"Never Knew I Needed" is a song written and performed by American R&B singer-songwriter Ne-Yo for the 2009

Walt Disney Animation Studios Walt Disney Animation Studios (WDAS), sometimes shortened to Disney Animation, is an American animation studio that creates animated features and short films for The Walt Disney Company. The studio's current production logo features a scene fro ...

film ''

The Princess and the Frog ''The Princess and the Frog'' is a 2009 American Animation, animated musical film, musical fantasy film, fantasy romantic comedy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The List of Walt Disney Anima ...

''. The song, produced by Chuck Harmony, is heard during the end credits of the film and is also the first single from the film's original soundtrack. The song had an accompanying music video which was in heavy rotation on the

Disney Channel Disney Channel, sometimes known as simply Disney, is an American pay television channel that serves as the flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney General Entertainment Content division of The Walt Disney Compan ...

. The song was sent to rhythmic radio in the U.S. on December 27, 2008. It was released as a digital download on January 3, 2009. The song reached number 56 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

chart. The song also has an official remix that features

Cassandra Steen Cassandra Steen (born 9 February 1980) is a German-American singer who rose to fame as the lead singer of the pop/soul trio Glashaus. After a series of commercially successful releases with the group, she released her moderately successful solo ...

. The song is an R&B ballad that features a drum machine, a piano and a synthesizer in the chorus.

Music video

The music video was directed by Melina. It was released on October 29, 2009. The video pays homage to several scenes in ''

''. It takes place in New Orleans in possibly the jazz age—the time period the film is set. It starts with Ne-Yo walking through the empty streets fantasizing about a woman as jazz musicians play behind him. He walks into a restaurant where he works as a waiter the woman / "Princess" character is a beautiful and clearly wealthy customer who is dining with her family. Ne-Yo then goes into an empty warehouse which he imagines is a kitchen (homage to the scene in which Almost There is performed). He dreams the woman has come to visit him and they are eating some of Ne-Yo's cooking and having a good time with each other. Ne-Yo then takes a streetcar and he sees the woman with her family outside the home through the window. The woman looks up and sees him on the streetcar and runs after it. This is intercut with Ne-Yo overlooking the bayou where a large portion of the Princess and the Frog takes place. He turns around and the woman is standing behind him the two run to each other and share a kiss while two frogs on the bayou are also seen kissing.

Charts

References

{{authority control 2009 singles Ne-Yo songs Pop ballads Neo soul songs Songs written by Ne-Yo Song recordings produced by Chuck Harmony Songs from The Princess and the Frog 2000s ballads Walt Disney Records singles Def Jam Recordings singles 2009 songs Love themes