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
Released January, 1987
Format 7" single, CD single
Recorded 1986
Genre R&B, pop rock
Length 4:00
Label Arista
Writer(s) Simon Climie, Dennis Morgan
Producer(s) Narada 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)

"I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)" is a Grammy Award-winning #1 song performed by Aretha Franklin and George Michael as a duet in 1987. It was written by Simon Climie and Dennis Morgan. It also stands as Franklin's biggest hit at Adult Contemporary radio, spending several weeks at #2.

Music video

The official music video for the song was directed by Andy Morahan.[1] It begins with George Michael and two bodyguards entering a dark room. There is a large screen on the wall showing Aretha Franklin preparing for George Michael. In the course of the video the two are shown performing the song both are shown in front of a screen and on it. At the end of the clip Aretha winks at the camera.[2]

Chart performance

The song was a one-off project that helped Michael achieve his ambition to sing with one of his favorite artists, and it reached number one in both the UK Singles Chart and Billboard Hot 100. The song was Franklin's first and only UK number-one hit, and only her fourth top ten achievement in the country since "I Say a Little Prayer", nearly two decades earlier. This was also the last of Franklin's seventeen Top 10 hits in the Billboard Hot 100.

For Michael, it became his third consecutive number-one in the UK since going solo, following 1984's "Careless Whisper" (though the single was actually from the Wham! album Make It Big) and 1986's "A Different Corner". In the U.S., it was Michael's fourth #1 hit, counting his Wham! days.

The single was the first Michael had recorded (as a lead artist) that he had not written himself. The co-writer, Simon Climie, was unknown at the time, although he later had success as a performer with Climie Fisher in 1988. On the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)" debuted at #59, the week of February 21, 1987, reaching #1 in its ninth week, April 18, 1987, and remaining there for two consecutive weeks.

Personnel

Charts and certifications

Preceded by
"Jack Your Body" by Steve 'Silk' Hurley		 Irish Singles Chart number-one single
7 February 1987 – 21 February 1987 (3 weeks) 		Succeeded by
"Stand By Me" by Ben E. King
UK number-one single
15 February 1987 – 22 February 1987 (2 weeks)
Preceded by
"I Want to Wake Up with You" by Boris Gardiner		 Australian Kent Music Report number-one single
16 March 1987 – 6 April 1987 (4 weeks) 		Succeeded by
"Boom Boom (Let's Go Back to My Room)" by Paul Lekakis
Preceded by
"Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" by Starship		 Billboard Hot 100 number-one single
April 18, 1987 – April 25, 1987 (2 weeks) 		Succeeded by
"(I Just) Died in Your Arms" by Cutting Crew

Track listing

7"
  1. "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)" – 3:52
  2. "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)" (Instrumental) – 4:00
US 12" maxi-single
  1. "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)" (Edited remix) – 5:29
  2. "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)" (Percappela) – 5:14
  3. "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)" (Album version) – 4:01
  4. "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)" (Extended remix) – 7:30

Cover versions

References

  1. ↑ Garcia, Alex S. "mvdbase.com - George Michael - "I knew you were waiting (for me)"". Music Video DataBase. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
  2. ↑ music video in MyVideo.de
  3. ↑ David Kent (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970 - 1992. Australian Chart Book, St Ives, N.S.W. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me). Retrieved May 22, 2011.
  5. ↑ Top Singles - Volume 46, No. 3, April 25 1987. Retrieved May 22, 2011.
  6. ↑ Nederlandse Top 40. Retrieved May 22, 2011.
  7. ↑ Single-Chartverfolgung. Retrieved May 22, 2011.
  8. ↑ The Irish Charts. Retrieved May 22, 2011.
  9. ↑ Hit Parade Italia. Retrieved May 22, 2011.
  10. ↑ Top 75 Releases. Retrieved May 22, 2011.
  11. 1 2 3 I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me) - Billboard. Retrieved May 22, 2011.
  12. ↑ Goud/Platina Muziek. Retrieved May 22, 2011.
  13. ↑ Video on YouTube
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