The Meaning Behind The Rolling Stones’ Disco-Infused “Miss You”

The Rolling Stones threw somewhat of a curveball when they dropped “Miss You” in 1978. The disco-leaning track was a contrast to the hard rock sound they established their career on with signature tracks like “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,” “Get Off of My Cloud,” “Paint it Black,” and several others. Like the aforementioned hits, “Miss You” became a Rolling Stones classic. It was released as the lead single off The Stones’ dance music-influenced 1978 album, Some Girls. That sonic decision proved to be right on target with the rise of disco in the 1970s thanks to acts like the Bee Gees and ABBA.

“I wasn’t out to make a disco record, making ‘Far Away Eyes,’ but ‘Miss You’ really caught the moment, because that was the deal at the time,” frontman Mick Jagger described to Rolling Stone of Some Girls, adding that the band intended to make a rock album and that “Miss You” was the only dance track. “And that’s what made that record take off. It was a really great record. I seem to like records that have one overriding mood with lots of little offshoots. Even though there’s a lot of bases covered, there’s lots of straight-ahead rock & roll. It’s very brass edged. It’s very Rolling Stones, not a lot of frills.”

Co-penned by the prolific duo of Jagger and Keith Richards, “Miss You” is told from the perspective of a man with a broken heart haunted by the memory of a woman he’s still in love with. I’ve been holdin’ out so long / I’ve been sleepin’ all alone / Lord, I miss you, Jagger croons, with references to a case of wine being a key element of his post-breakup remedy.

“Drink and drugs, that’s about how you got over it. That’s the only way you got around it,” drummer Charlie Watts describes of the song’s meaning. “We’d always just adapt with what music was in the air,” added guitarist Ronnie Wood of the disco sound at the time. “And we thought just another beat, we can do disco. That was another change the band was going through and evolving into the next round.”

“Miss You” hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 while the album landed at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, marking The Stones’ best-selling album on the all-genre chart. It was also their only album to be nominated for Album of the Year at the Grammy Awards.

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