Missing (Everything but the Girl song)

Background

Prior to "Missing", Everything but the Girl was most known as a folk and jazz team. They had released eight albums prior to Amplified Heart and had a number-three UK singles chart success in 1988 ("I Don't Want to Talk About It"), but were relatively unknown in the United States. "Missing" was recorded as a relaxed-sounding guitar-based popular music song that had earned modest broadcasting airplay on US Adult Contemporary radio. The duo gave the track to house music producer Todd Terry to remix for nightclubs.

Tracey Thorn later explained to Rolling Stone that the song was originally intended as a dance-oriented track:

It was written with that idea in mind, totally... we put on sort of a laid back house groove instead. Then when we gave it to Todd, he took it in a really, really strong New York house direction, which had a real simplicity to it, but it was very infectious.

Composition

According to the music sheet published at Musicnotes.com by Sony/ATV Music Publishing, "Missing" is written in the key note of A Minor. In vocal range, Thorn's vocals span from the key note of E4 to the key note of G5. The song is set in common time and has a beat of 128 beats per minute. According to Dusk411, the stated that the lyrical content "searches for a lost love." Musically, he said the song opens with "Panic-stricken synths [...] settling a desperate tone." He later said "The rattled arrangement first trembles and then hardens from the numbness. While the Todd Terry remix improves significantly on the original, it's still stereotypical dance. Other than the remiscient synth which appears to express shock, the remix sticks to the drum machine/synth formula of the genre." Lauren Barnett from The Guardian recalled the style of music as "monochrome electronic beats." Toponehitwonders.com had said the remix "Add[s] a pulsing disco beat that sounds equally at home."

Critical reception

"Missing" was generally acclaimed by music critics. Dusk411 commented on Thorns vocals saying "[Thorn's] despondent, lonesome vocals long for the simplicity and ease of her young adulthood. She's hopeless and knows now she can't go back. It just hurts he moved on without a thought." He concluded saying "The fair "Missing" has its moments, showing potential for both EBTG and Terry." Allmusic was very positive, highlighting the song as an album standout and rated the song 4 stars out of 5.

In 2011, Fedde le Grand remixed the song and DJ Ron Slomowicz from About.com listed the song as Song of the Day. He said "Tracey's mournful voice fit perfectly over Todd's house beats to become a club classic and a pop hit around the world." Bill Lamb from the same publication ranked the song at top spot on his Top 10 Best Songs of 1996. He later reviewed the remix saying "pumps up the tempo, adds some beats but thankfully stays true to the original." Toponehitwonders.com. was very positive stating "“Missing" [...] is a tremendous pop song. One of the best of the 1990s. In fact, I would place it in the same company as “You Get What You Give” by New Radicals as a nearly perfect pop song." They later complimented the chorus, catchy hook and vocal performance by Thorn.

Impact and legacy

Mixmag ranked the song number 21 in its 100 Greatest Dance Singles Of All Time list in 1996 [1]

MTV Dance placed "Missing" at #8 in their list of The 100 Biggest 90's Dance Anthems Of All Time in November 2011.

Chart performance

The resulting dance version of "Missing" became a worldwide success, matching Everything But the Girl's UK best chart score of number three in November 1995 and scoring number one on the German singles chart. The song became the duo's first and only US Top 40 entry on the Billboard Hot 100, entering at #94 for the week ending August 12, 1995. After a long climb, it peaked at number two during 1996 (in its 28th chart week) behind the sixteen-week number-one reign of "One Sweet Day", a duet between Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men. "Missing" eventually scored 55 weeks on the chart (a record at the time which has since been broken – the single is today the 11th-longest charting song on the US Hot 100). One record it has retained is that "Missing" was the first ever single to spend an uninterrupted year on the US Hot 100. On Radio & Records magazine's CHR/Pop (Mainstream Top 40) tracks chart, "Missing" spent four weeks at number one, and was ranked as the number one song of the year for 1996. The original album version of "Missing" also received airplay on adult contemporary and smooth jazz radio stations in the United States.

Even with its success in the mainstream and in nightclubs, ironically with the remix, the song never entered the US Hot Dance Club Play chart. Everything but the Girl would eventually amass four US dance chart number-ones, with singles released after "Missing", one of which, "Wrong," was the duo's only other single to reach the Billboard Hot 100.

In addition to this, "Missing" spent over 20 weeks on the UK charts on its way to gaining a platinum disc for the duo – an extremely rare feat for a record that was never a British number one.

The song also was successful in Australia and New Zealand. It peaked at number 2 in Australia staying in the charts for twenty-three weeks. It has similar success in New Zealand, peaking at 14 on the charts and stayed in the charts for fourteen weeks. The song eventually peaked inside the top ten in many European countries, including Switzerland, Austria, France, the Netherlands, Belgium (both Wallonia and Flanders), Sweden and Norway. To date, it is the group's most successful single in the charts.

Music video

An accompanying music video was shot for the single (both the original and dance versions), featuring both Thorn and Watt in an apartment, having split up but them missing each other. It also features Thorn walking around Balham and Clapham South.

Track listings

1. Remix Edit - 4:09
2. Album Version - 4:04

1. "Missing" (Todd Terry Club Mix (Blanco/Eternal Radio Edit)) – 3:52
2. "Missing" (Todd Terry Club Mix) – 4:58
3. "Missing" (Rockin' Blue Mix) – 7:47
4. "Missing" (Chris & James Full On Club Mix) – 8:36
5. "Missing" (Amplified Heart Album Mix) – 4:04
6. "Missing" (Todd Terry Tee's Piece) – 4:34

1. "Missing" (Todd Terry club mix) – 4:53
2. "Missing" (Rockin' blue mix) – 7:47
3. "Missing" (Todd Terry lite mix) – 4:05
4. "Missing" (Todd Terry tee's beat) – 2:48
5. "Missing" (Chris & James Full on club mix) – 8:36

1. "Missing" (album version) – 4:04
2. "Missing" (Little Joey remix) – 5:03
3. "Missing" (Chris & James full on club mix) – 8:35
4. "Missing" (ultramarine remix) – 5:26

Official versions

Cover versions