I miss you 182 – An analysis of I miss you by Blink 182

We know that Blink 182 has always been considered the goofy, fun-loving pop rock kid on the main charts, but with the release of their self-titled album, a new side of Blink 182 was revealed. The song I Miss You expresses the greatest part of this dark feeling that is consistent throughout the album. Even the music videos on this album were no longer bright and comedic, but raw, intense and sad.

The lyrics of I Miss You are quite simple to understand, but it is this simplicity that creates such a powerful connection between the band and their listeners. And although the emotions are predictable when someone listens to I miss you, the metaphorical images are not. After reviewing much of Blink 182’s work, I found that Mark Hoppus has better control in creating one-liners with great relevance to the topic compared to Tom Delonge. Of course, Delonge has shown quite a bit of the more poetic side of him since he played Angels and Airwaves.

i miss you 182

Blink 182’s words created a very somber mood for I Miss You from the start. When Hoppus sings “Hello, the angel of my nightmare. The shadow at the back of the morgue”, he is trying to express the feeling of being alone and having his mind terrified by this ghostly image. Most likely, this image is a woman from a broken relationship. He continues with “The unsuspecting victim of darkness in the valley. We can live like Jack and Sally if we want, where you can always find me and we’ll have Halloween on Christmas…” recounting his strange forgotten love to the characters. Jack Skellington and Sally from Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas.

I really think adding that cinematic relationship was a risky movie. Personally, when I hear lyrics that make obvious references to movie characters, I start to think twice about that particular band. I start to analyze how well his lyrical skills are and more often than not I realize that most of his material, musical or lyrical, is sometimes not as original as I once thought. Of course, Blink 182 is in no danger of losing their mighty status as pop rock legends. It was risky business to make that connection, but I Miss You really uses that metaphor well.

Tom Delonge’s verse from I Miss You isn’t nearly as charming in its emotional references. His verse reflects the horrible pain one feels from everyday events that never made sense until their partner left. When Delonge says “This weird, sick darkness creeps in so hauntingly every time,” he’s mentioning how weird and scary it is to feel alone. It could be assumed that this song could be about the ending of a long relationship. blink 182

I honestly don’t get how “call hesitation” can be related to spiders catching things and eating the inside. I guess that’s why sometimes I feel like it continues with “…And as I watched, I counted webs from all the spiders, catching things and eating their entrails as hesitation to call you and hear your voice of betrayal”, which is really cool . Blink 182 uses images and comparisons for the surface layer only. I mean, really, it’s hard to have a completely different concept for every song a band decides to write. Bands eventually duplicate the content or use phrases and words for a quick appeal. I think that’s what’s going on in that line of I Miss You.

The rest of the song’s performance can be subdued, but I think the intentions of the lyrics are obvious when Blink 182 repeats “I Miss You” over a dozen times. Overall, this song is simple, but it oozes substance just like the rest of Blink 182’s works. And it’s a very strong representation of the style used throughout their self-titled album.