I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)

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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. [15]

Reception and 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 on both the UK Singles Chart and Billboard Hot 100. [5] The song was Franklin's first and only UK number-one hit. [16]

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". [17]

Music video

The official music video for the song was directed by Andy Morahan [18] and was filmed in Detroit. [19] It begins with George Michael and two bodyguards entering a dark room. There is a large viewing screen on the wall showing Aretha Franklin preparing for George 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. [20]

Personnel

Charts

"I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)"
IKYWWFM.jpg
Single by Aretha Franklin and George Michael
from the album Aretha
Released23 January 1987 (1987-01-23) [1]
Recorded1986
Genre
Length4:01
Label Arista
Songwriter(s)
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)

Certifications

Certifications and sales for "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)"
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA) [57] Gold35,000‡
Netherlands (NVPI) [58] Gold75,000^
United Kingdom (BPI) [59] Platinum600,000‡

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

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References

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  58. ↑ "Dutch single certifications – Aretha Franklin and George Michael – I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers.Enter I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me) in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 1987 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
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