| "You Know I Love You" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by B.B. King and his Orchestra | ||||
| from the album Singin' the Blues | ||||
| B-side | "You Didn't Want Me" | |||
| Released | September 1952 | |||
| Genre | Blues | |||
| Label | RPM Records | |||
| Songwriter(s) | B.B. King | |||
| B.B. King and his Orchestra singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"You Know I Love You" is a song written and recorded by B.B. King. Released on RPM Records in 1952, it was King's second No. 1 single on the Billboard R&B chart.[1][2] King's friend and collaborator Ike Turner played piano on the original recording.[3] The song was included on King's debut album Singin' The Blues in 1957.[4]
"You Know I Love You" is noted for being the song that 17-year-old Tina Turner sang for Ike Turner at the East St. Louis nightclub Manhattan Club in 1957, which convinced him to let her sing in his band the Kings of Rhythm.[5]
Composition and release[edit]
"You Know I Love You" was one of B.B. King's favorite blues love ballads.[6] The song is about King lamenting over a broken relationship. King recorded the track with his band, which features prominent use of horns and Ike Turner on piano.[3] According to King and Joe Bihari, Turner had introduced King to the Bihari brothers while he was a talent scout at Modern Records.[7]
"You Know I Love You" was released on Modern's subsidiary label RPM Records in September 1952. The single reached No. 1 on the Billboard R&B chart in November 1952;[8][9] spending 18 weeks on the charts. It ranked No. 12 on Billboard's list of 1952's Top R&B Records according to retail sales and No. 7 according to juke box plays.[10]
Cover versions[edit]
Tina Turner recorded a blues rock version of song titled "(Darlin') You Know I Love You" for the 1993 soundtrack album What's Love Got to Do with It. The lyrics are different from the original version. Despite this, the track is still credited as written by King.
Chart performance[edit]
| Chart (1952) | Peak
position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard R&B National Best Sellers[9] | 1 |
| US Billboard R&B Most Played In Juke Boxes[9] | 2 |
References[edit]
- ^ "B.B. King's Top 10 Billboard Hot 100 Hits". Billboard. May 15, 2015.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 324.
- ^ a b McGee, David (2005). B.B. King: There is Always One More Time. San Francisco: Backbeat Books. p. 86. ISBN 0879308435. OCLC 60393501.
- ^ "Reviews and Ratings of New Popular Albums: Rhythm & Blues" (PDF). Billboard. June 10, 1957. p. 32.
- ^ Turner, Tina. (1986). I, Tina: My Life Story. Loder, Kurt. (1st ed.). New York: Avon Books. ISBN 0380700972. OCLC 16513221.
- ^ "BB King's 25 best songs". The Telegraph. May 14, 2016.
- ^ Farley, Charles (2011). Soul of the Man: Bobby "Blue" Bland. Jackson, Miss.: University Press of Mississippi. p. 31. ISBN 9781604739206. OCLC 708067743.
- ^ "Best Selling Rhythm & Blues Records" (PDF). Billboard. September 17, 1952. p. 93.
- ^ a b c "Top Rhythm & Blues Records: National Best Sellers/Most Played In Juke Boxes" (PDF). Billboard. November 29, 1952. p. 46.
- ^ "1952's Top R&B Records" (PDF). Billboard. December 27, 1952. p. 19.