"I Don't Wanna Know" is a song by American R&B artist Mario Winans featuring rapper P. Diddy and re-recorded background vocals by Enya. The song is based on a sample of the Fugees' song " Ready or Not", which in turn samples the synthesizer riff from Enya's song "Boadicea", as well as the beat from EPMD's song "You're a Customer". Released on February 17, 2004, the song reached number one in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands and number two in the United States, stuck for eight consecutive weeks behind the

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singles " Yeah!" and " Burn", respectively. The official remix features D-Block rapper Jae Hood, Enya, and P. Diddy. Another remix features Joe Budden, Enya, and P. Diddy.

Composition and critical reception

The song is based on a sample of the Fugees' 1996 hit single " Ready or Not", which itself was based on a slowed-down sample of the instrumental track "Boadicea" by Enya from her 1987 album, '' Enya.'' Winans said: "I first heard 'Boadicea' at the end of the movie '' Sleepwalkers'' about five or six years ago. It's something I always wanted to produce. Then when The Fugees did it, oh my God, I loved it." '' Vibe'' wrote that "Winans adds a simple stuttering beat that prevents the song from devolving into murky, saccharine Muzak. This is the secret of Winan's magic; the soft touch of the synthesizers and his gentle piano playing blend with the signature sound of the kick and snare – hard, unadorned, punching through the music's gauzy elegiac texture."

Commercial performance

"I Don't Wanna Know" remains Winans' only major success to date. As a result of its eight weeks at number two, "I Don't Wanna Know" stands in joint fifth place for the most weeks at number two by a song which did not go to number one, behind Foreigner's " Waiting for a Girl Like You",

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Track listing

# "I Don't Wanna Know" – 4:17 # "Pretty Girl Bullsh*t" (featuring Foxy Brown) – 4:22 # "I Don't Wanna Know" (Instrumental) – 4:17

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications and sales

Release history

Answer songs

"You Should Really Know"

An answer to "I Don't Wanna Know" sung from a female perspective, "You Should Really Know", was released later the same year as Winans' single, on August 30, 2004. Created by producers the Pirates, it features Shola Ama, Naila Boss, and Ishani, and it uses the same Enya sample as the original. Although it did not achieve the level of success Winans' single did in the US, it was a top-ten hit in the United Kingdom, peaking at number eight on the UK Singles Chart, and it also reached the top 50 in Austria, the Czech Republic, France, Greece, and Ireland.

Charts

Weekly charts Year-end charts

Others

Later, another answer song called "I Already Know" sung by Noelle was released and had the same background melody as the original song. American R&B group Nina Sky also recorded their own version of their song entitled "Time to Go" featuring rapper Angie Martinez.

References

{{Authority control 2004 singles 2004 songs Answer songs Bad Boy Records singles Contemporary R&B ballads Enya songs European Hot 100 Singles number-one singles Number-one singles in Scotland Relentless Records singles Sean Combs songs Songs with lyrics by Roma Ryan Songs with music by Enya Songs written by Erick Sermon Songs written by Mario Winans Songs written by PMD (rapper) Songs written by Sean Combs UK Singles Chart number-one singles Songs written by Loon (rapper)