Missing You (John Waite song)
Encyclopedia
"Missing You" is the title of a song co-written and recorded by British
musician John Waite
. It was released in June 1984 as the lead single from the album No Brakes
. It peaked at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100
during the week of September 22, 1984, and number nine on the UK Singles Chart
.
John Waite re-recorded the song with country/bluegrass artist Alison Krauss
which appeared on her album A Hundred Miles or More: A Collection
, and released it to country music radio in 2007. The re-recording peaked at #34 on the Hot Country Songs
chart. The original recording has been featured in 1997's Selena
, the popular 1980s inspired video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
and the second episode of the TV series Miami Vice
("Heart of Darkness", originally aired September 28, 1984). In 2010, it was used in a series of commercial spots for Conan O'Brien
's Conan on TBS
.
To start the clip, John Waite is sitting in a chair, and after seeing a picture of a woman with whom he is still in love, he, frustrated, hits the lamp above him causing it to swing back and forth and begins to sing the song. When he opens his bedroom door, a woman playfully jumps into his arms and they embrace falling back onto the bed. Later, Waite watches through a crack in the door as the woman angrily throws her clothes into her suitcase. She pushes through the door to leave him and it hits him in the face full force as she storms past him, away. Pained at her emotional and physical assault, he sadly remembers being at one of her photo shoots. Trying to be cool, Waite leans on a lighting stand but misses and stumbles. Seeing this, she lovingly laughs at his fumbling. Back to the present, Waite tries to call her from a phone booth, but when the woman finally picks up the phone, her only connection is to a dangling phone in an empty phone booth. Waite is gone. He laments about "I ain't missin' you at all" as he walks down the city street only to see a picture of the woman on a newspaper. He goes into a bar. There, an older woman slides onto the stool next to him and tries to flirt with him, but for sheer sorrow shows he is not interested and then goes home again still pining of the woman. He tries again to call her but his anger and frustration gets the better of him and he smashes the phone into a thousand pieces. When she finally comes to his door and knocks, he doesn't answer, as he doesn't hear her knock over the music playing on his earphones he had put on just before her first knock. She leans against the door gently touching it and, with a deep breath, she turns and leaves as tears flow down her face.
in 1996, and was released as the third single from the album Wildest Dreams
. When Waite's original version of "Missing You" topped Billboard's Hot 100 in late 1984, the song that it knocked out of a 3-week reign at the top was none other than Tina Turner's "What's Love Got to Do with It". Turner's version of Waite's "Missing You" hit #12 in the UK and #84 in the U.S.
The single "Missing You" included an edited single version of the track, an alternative mix and certain formats also the European non-album track "The Difference Between Us", later featured on the U.S. edition of the Wildest Dreams album.
and was released in August 1999 as the lead single from the album Tight Rope. Their version peaked at #6 on the Canadian RPM Country Tracks, #15 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks and reached #75 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.
released a cover of "Missing You" on his 1991 album Blue Bird.
"Missing You" was recorded by American folk-pop musician David Wilcox
for his 1994 album Big Horizon.
The song was also recorded by Evan Dando
and Tom Morgan as a part of Triple J
's Live at the Wireless.
It was also recorded by country music duo Brooks & Dunn
in 1999 on their Arista
-released Tight Rope album; their version peaked at #15 on the country chart
.
Another cover came from Rod Stewart
in 2006 on his album, Still the Same... Great Rock Classics of Our Time
.
A cover has also been made by actor/musician Tyler Hilton
, exclusively for the soundtrack of One Tree Hill
.
Another cover was performed by Tommy Page. Declan Galbraith
also recorded a cover version on his album You and Me.
Orianthi
covered this song on her album Believe (II). A cover version was also performed in Spanish by La Trampa.
Katharine McPhee
covered this song on her Unbroken Tour in 2010/2011.
Leba Hibbert of Toots and the Maytals and daughter of Toots Hibbert
also covered the song on her debut album Intoxicated, released in April 2011.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
musician John Waite
John Waite
John Charles Waite is an English rock singer and musician. He was lead vocalist for The Babys and Bad English. As a solo artist, he scored several international hits, including 1984's "Missing You", a top ten hit on the US Billboard Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart, reaching #1 in the...
. It was released in June 1984 as the lead single from the album No Brakes
No Brakes
No Brakes is a 1984 album by John Waite and was released in June 1984 the United States on the EMI America label. It features the number 1 hit single "Missing You." No Brakes was certified gold on September 4, 1984.-Track listing:...
. It peaked at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
during the week of September 22, 1984, and number nine on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
.
John Waite re-recorded the song with country/bluegrass artist Alison Krauss
Alison Krauss
Alison Maria Krauss is an American bluegrass-country singer, songwriter and fiddler. She entered the music industry at an early age, winning local contests by the age of ten and recording for the first time at fourteen. She signed with Rounder Records in 1985 and released her first solo album in...
which appeared on her album A Hundred Miles or More: A Collection
A Hundred Miles or More: A Collection
A Hundred Miles or More: A Collection is a compilation album by country/bluegrass artist Alison Krauss. It was released on April 3, 2007, and is a collection of new and old songs that Krauss has recorded. It features duets with Sting, Brad Paisley, John Waite, and James Taylor. The album debuted...
, and released it to country music radio in 2007. The re-recording peaked at #34 on the Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
chart. The original recording has been featured in 1997's Selena
Selena (film)
Selena is a 1997 American biographical drama film about the life and career of the late Tejano music star Selena, a recording artist who was well known in the Mexican-American and Hispanic communities in the United States and Mexico before she was shot to death at the age of twenty-three.The movie...
, the popular 1980s inspired video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City is a 2002 open world action computer and video game developed by British games developer Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the second 3D game in the Grand Theft Auto video game franchise and sixth original title overall...
and the second episode of the TV series Miami Vice
Miami Vice
Miami Vice is an American television series produced by Michael Mann for NBC. The series starred Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas as two Metro-Dade Police Department detectives working undercover in Miami. It ran for five seasons on NBC from 1984–1989...
("Heart of Darkness", originally aired September 28, 1984). In 2010, it was used in a series of commercial spots for Conan O'Brien
Conan O'Brien
Conan Christopher O'Brien is an American television host, comedian, writer, producer and performer. Since November 2010 he has hosted Conan, a late-night talk show that airs on the American cable television station TBS....
's Conan on TBS
TBS (TV channel)
TBS , stylized in the logo as tbs, is an American cable television channel owned by Time Warner that shows a variety of programming, with a focus on comedy. TBS was originally known as WTCG, a UHF terrestrial television station that broadcast from Atlanta, Georgia, during the late 1970s...
.
Music video
The music video was written/directed/produced by Kort Falkenberg III and was actually filmed in Los Angeles during the summer of 1984. Although some people understandably have mistaken the street scene for New York City or London, the director intentionally looked for a location in downtown Los Angeles where there was "no Stucco" on the walls which would have been a dead giveaway that it was shot in the Southwest US. He wanted it to look neutral and not be identifiable as any particular city.To start the clip, John Waite is sitting in a chair, and after seeing a picture of a woman with whom he is still in love, he, frustrated, hits the lamp above him causing it to swing back and forth and begins to sing the song. When he opens his bedroom door, a woman playfully jumps into his arms and they embrace falling back onto the bed. Later, Waite watches through a crack in the door as the woman angrily throws her clothes into her suitcase. She pushes through the door to leave him and it hits him in the face full force as she storms past him, away. Pained at her emotional and physical assault, he sadly remembers being at one of her photo shoots. Trying to be cool, Waite leans on a lighting stand but misses and stumbles. Seeing this, she lovingly laughs at his fumbling. Back to the present, Waite tries to call her from a phone booth, but when the woman finally picks up the phone, her only connection is to a dangling phone in an empty phone booth. Waite is gone. He laments about "I ain't missin' you at all" as he walks down the city street only to see a picture of the woman on a newspaper. He goes into a bar. There, an older woman slides onto the stool next to him and tries to flirt with him, but for sheer sorrow shows he is not interested and then goes home again still pining of the woman. He tries again to call her but his anger and frustration gets the better of him and he smashes the phone into a thousand pieces. When she finally comes to his door and knocks, he doesn't answer, as he doesn't hear her knock over the music playing on his earphones he had put on just before her first knock. She leans against the door gently touching it and, with a deep breath, she turns and leaves as tears flow down her face.
Charts
| Chart (1984) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian RPM Top Singles | 1 |
| German Singles Chart | 13 |
| Irish Singles Chart | 6 |
| UK Singles Chart | 9 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks | 7 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play | 27 |
| U.S. Billboard Top Rock Tracks | 1 |
Tina Turner version
This song was also recorded by Tina TurnerTina Turner
Tina Turner is an American singer and actress whose career has spanned more than 50 years. She has won numerous awards and her achievements in the rock music genre have led many to call her the "Queen of Rock 'n' Roll".Turner started out her music career with husband Ike Turner as a member of the...
in 1996, and was released as the third single from the album Wildest Dreams
Wildest Dreams
Wildest Dreams is the eighth solo album by Tina Turner, released on Parlophone/Virgin in 1996. It went double platinum in the UK, France, Germany, and on the European charts.-Overview:...
. When Waite's original version of "Missing You" topped Billboard's Hot 100 in late 1984, the song that it knocked out of a 3-week reign at the top was none other than Tina Turner's "What's Love Got to Do with It". Turner's version of Waite's "Missing You" hit #12 in the UK and #84 in the U.S.
The single "Missing You" included an edited single version of the track, an alternative mix and certain formats also the European non-album track "The Difference Between Us", later featured on the U.S. edition of the Wildest Dreams album.
Versions and mixes
- European album version – 4:36
- U.S. album version – 4:40
- Single edit – 4:02
- Alternate mix – 4:04
Charts
| Chart (1996) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| European Top 100 | 70 |
| French Singles Chart | 9 |
| German Singles Chart | 66 |
| UK Singles Chart | 12 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 84 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks | 16 |
Brooks & Dunn version
This song was also recorded by American country music group Brooks & DunnBrooks & Dunn
Brooks & Dunn was an American country music duo consisting of Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn, who were both vocalists and songwriters. They were paired by record producer Tim DuBois in 1990. Before the duo's foundation, both members of the duo were solo recording artists...
and was released in August 1999 as the lead single from the album Tight Rope. Their version peaked at #6 on the Canadian RPM Country Tracks, #15 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks and reached #75 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.
Charts
"Missing You" debuted at #54 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart for the week of August 7, 1999.| Chart (1999) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 6 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 75 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks | 15 |
Other cover versions
Chinese artist Wakin ChauWakin Chau
Wakin Chau is a Hong Kong singer and actor. Chau's popularity has spread throughout Taiwan, Hong Kong, Mainland China, and parts of Southeast Asia. He was known as Emil Chau through the 1980s and 1990s, and by 2000 he reverted to his given name Wakin...
released a cover of "Missing You" on his 1991 album Blue Bird.
"Missing You" was recorded by American folk-pop musician David Wilcox
David Wilcox
David Wilcox may refer to:*David Wilcox , Canadian rock musician*David Wilcox , American folk musician*David Wilcox , member of band Triple 8...
for his 1994 album Big Horizon.
The song was also recorded by Evan Dando
Evan Dando
Evan Griffith Dando is an American musician, most famous for fronting the alternative rock band The Lemonheads. He is the only original member left in the current Lemonheads line-up, having served as lead singer since the band's original formation in 1986...
and Tom Morgan as a part of Triple J
Triple J
triple j is a nationally networked Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners between the ages of 18 and 30. The government-funded station is a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...
's Live at the Wireless.
It was also recorded by country music duo Brooks & Dunn
Brooks & Dunn
Brooks & Dunn was an American country music duo consisting of Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn, who were both vocalists and songwriters. They were paired by record producer Tim DuBois in 1990. Before the duo's foundation, both members of the duo were solo recording artists...
in 1999 on their Arista
Arista Records
Arista was an American record label. It was a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment and operated under the RCA Music Group. The label was founded in 1974 by Clive Davis, who formerly worked for CBS Records...
-released Tight Rope album; their version peaked at #15 on the country chart
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
.
Another cover came from Rod Stewart
Rod Stewart
Roderick David "Rod" Stewart, CBE is a British singer-songwriter and musician, born and raised in North London, England and currently residing in Epping. He is of Scottish and English ancestry....
in 2006 on his album, Still the Same... Great Rock Classics of Our Time
Still the Same... Great Rock Classics of our Time
Still the Same... Great Rock Classics of Our Time is an album by Rod Stewart, released on October 10, 2006. After four years singing pop standards from the Great American Songbook with great success, this album continues the notion of singing old material, but now in his classic musical genre -...
.
A cover has also been made by actor/musician Tyler Hilton
Tyler Hilton
Tyler James Hilton is an American singer-songwriter and actor. Hilton began his professional career in music in 2000. Rolling Stone Magazine compared him to his contemporary, Howie Day, while others have compared Hilton to Elton John, both vocally and instrumentally...
, exclusively for the soundtrack of One Tree Hill
One Tree Hill (TV series)
One Tree Hill is an American television drama created by Mark Schwahn, which premiered on September 23, 2003, on The WB Television Network. After its third season, The WB merged with UPN to form The CW Television Network, and, since September 27, 2006, the network has been the official broadcaster...
.
Another cover was performed by Tommy Page. Declan Galbraith
Declan Galbraith
Declan John Galbraith is an English singer. He is best known for his 2002 hit single, "Tell Me Why", which peaked at #29 in the UK Singles Chart.-Early influence:...
also recorded a cover version on his album You and Me.
Orianthi
Orianthi
Orianthi Panagaris , better known simply as Orianthi, is an Australian musician, singer-songwriter and guitarist. She is perhaps best known for being Michael Jackson's lead guitarist for his ill-fated This Is It concert series. Her debut single "According to You" has peaked at No. 3 in Japan, No. 8...
covered this song on her album Believe (II). A cover version was also performed in Spanish by La Trampa.
Katharine McPhee
Katharine McPhee
Katharine Hope McPhee is an American pop singer, songwriter, actress, model, and television personality. She gained fame as a contestant on the fifth season of the Fox reality show American Idol in 2006, eventually finishing as the runner-up.Her self-titled debut album was released on RCA Records...
covered this song on her Unbroken Tour in 2010/2011.
Leba Hibbert of Toots and the Maytals and daughter of Toots Hibbert
Toots Hibbert
Frederick Nathaniel "Toots" Hibbert is a ska and roots reggae singer and leader of the reggae band Toots & the Maytals.-Biography:...
also covered the song on her debut album Intoxicated, released in April 2011.
John Waite & Alison Krauss
| Chart (2007) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs | 34 |
See also
- List of RPM number-one singles of 1984
- List of Hot 100 number-one singles of 1984 (U.S.)
- List of number-one mainstream rock hits (United States)