Co-written by guitarist Tom DeLonge and bassist Mark Hoppus, they employed a method of writing separately and bringing their two verses together later.

"I Miss You" was recorded in 2003,[2] and began production at the Rubin's House, a rented home in the San Diego luxury community of Rancho Santa Fe.

The song was written using the same method with which the band wrote "Feeling This"; namely, DeLonge and Hoppus would discuss themes and then set off to separate rooms of the home to write alone.

[3][6] The trio struggled recording "I Miss You" at first, originally employing a completely different chorus reminiscent of what they considered adult contemporary music.

[26] "I Miss You" was supported by a controversial initiative dubbed "spin buys" by Billboard, in which labels, in Blink's case Geffen, spent thousands of dollars per week to have singles played multiple times from midnight to 6 am at small and middle-market radio chains.

Jesse Lord of IGN praised the "well-thought-out dissonance" between Hoppus and DeLonge's respective vocal tracks, opining that it "expertly showcases and highlights the differences between the two.

'"[32] A.D. Amorosi of The Philadelphia Inquirer wrote that "post-teen amour drips through an acoustic 'I Miss You', with singer-guitarist Tom DeLonge in Marshall Crenshaw mode.

[37] The song's music video is shot in the style of a 1930s film, and find the trio performing in a haunted house with ghosts circling around.

"[8] It also features Mark Hoppus playing a double bass, inspired by Phil Thornalley of the Cure's use of one in the video for "The Love Cats".

It achieved its best airplay on Canada's MuchMusic, where it was the number one most-played video for the week ending February 22, 2004, as monitored by Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems.

[43] In other forms of entertainment, the song appeared in several video games, including SingStar Amped and Rock Band 2, and was also featured on the television show Legit.

DeLonge's singing style on "I Miss You"–particularly his verse lyrics "Where are you / and I'm so sorry", or pronunciation of the word head as "yead"[44]—has been widely referenced throughout popular culture, and is considered something of a meme.