Missing You by John Waite: Lyrics, meaning, Netflix show details and more

13 January 2025, 13:43

John Waite’s famous love song recently lent its title to Harlan Coben's latest Netflix drama.

‘Missing You’ has been impressing audiences ever since its release in 1984.

The soft rock single made it to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and also reached the top ten in the UK.

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‘Missing You’ has appeared in many films and TV shows, including 1997’s Selena, Miami Vice, and most recently, Netflix’s Missing You.

Here’s everything you need to know about ‘Missing You’...

Missing You

Who originally sang the song ‘Missing You’?

John Waite is the original singer of ‘Missing You’.

The track was the first single on his second solo album No Brakes and was co-written by John, Mark Leonard, and Charles Sandford.

Who did John Waite write ‘Missing You’ about? And what do the lyrics mean?

‘Missing You’ is written from the perspective of a lover who is missing their ex. Despite the chorus’ conviction that they “ain’t missing” their former partner “at all”, the opposite is obvious.

“I spend my time thinking about you / And it’s almost driving me wild,” the singer complains in the first half of the song, but then in the chorus they continue to claim “I ain’t missing you / No matter what my friends say.”

In a 2014 interview with Songwriting Magazine, the former Babys singer revealed that ‘Missing You’ was inspired by three major relationships in his life.

John Waite & Alison Krauss - Missing You (Live 2007)

“Missing You was essentially about three different women, I think, looking back on it,” he considered.

Firstly, 'Missing You' was inspired by the divorce he was undergoing with his then-wife. Secondly, John said he was thinking of a woman who he’d met in New York whole working on his first album.

And thirdly, John was also considering another girl who he was friends with at the time.

“I was singing about New York, and distance, the caving in of my marriage, and the options that I had,” John shared. “It was bittersweet – it was about the end of my marriage and the beginning of something new. Although, when I was singing ‘I ain’t missing you’, it was denial too.”

Who has covered ‘Missing You’?

Many artists have covered ‘Missing You’ over the years, including Tina Turner and Rod Stewart.

Tina released her version of ‘Missing You’ in July 1996, and it made it to number 12 on the UK charts and 84 in the US.

Tina Turner - Missing You (Official Music Video)

Rod’s version of the track appeared on his Still the Same... Great Rock Classics of Our Time album in 2006.

Pop duo E’voke also covered John’s song in 1997, and in 1999 the country music group Brooks & Dunn also released a version of the track.

In 2006, John re-recorded ‘Missing You’ with bluegrass musician Alison Krauss. The song was released on both of the musicians’ 2007 albums, and the pair also starred in a music video together.

Is there a ‘Missing You’ music video?

Yes, John Waite released a music video for ‘Missing You’ not long after the single’s release in 1984.

John Waite - Missing You

The video stars John as a young lover who can’t avoid reminders of the lover he has lost, despite his attempts to convince himself that he’s okay without her.

Tina Turner also released a music video for her cover of the track.

How does ‘Missing You’ connect to Netflix’s Missing You?

Harlan Coben’s tenth Netflix drama takes its name from John Waite’s famous 1984 song.

Watch the trailer for Missing You on Netflix

The track features within the show’s plot as the song which connects Detective Inspector Kat Donovan with her long-lost fiancé Josh.

‘Missing You’ is one of several songs which plays during Missing You.

The series also named all its five episodes after other famous love songs.