I'll Be Missing You
Encyclopedia
"I'll Be Missing You" is a Grammy Award-winning song and hit single recorded by Puff Daddy
, Faith Evans
and 112
, in memory of fellow Bad Boy Records
artist Christopher "Notorious B.I.G" Wallace
who was murdered on March 9, 1997. Released as the second single from Sean Combs and the Family's No Way Out album, "I'll Be Missing You" is based on a sample of the song "Every Breath You Take
" by The Police
from 1983
.
ballad
, had already been completed before permission was granted to use the sample from the 1983 song. As well as these artists, Sting (vocalist from The Police) joined in at the 1997 MTV Video Music Awards
. Sting owns 100% of the publishing royalties. As well as using the melody and arrangement of "Every Breath You Take" the single also borrows the melody from the well-known American spiritual "I'll Fly Away
."
There are several different versions of this song. One being an extended version (choir at beginning), another without the choir and an instrumental version. In the extended version of the song the choir is heard singing in the beginning of "Adagio for Strings
" by Samuel Barber
.
A slightly altered version of the song was performed by Diddy at the Concert for Diana
in Wembley, United Kingdom.
The music video was shot in April 1997 in Sydney, Australia and was directed by Hype Williams
.
s across the world. It reached number one in the United States
, United Kingdom
, Australia
, Canada
, Germany
, Italy
, Netherlands
, and New Zealand
. This song is one of the few to debut at #1 in the U.S. on the Billboard Hot 100
, and the only rap song to do so until Eminem
's "Not Afraid
" debuted at the top spot 13 years later in 2010. The song spent a record breaking 11 weeks at #1 on the Hot 100, making it the longest running #1 hip-hop song in history until Eminem's "Lose Yourself
" spent 12 weeks at #1 in 2002.
The song re-entered the UK Singles Chart
at #32 on July 8, 2007, ten years after it had its full physical release and 10 years after it was #1.
Blender
magazine ranked the song at #25 on its list of the "50 Worst Songs Ever", calling it "a nauseating brew of gloopy sentimentality and strategic-marketing mawkishness."
Maxi-single
|Canada (CRIA
)
| Platinum
| 100,000^
|-
Sean Combs
Sean John Combs , also known by his stage names Diddy and P. Diddy, is an American rapper, singer, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur. He has won three Grammy Awards and two MTV Video Music Awards, and his clothing line earned a Council of Fashion Designers of America award. He was originally...
, Faith Evans
Faith Evans
Faith Renée Evans is an American singer-songwriter, recording artist, record producer, actress and author. Born in Florida and raised in New Jersey, Evans relocated to Los Angeles during 1993 for a career with the music business. After working as a backing vocalist for Al B...
and 112
112 (band)
112 is an American R&B quartet from Atlanta, Georgia. Formerly artists on Diddy's Bad Boy Records, the group signed to the Def Soul roster in 2002. They had great success in the late 1990s and early 2000s with hits such as "Only You", "Anywhere" and "Peaches & Cream"...
, in memory of fellow Bad Boy Records
Bad Boy Records
Bad Boy Records is a record label founded in 1993 by producer/rapper/entrepreneur Sean "Diddy" Combs. Today it operates as a subsidiary of Warner Music Group, and is distributed by Atlantic Records.-Beginnings:...
artist Christopher "Notorious B.I.G" Wallace
The Notorious B.I.G.
Christopher George Latore Wallace , best known as The Notorious B.I.G., was an American rapper. He was also known as Biggie Smalls , Big Poppa, and The Black Frank White .Wallace was raised in the Brooklyn borough...
who was murdered on March 9, 1997. Released as the second single from Sean Combs and the Family's No Way Out album, "I'll Be Missing You" is based on a sample of the song "Every Breath You Take
Every Breath You Take
"Every Breath You Take" is a song by The Police on the band's 1983 album Synchronicity, written by Sting and Andy Summers . The single was one of the biggest hits of 1983, topping the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart for eight weeks and the UK Singles Chart for four weeks. It also topped the...
" by The Police
The Police
The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For the vast majority of their history, the band consisted of Sting , Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland...
from 1983
1983 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1983.-January-April:*January – ZTT Records is founded.*January 8 – The UK singles chart is tabulated from this week forward by The Gallup Organization...
.
Background
The song, a rapRapping
Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
ballad
Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
, had already been completed before permission was granted to use the sample from the 1983 song. As well as these artists, Sting (vocalist from The Police) joined in at the 1997 MTV Video Music Awards
1997 MTV Video Music Awards
The 1997 MTV Video Music Awards aired live on September 4, 1997, honoring the best music videos from June 17, 1996, to June 16, 1997. The show was hosted by Chris Rock at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.-Video of the Year:* Beck — "The New Pollution"...
. Sting owns 100% of the publishing royalties. As well as using the melody and arrangement of "Every Breath You Take" the single also borrows the melody from the well-known American spiritual "I'll Fly Away
I'll Fly Away (hymn)
"I'll Fly Away", is a hymn written in 1929 by Albert E. Brumley and published in 1932 by the Hartford Music company in a collection titled Wonderful Message...
."
There are several different versions of this song. One being an extended version (choir at beginning), another without the choir and an instrumental version. In the extended version of the song the choir is heard singing in the beginning of "Adagio for Strings
Adagio for Strings
Adagio for Strings is a work by Samuel Barber, arranged for string orchestra from the second movement of his String Quartet, Op. 11. Barber finished the arrangement in 1936, the same year as he wrote the quartet...
" by Samuel Barber
Samuel Barber
Samuel Osborne Barber II was an American composer of orchestral, opera, choral, and piano music. His Adagio for Strings is his most popular composition and widely considered a masterpiece of modern classical music...
.
A slightly altered version of the song was performed by Diddy at the Concert for Diana
Concert for Diana
Concert for Diana was a concert held at the then new Wembley Stadium in London, England, United Kingdom in honour of Diana, Princess of Wales, on 1 July 2007, which would have been her 46th birthday; 31 August that year brought the 10th anniversary of her death...
in Wembley, United Kingdom.
The music video was shot in April 1997 in Sydney, Australia and was directed by Hype Williams
Hype Williams
Harold "Hype" Williams , previously known as HYPE, is an American music video and film director of African-American and Honduran descent. His nickname "Hype" comes from his hyperactive nature as a child....
.
Chart performances
"I'll Be Missing You" topped many chartRecord chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
s across the world. It reached number one in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. This song is one of the few to debut at #1 in the U.S. on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, and the only rap song to do so until Eminem
Eminem
Marshall Bruce Mathers III , better known by his stage name Eminem or his alter ego Slim Shady, is an American rapper, record producer, songwriter and actor. Eminem's popularity brought his group project, D12, to mainstream recognition...
's "Not Afraid
Not Afraid
Not to be confused with Eminem's Not AfraidNot Afraid is the debut studio album by Christian pop rock singer Stephanie Smith. It was released on May 27, 2008 through Gotee Records...
" debuted at the top spot 13 years later in 2010. The song spent a record breaking 11 weeks at #1 on the Hot 100, making it the longest running #1 hip-hop song in history until Eminem's "Lose Yourself
Lose Yourself
"Lose Yourself" is an Academy Award winning song by American hip-hop artist Eminem, released as the first single from the original soundtrack to the movie 8 Mile on October 22, 2002. It was written and produced by Eminem himself, along with longtime collaborator Jeff Bass, one half of the...
" spent 12 weeks at #1 in 2002.
The song re-entered the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
at #32 on July 8, 2007, ten years after it had its full physical release and 10 years after it was #1.
Blender
Blender (magazine)
Blender was an American music magazine that billed itself as "the ultimate guide to music and more". It was also known for sometimes steamy pictorials of celebrities....
magazine ranked the song at #25 on its list of the "50 Worst Songs Ever", calling it "a nauseating brew of gloopy sentimentality and strategic-marketing mawkishness."
Uses in the media
- The song was featured in the 2001 film2001 in filmThe year 2001 in film involved some significant events, including the first of the Harry Potter series and also the first of The Lord of the Rings trilogy...
, Rush Hour 2Rush Hour 2Rush Hour 2 is a 2001 martial arts action comedy film. This is the second installment in the Rush Hour film series. A sequel to the 1998 film Rush Hour, the film stars Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker who respectively reprise their roles as Inspector Lee and Los Angeles police detective James Carter...
when Lee (Jackie Chan) thought Carter (Chris Tucker) was killed in a bombing at the Hong Kong Police station where Lee worked. - The song was also used in the UK television comedy Catherine TateCatherine TateCatherine Tate is an English actress, writer, and comedian. She has won numerous awards for her work on the sketch comedy series The Catherine Tate Show as well as being nominated for an International Emmy Award and four BAFTA Awards...
Christmas ShowThe Catherine Tate ShowThe Catherine Tate Show is a British television sketch comedy written by Catherine Tate and Aschlin Ditta. Tate also stars in all but one of the show's sketches, which feature a wide range of characters. The Catherine Tate Show airs on BBC Two and is shown worldwide through the BBC...
broadcast on Christmas Day 2007. The song was played while friends of character Lauren CooperLauren CooperDame Lauren Alesha Masheka Tanesha Felicia Jane Cooper is a fictional character in The Catherine Tate Show. Lauren is one of the show's main characters and is played by Catherine Tate...
stood by her grave after Lauren was killed in a kayaking accident. - The song was also used in the 2009 remake of Ice Castles (1978)Ice CastlesIce Castles is a 1978 American romantic drama, starring Lynn-Holly Johnson and Robby Benson.It is the story of Alexis, a young figure skater, and her rise and fall from super stardom. Tragedy strikes when, following a freak accident, Lexie loses her sight, leaving her to hide away in the privacy of...
starring Taylor FirthTaylor FirthTaylor Firth is an American figure skater.-Personal life:Firth was born on Grand Island, New York. Her sister, Chelsea Firth, is also a competitive skater.-Career:...
, performed by Britt NicoleBritt NicoleBrittany Nicole Waddell is a Christian music artist who performs under the name Britt Nicole. She is signed to EMI CMG/Sparrow.-Childhood:Britt Nicole was born on August 2nd 1985....
. - The song was played at WWE's Tribute to the Troops 2010 by Diddy-Dirty Money.
Formats and track listings
Single- Puff DaddySean CombsSean John Combs , also known by his stage names Diddy and P. Diddy, is an American rapper, singer, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur. He has won three Grammy Awards and two MTV Video Music Awards, and his clothing line earned a Council of Fashion Designers of America award. He was originally...
& Faith EvansFaith EvansFaith Renée Evans is an American singer-songwriter, recording artist, record producer, actress and author. Born in Florida and raised in New Jersey, Evans relocated to Los Angeles during 1993 for a career with the music business. After working as a backing vocalist for Al B...
featuring 112112 (band)112 is an American R&B quartet from Atlanta, Georgia. Formerly artists on Diddy's Bad Boy Records, the group signed to the Def Soul roster in 2002. They had great success in the late 1990s and early 2000s with hits such as "Only You", "Anywhere" and "Peaches & Cream"...
- "I'll Be Missing You"
Maxi-single
- Puff Daddy & Faith Evans featuring 112 - "I'll Be Missing You"
- The LoxThe LOXThe Lox are an American hip hop group composed of Jadakiss, Sheek Louch, and Styles P. They were originally signed to Sean Combs' Bad Boy Records before joining Ruff Ryders Entertainment, and are now a part of their own label, D-Block Records-Early career:...
- "We'll Always Love Big Poppa" - 112 - "Cry On"
- Puff Daddy & Faith Evans featuring 112 - "I'll Be Missing You" [Instrumental]
- The Lox - "We'll Always Love Big Poppa" [Instrumental]
Peak positions
| Chart (1997) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian ARIA ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... Singles Chart |
1 |
| Austrian Singles Chart | 1 |
| Belgian (Flanders) Singles Chart | 1 |
| Belgian (Wallonia) Singles Chart | 3 |
| Canadian Singles Chart Canadian Singles Chart The Canadian Singles Chart is currently compiled by the U.S.-based music sales tracking company, Nielsen SoundScan . The chart is compiled every Wednesday, and is published by Jam! Canoe on Thursdays.... |
1 |
| Danish Singles Chart Tracklisten Tracklisten is a Danish top 40 record chart that is presented every Thursday midnight at .The weekly Danish Singles Chart also known as Track Top-40 combines the 40 best selling tracks from legal music downloads and the sales of music singles on either CD or vinyl... |
1 |
| Dutch Top 40 Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting... |
1 |
| Eurochart Hot 100 | 1 |
| Finnish Singles Chart | 3 |
| French SNEP Singles Chart | 2 |
| German Singles Chart Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
1 |
| Irish IRMA Singles Chart | 1 |
| Italian Singles Chart | 1 |
| New Zealand RIANZ Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... Singles Chart |
1 |
| Norwegian Singles Chart | 1 |
| Swedish Singles Chart | 1 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 1 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Rhythmic Top 40 | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Top 40 Mainstream | 11 |
| Chart (2009) | Peak position |
| UK R&B Chart UK R&B Chart The Official UK R&B Chart is a forty-position R&B/Hip-Hop chart compiled by The Official UK Charts Company. Although the chart does not receive any airplay, its compilation is viewed on BBC Radio 1's website and publications such as ChartsPlus and Music Week... |
22 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (1997) | Position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart | 4 |
| Austrian Singles Chart | 2 |
| Belgian (Flanders) Singles Chart | 4 |
| Belgian (Wallonia) Singles Chart | 13 |
| Dutch Top 40 | 1 |
| French Singles Chart | 8 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 2 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 3 |
End of decade charts
| Chart (1990–1999) | Position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 10 |
Certifications
|-|Canada (CRIA
Cria
A cria is the name for a baby camelid such as a llama, alpaca, vicuña, or guanaco. It comes from the Spanish word cría, meaning "baby". Its false cognate in English, crya , was coined by British sailors who explored Chile in the 18th century and were quick to describe the camelids onomatopoeically...
)
| Platinum
| 100,000^
|-