Aretha Franklin & George Michael – I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me) (Netherlands 12″)
Posted by DjPaulT on 30th December 2011
BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1986
“I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)” is a song performed by Aretha Franklin and George Michael as a duet in 1987. It was written by Simon Climie and Dennis Morgan.
The song was a one-off project that helped Michael achieve his ambition to sing with one of his favourite artists, and it reached number one in both the UK Singles Chart and Billboard’s Hot 100. The song was, remarkably, Franklin’s first and only UK number-one hit, and only her fourth top ten achievement in the country since “I Say a Little Prayer”, nearly two decades earlier. This was also the last of Franklin’s eighteen Top 10 hits in the Billboard Hot 100.
For Michael, it became his third consecutive number-one in the UK since going solo, following 1984′s “Careless Whisper” (though the single was actually from the Wham! album Make It Big) and 1986′s “A Different Corner”. However, as the song was a duet, he was not afforded the same status or level of congratulation as Gerry & the Pacemakers or Frankie Goes to Hollywood, the only two artists to have previously achieved number one with their first three releases. Michael’s previous success (with Wham!, which included four number-ones) was also a factor in watering down the achievement. In the U.S., it was Michael’s fourth #1 hit, counting his Wham! days.
The single was the first Michael had recorded (as a lead artist) which he had not written himself. The co-writer, Simon Climie, was unknown at the time, although he later had success as a performer with Climie Fisher in 1988.
The continuous run of UK chart-toppers ended for Michael thereafter, with his next number-one coming in 1991—again as part of a duet (this time with Elton John) – while his next entirely solo number-one in the UK didn’t appear until 1996.
On the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, “I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)” debuted at #59, the week of February 21, 1987, reaching #1 in its ninth week, April 18, 1987, and remaining there for two consecutive weeks.
SIDE A:
I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me) (Extended Remix) 7:25
SIDE B:
I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me) (Percappella) 5:14
I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me) (Edited Remix) 5:29
VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint
CHARTS:
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me) | U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | #1 |
| 1987 | I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me) | U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary | #2 |
| 1987 | I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me) | U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs | #12 |
| 1987 | I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me) | U.S. Cashbox Top 100 Singles | #1 |
RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Epic – Epic – EPC 650253 6
Format: Vinyl, 12″, Maxi-Single, 45 RPM
Country: Netherlands
Released: 1986
Genre: Electronic
Style: Synth-pop
Credits: Keyboards [Additional] – Ed Terry
Producer, Arranged By – Narada Michael Walden
Remix, Producer [Additional] – Steve Thompson & Michael Barbiero
Find The 12″ On DISCOGS
EQUIPMENT USED:
Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut III
Cartridge: Ortofon Super
Stylus: Ortofon OM Stylus 30
Bellari VP130 Tube Phono Preamp
Soundcard: ESI Juli@
VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Brother MFC-6490CW Professional Series Scanner
SOFTWARE USED:
Adobe Audition 3.0 (Recording)
Adobe Photoshop CS5
ClickRepair
dBpoweramp
Playlist Creator
RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
Downsampled to 24bit/96kHz and16bit /44kHz using iZotope RX Advanced 2
FLAC (Level Eight)
MP3 (320kbps)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi
PW: burningtheground
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Tags: 12", 1986, Aretha Franklin & George Michael, I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me), Narada Michael Walden, Steve Thompson & Michael Barbiero
Posted in Aretha Franklin, Aretha Franklin & George Michael, George Michael | 23 Comments »