"Missing You" is a song by American singer

Mary J. Blige Mary Jane Blige ( ; born January 11, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Often referred to as the " Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" and " Queen of R&B", Blige has won nine Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, four American Music Award ...

. It was written and produced by

Babyface Babyface or Baby Face can refer to: Nicknames * Lester Joseph Gillis a.k.a. Baby Face Nelson, an infamous 1930s bank robber * Roosevelt "Baby Face" Willette (1933–1971), an American hard bop and soul-jazz musician * "Baby Face", Jimmy McLarnin ...

for her third studio album, ''

Share My World ''Share My World'' is the third studio album by American R&B singer Mary J. Blige, released by MCA on Earth Day, April 22, 1997. The album became Blige's first to open at number one on the US ''Billboard'' 200 album chart. Moreover, it is her ...

'' (1997). In the United Kingdom, the song was released as the album's third single where it reached number 19 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

. "Missing You" features background vocals from singer

Shanice Shanice Lorraine Wilson-Knox (née Wilson; born May 14, 1973) is an American singer-songwriter, actress and dancer. Shanice had the ''Billboard'' hit singles "I Love Your Smile" and "Silent Prayer" in 1991 and "Saving Forever for You" in 1993. ...

and talks about a woman in a dilemma over a relationship with a man that she at first claimed she "wasn't in love" with but then finds herself "thinking about him all the time" and her missing him.

Critical reception

Larry Flick Larry Flick is an American journalist, former dance music columnist, single reviewer, and Senior Talent Editor for ''Billboard'' magazine, where he worked for 14 years. Now he produces and hosts Sirius XM radio shows. Flick started in the music ...

of ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' wrote that "the song deftly illustrates two notably different sides of La Blige. In its original form, she is the picture of quiet strength, letting producer/writer

drive the pleading

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

to radio-friendly effect. In a live setting, Blige unleashes a white-knuckled intensity that no producer has fully captured yet. She rips through the song with a fervor that is reminiscent of a young

Gladys Knight Gladys Maria Knight (born May 28, 1944), known as the "Empress of Soul", is an American singer, actress and businesswoman. A seven-time Grammy Award-winner, Knight recorded hits through the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s with her family group Gladys Kn ...

, breathing tangible subtext into every syllable. Also, the live arrangement breaks the track down to a '70s-styled

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

throwdown that will educate Bilge's young fans, while delighting mature listeners to no end." Jonathan Bernstein from ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...

'' described it as "an atypically tart

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

lament", noting that it "features a choir of aching Mary J.’s." A reviewer from ''

Music Week ''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future. History Founded in 1959 as '' Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music W ...

'' gave the song three out of five, adding that "this touching, torch-like ballad could be just the single to cross Blige over to a wider audience." The magazine's Alan Jones stated that the singer's "reign as the Queen of

Hip Hop Soul Hip hop soul is a subgenre of contemporary R&B music, most popular during the early and mid 1990s, which fuses R&B or soul singing with hip hop musical production. The subgenre had evolved from a previous R&B subgenre, new jack swing, which ha ...

is likely to continue with the release of Missing You, a gorgeous new Babyface song with gospel undertones."

Track listings

* CD 1 # "Missing You" (Album Version) # "I Can Love You" (Album Version) # "Missing You" (Curtis and Moore Club Remix) # "I Can Love You" (Brooklyn Funk R&B Mix) * CD 2 # "Missing You" (Curtis and Moore Radio Edit) # "Everything" (

So So Def So So Def Recordings is an American record label based in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, and owned by producer Jermaine Dupri, specializing in Southern hip hop, R&B and bass music. So So Def has managed artists such as Bow Wow, Kris Kross, TL ...

Remix) # "Everything" (Malik Mix) # "Don't Walk Away"

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the ''Share My World'' liner notes. *

– producer, writer *Mary J. Blige – executive producer, vocals *Nathan East – bass *Jon Gass – mixing *

Shanice Wilson Shanice Lorraine Wilson-Knox (née Wilson; born May 14, 1973) is an American singer-songwriter, actress and dancer. Shanice had the '' Billboard'' hit singles "I Love Your Smile" and "Silent Prayer" in 1991 and "Saving Forever for You" in 1993 ...

– backing vocals

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

{{Authority control 1997 singles Mary J. Blige songs Songs written by Babyface (musician) Song recordings produced by Babyface (musician) 1997 songs MCA Records singles Torch songs Gospel songs Contemporary R&B ballads Soul ballads Songs about loneliness 1990s ballads