Missing (Everything but the Girl song)

Prior to "Missing", Everything but the Girl was most known as an indie band; as with many UK bands of the era, their music had folk and jazz leanings. 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:[1]

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.

According to the music sheet published at Musicnotes.com by Sony/ATV Music Publishing, "Missing" is written in the key of A minor.[2] In vocal range, Thorn's vocals span from the key note of E4 to the key note of G5.[2] The song is set in common time and has a beat of 128 beats per minute.[2] Lauren Barnett from The Guardian recalled the style of music as "monochrome electronic beats."[3] Toponehitwonders.com had said the remix "Add[s] a pulsing disco beat that sounds equally at home."

"Missing" was generally acclaimed by most music critics. Bill Lamb from About.com said that "there has never been a more powerful expression of emotional and sexual longing in pop music than that at the core of "Missing"."[4] AllMusic was also very positive, highlighting the song as an album standout and rated the song 4 stars out of 5.[5][6] Larry Flick from Billboard wrote that "this forlorn love song is bolstered by a springy retro-pop arrangement that is brilliantly tweaked into a credible dance confection by post-producer Todd Terry. Singer Tracey Thorn's performance is a study in affecting, but restrained emotion, and the chorus instantly sticks to the brain."[7] Matt Stopera and Brian Galindo from BuzzFeed commented, "Have you ever sat and really thought about if the desert actually misses the rain? Like any good song, it makes you think."[8] Douglas Wolk from CMJ said it is "a first-rate pairing of songwriting and technology". He wrote that "the 12" pairs a torch song and techno-inflected backing tracks" and "neither the song nor the grooves are all that hot on their own, but in combination they're great—the kind of heartfelt but not histrionic dancefloor simmer that's been too rare since, say, Lisa Stansfield's heyday a few years ago."[9] Complex noted that the remix "set the world ablaze".[10] Dave Sholin from the Gavin Report commented, "What a difference a few months and a remix can make. Miami is where "Missing" has busted big, and where requests tell the story of how broad the appeal of the song really is. Track two, the remix edit, is the one to check out."[11] Stephen Sears from Idolator called the song a "noir-ish study in wistful longing, with a hint of lonely-but-relatable stalker in the lyric."[12] Muzik described it as a "miracle".[13] The Network Forty called it a "very exciting uptempo groover from this debut artist."[14] James Hunter from Vibe noted that Terry's remix "allows singer Tracey Thorn to grace stateside radios with her rare English soul." He added that "Thorn's voice is untouchable".[15]

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."[16] Bill Lamb from the same publication ranked the song at top spot on his Top 10 Best Songs of 1996.[17] He later reviewed the remix saying "pumps up the tempo, adds some beats but thankfully stays true to the original."[16] 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.[18]

The resulting Todd Terry remixed dance version of "Missing" became a worldwide success, matching Everything But the Girl's best UK chart score of number three in November 1995[19] 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 number 94 for the week ending 12 August 1995.[20] 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 (which at the time was the longest running number one single on the Billboard Charts). "Missing" eventually logged 55 weeks on the chart (a record at the time which has since been broken; the single is today the eleventh-longest charting song on the US Hot 100). "Missing" was the first ever single to spend an uninterrupted year on the US Hot 100.[21] 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 appear on the Billboard Hot 100.

In addition to its US success, "Missing" topped the Canadian RPM Top Singles, Adult Contemporary, and Dance/Urban charts. In the UK it spent over 20 weeks on the UK Singles Chart and earned the duo a Platinum certification denoting shipments of over 600,000. The song was also successful in Australia and New Zealand. It peaked at number two in Australia, staying on the chart for twenty-three weeks. It had similar success in New Zealand, peaking at 14 on the charts and stayed in the charts for fourteen weeks. The song also eventually peaked inside the top ten in many European countries, including Austria, Belgium (Flanders and Wallonia), France, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland. To date, it is the group's most successful single in the charts.

The single has sold three million copies worldwide.[22]

An accompanying music video was shot for the single (both the original and dance versions). It was directed by English director Mark Szaszy.[23] The video features 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.[24] The video for the Todd Terry Remix was uploaded to YouTube in June 2018. By September 2020, it had more than 4,1 million views.[25]

In 2003, Q Magazine ranked "Missing" at number 177 in their list of the "1001 Best Songs Ever".[26]

In 2012, the song was listed at number 35 in NME's list of the "50 best-selling tracks of the 90s", adding: "The 1994 version of 'Missing' had at least a foot on the dancefloor - in defiance of EBTG style - but Todd Terry gave it the final push, his deep house beats complementing Tracey Thorn's rich melancholy pine. Slowly burning, it spent five months on the UK chart and an entire year on the Billboard Hot 100. Sold: 870,000"[27]

In 2018, ThoughtCo placed the song at number 1 in their list of "10 Best Pop Songs of 1996".[28]

CD Promotional

1. "Missing" (remix edit) – 4:09
2. "Missing" (album version) – 4:04

CD Maxi

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

12" Maxi

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

CD Maxi – Remixes

1. "Missing" (album version) – 4:04
2. "Missing" (Little Joey remix) – 5:03
3. "Missing" (Chris & James Full on Club Mix) – 8:36
4. "Missing" (Ultramarine remix) – 5:26

• "Missing" (Album Version) / (Amplified Heart Album Mix) – 4:04
• "Missing" (Chris & James Full on Club Mix) – 8:35
• "Missing" (Little Joey Remix) – 5:03
• "Missing" (Rockin' Blue Mix) – 7:47
• "Missing" (Todd Terry Club Mix) / (Todd Terry Remix) – 4:58
• "Missing" (Todd Terry Club Mix – Blanco/Eternal Radio Edit) – 3:52
• "Missing" (Todd Terry Lite Mix) – 4:05
• "Missing" (Todd Terry Remix) 3:55 [Like The Deserts Miss The Rain Version] [new edit by Ben Watt]
• "Missing" (Todd Terry Tee's Beat) – 2:48
• "Missing" (Todd Terry Tee's Piece) – 4:34
• "Missing" (Ultramarine Remix) – 5:26
• "Missing" (Powerhouse Mix) / (Unreleased CL McSpadden Powerhouse Mix) – 7:01 [variation of Todd Terry remix with piano]
• "Missing" (Powerhouse Edit) / (CL McSpadden Powerhouse Edit) – 3:58

• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics