I'll Be Missing You

Infobox Single
Name = I'll Be Missing You


Artist = Puff Daddy & Faith Evans featuring 112
from Album = No Way Out
B-side = "We'll Always Love Big Poppa",
"Cry On"
Released = June 1, 1997
Format = CD Single, Maxi Single
Length = 5:10 (Album version)
4:30 (Radio edit)
Recorded = 1997
Genre = Rap ballad
Label = Bad Boy
Writer = Sting, T. Gaither, F. Evans
Producer = Puff Daddy & Stevie J
Certification = 3x Platinum (U.S.)
Chronology = Puff Daddy singles
Last single = "Can't Nobody Hold Me Down"
(1997)
This single = "I'll Be Missing You"
(1997)
Next single = "It's All About the Benjamins"
(1997)

"I'll Be Missing You" is a Grammy Award-winning song and hit single recorded by Puff Daddy and Faith Evans featuring 112, in memory of fellow Bad Boy Records artist Notorious B.I.G. (Evans' estranged husband), who was murdered on March 9, 1997. Released as the second single from Puff Daddy and the Family's "No Way Out" album, "I'll Be Missing You" sampled the melody of The Police's "Every Breath You Take" from 1983.

The songs was listed at #84 on "Billboard's Greatest Songs of all time." [http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/specials/hot100/charts/top100-titles-90.shtml]

Background

The song, a rap 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 [ [http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,192954,00.html FOXNews.com - Is Diddy's 'Vote or Die' Dead or Just Sleeping? - Celebrity Gossip | Entertainment News | Arts And Entertainment ] ] . The single however was not written by Puff Daddy but by Sauce Money, a rapper hailing from the Marcy Projects in Brooklyn who received a Grammy for his efforts in 1997.

As well as "Every Breath You Take", the single also borrows the melody of 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, the song the choir is heard singing in the beginning is "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.

Chart performances

"I'll Be Missing You" topped many charts across the world. It reached number one in Australia, Canada, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, UK, and the U.S. This song is one of the few to debut at #1 in the U.S. on the "Billboard" Hot 100.

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". [ [http://www.blender.com/guide/articles.aspx?id=819 Run for Your Life! It's the 50 Worst Songs Ever!] from "Blender.com" (Retrieved May 3, 2008)]

Uses in the media

* The song was featured in the 2001 film, "Rush Hour 2" 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 Catherine Tate Christmas Show broadcast on Christmas Day 2007. The song was played whilst friends of character Lauren Cooper stood by her grave after Lauren was killed in a kayaking accident.

Formats and track listings

;Single
# Puff Daddy & Faith Evans featuring 112 - "I'll Be Missing You"

;Maxi-single
# Puff Daddy & Faith Evans featuring 112 - "I'll Be Missing You"
# The Lox - "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]

Certifications

References