If I Never Knew You
Encyclopedia
"If I Never Knew You" is the love theme and the second single
from Disney's 1995 animated feature Pocahontas
. It is the final track on the soundtrack
.
The song was originally developed for the prison scene where Pocahontas
visits John Smith before he is to be put to death for the alleged murder of Kocoum, a trusted Powhatan warrior whom Pocahontas was going to marry. The musical number, which was about 90% animated, was to be a duet performed by the pair as they acknowledge their love for each other. Because during test screenings with child audiences their attention "seemed to wander from the film", Alan Menken
, the composer of the songs for Disney's Pocahontas, suggested it be cut because he also felt that it slowed the pace of the movie, with another song, Savages, not five minutes after. Though cut from the movie itself, If I Never Knew You was still performed by Jon Secada
and Shanice
at the end credits and released as a single.
In 2005, Disney released the tenth anniversary edition of Pocahontas, which had the song fully animated and integrated into the film, but was an optional feature that you could refuse and watch the original theatrical version instead, due to seamless branching
. It was performed by Mel Gibson
(John Smith) and Judy Kuhn
(Pocahontas) within the film's narrative. It was recorded for the original film in 1995.
UK single
and Sherie Rene Scott
for The Disney Album. That same year, Angela Decicco and Bill Whitefield covered the song on the 2001 Christian
/Gospel
compilation album Our Heart Sings. In 2006, it was covered by The Cheetah Girls as part of DisneyMania 4
and released as a single. Hal Ketchum
and Shelby Lynne
recorded a version as part of The Best of Country Sing the Best of Disney
. The song was also released as a Spanish
single ("Si No Te Conociera," also performed by Jon Secada and Shanice). A Portuguese version was sang by Jon Secada and Daniela Mercury
. The song was recently covered by Tiffany Thornton
as part of DisneyMania 7
And the song was recently covered by Klara Natasztila recorded a version as part of Disney Chinder Vol 2. In Japan, a music box
version was released on the 2008 album Disney in Orgel.
for the album, DisneyMania 4
. It was released as a single and premiered on Radio Disney on April 2006.
wearing white, sparkly dresses and then entering the club to perform the song on stage surrounded by a crowd. Scenes of the girls out on the dance floor dancing with some men are intercut throughout the video.
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
from Disney's 1995 animated feature Pocahontas
Pocahontas (1995 film)
Pocahontas is the 33rd animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series. It was produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and was originally released to selected theaters on June 16, 1995 by Walt Disney Pictures...
. It is the final track on the soundtrack
Pocahontas (soundtrack)
Pocahontas: An Original Walt Disney Records Soundtrack is the soundtrack to Disney's 1995, thirty-third animated feature Pocahontas. It contains songs from the film written by Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz, conducted by David Friedman, and performed by Judy Kuhn, Mel Gibson, Linda Hunt, Jim...
.
The song was originally developed for the prison scene where Pocahontas
Pocahontas (Disney)
Pocahontas is one of the main characters of Disney's 1995, thirty-third animated feature, Pocahontas, and its direct-to-video sequel, Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World...
visits John Smith before he is to be put to death for the alleged murder of Kocoum, a trusted Powhatan warrior whom Pocahontas was going to marry. The musical number, which was about 90% animated, was to be a duet performed by the pair as they acknowledge their love for each other. Because during test screenings with child audiences their attention "seemed to wander from the film", Alan Menken
Alan Menken
Alan Menken is an American musical theatre and film composer and pianist.Menken is best known for his numerous scores for films produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios. His scores for The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and Pocahontas have each won him two Academy Awards...
, the composer of the songs for Disney's Pocahontas, suggested it be cut because he also felt that it slowed the pace of the movie, with another song, Savages, not five minutes after. Though cut from the movie itself, If I Never Knew You was still performed by Jon Secada
Jon Secada
Jon Secada is a Cuban-American singer and songwriter. Secada was born in Havana, Cuba, and raised in Hialeah, Florida. He has won two Grammy Awards and sold 20 million albums since his English-language debut album in 1992. His music fuses funk, soul, pop and Latin percussion...
and Shanice
Shanice
Shanice Lorraine Wilson-Knox , better known as Shanice, is a Grammy-nominated American R&B/soul singer-songwriter. She scored two Top 5 Billboard hit single's "I Love Your Smile" in 1991, and "Saving Forever for You" in 1993. In 1999, Shanice scored another top hit song, "When I Close My Eyes"...
at the end credits and released as a single.
In 2005, Disney released the tenth anniversary edition of Pocahontas, which had the song fully animated and integrated into the film, but was an optional feature that you could refuse and watch the original theatrical version instead, due to seamless branching
Seamless branching
Seamless branching is a mechanism used on DVDs and Blu-ray Discs to allow the player to jump to a different scene after finishing one. The most common purpose is to have several versions of a scene within one film, without having to store the entire film on the disc several times.A popular example...
. It was performed by Mel Gibson
Mel Gibson
Mel Colm-Cille Gerard Gibson, AO is an American actor, film director, producer and screenwriter. Born in Peekskill, New York, Gibson moved with his parents to Sydney, Australia when he was 12 years old and later studied acting at the Australian National Institute of Dramatic Art.After appearing in...
(John Smith) and Judy Kuhn
Judy Kuhn
-Life and career:Kuhn was born in New York City and grew up in Bethesda, Maryland. She attended Georgetown Day School in Washington, D.C.She entered Oberlin College in 1976. Although she was very interested in singing and theater, she began Oberlin in the College, not the Conservatory. After taking...
(Pocahontas) within the film's narrative. It was recorded for the original film in 1995.
Track listing
US single- English Version
- Spanish Version
- Spanglish Version
UK single
- English Version
- Mine Mine Mine - David Ogden Stiers, Mel Gibson and Chorus
- Pocahontas Instrumental
- The Story of Pocahontas
Music videos
- Clips of Pocahontas and John Smith
- Jon Secada and Shanice in New York with clips of Pocahontas
Chart positions
| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles The Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States. It lists the top 25 singles below number 100 that have not yet charted on the Billboard Hot 100. Sometimes, however, singles halt their progress on this chart, and never appear on the Hot 100... |
8 |
| U.S. Billboard Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Songs | 24 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
51 |
Cover versions
In 2001, it was covered by Michael CrawfordMichael Crawford
Michael Crawford OBE is an English actor and singer. He has garnered great critical acclaim and won numerous awards during his career, which covers radio, television, film, and stagework on both London's West End and on Broadway in New York City...
and Sherie Rene Scott
Sherie Rene Scott
Sherie Rene Scott is an American actress, singer and writer. She is a co-founder of Grammy winning Sh-K-Boom Records and Ghostlight Records and has appeared in numerous Off-Broadway and Broadway musicals and plays appears on numerous solo and original cast recordings.-Life and career:Scott was...
for The Disney Album. That same year, Angela Decicco and Bill Whitefield covered the song on the 2001 Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
/Gospel
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
compilation album Our Heart Sings. In 2006, it was covered by The Cheetah Girls as part of DisneyMania 4
DisneyMania 4
Disneymania 4 is the fourth in the Disneymania series. This is the album debut of many current stars on Disney Channel, like Miley Cyrus from Hannah Montana...
and released as a single. Hal Ketchum
Hal Ketchum
Hal Michael Ketchum is an American country music artist. He has released ten studio albums since 1986, including nine for the Curb and Asylum-Curb labels. Ketchum's 1991 album Past the Point of Rescue is his most commercially successful, having been certified gold by the Recording Industry...
and Shelby Lynne
Shelby Lynne
Shelby Lynne is an American singer, songwriter and actress. The success of the 1999 album I Am Shelby Lynne led to her winning the Grammy Award for Best New Artist, even though she had been active in the music industry for some time...
recorded a version as part of The Best of Country Sing the Best of Disney
The Best of Country Sing the Best of Disney
-Chart performance:...
. The song was also released as a Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
single ("Si No Te Conociera," also performed by Jon Secada and Shanice). A Portuguese version was sang by Jon Secada and Daniela Mercury
Daniela Mercury
Daniela Mercury , is a Latin Grammy Award-winning Brazilian axé, samba-reggae and MPB singer, songwriter and record producer. Since her breakthrough, Mercury has become one of the best known Brazilian female singers, selling over 20 million albums worldwide...
. The song was recently covered by Tiffany Thornton
Tiffany Thornton
Tiffany Dawn Thornton is an American actress and singer-songwriter best known for her co-starring role as Tawni Hart on the Disney Channel Original Series, Sonny with a Chance and So Random!.- Career:...
as part of DisneyMania 7
DisneyMania 7
Disneymania 7 is the seventh and latest installment in the Disneymania series. It features a variety of contemporary performers taking on their own remixes of classic Disney songs...
And the song was recently covered by Klara Natasztila recorded a version as part of Disney Chinder Vol 2. In Japan, a music box
Musical box
A music box is a 19th century automatic musical instrument that produces sounds by the use of a set of pins placed on a revolving cylinder or disc so as to pluck the tuned teeth of a steel comb. They were developed from musical snuff boxes of the 18th century and called carillons à musique...
version was released on the 2008 album Disney in Orgel.
The Cheetah Girls version
"If I Never Knew You" was covered by The Cheetah GirlsThe Cheetah Girls (recording artists)
The Cheetah Girls were an American girl group consisting of Adrienne Bailon, Sabrina Bryan and Kiely Williams. The group was created by The Walt Disney Company, and made famous by the eponymous Disney Channel original film and its sequels, The Cheetah Girls 2 and The Cheetah Girls: One World...
for the album, DisneyMania 4
DisneyMania 4
Disneymania 4 is the fourth in the Disneymania series. This is the album debut of many current stars on Disney Channel, like Miley Cyrus from Hannah Montana...
. It was released as a single and premiered on Radio Disney on April 2006.
Music video
The music video was released on Disney Channel in 2006. It features the girls pulling up at a club in a limoLimousine
A limousine is a luxury sedan or saloon car, especially one with a lengthened wheelbase or driven by a chauffeur. The chassis of a limousine may have been extended by the manufacturer or by an independent coachbuilder. These are called "stretch" limousines and are traditionally black or white....
wearing white, sparkly dresses and then entering the club to perform the song on stage surrounded by a crowd. Scenes of the girls out on the dance floor dancing with some men are intercut throughout the video.
See also
- Pocahontas (1995 film)Pocahontas (1995 film)Pocahontas is the 33rd animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series. It was produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and was originally released to selected theaters on June 16, 1995 by Walt Disney Pictures...
- Pocahontas (soundtrack)Pocahontas (soundtrack)Pocahontas: An Original Walt Disney Records Soundtrack is the soundtrack to Disney's 1995, thirty-third animated feature Pocahontas. It contains songs from the film written by Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz, conducted by David Friedman, and performed by Judy Kuhn, Mel Gibson, Linda Hunt, Jim...
- "Colors of the WindColors of the Wind"Colors of the Wind" by composer Alan Menken and lyricist Stephen Schwartz, was the 1995 Oscar-winner for Best Original Song from the Disney animated feature film, Pocahontas. It also won the Golden Globe in the same category as well as the Grammy Award for Best Song Written for a Movie...
"