B-side "You Need Me" Length 4:12 | Format 7"
12"
CD
cassette | |
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Released August 22, 1989 (1989-08-22) Recorded 1989; Flyte Tyme Studios
(Minneapolis, Minnesota) Genre Dance-pop
new jack swing | ||
"Miss You Much" is a song recorded by American singer Janet Jackson, released as the lead single from her fourth album Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814 (1989). The single spent four weeks at number-one on the US Billboard Hot 100, making it the longest running number-one single of 1989. "Miss You Much" was the second-best selling single of 1989 and the biggest radio airplay song of the year. It is Jackson's third longest running number-one single, behind "That's the Way Love Goes" (1993) and "All for You" (2001), which spent eight and seven weeks at number-one.
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Its music video is considered iconic for its choreography and chair routine, and has been referenced by various artists. "Miss You Much" has inspired videos from Britney Spears, and was covered in the Korean film 200 Pounds Beauty, also being sampled by artists such as 50 Cent.
"Miss You Much" received two Grammy Award nominations, and was awarded two American Music Awards and a Billboard Award for Top Hot 100 Single of the Year. It has been included in each of Jackson's greatest hits albums, Design of a Decade: 1986–1996 (1995), Number Ones (2009) and Icon: Number Ones (2010).
Song information
After the success of Control, Jackson returned with "Miss You Much", the lead single from Rhythm Nation 1814. It became Jackson's biggest selling single at the time, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100, where it remained for four weeks. "Miss You Much" also became her second number-one hit, the first being "When I Think of You". The song sold over four million copies, becoming one of the biggest-selling songs of the year. The song peaked at number two in Canada and reached the top twenty in Australia and many European countries.
"Miss You Much" received two American Music Awards for Favorite Dance Single and Favorite Soul/R&B Single, with Jackson also nominated for Favorite Dance Artist. The song received two Grammy nominations for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance and Best R&B Song. The single also won a Billboard Award for Top Hot 100 Single of the Year and a Soul Train Music Award for Best Female R&B Single. It was also Jackson's fourth number one on the Hot Dance Club Songs chart. The "Miss You Much" single includes the B-side "You Need Me".
Jackson has performed "Miss You Much" on all of her tours, including the Rhythm Nation 1814 Tour, janet. Tour, The Velvet Rope Tour, All for You Tour, Rock Witchu Tour, Number Ones: Up Close and Personal, and Unbreakable World Tour.
Chart performance
Heavy anticipation and radio airplay during the late summer allowed "Miss You Much" to debut at number 42 on the Billboard Hot 100 the week of September 2, 1989, soaring to the number 1 spot within five weeks, where it remained for four weeks. It was the biggest airplay hit of the year, and fifth biggest overall, also peaking atop the Hot Dance Club Play and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts. The song was the second best-selling single of the year, behind only Phil Collins' "Another Day in Paradise". It reached number 2 in Canada and New Zealand, and the top twenty of Australia, Finland, Germany, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. It peaked within the top twenty five in the United Kingdom, although its accompanying album reached the top five.
Music video
The video for "Miss You Much" was directed by Dominic Sena and choreographed by Anthony Thomas. It was filmed in August 1989 as part of the long-form Rhythm Nation 1814 film. The black-and-white video begins with dancers gathered at a pool hall, gossiping about Jackson and her boyfriend. Jackson enters the room as her dancers suddenly become quiet and look at her. One dancer asks Jackson what she has been doing lately. She jokingly responds, before demonstrating 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 video's choreography and chair routine are regarded as iconic in popular culture. The chair routine is available on the Rhythm Nation Compilation DVD.