The No. 1 Song On August 18, 1994 Sounds Even Sweeter Today

Lisa Loeb introduced herself to the world with "Stay (I Missed You)," a timeless song about complicated love that has remained her signature, and it seems to get sweeter as the years pass. Despite being Loeb's first single, the song shot to No. 1 on August 6, 1994 — a great year for generation-defining hits – on the Billboard Hot 100, stayed there for three weeks, went gold, and earned a Grammy nomination, thanks in part to its — and Loeb's — brainy charm. "Stay (I Missed You)" is not a simple song gushing about easy, mutual love but rather the story of someone conflicted and regretfully navigating a painful breakup, and yet thanks to Loeb's voice and songwriting, it still sounds tender and sweet.

Here we'll explore the songwriting and substance of "Stay (I Missed You)," as well as where it came from — including it being originally written for Daryl Hall and its famous discovery and promotion by actor Ethan Hawke. The song's story from inception to acclaim and lasting appeal is an unusually cinematic one, and it extends to the unique distinction it earned Loeb and its quirky music video, too. Altogether, "Stay (I Missed You)" is a singular song, and not just because of its wild story, but also because of how great it still sounds today.

Although "Stay (I Missed You)" is a pop rock breakup song, it doesn't act much like one. There's no chorus that shouts either heartache or resolve that it's his loss, not hers. In fact, there isn't really a chorus at all. The closest thing is the quick breeze of a refrain, which throughout the whole song amounts to four resigned "I miss you"s. The verses are the song's real hook, backed up by high-energy strummed chords that pack more punch than the airy fingerpicking in the refrains/interludes. As Loeb told Acoustic Guitar, "The song ended up being an unusual structure, but it tells the story of the song ... [it] tells the feeling of the song almost better than the lyrics do."

The verses to "Stay (I Missed You)" pack the most lyrical punch. Throughout, we hear Loeb's story of doubt brought on by one devastating line from her partner, which is also the song's most iconic: "You say I only hear what I want to." From there, Loeb does a fantastic job of expressing the tailspin that can result from hearing something so cutting, and an even better job touching on all the complicated and often conflicting feelings that come with the ensuing romantic fight. Loeb described the song's crux to Genius as, "... am I hearing you actually say stay? Or am I deluded and I'm just thinking that you're saying stay?" Not many songs are brave enough to admit that it can be hard to tell.

As personal as "Stay (I Missed You)" is, Loeb actually wrote it with the hope of selling it to Daryl Hall for him to perform. When her plan failed, Loeb kept it quietly to herself for years until her New York City neighbor, Ethan Hawke, passed the song along to Ben Stiller, who would soon be directing Hawke in the cult classic "Reality Bites." Stiller used the song over the movie's closing credits, which launched it to the top of the charts — making it one of a few classic breakup songs made famous by movies.

The song's music video is just as odd as its story, too. Hawke himself directed the video and imbued it with its own unique quirkiness. The whole video is one unbroken shot of Loeb singing and pensively turning away through Hawke's empty apartment, aside from a couple of shameless shots of Hawke's cat. It succeeds in lending the video a literal openness to match the song's narrative openness, and perhaps more than anything, it makes the video feel impressively '90s.

Between its music video and "Reality Bites," "Stay (I Missed You)" blew up so quickly that Loeb became the first-ever artist to score a No. 1 hit without being signed to a record label. Within a year, she would be signed to Geffen Records. These days, it may feel like you rarely hear from Loeb, but that's only because she's out living her best life and enjoying the creative freedom only someone with such a meteoric hit is afforded.