The Rolling Stones – Miss You

When Billy Preston Went Home And Left His Bass Behind

Released on May 19, 1978, “Miss You” ended Andy Gibb’s seven-week reign at number one and became the Rolling Stones’ eighth and final chart-topper in America. The track spent an unprecedented 20 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, longer than any other Stones single in their history. It peaked at number three in the UK, reached number two in Germany and the Netherlands, and topped the French charts. But the signature bassline that made the song unforgettable wasn’t written by Bill Wyman. After a late-night recording session, keyboardist Billy Preston picked up Wyman’s bass guitar and started playing around with an idea. By the time Wyman arrived the next day, the boys told him to work around Preston’s creation.

The song dominated radio through the summer of 1978, proving the Stones could adapt while punk and disco threatened to make them irrelevant. Some rock critics dismissed it as bandwagon-jumping, but the numbers told a different story. The extended 12-inch disco version ran over eight minutes and was pressed on pink vinyl, becoming their first dance remix and a massive club hit. Jann Wenner defended the track in Rolling Stone, arguing it exemplified the polish, power, and passion of the band and set new standards for their work. The success gave other rockers permission to experiment with disco, most notably Rod Stewart with “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?” Stewart faced harsher criticism because he seemed to embrace the genre, while the Stones cleverly maintained it was just R&B with a four-on-the-floor beat.

The song was born during rehearsals for the March 1977 El Mocambo club gigs in Toronto, with Mick Jagger jamming on piano alongside Preston. What started as a loose groove evolved into something more substantial, though nobody realized it would become a number one hit. Jagger later insisted the lyrics weren’t about any specific woman despite Jerry Hall claiming he wrote it for her, and despite the obvious timing with his crumbling marriage to Bianca. The protagonist missing his loved one marked a shift from the sexist swagger of 1960s Stones tracks, presenting vulnerability instead of machismo. Charlie Watts admitted the song and others on Some Girls were heavily influenced by nights spent in discos, recalling coming back from a Munich club with Jagger singing “Y.M.C.A.” while Keith Richards went mad.

Recording took place at Pathé Marconi Studios in Paris between October 1977 and March 1978, with Jagger and Richards producing under their Glimmer Twins moniker. The track was mixed and edited in New York by Bob Clearmountain at Power Station Studios, who helped create that eight-minute disco version by looping the bassline and adding extended harmonica solos. Sugar Blue’s unforgettable harmonica came from an unlikely source: the 22-year-old from Harlem was busking on Paris streets and in the metro when Jagger’s business associate heard him at a party and passed his number to Mick. Blue’s brother, living in Harlem and devoted exclusively to Motown, called him after hearing the song on the radio to rave about this incredible harmonica player, having no idea it was his own sibling. Ian McLagan from the Faces contributed understated Wurlitzer electric piano, while Mel Collins delivered the tenor saxophone solo.

“Miss You” opened Some Girls, released on June 9, 1978, which became the band’s top-selling American album with six million copies sold by 2000. The album hit number two in the UK and topped the US Billboard chart, marking a commercial and creative resurgence after three disappointing studio efforts. Critics hailed it as their finest work since Exile on Main St., though some like NME’s Charles Shaar Murray felt it played more like a Jagger solo record. The album featured fewer guest musicians than any Stones release since 1971, showcasing a stable lineup with Ronnie Wood finally becoming a full-time member after contributing to their previous two albums.

The song’s influence rippled through rock and pop for years. Van Halen borrowed the bassline for “Push Comes To Shove” on their 1981 album Fair Warning, attempting their own funky Stones vibe with mixed results. Blues legend Etta James covered it on her 2000 album Matriarch of the Blues, reversing the usual dynamic of the Stones covering blues artists. In 2002, Dr. Dre remixed the track for the Austin Powers in Goldmember soundtrack, introducing it to another generation. The extended disco version became a sought-after collector’s item, with some pressed on pink vinyl that now commands premium prices.

“Miss You” proved the greatest rock and roll band in the world could still evolve without losing their identity. As Jagger explained, he wasn’t brought up on rock music so much as blues and soul, and most of that was dance music specifically made for dancing. The song didn’t betray their roots, it expanded them, blending disco stomp with blues harmonica and that unforgettable bassline Billy Preston accidentally created. Sometimes the best ideas come from happy accidents and late-night jam sessions, when everyone’s gone home except the guy who picks up someone else’s instrument and stumbles onto something magical.

“Miss You” – Single by the Rolling Stones from the album Some Girls
B-side:”Far Away Eyes”
Released: 10 May 1978 (US) and 19 May 1978 (UK)
Recorded: 10 October – 21 December 1977
No.1 in US, No.3 in UK, No.12 in West Germany, No.1 in Canada