I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)

"I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)"
Single by Aretha Franklin and George Michael
from the album Aretha
ReleasedJanuary 19, 1987 (1987-01-19)[1]
RecordedMay 1986
Genre
Length4:01
LabelArista
Songwriters
ProducerNarada Michael Walden
Aretha Franklin singles chronology
"Jimmy Lee"
(1987) 		"I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)"
(1987) 		"Rock-A-Lott"
(1987)
George Michael singles chronology
"A Different Corner"
(1986) 		"I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)"
(1987) 		"I Want Your Sex"
(1987)
Music video
"I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)" on YouTube

"I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)" is a song by American singer Aretha Franklin and English singer George Michael, released on January 19, 1987, by Arista Records in the United States and Canada as the second single from Franklin's thirty-first studio album, Aretha (1986). Written by Simon Climie and Dennis Morgan and produced by Narada Michael Walden,[4] the song topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and marked Franklin's second and last number one single in the US.[5] The song was Franklin's biggest hit on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, reaching number two.[6] In the rest of the world, Michael's label Epic Records released the song as a non-album single, and it reached number one on the UK singles chart, Franklin's only number one placing in the United Kingdom.[7]

"I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)" earned Franklin and Michael the 1987 Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.[8][9] In 2018, Billboard magazine listed the song as Franklin's all-time biggest Hot 100 single.[10]

Background and recording

In 1984, Michael was approached to write and produce a song for Franklin for an unspecified soundtrack album; however, his busy schedule with Wham! made it impossible for him to do so at the time. Michael was also anxious that writing for one of his favourite artists could be too nerve-wracking (considering himself to be unworthy) and that for Franklin to sing a song he had written would be "ludicrous".[11][12] According to Michael, he originally approached both Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder respectively, before Franklin.[13]

"I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)" was recorded within two days at a recording studio in Detroit in May 1986,[14] in-between the release of "A Different Corner" (Michael's second solo single) and Wham!'s farewell concert, which was held on 28 June that year. Michael's former agent and manager Rob Kahane recalled in Michael's autobiography Bare that Franklin was "belting out this song, just belting it out".[15] According to Michael, he and Franklin recorded the song together, with ad-libs being recorded separately.[16] He recalled "just freaking out" behind the microphone. "I'm on the other side of the mic from Aretha Franklin, and she's treating me like an equal—obviously I'm not, but she was treating me with such respect."[17]

Following Michael's death in December 2016, Franklin recalled the following about the recording of "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)":

The first time I heard George was with Wham! and I liked it then. He had a very unique sound, very different from anything that was out there. When Clive [Davis], [Franklin's producer and label boss] suggested we get together for "I Knew You Were Waiting", I was all ready. It reminded me of [working with producer] Jerry Wexler. We'd go in the studio and cut songs. If we were happy with what we recorded, Jerry would say, "Let's wait until tomorrow. If we feel the same way [then] that we do now, maybe we have a hit." "I Knew You Were Waiting" had that. Musically, it does not grow old.[18]

Reception and chart performance

"I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)" reached number one on both the Billboard Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart,[5] marking Franklin's first and only UK number-one hit.[7]

In his book titled Dynamic Duets: The Best Pop Collaborations from 1955 to 1999, author Bob Leszczak described "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)" as a "joyous and uplifting duet".[19]

Music video

The official music video for the song was directed by Andy Morahan[20] and filmed in Detroit.[21] It begins with Michael and two bodyguards entering a dark room. There is a large viewing screen on the wall showing Franklin preparing for Michael. Over the course of the video, each of the singers is shown performing the song both in front of the screen and on it. During the second verse, footage from both Franklin's and Michael's earlier careers is shown on the screen. As the second chorus ends, Michael joins Franklin on the stage, and footage of earlier famous duet pairs—Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, Sonny and Cher, Ike and Tina Turner, and others—are shown on the viewing screen while Michael and Franklin sing the song's bridge. At the end of the video, Franklin winks at the camera.[22]

Track listings

All tracks are written by Simon Climie and Dennis Morgan.

7″: Epic / DUET 2 (UK)[23]
No.TitleLength
1."I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)"4:02
2."I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)" (instrumental)4:02
12″: Epic / DUET T2 (UK)[24]
No.TitleLength
1."I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)" (extended remix)7:30
2."I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)" (percappella)5:14
3."I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)" (edited remix)5:29

Personnel

Charts

Certifications

Certifications and sales for "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[61] Gold 35,000‡
Netherlands (NVPI)[62] Gold 75,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[63] Gold 15,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[64] Platinum 600,000‡

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ "New Singles" (PDF). Music Week. January 17, 1987. p. 23. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
  2. ^ a b Breihan, Tom (February 12, 2021). "The Number Ones: Aretha Franklin & George Michael's "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)"". Stereogum. Retrieved October 5, 2023. ...if you're going to record a gospel song that's also a pop song, you really can't do any better than Aretha Franklin...Walden's backing track is pure big-'80s dance-pop...
  3. ^ Stanley, Bob (September 13, 2013). "Chicago and Detroit: House and Techno". Yeah Yeah Yeah: The Story of Modern Pop. Faber & Faber. p. 614. ISBN 978-0-571-28198-5.
  4. ^ No Words, No Song (August 17, 2018). ""I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)" — George Michael and Aretha Franklin". Medium. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
  5. ^ a b Caulfield, Keith (December 25, 2016). "George Michael Dead: His Biggest Hits". Billboard. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
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  11. ^ MTV Whamerica Interview [unedited]. August 30, 1986. Event occurs at 4m50s.
  12. ^ George Michael MTV Interview. 1988. Event occurs at 5m07s.
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  14. ^ Gavin 2023, p. 96.
  15. ^ Michael & Parsons 1991, p. 183.
  16. ^ Michael & Parsons 1991, p. 181.
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Bibliography
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