"I Knew I Loved You" is a song by Australianpop duoSavage Garden, released throughRoadshow Music andColumbia Records as the second single from their second and final 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 USadult contemporary andtop 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 USBillboard Hot 100 chart for four weeks in early 2000 and topped theBillboardAdult Contemporary chart for 17 weeks, becoming that listing's most successful track of the 2000s decade. The song also reached number one in Canada and Romania and entered the top 10 in Australia, New Zealand, and four European countries. The music video features then teen actressKirsten Dunst asDarren Hayes' love interest. The music video received heavy rotation onMTV.
Having finished recording material forAffirmation, Savage Garden membersDarren Hayes andDaniel Jones were challenged byColumbia Records executiveDon 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 alove ballad.[1] 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".[2]
Bill Lamb fromAbout.com noted "I Knew I Loved You" as a "romantic ballad".[3]AllMusic editorStephen Thomas Erlewine called it "hooky and memorable".[4]Larry Flick fromBillboard 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".[5] Bob Waliszewski ofPlugged In said that it "describes how it feels to be hopelessly in love".[6]
The song was a success on the USBillboard Hot 100, where it spent four weeks at the top, becoming Savage Garden's third and final top-10 hit. It was the last song by an Australian artist to reach the top of theBillboard Hot 100 for over 12 years, untilGotye peaked at number one with his single "Somebody That I Used to Know" in 2012.[7] The song remained on theBillboardHot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart for 124 weeks,[8] 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 certifiedplatinum by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
The accompanyingmusic video for "I Knew I Loved You" was filmed by directorKevin Bray in August 1999 on aNew York City Subway set that had previously been used on the sitcomSeinfeld.[9] It features Hayes playing out a romantic plot on a subway train, with a female passenger (played by American actressKirsten Dunst) as the object of his affections.
At one point, the train comes to a stop due to apower 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 amontage 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.
^I Knew I Loved You (US 7-inch single sleeve). Savage Garden.Columbia Records. 1999. 38-79236.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^I Knew I Loved You (US CD single liner notes). Savage Garden. Columbia Records. 1999. 38K 79236.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^I Knew I Loved You (US cassette single sleeve). Savage Garden. Columbia Records. 1999. 38T 79236.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^I Knew I Loved You (UK CD1 liner notes). Savage Garden. Columbia Records. 1999. 668310 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^I Knew I Loved You (UK CD2 liner notes). Savage Garden. Columbia Records. 1999. 668310 5.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^I Knew I Loved You (UK cassette single sleeve). Savage Garden. Columbia Records. 1999. 668310 4.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^I Knew I Loved You (European CD1 liner notes). Savage Garden. Columbia Records. 1999. COL 667869 1.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^I Knew I Loved You (European CD2 liner notes). Savage Garden. Columbia Records. 1999. COL 667869 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^I Knew I Loved You (Japanese CD single liner notes). Savage Garden.SME Records. 1999. SRCS 8999.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
