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Kat Parkes

English 1102

September 29, 2019

I’ll Be Missing You

“I’ll Be Missing You” by Puff Daddy released his song three months after Biggie

Small’s death, lyrics like “It’s kind of hard with you not around know you in heaven,

smilin’ down” and more fill this song. This song is a cover of “Every Breath You Take” by

The Police, written by Sting. Puff Daddy‘s remix of “Every Breath You Take” by The

Police is a tribute to his fellow musician The Notorious B.I.G., a very different rendition

than the original. Sting’s voice is coming from a recent divorce and writes the song

about old relationships.

During the time Sting was writing “Every Breath You Take” he was recently going

through a divorce, he wrote the song with darker intentions than how it was actually

perceived. Many people who listen to the song thought of it as a love song, it is more so

about people and possessive relationships. Many lyrics had hidden meanings, “Every

breath you take” stands for a breath analyzer, while “Every move you make” is referring

to a motion detector, and “I’ll be watching you” is referring to video surveillance

(Medium). There are many more throughout the song. The Cold War was going on at

this time so that’s why there are many references to higher technologies that intrude

upon our private lives. So, the main purpose of this song conveys what it is like at the

end of some estranged relationships.

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Puff Daddy’s version tells a very different story to the listeners. While Puff Daddy

sampled “Every Breath You Take” in his song, it was a much more personal and sincere

message to his close friend he had recently lost. During the 90s, there was an

evolutionary movement of rap on both the East and West Coast. The Notorious B.I.G.

was famous around the world and also known for representing the East Coast, where

he was born and raised. Tensions rose in the mid 90s, this eventually resulted in Biggie

Smalls’s death. However he was not the only one, his death had followed another icon

in rap, Tupac Shakur, who represented the West Coast through his music as well. Puff

Daddy released this tribute a few months after The Notorious B.I.G.‘s death. While they

were business partners, they were also very close friends.

In Puff Daddy‘s music video he tries to keep a close connection to his lost friend.

This is represented in the music video when he goes to the top of the hill and looks up

to the sky. It is also shown when he’s riding a motorcycle and crashes, after this he

looks up into the sky with light shining on him. Another example of him conveying an

organic, sincere message to listeners and viewers is towards the end when he has

children with him and they are all going to the top of the hill together. Once this video

ends, there is also a screen that shows a picture of the Notorious B.I.G. himself and a

tribute to him. So, not only is the tribute seen throughout the video and what Puff Daddy

does but it is also labeled in the end. There are also many lyrics that explain times that

these two shared.

The Police’s music video is not as much of a story, while during this time the

style of music videos were different. Many music videos during this time were more
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focused on the performing of songs by the band rather than storytelling. But, you can

still see how some of the video is laid out and how Sting reacts to a lot of the lyrics

throughout the video. As you can see, he stays subdued and has a negative

personality. The music video also takes place in a dark room and with little light, this fits

the meaning behind the lyrics more than how other listeners convey the song.

Both music videos use pathos as their rhetorical appeals. This is shown in Puff

Daddy‘s version because of how he tries to stay connected to his lost friend. This is

shown less in Stings version, while there isn’t exactly a story or any super emotional

point, the video is directed in a cinematographic noir. Puff Daddy‘s music video appeals

to people who were also saddened by the loss of Biggie Smalls, and other loved ones. It

also appeals to people who like his type of music. The Police’s version has a different

type of appeal, while many people like this song because they thought it was a love

song, it really wasn’t. So, this song attracted a different type of crowd and response

than what the writers were hoping. The song still appeals to people who like The Police

and their music but it also appeals to people who like love songs or believe in the lyrics.

In conclusion, these two songs have very different meanings. Even though

Sting’s version of his song is confusing to outside listeners, once you get a closer look

into the meaning of his song it proves this point. Puff Daddy created his remix of the

song to remember his lost friend, while Sting had a much darker message behind his

lyrics.
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Works Cited

“The Police - Every Breath You Take (Official Music Video).” Performance by The

Police, ​YouTube​, YouTube, 23 Feb. 2010,

www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMOGaugKpzs​.

Entertainment, Bad Boy, director. ​Puff Daddy [Feat. Faith Evans & 112] - I'll Be

Missing You (Official Music Video)​. ​YouTube​, YouTube, 3 June 2016,

www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKMtZm2YuBE​.

Nguyen, San. “Why ‘Every Breath You Take’ Is the Most Misinterpreted Song.”

Medium​, Medium, 10 Sept. 2019,

medium.com/@sannguyen/rethinking-the-surveillance-through-every-breath-you-ta

ke-c80326fd5b58.