Miss You Much

"Miss You Much"
Single by Janet Jackson
from the album Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814
B-side	"You Need Me"
Released	August 22, 1989
Format	7" single, 12" single
Recorded	1988–1989; Flyte Tyme Studios (Minneapolis, Minnesota)
Genre	R&B, pop, new jack swing
Length	4:12
Label	A&M
Writer(s)	James Harris III, Terry Lewis
Producer	Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis
Certification	Platinum (RIAA)
Janet Jackson singles chronology
"2300 Jackson Street" (1988) "Miss You Much" (1989) "Rhythm Nation" (1989)

"Miss You Much" is the lead single from American R&B and pop singer Janet Jackson's fourth studio album, Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814 (1989). The song was written and produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. Selling over four million copies worldwide, it was named by TIME magazine as the second best-selling single of the year behind "Another Day in Paradise" by Phil Collins.^[1][2] According to Radio & Records magazine, "Miss You Much" was the number one radio hit of 1989.^[3]

Song information

Much was riding on the song, as it would either prove or disprove detractors of Jackson, who thought she was a fluke and a one-hit-album wonder. As it happened, it became one of Jackson's biggest-selling singles to date, hitting number one on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts, and becoming her second number-one hit on the Billboard Hot 100, where it stood for four weeks. The song sold over four million copies, becoming one of the biggest-selling song of 1989. Apart from the United States, the song peaked at number two in Canada and managed to reach the top twenty in Australia and many European countries.

Jackson was honored with two American Music Awards for Favorite Soul/R&B Single and Favorite Dance Single for "Miss You Much", and was nominated for Favorite Dance Artist and a Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. The single also won a Soul Train Music Award for Best R&B/Soul Single, Female. The single contains a B-side called "You Need Me", an outtake from Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814. The song is about Jackson's personal feelings about her father, and how the tables are turned, that now he needs her. At the time of its release there were reports that the B-side was the product of Jackson's record labels pressure on her in an attempt to produce specifically "Control Part 2" which reportedly was to address the rumors that remained in the press regarding her personal life and family. Jackson never caved in and followed the alleged orders to produce the project beyond this single track and therefore it is considered autobiographical and a collectors' item.

Jackson has performed the song on all of her tours, including the Rhythm Nation 1814 Tour, janet. Tour, The Velvet Rope Tour, All for You Tour, Rock Witchu Tour and Number Ones: Up Close and Personal.

Chart performance

Heavy anticipation and pre-retail-single radio airplay during the late summer of 1989 allowed "Miss You Much" to debut at number forty-two on the Billboard Hot 100 the week of September 2, 1989, and soared to the number-one spot in five weeks, by October 7, 1989, where it remained for four weeks; easily becoming the biggest hit of 1989 in terms of weeks at number one. (Phil Collins would match this feat the week of December 23, 1989 with "Another Day in Paradise".)

Music video

The video for "Miss You Much" was directed by Dominic Sena and choreographed by Anthony Thomas in early August 1989 and is a part of the Rhythm Nation 1814 Film. The black-and-white video begins with dancers hanging out at a pool hall gossiping about Jackson and her boyfriend. Jackson enters the room and her dancers look at her. One dancer asks Jackson what she has been up to. She calls them nosey, and then demonstrates her love through song and dance. The end of the video cuts out a final dance routine performed with chairs (choreographed by Terry Bixler). The chair routine can be found on the Rhythm Nation Compilation CD and DVD.

Official versions/remixes

• Album Version – 4:12
• Design of a Decade International Edit – 3:51
• A Cappella – 3:25
• 7" Edit – 3:55
• Mama Mix – 7:24
• Oh I Like That Mix – 4:56
• Sing It Yourself Mix – 4:19
• Shep's 7" House Mix – 4:56
• Shep's House Mix – 8:45
• Shep's House Dub – 6:05
• Slammin' 7" R&B Mix – 4:17
• Slammin' R&B Mix – 7:45
• Slammin' Dub – 5:48
• The Bass You Much Mix/That Bass You Much Mix – 4:20

Track listings

International 7" single/Japan 3" CD/International cassette single

1. "Miss You Much" (7" edit)
2. "You Need Me"

Japan maxi CD single

1. "Miss You Much" (7" edit) – 3:57
2. "Miss You Much" (Mama Mix) – 7:24
3. "Miss You Much" (Slammin' R&B Mix) – 7:37
4. "Miss You Much" (Shep's House Mix) – 8:38
5. "Miss You Much" (Shep's House Dub) – 6:03
6. "Miss You Much" (Slammin' Dub) – 5:45
7. "Miss You Much" (7" R&B Remix) – 4:17
8. "Miss You Much" (7" House Mix) – 4:56
9. "Miss You Much" (7" Slammin' R&B Mix) – 4:28
10. "Miss You Much" (That Bass You Much Mix) – 4:22
11. "Miss You Much" (Oh I Like That Mix) – 4:58
12. "Miss You Much" (Sing It Yourself Mix) – 4:21
13. "Miss You Much" (a cappella) – 3:26

UK maxi CD single

1. "Miss You Much" (7" edit)
2. "Miss You Much" (Mama Mix)
3. "You Need Me"

UK 12" single

1. "Miss You Much" (Mama Mix)
2. "Miss You Much" (Oh I Like That Mix)
3. "You Need Me"

International 12" single

1. "Miss You Much" (Mama Mix)
2. "Miss You Much" (Sing It Yourself Mix)
3. "Miss You Much" (Oh I Like That Mix)
4. "You Need Me"

International CD single

1. "Miss You Much" (7" edit)
2. "Miss You Much" (Mama Mix)
3. "Miss You Much" (Sing It Yourself Mix)
4. "You Need Me"

US 12" promo/West Germany 12" single – The Shep Pettibone Mixes

1. "Miss You Much" (Slammin' R&B Mix) – 7:45
2. "Miss You Much" (Slammin' Dub) – 5:48
3. "Miss You Much" (a cappella) – 3:25
4. "Miss You Much" (Shep's House Mix) – 8:45
5. "Miss You Much" (Shep's House Dub) – 6:05
6. "Miss You Much" (The Bass You Much Mix) – 4:20

West Germany CD maxi – The Shep Pettibone Mixes

1. "Miss You Much" (7" Slammin' R&B Mix) – 4:30
2. "Miss You Much" (7" House Mix) – 4:55
3. "Miss You Much" (7" R&B Mix) – 4:20
4. "Miss You Much" (Slammin' R&B Mix) – 7:45

Australian 12" picture disc

1. "Miss You Much" (Slammin R&B Mix)
2. "Miss You Much" (Slammin Dub)
3. "Miss You Much" (Shep's House Mix)
4. "Miss You Much" (Shep's House Dub)

In popular culture

• "Miss You Much" can be heard playing in the background of an episode of Tori Spelling's show So NoTORIous.

• The song was used in one of the opening scenes of the 1990 film Ghost Dad, starring Bill Cosby.

• "Weird Al" Yankovic included the chorus in his polka medley "Polka Your Eyes Out" from his 1992 album Off the Deep End.

• The song was remade in the 2005 South Korean comedy film 200 Pounds Beauty by Korean singer Youme. It is sung in the film by fictional Korean pop singer Ammy.

• 50 Cent's 2007 song "Follow My Lead" featuring Robin Thicke mentions "Miss You Much" in the lines "like Janet Jackson say, 'I miss you much'".

• During MTV's first ever mtvICON in 2001, Jackson was paid tribute to by singers Pink, Usher, and Mýa. Pink paid tribute by re-enacting the chair dance routine from the music video.

Charts

End of year charts

Chart procession and succession

References