"I Know Him So Well" is a duet from the

concept album A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Som ...

and subsequent musical ''

Chess Chess is a board game for two players. It is an abstract strategy game that involves Perfect information, no hidden information and no elements of game of chance, chance. It is played on a square chessboard, board consisting of 64 squares arran ...

'' by Tim Rice,

Benny Andersson Göran Bror Benny Andersson (; born 16 December 1946) is a Swedish musician, composer and producer best known as a member of the pop group ABBA and co-composer of the musicals ''Chess (musical), Chess'', ''Kristina från Duvemåla'', and ''Mamm ...

and

Björn Ulvaeus Björn Kristian Ulvaeus (; born 25 April 1945) is a Swedish musician, singer, songwriter, and producer best known as a member of the musical group ABBA. He is also the co-composer of the musicals ''Chess (musical), Chess'', ''Kristina från Duve ...

. It was originally sung by

Elaine Paige Dame Elaine Jill Paige (born Elaine Jill Bickerstaff, 5 March 1948) is an English singer and actress, best known for her work in musical theatre. Raised in Chipping Barnet, Barnet, Hertfordshire, Paige attended the Aida Foster Theatre School, m ...

(as Florence) and Barbara Dickson (as Svetlana). In this duet, two women – Svetlana, the Russian chess champion's estranged wife, and Florence, his mistress – express their bittersweet feelings for him and at seeing their relationships fall apart.

History

The chorus of the song is based on the chorus of "I Am an A", a song performed live during Andersson and Ulvaeus' group

ABBA ABBA ( ) were a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. They are one of the most popular and successful musical groups of all time, and are one of the List ...

's 1977 tour."Bright Lights Dark Shadows: The Real Story of ABBA", Carl Magnus Palm, p. 471
/ref> Although "I Am an A" was never released officially, it circulated on various bootlegs.

Original version

The duet was first released worldwide on the ''Chess'' double LP, often referred to as a

or album musical, in the autumn of 1984. Later it was released as a single by Paige and Dickson, the duet reaching number one in the UK Singles Chart for four weeks in 1985. They laid down their vocals separately and never met during the recording of the song, only for the video and subsequent performances on ''

Top of the Pops ''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British record chart television programme, made by the BBC and broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show. For most of its histo ...

'' and the European tours. This recording remains in the ''

Guinness Book of Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, listi ...

'' as the biggest selling UK chart single ever by a female duo. Paige also appeared in the original London West End stage production of ''Chess''. The song peaked at number 21 in Australia. In the United Kingdom on 18 September 2004, the BBC's ''All-Time Greatest Love Songs'' (hosted by

Lionel Richie Lionel Brockman Richie Jr. (born June 20, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and television personality. He rose to fame in the 1970s as a songwriter and the co-lead singer of the Motown group Commodores; writing and recor ...

) saw the duet performed live by Paige and Dickson, together for the first time in 20 years, to a rapturous reception. Paige played her solo demo recording of the song on her

BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the List of most-listened-to radio programs, most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 14 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the sta ...

show, '' Elaine Paige on Sunday''. In January 2011, the

Official Charts Company The Official UK Charts Company Limited (formerly Music Industry Chart Services Limited), trading as the Official Charts Company (OCC) or the Official Charts (formerly the Chart Information Network), is a British inter-professional organisation ...

released a list of the top 10 All Time Best Selling Duets in which "I Know Him So Well" was placed seventh in the chart. Paige and Dickson also recorded Spanish-language lyrics for release as "Lo Creo Conocer". The single was never released though.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Original recording credits

* Benny Andersson – keyboards, synthesizers * Barbara Dickson – vocals * Anders Eljas – keyboards, synthesizers * Rutger Gunnarsson – bass * Per Lindvall – drums, percussion * Elaine Paige – vocals * Lasse Wellander – guitars * Writers and producers – Benny Andersson, Tim Rice, Björn Ulvaeus * Arrangement – Benny Andersson, Anders Eljas * Engineer and mixer – Michael B. Tretow

Cissy Houston and Whitney Houston version

In 1987, a studio version of "I Know Him So Well" was recorded as a duet by Cissy Houston and her daughter

Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer, actress, film producer, model, and philanthropist. Commonly referred to as "Honorific nicknames in popular music, the Voice", she is List of awards and no ...

for Whitney's second album, '' Whitney''. It was released as the 6th and final single from ''Whitney'' on 30 November 1988 in Australia, Germany, Netherlands, and Spain. There was no official music video produced for the Houston duet of song, however there are live performance video-recordings. The song version was included in the North American leg of Houston's Moment of Truth World Tour. The single was not promoted as heavily as previous singles from ''Whitney''.

Critical reception

Robert Hilburn of the ''Los Angeles Times'' praised the duet, saying, "The album ends on a graceful, intimate note as Houston is joined by her mother, singer Cissy Houston, on 'I Know Him So Well', a ballad from the musical ''Chess''." ''Rolling Stone'' Vince Alleti criticized the song and production, saying, "Walden covers all these bases, out-schlocking Masser with 'I Know Him So Well'—a genuine if frankly derivative show tune (from Tim Rice's ''Chess'') treated here with deadly reverence..." ''St. Petersburg Times'' called the duet lifting and praised the mother's role: "Mom adds a brief, welcome moment of grainy soulfulness to the album."

Chart performance

This single peaked at number 46 in Germany and in the Netherlands it peaked at number 14.

Formats and track listings

*Europe, CD maxi single #"I Know Him So Well" – 4:26 #"Just the Lonely Talking Again" – 5:30 #"You're Still My Man" – 4:15 *Europe, 7" vinyl :A: "I Know Him So Well" – 4:26 :B: "Just the Lonely Talking Again" – 5:30 *German, 12" vinyl :A1: "I Know Him So Well" – 4:26 :B1: "Just the Lonely Talking Again" – 5:30 :B2: "You're Still My Man" – 4:15

Charts

Steps version

British musical group Steps originally recorded "I Know Him So Well" for the 1999 '' Abbamania'' compilation, and the song later appeared on Steps' own '' The Last Dance'' collection. It was released as a single together with " Words Are Not Enough" in 2001 as the group's fifteenth single release, and the group's last single to be released before their

Boxing Day Boxing Day, also called as Offering Day is a holiday celebrated after Christmas Day, occurring on the second day of Christmastide (26 December). Boxing Day was once a day to donate gifts to those in need, but it has evolved to become a part ...

split later the same month.

Chart performance

The single entered the charts at number five in the United Kingdom but quickly fell out of the top ten to number 14 the following week. It spent eleven weeks in total in the top 75 despite much lower sales than the group's previous singles. It also peaked at number 21 in Ireland.

Track listings

UK CD single # "Words Are Not Enough" – 3:24 # "I Know Him So Well" – 4:14 # "Bittersweet" – 3:58 # "Words Are Not Enough" (video) – 3:24 UK cassette single # "Words Are Not Enough" – 3:24 # "I Know Him So Well" – 4:14 # "Bittersweet" – 3:58

Credits and personnel

Credits are adapted from the "Words Are Not Enough" / "I Know Him So Well" liner notes. Recording * Recorded at PWL Studios (London, England) * Mixed at PWL Studios (London, England) * Mastered at Transfermation (London, England) Personnel * Songwriting –

, Tim Rice * Production – Dan Frampton, Pete Waterman * Mixing – Dan Frampton * Engineering – Dan Frampton

Charts

Geraldine McQueen and Susan Boyle version

"I Know Him So Well" was recorded by Peter Kay and Susan Boyle for '' Comic Relief 2011'', with Kay appearing as his alter ego Geraldine McQueen. Their version reached number 11 on the UK Singles Chart. A parody music video was also created.

Melanie C version

"I Know Him So Well" was also covered by English recording artist

Melanie C Melanie Jayne Chisholm (born 12 January 1974), commonly known as Melanie C or Mel C, is an English singer and songwriter. She rose to fame in the mid-1990s as a member of the pop group the Spice Girls, in which she was nicknamed Sporty Spice. W ...

. The song was the first single to be taken from Melanie C's musical theatre-inspired and sixth studio album '' Stages''. The song is a duet with Melanie C's fellow

Spice Girls The Spice Girls are an English girl group formed in 1994, consisting of Mel B ("Scary Spice"), Melanie C ("Sporty Spice"), Emma Bunton ("Baby Spice"), Geri Halliwell ("Ginger Spice"), and Victoria Beckham ("Posh Spice"). They have sold over 10 ...

group member Emma Bunton. The song was released as a single on 11 November 2012. The b-side of the single is a cover of "

You'll Never Walk Alone "You'll Never Walk Alone" is a show tune from the 1945 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical '' Carousel''. In the second act of the musical, Nettie Fowler, the cousin of the protagonist Julie Jordan, sings "You'll Never Walk Alone" to comfort and e ...

" from the musical ''

Carousel A carousel or carrousel (mainly North American English), merry-go-round (International English), or galloper (British English) is a type of amusement ride consisting of a rotating circular platform with seats for riders. The seats are tradit ...

''. The music video for the song premiered on

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

on 12 November 2012.

Formats and track listings

These are the formats and track listings of major single releases of "I Know Him So Well". * Digital download # "I Know Him So Well" # "

" * Limited CD single # "I Know Him So Well" # "You'll Never Walk Alone" * Digital download # "I Know Him So Well" (radio edit)

Live performances

Melanie C and Bunton performed the song on * '' This Morning'' * '' BBC Children in Need'' * ''Live at

Shepherd's Bush Empire Shepherd's Bush Empire (currently known as O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire for sponsorship reasons, and formerly known as the BBC Television Theatre) is a music venue in Shepherd's Bush, West London, run by the Academy Music Group. It was original ...

'' * '' The Alan Titchmarsh Show'' * '' Loose Women''

Charts

Release history

Other versions

The song has been covered in non-charting versions by several notable performers. *Pianist Richard Clayderman included an instrumental version on his 1987 album, ''Songs of Love''. *Singers John Barrowman and

Daniel Boys Daniel Boys (born 26 March 1979) is an English actor. He starred in the West End productions of the musicals ''Rent'' and ''Grease'' before being a 2007 contestant on the BBC talent series '' Any Dream Will Do''. Boys went on to star in many ...

covered the song on Barrowman's 2008 album '' Music Music Music''. *In 2014,

Charlotte Jaconelli Jonathan Antoine (born 13 January 1995) and Charlotte Jaconelli (born 24 August 1995), known collectively as Jonathan and Charlotte, were an English classical crossover duo from Essex. They finished as runners-up in the sixth series of '' Brita ...

and

Kerry Ellis Kerry Jane Ellis (born 6 May 1979) is an English actress and singer who is best known for her work in musical theatre and subsequent crossover into music. Born and raised in Suffolk, Ellis began performing at an early age before training at La ...

performed the song on Jaconelli's solo debut album, ''Solitaire''. * Sheridan Smith sang the song with

Amanda Holden Amanda Louise Holden (born 16 February 1971) is an English media personality, actress and singer. Since 2007, she has been a judge on the television talent competition show '' Britain's Got Talent'' on ITV. She also co-hosts the national ''H ...

on Holden's 2020 debut album '' Songs from My Heart''. *In 2022,

YouTuber A YouTuber is a content creator and social media influencer who uploads or creates videos on the online video-sharing website YouTube, typically posting to their personal YouTube channel. The term was first used in the English language in 2006 ...

singer–songwriter

AJ Rafael Arthur Joseph Rafael (born March 12, 1989), known professionally as AJ Rafael, is a Filipino-American singer-songwriter, YouTuber, and TikToker. Born in Moreno Valley, California, he graduated from the Berklee College of Music in 2010. Rafael st ...

released a single version along with filmmaker and singer Chance Calloway to raise funds for The Trevor Project.

References

{{Authority control 1984 songs 1984 singles 1988 singles 2001 singles 2011 singles 2012 singles 1980s ballads Elaine Paige songs Barbara Dickson songs Barbra Streisand songs Charity singles Comic Relief singles Contemporary R&B ballads Emma Bunton songs Female vocal duets Jive Records singles Melanie C songs Pete Waterman Entertainment singles Pop ballads Songs from Chess (musical) Songs with lyrics by Tim Rice Songs written by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus Soul ballads Steps (group) songs Susan Boyle songs UK singles chart number-one singles Whitney Houston songs