"I Know" is a song by American R&B singer Dionne Farris. Written by Milton Davis and William DuVall, it was released in January 1995 as the first single from Farris' debut album, Wild Seed – Wild Flower (1994).
In 1995, Top 40 radio was fragmented because popular songs tended to have either an "alternative" or grunge sound, or were more hip-hop/R&B.
That wasn't the case with this track: It's a pure pop song, and Top 40 radio stations played it like crazy. It was the only hit for Farris as a solo artist.
The song relies on repetition to make its point: The phrase "I know" is repeated at the beginning of most of the lines.
So, what does Dionne Farris know? It sounds like her ex-lover is trying to rekindle their romance (possibly drunk dialing her) but she wants no part of it:
I know why you say you love me
But I can't say the same
It was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 1996. Davis and DuVall won an ASCAP Pop Award for writing the song in 1996.
US maxi-CD single
1. I Know (single edit) - 3:25
2. People - 4:45
3. I Know (NY reprise mix) - 3:49
4. I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free - 4:39
5. I Know (acoustic roots – extended edit) - 5:03
Companies, etc.
- Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Sony Music Entertainment Inc.
- Copyright © – Sony Music Entertainment Inc.
- Distributed By – Sony Music
- Mastered At – Precision Mastering
Credits
- Lyrics By, Music By – Milton Davis
- Management – Michael Simanga
- Mastered By – Stephen Marcussen
- Music By – William Duvall
- Producer – David Harris (2), Dionne Farris, Milton Davis, Randy D. Jackson