Despite of its relative sincerity – or perhaps because of it – “I Miss You” is probably Blink-182‘s second-biggest song. It was their third-biggest single at the time, and streaming has elevated it. It’s pretty uncharacteristic of the reputation of the band, anyway, not just due to the sincere, serious lyrics but because it’s mostly acoustic. Still, Tom DeLonge sings in a distinctive whine that only he can which can’t help but undercut the seriousness of the lyrics for non-fans. And the arrangement, though softer than many songs, it still relatively upbeat for a ballad.
Enter now-legendary YouTube cover performer Frank Watkinson. Watkinson has been performing on YouTube for nearly a decade with an extremely simple set up of just a camera, mic and acoustic guitar. He performs mostly covers but also some original songs and he does so earnestly and authentically. He wasn’t getting a ton of views—and then COVID happened. As with so many other online music performers, Watkinson’s performances resonated with audiences who were not sure how to feel and traffic to his channel surged. That, combined with his prolific output, has made him a major YouTube cover star.
Watkinson’s new cover of “I Miss You” is probably his most popular of 2025. And he performs it as only he can: much slower than the original with his gravelly voice adding, pardon me, gravitas to lyrics that are whined pretty hard in the original. Watkinson makes everything he performs sound more serious and it seems impossible for him to sound insincere. Though written by some late-20s pop punkers, in Watkinson’s hands, the song sounds like it sprouted from a lifetime of regret. He makes it utterly his own.
