I Knew I Loved You
"I Knew I Loved You" is a song recorded by Australian pop duo Savage Garden, released on 28 September 1999 through Roadshow Music and Columbia Records as the second single from their second studio album, "Affirmation" (1999). Upon release, it topped the US "Billboard" Hot 100, becoming the band's second number one in the United States after "Truly Madly Deeply". It was the last song by an Australian artist to reach the top of the "Billboard" Hot 100 for over 12 years, until Gotye peaked at number one with his single "Somebody That I  Used to Know" (featuring Kimbra) in 2012. The song also reached number one in Canada and Romania, number three in New Zealand and Sweden, number four in Australia, and the top 10 in Norway and the United Kingdom. The music video features then teen actress Kirsten Dunst as Darren Hayes' love interest and received heavy rotation on MTV. Background. "I Knew I Loved You"'s lyrics refer to the joy and sense of completion one feels after finally finding the right person to love. The irrational nature of such love is emphasised through the pre-chorus ("I know that it  might sound more than a little crazy, but I believe") and the chorus ("I knew I loved you before I met you, I think I dreamed you into life"). In June 2015, a series of videos was posted on the duo's Facebook page to provide background on the songs included on "The Singles" compilation album. The story behind "I Knew I Loved You" was thus narrated by guitarist Daniel Jones: having finished recording material for "Affirmation", Hayes and Jones were challenged by Columbia Records executive Don 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 a love ballad. 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 succeed "Truly Madly Deeply" as the band's US chart topper. 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". Critical reception. Bill Lamb from About.com noted "I Knew I Loved You" as a "romantic ballad". AllMusic editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine called it "hooky and memorable". Larry Flick from "Billboard" 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". Bob Waliszewski of "Plugged In" said that it "describes how it feels to be hopelessly in love". Commercial performance. The song was a huge success in the United States, on the "Billboard" Hot 100, where it spent four weeks at the top, and an eventual 124 weeks on the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart, breaking the record for 123 weeks set by another of the duo's songs, "Truly Madly Deeply" (which, in terms of sales and  later time spent on the Recurrents chart, is still the number one AC song of all time). It ranked number 21 on the All Time Adult Contemporary Chart. The song was also certified Platinum by the RIAA and became the highest-played song on US radio of 2000. Music video. The music video was filmed by director Kevin Bray in August 1999 on a New York City Subway set that had previously been used on the sitcom "Seinfeld". It features Hayes playing out a romantic plot on a subway train, with a female passenger (played by American actress Kirsten Dunst ) as the object of his affections. At one point, the train comes to a stop due to a power outage (at 2:24); 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 a montage 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. Track listings. Australian CD single and US 7-inch single US CD and cassette single UK CD1 UK CD2 UK cassette single European CD1 European CD2 Japanese CD single