"I Know" is a song by American R&B singer

Dionne Farris Dionne Yvette Farris (born December 4, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, and producer. Born and raised in New Jersey, she began singing in elementary school and competed in pageants as a teenager. In the early 1990s, she was featured on t ...

. Written by

Milton Davis Milton Davis is an American musician, songwriter and producer from Birmingham, Alabama, who is based in the California Bay Area. He recalls being introduced to gospel music by his grandfather at the age of seven and playing and singing in gospel ...

and

William DuVall William Bradley DuVall (born September 6, 1967) is an American musician best known as the current co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for the rock band Alice in Chains. He joined Alice in Chains in 2006, replacing the band's original lead s ...

, it was released in January 1995 as the first single from Farris' debut album, '' Wild Seed – Wild Flower'' (1994). The song was a hit in Farris's native United States, peaking at number four on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and spent 10 consecutive weeks at number one on the '' Billboard'' Mainstream Top 40. Outside the US, "I Know" reached number one in Canada, where it was the 19th-most-successful single of the year. It also achieved top-40 placings in Australia, France, Iceland, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. It was nominated for the

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 1996. Davis and DuVall won an ASCAP Pop Award for writing the song in 1996.

Critical reception

Dave Sholin from the '' Gavin Report'' wrote, "A sensational talent has emerged from

Arrested Development The term "arrested development" has had multiple meanings for over 200 years. In the field of medicine, the term "arrested development" was first used, ''circa'' 1835–1836, to mean a stoppage of physical development; the term continues to be use ...

and her name is

. Kent Zimmerman ditorran up and the down the hall screaming about this weeks ago and even recommended it to his A3 panel. Early airplay indicates

Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or "cont ...

programmers agree." Charles Aaron from '' Spin'' felt the vocalist "relates her story of a too-late lover with carefully measured

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest atte ...

that reads Club

VH-1 VH1 (originally an initialism of Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network based in New York City and owned by Paramount Global. It was created by Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment, at the time a division of Warner Communi ...

. But the kick comes from a peek-a-boo slide guitar, weaving in and out of the nimble beats and subtle tambourine like a generational flare. It's as if Farris runs down the whole relationship scene for a front porch full of aunts and uncles and grandparents, all of whom nod in rhythm." Mike Joyce from ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'' described "I Know" as "a bluesy, slide guitar-riffed admonition".

Track listings

* US maxi-CD single # "I Know" (single edit) – 3:25 # "People" – 4:45 # "I Know" (NY reprise mix) – 3:49 # "

I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free "I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free" is a jazz song written by Billy Taylor. Taylor's original version (as "I Wish I Knew") was recorded on November 12, 1963, and released on his ''Right Here, Right Now!'' album (Capitol ST-2039) the foll ...

" – 4:39 # "I Know" (acoustic roots – extended edit) – 5:03 * US cassette single :A. "I Know" – 3:47 :B. "Human" – 3:04 * UK CD1 # "I Know" (radio version) # "I Know" (NY reprise mix) # "Human" # "The 11th Hour" (edit) * UK CD2 # "I Know" (radio version) # "I Know" (NY reprise mix) # "I Know" (acoustic roots extended mix) # "People" * UK cassette single # "I Know" (radio version) # "Human" * European CD single # "I Know" (single edit) – 3:23 # "I Know" (acoustic roots – extended) – 6:01 * Australian CD and cassette single # "I Know" (single edit) # "I Know" (acoustic roots – extended) # "I Know" (NY reprise mix) * Japanese CD single # "I Know" (single version) # "Stop the Think" # "People" # "I Know" (acoustic roots – extended)

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

All-time charts

Release history

References

{{Authority control 1995 debut singles 1995 songs Columbia Records singles Dionne Farris songs RPM Top Singles number-one singles Songs written by Milton Davis Songs written by William DuVall