I Knew I Loved You

"I Knew I Loved You" is a song by Australian pop duo Savage Garden, released through Roadshow Music and Columbia Records as the second single from their second studio album, ''Affirmation'' (1999). The song was created as an attempt to replicate the composition of Savage Garden's previous single "Truly Madly Deeply". The track was serviced to US adult contemporary and top 40 radio in September 1999 and was issued commercially in Australia on 28 September 1999.

Upon its release, "I Knew I Loved You" topped the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, becoming the band's second number one in the United States after "Truly Madly Deeply". The song also reached number one in Canada and Romania, number three in New Zealand and Sweden, number four in Australia, and the top 10 in Norway and the United Kingdom. The music video features then teen actress Kirsten Dunst as Darren Hayes' love interest and received heavy rotation on MTV.

Background

Having finished recording material for ''Affirmation'', Savage Garden members Darren Hayes and Daniel Jones were challenged by Columbia Records executive Don Ienner to produce the next "Truly Madly Deeply". The duo argued that "Truly Madly Deeply" was a one-of-its-kind song and could not be replicated but also realised that their second album lacked a love ballad. Hayes and Jones went on to compose "I Knew I Loved You" and submitted it to the record label's executives, who were delighted with the result as they felt it was a strong contender to eclipse the success of "Truly Madly Deeply".

Singer Darren Hayes further explained that the song was born out of a paradoxical situation, being a love song written "in about 40 minutes out of spite towards the record company" at a time when he felt "wounded by love".

Critical reception

Bill Lamb from About.com noted "I Knew I Loved You" as a "romantic ballad". AllMusic editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine called it "hooky and memorable". Larry Flick from ''Billboard'' described the song "as cool and crisp as the autumn air, this simple, direct ballad projects a sweet message of knowing love when you see it." He noted that the song "glides along amid a soft, easy beat, with vocalist Hayes sounding more at ease and confident than ever, like he's singing a timeless classic." He also added that "drenched harmonies add to the overall impact" and called it "absolutely enchanting, one of the most beautiful songs yet of 1999". Bob Waliszewski of ''Plugged In'' said that it "describes how it feels to be hopelessly in love".

Commercial performance

The song was a success on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, where it spent four weeks at the top. It was the last song by an Australian artist to reach the top of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for over 12 years, until Gotye peaked at number one with his single "Somebody That I Used to Know" in 2012. The song remained on the ''Billboard'' Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart for 124 weeks, breaking the record for 123 weeks set by another of the duo's songs, "Truly Madly Deeply". It ranked number 21 on the All Time Adult Contemporary Chart. The song was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

Music video

The accompanying music video for "I Knew I Loved You" was filmed by director Kevin Bray in August 1999 on a New York City Subway set that had previously been used on the sitcom ''Seinfeld''. It features Hayes playing out a romantic plot on a subway train, with a female passenger (played by American actress Kirsten Dunst) as the object of his affections.

At one point, the train comes to a stop due to a power outage; red emergency lighting comes on and everyone in the carriage joins hands. Hayes, who is sitting opposite his aforementioned love interest, extends his hand to her. As they touch, the video cuts to a montage of the couple walking through a park, bathed in sunlight, laughing and holding hands. The video then cuts back to the carriage as the power comes back on and the train pulls into the station. Hayes and the woman exit with the other passengers, and share a fleeting glance before going their separate ways. Shots of the band performing alone on the subway platform and in the carriage are interspersed throughout the video.

Track listings

* Australian CD single and US 7-inch single
# "I Knew I Loved You" – 4:10
# "I Knew I Loved You" (acoustic version) – 4:08

* US CD and cassette single
# "I Knew I Loved You" (album version) – 4:10
# "I Knew I Loved You" (7-inch Mini-Me Remix) – 4:17

* UK CD1
# "I Knew I Loved You" – 4:10
# "I Knew I Loved You" (acoustic version) – 4:10
# "Mine (And You Could Be)" – 4:29

* UK CD2
# "I Knew I Loved You" (radio edit) – 3:45
# "I Knew I Loved You" (club mix) – 3:45
# "Universe" – 4:20

* UK cassette single
# "I Knew I Loved You" (radio edit) – 3:45
# "I Knew I Loved You" (acoustic version) – 3:45

* European CD1
# "I Knew I Loved You" – 4:10
# "I Knew I Loved You" (radio version) – 3:45

* European CD2
# "I Knew I Loved You" – 4:10
# "I Knew I Loved You" (extended instrumental version) – 5:05
# "I Knew I Loved You" (Daniel's Remix) – 4:19
# "Mine (And You Could Be)" – 4:29
* The extended instrumental version is misprinted as the acoustic version on the liner notes.

* Japanese CD single
# "I Knew I Loved You" (album version) – 4:11
# "I Knew I Loved You" (radio version) – 3:49
# "I Knew I Loved You" (acoustic version) – 4:08

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

All-time charts

Certifications

Release history

Cover versions

* Country singer Daryle Singletary covered the song for his 2000 album, ''Now and Again''. His version reached number 55 on the ''Billboard'' Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart in October 2000.

See also

* List of Romanian Top 100 number ones of the 2000s
* List of number-one singles of 2000 (Canada)
* List of Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles of 2000
* List of Billboard Adult Contemporary number ones of 1999 and 2000 (U.S.)
* List of Billboard Mainstream Top 40 number-one songs of 2000

References

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1990s ballads
1999 singles
1999 songs
APRA Award winners
Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles
Columbia Records singles
Daryle Singletary songs
Number-one singles in Romania
Pop ballads
RPM Top Singles number-one singles
Savage Garden songs
Song recordings produced by Walter Afanasieff
Songs written by Daniel Jones (musician)
Songs written by Darren Hayes