I Miss You (Beyoncé song)
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"I Miss You" is a song by American recording artist Beyoncé, taken from her fourth studio album, '' 4'' (2011). It was written by Beyoncé,
Frank Ocean Christopher Francis "Frank" Ocean (born Christopher Edwin Breaux; October 28, 1987), is an American singer, songwriter, and rapper. His works are noted by music critics for featuring avant-garde styles and introspective, elliptical lyrics. Ocean ...
and
Shea Taylor Robert "Shea" Taylor is a songwriter, producer, multi-instrumentalist based in New York City. He established an early successful songwriting partnership with Def Jam's R&B singer-songwriter phenom Ne-Yo, and has also worked with Rihanna, Beyoncé ...
, while production was handled by Beyoncé and Taylor. The song's development was motivated by the fact that Beyoncé wanted to focus on songs being classics, songs that would last, and songs that she could sing when she becomes old. A mid-paced R&B
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 ...
, "I Miss You" is influenced by the ballads of the 1980s. Its
instrumentation Instrumentation a collective term for measuring instruments that are used for indicating, measuring and recording physical quantities. The term has its origins in the art and science of scientific instrument-making. Instrumentation can refer to ...
consists essentially of synthesizers and
keyboards Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...
. "I Miss You" finds Beyoncé, as the protagonist, thinking deeply over her relationship with her
love interest ''Gli Innamorati'' (, meaning "The Lovers") were stock characters within the theatre style known as commedia dell'arte, who appeared in 16th century Italy. In the plays, everything revolved around the Lovers in some regard. These dramatic and pos ...
from whom she parted; however, she still pines for him and feels self-conscious for doing so. "I Miss You" was generally praised by
music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...
who complimented its very sparse production as well as its aurally remarkable 1980s influence. Some of them also described the song as a "haunting" ballad and called it the highlight of the record. Critics also complimented how Beyoncé's vocals keep on alternating from desperate and calm throughout the song, and highlighted the vulnerability in her voice. Following the release of ''4'' in early July 2011, "I Miss You" charted at number 184 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 ...
and at number 34 on the South Korea Gaon International Singles Chart, based on downloads alone. The song was part of Beyoncé's
set list A set list, or setlist, is typically a handwritten or printed document created as an ordered list of songs, jokes, stories and other elements an artist intends to present during a specific performance. A setlist can be made of nearly any materi ...
for her
4 Intimate Nights with Beyoncé 4 Intimate Nights with Beyoncé was the second concert residency by American recording artist Beyoncé. Held during four non-consecutive nights in August 2011 at the Roseland Ballroom in New York City, the concerts were part of Beyoncé's campa ...
residency, held in
Roseland Ballroom The Roseland Ballroom was a multipurpose hall, in a converted ice skating rink, with a colorful ballroom dancing pedigree, in New York City's theater district, on West 52nd Street in Manhattan. The venue, according to its website, accommodat ...
, New York City in August 2011.


Background and development

"I Miss You" was written by Beyoncé,
Odd Future Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All, better known as Odd Future and often abbreviated as OF, was an American hip-hop music collective formed in Los Angeles County, California in 2007. The original members were Tyler, the Creator, Casey Veggies, ...
collective member
Frank Ocean Christopher Francis "Frank" Ocean (born Christopher Edwin Breaux; October 28, 1987), is an American singer, songwriter, and rapper. His works are noted by music critics for featuring avant-garde styles and introspective, elliptical lyrics. Ocean ...
, and Shea Taylor while production was handled by Beyoncé and Taylor themselves. In early March 2011, Ocean made known that Beyoncé was back in the studio working on her then upcoming fourth studio album, '' 4''. Ocean posted a snap of Beyoncé in his studio on
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, fuelling reports that he had worked with Beyoncé on the new record. As well as posting a picture of Beyoncé recording new material, he also accompanied the image with the comment: "This is the room i am working in this day. not to brag but man, this is surreal. like ..she is singing my songs. If time were to stop right now, the past couple weeks would be near the top of the highlight reel for my short time on earth ic" In July 2011, Beyoncé sat for an interview with Gabriel Alvarez of ''
Complex Complex commonly refers to: * Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe ** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...
'' magazine, where she elaborated on how she came to know about Ocean: "Jay Zhad a CD playing in the car one Sunday when we were driving to Brooklyn. I noticed his tone, his arrangements, and his storytelling. I immediately reached out to him—literally the next morning. I asked him to fly to New York and work on my record." In this way, Ocean ended up co-writing "I Miss You". Beginning on June 16 to June 27, 2011, the songs from ''4'' were available to listen to in full each day on Beyoncé's official website, paired with its accompanying photo spread from the album packaging and an insightful quote. On June 18, 2011, "I Miss You"" was the third song to be chosen. The quote found Beyoncé elaborating on what motivated her to record a song like "I Miss You":
'4''is definitely an evolution. It is bolder than the music on my previous albums because I’m bolder. The more mature I become and the more life experiences I have, the more I have to talk about. I really focused on songs being classics, songs that would last, songs that I could sing when I’m 40 and when I’m 60.


Composition

"I Miss You" is a
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 ...
that draws from the genres of R&B and contains elements of
pop music Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. The terms ''popular music'' and ''pop music'' are often used interchangeably, although the former descri ...
and
trip hop Trip hop (sometimes used synonymously with " downtempo") is a musical genre that originated in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom, especially Bristol. It has been described as a psychedelic fusion of hip hop and electronica with slow tem ...
. Michael Cragg, writing for both ''
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'' and ''
The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the ...
'', noted that it is heavily influenced by the 1980s ballads. This was further noted by Charles Ubaghs of
The Quietus ''The Quietus'' is a British online music and pop culture magazine founded by John Doran and Luke Turner. The site is an editorially independent publication led by Doran with a group of freelance journalists and critics. Content ''The Quietu ...
and Priya Elan of ''
NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
'', who commented that "I Miss You" is influenced by the 1980s electro
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 atte ...
and
neo soul Neo soul (sometimes called progressive soul) is a genre of popular music. As a term, it was coined by music industry entrepreneur Kedar Massenburg during the late 1990s to market and describe a style of music that emerged from soul and contempo ...
music styles respectively. A generally low-key song, "I Miss You" is built on a simple puttering metronomic
beat Beat, beats or beating may refer to: Common uses * Patrol, or beat, a group of personnel assigned to monitor a specific area ** Beat (police), the territory that a police officer patrols ** Gay beat, an area frequented by gay men * Battery (c ...
, The song's instrumentation consists of "layers of atmospheric
keyboards Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...
", ambient synthesizers, and tinny 808 drums The synthesizers expand and contract as they progress through their
chords Chord may refer to: * Chord (music), an aggregate of musical pitches sounded simultaneously ** Guitar chord a chord played on a guitar, which has a particular tuning * Chord (geometry), a line segment joining two points on a curve * Chord ( ...
, maintaining an even level of intensity throughout. Additionally, Rich Juzwiak of ''
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'' commented that
Martika Marta Marrero (born May 18, 1969), better known by her stage name Martika ( ), is an American pop singer and actress. She released two internationally successful albums in the late 1980s and early 1990s, which sold over four million copies wor ...
's 1991 song " Love... Thy Will Be Done" is conjured in "I Miss You". Matthew Horton of
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
felt that "I Miss You" features "the kind of subtle tension" achieved by
Alicia Keys Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. A classically trained pianist, Keys started composing songs when she was 12 and was signed at 15 years old by Col ...
'
Try Sleeping with a Broken Heart "Try Sleeping with a Broken Heart" is a song by American recording artist Alicia Keys. It was released as the second single (third in the UK) from her fourth studio album, '' The Element of Freedom'' (2009). The ballad has been hailed by many mus ...
(2010). Jim Farber of '' Daily News'' added that "'I Miss You' contrasts a soft bed of synth sizersand heavily echoed drums" in a way similar to Phil Collins' 1981 song "
In the Air Tonight "In the Air Tonight" is the debut solo single by English drummer and singer-songwriter Phil Collins. It was released as the lead single from Collins's debut solo album, ''Face Value'', in January 1981. Collins co-produced "In the Air Tonight" w ...
". Described by Matthew Horton as a song that "tug heartstrings", "I Miss You" finds Beyoncé, as the female protagonist, ruminating over her relationship with her ex-love interest without firm verdicts; she is "confused, conflicted, very human", as stated by the ''
Chicago Sun-Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has the second largest circulation among Chicago newspapers, after the ''Chicago ...
''s Thomas Conner. Even though they have parted, Beyoncé "still cannot let go and her needs are vexing her", according to Melinda Newman of
HitFix HitFix, or HitFix.com, was an entertainment news website that launched in December 2008 specializing in breaking entertainment news, insider information, and reviews and critiques of film, music, and television. In mid-2010 HitFix crossed the 1,00 ...
. Also, Matthew Perpetua of ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
'' added that the song features Beyoncé "at her most understated". Throughout the song, her phrasing is "cool, calm and collected". Ian Walker of AbsolutePunk stated that the lyrics of "I Miss You" are a mixture of "hopeful longing and loneliness." In the chorus lines, Beyoncé questions herself, "I miss you / But if I got with you, could it feel the same?" From the second verse and onwards, the song finds Beyoncé "vocalizing an internal battle, alternately desperate and calm", as stated by Joey Guerra of the ''
Houston Chronicle The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, Texas, United States. , it is the third-largest newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States, behind only ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. With i ...
''. She starts to sing in a double voice; her lower vocal notes are set as the song's base, while her voice in a heightened key is played over it. In the second verse, she sings, "The words don’t ever seem to come out right / But I still mean hm", pining for her ex-love interest and feeling self-conscious for doing so, "It hurts my pride to tell you how I feel, but I still need to" before asking again, "Why is that?".


Critical reception

"I Miss You" received highly positive reviews. David Amidon of
PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...
who stated that "
1+1 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1 ...
provides Beyoncé a song that "can compete with the favorites of this generation’s parents", came to the conclusion that "1+1" and "I Miss You" are "equally competent, if safer, attempts at the same formula". He concluded that these songs make it clear that Beyoncé is "head and shoulders above her Clear Channel competition in R&B". Joanne Dorken of
MTV UK MTV is a British pay television channel focusing on reality TV and music programming operated by Paramount Networks UK & Australia. The channel launched as part of MTV Networks Europe localisation strategy in 1997. MTV UK (previously MTV UK & ...
who described "I Miss You" as "heartfelt ballad" with her vocals being "on point", as she delivers the song with "raw emotion". Ben Cardew of ''
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 ...
'' appreciated "the influence of Frank Ocean", which according to him, made it feel like "the first track on the album to have a modern feel". He went on praising the fact that the ballad is constructed from "a stripped down beat and washes of synth, making a very simple track but one that benefits from its simplicity". Describing "I Miss You" as a "gently pulsing, sci-fi ballad", Joey Guerra of the ''Houston Chronicle'' called the song "one of the most fascinating moments amid a dozen tracks". Cameron Adams of the '' Herald Sun'' wrote that "I Miss You" is a nocturnal and experimental ballad due to its synth washes. Michael Cragg of ''The Observer'' called "the minimal 'I Miss You' the highlight f ''4''. Brandon Lewis of Blogcritics found "I Miss You" both "haunting and gorgeous, with an ominous vocal and very sparse production". Showing high favoritism for "I Miss You", Roberts Randall of ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...
'' wrote:
Beyoncé Knowles is not worried chasing fads, though she is well aware of them. Over the years, she has learned how to harness them so effortlessly that they seem like her ideas. Take the standout track on her new album, ''4'', 'I Miss You', a slow-burn jam of desire co-written by Odd Future-affiliated crooner Frank Ocean. In its beginning moments, the song draws on the sparse wave of recent music by British band
The xx The xx are an English indie rock band from Wandsworth, London, formed in 2005. The band consists of Romy Madley Croft (guitar, vocals), Oliver Sim (bass guitar, vocals), Jamie Smith, also known as Jamie xx (beats, MPC, record production), a ...
by using silence as a weapon, a notion that extends across the 12-song album.
Adam Markovitz of ''
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 cu ...
'' was also positive, writing that Beyoncé "pants and sweats and grunts (except, you know, sexy-like), her voice climbing ever higher in search of an octave big enough to hold it". Embling of
Tiny Mix Tapes ''Tiny Mix Tapes'' (also ''TMT'' or ''tinymixtapes'') is an online music and film webzine that focuses primarily on new music and related news. In addition to its reviews, it is noted for its subversive, political, and sometimes surreal news, ...
wrote that " .. if sung by anyone else, 'I Miss You' would be a thin wisp of a ballad, but Beyoncé allows her voice to crack at the right moments, moving tenuously, self-consciously through the soft, circular melody." He concluded that songs like "I Miss You" and " Start Over" would earn deserved spots in "the Beyoncé pantheon" once fans take the time to grow attached to them. Referring to "I Miss You", Alexis Petridis of ''The Guardian'' wrote that "the 90s influence is not always a bad thing." He considered the song to be "a woozy update of an old-fashioned slow jam", further stating that "it is probably pushing it a bit to call it an R&B equivalent of
Ariel Pink Ariel Marcus Rosenberg ( ; born June 24, 1978), professionally known as Ariel Pink, is an American musician, singer, and songwriter whose work draws heavily from the popular music of the 1960s–1980s. His lo-fi aesthetic and home-recorded alb ...
's hypnagogic pop, but there's something enveloping and dream-like about it." Ian Walker of AbsolutePunk commented that " hehollow beat and dismal synthesizers, allow dBeyoncé and her morosely beautiful voice center stage. ..Beyoncé delivers a believable performance effortlessly." By contrast,
Greg Kot Greg Kot (born March 3, 1957) is an American music journalist and author. From 1990 until 2020, Kot was the rock music critic at the ''Chicago Tribune'', where he covered popular music and reported on music-related social, political and busines ...
of the ''
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'' was negative, writing that " I Miss You' iseasily overlooked with its forlorn keyboard and beat-box chintziness." Similarly,
Consequence of Sound ''Consequence'' (previously ''Consequence of Sound'') is an independently owned New York-based online magazine featuring news, editorials, and reviews of music, movies, and television. In addition, the website also features the Festival Outlook ...
writer Chris Coplan felt that the ballad is "too-saccharine-for-its-own-good." ''The Guardian''s critics Ben Beaumont Thomas and Rebecca Nicholson ranked "I Miss You" at numbers four and nine respectively on their lists of The 10 Best Tracks of 2011. Mesfin Fekadu from the
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dubbed "I Miss You" as a classic.


Live performances

Beyoncé performed "I Miss You" live for first time on August 14, 2011 during her ''
4 Intimate Nights with Beyoncé 4 Intimate Nights with Beyoncé was the second concert residency by American recording artist Beyoncé. Held during four non-consecutive nights in August 2011 at the Roseland Ballroom in New York City, the concerts were part of Beyoncé's campa ...
'' in
Roseland Ballroom The Roseland Ballroom was a multipurpose hall, in a converted ice skating rink, with a colorful ballroom dancing pedigree, in New York City's theater district, on West 52nd Street in Manhattan. The venue, according to its website, accommodat ...
, New York City. She performed the song in front of 3,500 people wearing a gold dress and backed by her all-female band and her backing singers, called the Mamas. During the ITV special ''A Night With Beyoncé'' which aired on December 4 in the United Kingdom, Beyoncé performed "I Miss You" to a selected crowd of fans. In May 2012, Beyoncé performed "I Miss You" during her '' Revel Presents: Beyoncé Live''
revue A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own dur ...
in Revel Atlantic City. An electronic backdrop behind Beyoncé and a male dancer in kinetic, black-and-white stripes accompanied Beyoncé on stage. Dan DeLuca of ''
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'' noted that "the set list tipped too heavily at times toward bombastic balladry like 'I Care' and 'I Miss You'". Jim Farber of ''Daily News'' commented that the song was sung with "precision and sweep, she tipped the balance decidedly softer, giving her power grounding". Tris McCall of
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wrote, "Even 'I Miss You,' perhaps the least flashy song in her catalog, felt like a necessary breather, and an occasion for her to break out her conversational lower register."


Cover versions

On November 5, 2011, Ocean performed "I Miss You" at the House of Blues in New Orleans. Dressed in a black suit with a red-and-white bandana around his head, he sat down at an electric piano to perform it live to end the evening. The crowd also sang along. Alex Rawls of ''Rolling Stone'' found his performance to be "warm and soulful". British
indie pop Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and su ...
band The xx covered the song on February 14, 2013 during their concert in Austin, Texas and later posted the cover on their official blog. Their cover of the song was a duet between Romy Madley Croft and Oliver Sim accompanied by spare guitar and bass. Their cover of the song was described as "great" by Jenn Pelly of Pitchfork Media, while Sam Weiss of ''
Complex Complex commonly refers to: * Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe ** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...
'' magazine praised the performance saying that the band made the song sound similar to their own material from the album ''
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'' (2012). Chris Martins of ''Spin'' magazine commented that "It's exactly what you'd expect to hear, and it's exactly as beautiful as you'd hope it would be."


Chart performance

Selling 16,032 digital downloads, "I Miss You" opened at number 34 on the South Korea Gaon International Singles Chart for the week ending July 2, 2011. Following the release of ''4'', "I Miss You" also charted at number 184 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 ...
on July 9, 2011, based on downloads alone.


References


External links


Beyoncé's Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:I Miss You (Beyonce Song) 2010s ballads 2011 songs Beyoncé songs Contemporary R&B ballads Song recordings produced by Beyoncé Songs written by Beyoncé Songs written by Frank Ocean Songs written by Shea Taylor Song recordings produced by Shea Taylor