|via=World Radio History}} Jay-Z's remix of the song was serviced to urban contemporary radio on April 8, 2003,{{Cite web|last=Reid|first=Shaheem|date=March 13, 2003|title=Jay-Z Tells Aaliyah Dame's Doing Well, Missy Misses Her On New Remix|url=https://www.mtv.com/news/1470560/jay-z-tells-aaliyah-dames-doing-well-missy-misses-her-on-new-remix/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141223212958/http://www.mtv.com/news/1470560/jay-z-tells-aaliyah-dames-doing-well-missy-misses-her-on-new-remix/|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 23, 2014|access-date=2021-12-11|website=MTV News|language=en}} and was released as a CD single with the original version on April 29.

In August 2021, it was reported that Aaliyah's recorded work for Blackground (since rebranded as Blackground Records 2.0) would be re-released on physical, digital, and, for the first time ever, streaming services in a deal between the label and Empire Distribution.{{cite magazine|last=McIntyre|first=Hugh|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/hughmcintyre/2021/08/05/20-years-after-her-passing-aaliyahs-music-is-finally-coming-to-streaming-services/?sh=21db18f826bd|title=20 Years After Her Passing, Aaliyah's Music Is Finally Coming To Streaming Services|magazine=Forbes|date=August 5, 2021|access-date=August 23, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230823124914/https://www.forbes.com/sites/hughmcintyre/2021/08/05/20-years-after-her-passing-aaliyahs-music-is-finally-coming-to-streaming-services/?sh=65715f1e26bd|url-status=live|archive-date=August 23, 2023}} I Care 4 U and Ultimate Aaliyah, both including "Miss You", were re-released on October 8.{{cite magazine|last=Legaspi|first=Althea |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/aaliyah-i-care-4-u-ultimate-aaliyah-compilation-albums-stream-hear-1238988/|title=Stream Aaliyah's 'I Care 4 U' and 'Ultimate Aaliyah' Compilation Albums|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=October 8, 2021|access-date=August 23, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211008043128/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/aaliyah-i-care-4-u-ultimate-aaliyah-compilation-albums-stream-hear-1238988/|url-status=live|archive-date=October 8, 2021}}

John Bush from AllMusic, while mentioning the song with "All I Need", said that they "don't have the edge of her classic Timbaland productions, but they stand up well — even when they're slotted next to the best songs of her career."{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/i-care-4-u-mw0000228696|title=I Care 4 U – Aaliyah|last=Bush|first=John|website=AllMusic|publisher=All Media Network|date=December 10, 2002|accessdate=April 10, 2022}} Oliver VanDervoort from AXS said, "This is another song that is slow and yet has a great catchy beat".{{cite web|first=Oliver|last=VanDervoort|date=March 16, 2016|url=http://www.axs.com/the-top-10-best-aaliyah-songs-78827|title=The top 10 best Aaliyah songs|website=AXS|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190525082934/http://www.axs.com/the-top-10-best-aaliyah-songs-78827|accessdate=September 9, 2023|archive-date=May 25, 2019}} Michael Paoletta from Billboard praised "Miss You", calling it "yet another showcase of a talent that was taken too soon" and adding: "The singer's breathy alto floats over a sensual, bass-heavy track, courtesy of Teddy Bishop".{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QA0EAAAAMBAJ&q=aaliyah+review&pg=PA26|title=Reviews & Previews|magazine=Billboard|date=November 16, 2002|accessdate=November 20, 2018|via=Google Books}} Damien Scott from Complex felt that the song "is a masterstroke in lovelorn yearning with Aaliyah spilling tears over a lost love. It made sense, then, that it was one of her last tracks, as it summed up the way her family, friends, and fans felt upon her passing".{{cite web|url=https://www.complex.com/music/the-best-aaliyah-songs/i-miss-you|title=The 25 Best Aaliyah Songs |date=May 19, 2016|work=Complex|accessdate=July 20, 2018}} James Poletti from Dotmusic described the song as "deep 'n' honeyed sweetness" and felt that Aaliyah "evokes shuddering sensuality in every syllable".{{cite web|url=http://uk.launch.yahoo.com:80/l_reviews_s/27997.html|title=Single Reviews Aaliyah-"Miss You|date=January 21, 2003|work=dotmusic|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050118061344/http://uk.launch.yahoo.com/l_reviews_s/27997.html|accessdate=November 20, 2018|archive-date=January 18, 2005|url-status=live}} Laura Passero from the Hartford Courant labeled the song as a "soft ballad that highlights her sultry voice." She also felt that the lyrics, "it's been so long and I'm lost without you" in a way speaks to her death.{{cite news|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=W3ohAAAAIBAJ&dq=Aaliyah&pg=PA55&article_id=5330,439681|date=February 1, 2003|title='I Care 4 U'|newspaper=Hartford Courant|accessdate=September 3, 2023|via=The Daily Gazette}} Music Week felt that with its growing radio airplay that "this will find a ready-made audience among the late singer's fanbase".{{cite magazine|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/2003/Music-Week-2003-01-18.pdf|date=January 18, 2003|title=Single Reviews|magazine=Music Week|page=23|accessdate=August 27, 2023}} musicOMH called "Miss You" the best new song from I Care 4 U, as well as stating "poignant lyrics ... mix well with a thoughtful, reflective, laid back tune."{{cite web|last=Smith|first=Graham|date=February 3, 2003|url=https://www.musicomh.com/reviews/albums/aaliyah-i-care-4-u|title=Aaliyah – I Care 4 U|website=musicOMH|accessdate=April 10, 2022}} Sal Cinquemani from Slant Magazine called the song "Aaliyah-lite".{{cite magazine|last=Cinquemani|first=Sal|date=December 4, 2002|url=http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/music_review.asp?ID=265|title=Aaliyah – I Care 4 U|magazine=Slant Magazine|accessdate=November 15, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090309010513/http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/music_review.asp?ID=265|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 9, 2009}}

In the United States, "Miss You" debuted at number 55 on the Billboard Hot 100 on November 30, 2002. It peaked at number three on the chart dated April 5, 2003, becoming Aaliyah's second highest-peaking single on the chart after the number-one "Try Again" (2000), and spent a total of 30 weeks on the chart. The song also peaked atop the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart on January 25, spending three weeks at the summit.{{Cite magazine|title=Aaliyah|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/aaliyah/chart-history/bsi/|access-date=November 9, 2020|magazine=Billboard}} On the 2003 year-end charts, "Miss You" was ranked eighth on the Billboard Hot 100 and third on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart.{{cite news|title=Year in Music: Hot 100 Singles & Tracks|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bA8EAAAAMBAJ&pg=RA1-PA5|access-date=April 11, 2022|magazine=Billboard|date=December 27, 2003|pages=YE-30, YE-32|via=Google Books}}{{cite web|title=Year-End Charts: Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2003/hot-r-and-and-b-hip-hop-songs/|access-date=April 11, 2022|magazine=Billboard}} Six years after its release, on November 22, 2008, the song debuted and peaked at number 38 on the US Hot Ringtones. After the October 8, 2021 re-release of I Care 4 U and Ultimate Aaliyah, "Miss You" debuted and peaked at number five on the US R&B Digital Song Sales.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/aaliyah/chart-history/rdt/|title=R&B Digital Song Sales Chart|magazine=Billboard|date=October 20, 2021|access-date=October 20, 2021}}

Internationally, "Miss You" was a moderate commercial success. In Canada, it peaked at number 14 in its sixth week on the Canadian Singles Chart, where it spent a total of 13 weeks.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/aaliyah/chart-history/cna/|title=Aaliyah Chart History (Canadian Digital Song Sales)|magazine=Billboard|access-date=April 11, 2022}} The song reached the top ten in Germany, where it debuted and peaked at number eight on January 27, 2003. It also peaked at number 15 in both Denmark and Switzerland. In the Netherlands, it peaked at number 25 on the Dutch Top 40 and number 14 on the Single Top 100. In the United Kingdom, "Miss You" debuted at number 91 on the UK Singles Chart for the week ending February 1.{{cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/singles-chart/20030126/7501/|title=Official Singles Chart Top 100|publisher=Official Charts Company|access-date=April 11, 2022}} It peaked at number 76 in its fourth week, becoming Aaliyah's lowest-peaking single in the country.{{cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/singles-chart/20030216/7501/|title=Official Singles Chart Top 100|publisher=Official Charts Company|access-date=April 11, 2022}}

The accompanying music video for "Miss You" was directed by Darren Grant and was filmed in November 2002 in Long Island City, New York, and Los Angeles.{{cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/1458711/missy-elliott-lil-kim-tweet-to-lip-sync-in-aaliyah-video/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150110153627/http://www.mtv.com/news/1458711/missy-elliott-lil-kim-tweet-to-lip-sync-in-aaliyah-video/|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 10, 2015|title=MISSY ELLIOTT, LIL' KIM, TWEET TO LIP-SYNC IN AALIYAH VIDEO |work=MTV News|date=November 14, 2002|accessdate=September 7, 2019}} The video includes segments from Aaliyah's previous music videos, alongside cameo appearances from Aaliyah's close friends and peers, who were shown lip-syncing to the song. Celebrities who were present at the Long Island video shoot included Missy Elliott, Lil' Kim, Tank, Tweet, Queen Latifah, Jaheim, Lyric, and Lil' Jon and the Eastside Boyz, while those present at the Los Angeles shoot included Jamie Foxx, DMX, Quincy Jones and Ananda Lewis. In the UK, the video was made available to stream online a week before the release of "I Care 4 U" starting on January 31, 2003 via Dotmusic's website.{{cite web|url=http://dotmusic.com/news/January2003/news28132.asp|date=January 31, 2003|title=Aaliyah Tribute Video|work=Dotmusic|accessdate=August 20, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031011155645/http://dotmusic.com/news/January2003/news28132.asp|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 11, 2003}}

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US CD single{{cite AV media notes|title=Miss You|others=Aaliyah|year=2003|type=US CD single liner notes|publisher=Blackground Records, Universal Records|id=B0000384-32}}

1. "Miss You" – 4:04
2. "Miss You" (remix featuring Jay-Z) – 4:09

UK CD single{{cite AV media notes|title=Miss You|others=Aaliyah|year=2003|type=UK CD single liner notes|publisher=Blackground Records, Unique Corps, Independiente|id=ISOM 67MS}}

1. "Miss You" – 4:04
2. "We Need a Resolution" (featuring Timbaland) – 4:04

Belgian, Dutch and Luxembourgish CD single{{cite AV media notes|title=Miss You|others=Aaliyah|year=2003|type=Benelux CD single liner notes|publisher=Blackground Records, Unique Corps|id=JWESTCD 300}}

1. "Miss You" – 4:04
2. "Miss You" (music video) – 4:17

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European CD single{{cite AV media notes|title=Miss You|others=Aaliyah|year=2003|type=European CD single liner notes|publisher=Blackground Records, Unique Corps, Edel Records|id=0146106ERE}}

1. "Miss You" – 4:04
2. "One in a Million" – 4:30

European maxi CD single{{cite AV media notes|title=Miss You|others=Aaliyah|year=2003|type=European maxi CD single liner notes|publisher=Blackground Records, Unique Corps, Edel Records|id=0146105ERE}}

1. "Miss You" – 4:04
2. "One in a Million" – 4:30
3. "At Your Best (You Are Love)" – 4:49

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Credits are adapted from the liner notes of I Care 4 U.{{cite AV media notes|title=I Care 4 U|others=Aaliyah|year=2002|publisher=Blackground Records, Universal Records|type=liner notes}}

• Aaliyah – vocals
• Johntá Austin – writing
• Teddy Bishop – production, writing
• Ginuwine – writing
• Acar Keys – mixing, recording

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• List of Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks number ones of 2003

{{Reflist}}

• {{Cite magazine |last=Phifer |first=Hanna |date=2021-08-25 |title=She Was Everything: The Oral History of Aaliyah's 'Miss You' Music Video |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/oral-history-aaliyah-miss-you-video-1216962/ |access-date=2023-10-01 |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US}}

• {{Discogs master|type=single|215632}}
• {{YouTube|CJ6sHaL79J8|Official music video}}
• [http://www.aaliyah.com Official website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201003075434/http://www.aaliyah.com/ |date=October 3, 2020 }}

{{Aaliyah discography & filmography}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Miss You (Aaliyah Song)}}

Category:1998 songs

Category:2002 singles

Category:Aaliyah songs

Category:Music videos directed by Darren Grant

Category:Songs written by Johntá Austin

Category:Pop ballads

Category:Contemporary R&B ballads

Category:Songs released posthumously

Category:Songs about heartache

Category:Torch songs

Category:2000s ballads