You Don't Know My Name

Last updated

"You Don't Know My Name"
You Don't Know My Name single cover.jpg
Single by Alicia Keys
from the album The Diary of Alicia Keys
ReleasedNovember 10, 2003 (2003-11-10)
Studio
Genre R&B • soul
Length
  • 6:06 (album version)
  • 4:26 (radio edit)
Label J
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Kanye West
  • Alicia Keys
Alicia Keys singles chronology
"Girlfriend"
(2002)		"You Don't Know My Name"
(2003)		"If I Ain't Got You"
(2004)
Music video
"You Don't Know My Name" on YouTube

"You Don't Know My Name" is a song by American singer-songwriter Alicia Keys, issued by J Records as the lead single from her second studio album, The Diary of Alicia Keys (2003). Written by Keys, Kanye West and Harold Lilly, its production, handled by the former two, is based on a sample of the 1975 song "Let Me Prove My Love to You", written by J. R. Bailey, Mel Kent and Ken Williams, and performed by The Main Ingredient.

Contents

"You Don't Know My Name" became Keys' third top-ten hit in the United States, peaking at number three on the Billboard Hot 100, as well as topping the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs for eight consecutive weeks. Critically acclaimed, the song won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Song and a Soul Train Music Award for Best R&B/Soul Single, Female. It was sampled on rapper Lil Wayne's 2008 song "Comfortable", featuring Babyface and produced by West.

Background

"You Don't Know My Name" was written by Alicia Keys, Kanye West and Harold Lilly for her second studio album, The Diary of Alicia Keys (2003), while production was overseen by Keys and West. [1] The song samples several portions from the 1975 song "Let Me Prove My Love to You" as performed by American soul and R&B group The Main Ingredient, including the vocal backgrounds and the piano. [2] Due to the sample, J. R. Bailey, Mel Kent and Ken Williams are also as songwriters. [1] "You Don't Know My Name" marked the first collaboration between Keys and West. [2] Lyrically, the song captures a woman's frustration and heartache as she yearns for a man’s recognition and affection, reflecting the struggles of pursuing someone who may not feel the same way. [1] Introducing this song at a concert in Manchester, England, in 2012, Alicia Keys explained: "It's about that feeling you have when you see somebody that you really, really like, or at least you think you do. And you're trying to figure out, 'how am I supposed to say anything to this person? How am I supposed to introduce myself and get the story started?' It's not an easy thing to do. So maybe you could say something like this." [2]

Critical reception

In a review for The Diary of Alicia Keys, Denise Boyd from BBC Music noted that "You Don't Know My Name" was "clearly the stand-out track. This is Alicia Keys at her best, sweet and soulful with a hint of the tickling piano keys – pure pleasure." [3] In a critical album of The Diary of Alicia Keys, Mark Anthony Neal from PopMatters called the song the album's "singular moment of brilliance." He found that it was "another example of the real-deal hype surrounding Chi-town producer Kanye West [...] that could make Isaac Hayes, Teddy Pendergrass, David Porter and the late Barry White all blush praise. Choosing the song as the lead single is both a testament to J's faith in Keys as a pop artist and an admission that "You Don't Know My Name" is as good as pop-soul gets." [4] Today described "You Don't Know My Name" as "vastly appealing retro-soul as Keys is both bold and coy, calling a man who has caught her eye to plead her romantic case." [5]

Jim Cooper, writing for SFGate , remarked: "On "You Don't Know My Name," Keys' rich voice floats over sweet Burt Bacharach-influenced strings and cascading harmonies. And even though she throws in a cheap spoken-word thing halfway through, it still ranks right alongside the previous record's hair-raising moments like "A Woman's Worth" and "Rock Wit U"." [6] Billboard noted: "If this single is any indication of what's to come [on The Diary of Alicia Keys , fans will be thrilled [...] With creamy harmonizing on background vocals and cascading piano riffs, the Keys- and Kanye West- produced midtempo track is reminiscent of '60s-era ballads [...] While Keys' dialogue during the bridge is a little forced, the girl-next-door lyric and sweet sentiment more than compensate. Mainstream and adult R&B radio stations will undoubtedly jump on this one, based on Keys' solid track record and they won't be sorry." [7]

Rankings

Blender placed the song at number 37 on its list of "The 100 Best Songs of 2004". [8] Pitchfork ranked "You Don't Know My Name/Will You Ever Know It? (Reggae Remix)" at number twenty-three on their list of Top 50 Singles of 2004. [9]

Music video

The music video for "You Don't Know My Name" was largely filmed in Harlem, New York City. View of Empire State Building from Rockefeller Center New York City dllu (cropped).jpg
The music video for "You Don't Know My Name" was largely filmed in Harlem, New York City.

A music video for "You Don't Know My Name" was directed by Chris Robinson and Andrew Young. Filming took place in the Harlem neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City, particularly inside the Pan Pan Diner at the corner of 135th Street and Lenox Avenue. [10] It depicts Keys as a restaurant waitress, while rapper Yasiin Bey plays Michael Harris, her love interest. Taneisha Smith, one of Keys' partners from her former girl group, who co-wrote on several tracks on The Diary of Alicia Keys, [10] was supposed to play the video's second character but due to her pregnancy her role was taken over by actress Melyssa Ford. [10]

The visuals follows Keys working at a café. One day, Keys meets a man (played by Yasiin Bey) in the café, and she falls in love with him. Later on, Keys is at a house party where she runs into that same man when a fight is about to break out, and the scene resembles the house party scene in the movie Cooley High. Later in the video, Keys imagines getting the courage to call him and to tell him about her feelings. However, at the end of the movie, she remembers his order but there is no other recognition and the scene ends with his card still being in the bowl and Keys staring out the window since she will never be able to reveal her true feelings for the man.

Track listings and formats

Personnel

Charts

Certifications

Certifications and sales for "You Don't Know My Name"
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI) [52] Silver200,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ) [53] Gold15,000‡
United States (RIAA) [54] Platinum1,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Release dates and formats for "You Don't Know My Name"
RegionDateFormat(s)Label(s)Ref.
United StatesNovember 10, 2003 J [55]
November 18, 2003
GermanyNovember 24, 2003 Maxi CD Sony Music
FranceNovember 25, 2003
United StatesDecember 1, 2003 Contemporary hit radio J [58]
United KingdomDecember 8, 2003
  • 12-inch vinyl
  • CD
RCA [59]
FranceMarch 2, 2004CDSony Music

See also

Related Research Articles

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