I Know, I Know…
I’m extremely biased in this assertion, but the 1990s were a special time for music. Yes, it’s the music I grew up listening to, which is the source of this bias. But so much of the music from that decade holds up very well modernly, especially when compared to some of the music from the following decade, the 2000s.
I heard this song on the radio in the mid-90s many times and always loved it, but I had no idea who sang it. I will happily share that the app Shazam changed my life when it was released for smartphones around 2012. I still use it all the time. But before Shazam, I had to search for songs based on lyrics that I heard, which is perfectly imperfect, and before that, I had to hope that the radio DJ called out the name of the song or the artist. That often never happened.
Imagine my pleasure when this 1995 hit was played out in public somewhere a few years ago and I Shazammed it. It was a great day. It’s been on various playlists of mine since then. It didn’t help that the singer was essentially a one-hit wonder. But man, oh man, was it a good hit.
The singer’s name is Dionne Farris. She featured a few years earlier on the single “Tennessee” by Arrested Development, which, to be honest, I never heard until today. But talk about a prodigious debut single! It’s also held up extremely well, and Dionne Farris’s lyrics really lend it that little bit extra that pushes it over the edge into true greatness. I’ll post that one too, below Dionne Farris’s hit, “I Know.”
The song starts out fairly similarly to several other songs in the mid-90s, with a bluesy, dancey riff. It’s almost a combination of Linda Perry and Stevie Wonder. But as soon as Dionne’s voice comes on at the 19 second mark, you immediately know you’re in for something extraordinary. Her voice has this incredible low vibrato that I’ve never heard any other singer match. The song composition is brilliant, as the title, “I Know,” starts almost every line, keeping the vibe consistent throughout the song, but if you pay close attention to the lyrics, she actually subtly shifts the focus of the song from a sly wink-nod to a lover to a more aggressive jilting.
Dionne Farris’s voice is so punchy! Her diction is near-perfect, so to an autistic person like me, this is a huge bonus, because I can understand all the lyrics without reading them alongside my listen. But her voice also is as smooth as butter, with each pause lasting just long enough for you to look forward to hearing her voice again.
Enjoy! I certainly have been.