"If I Never Knew You" is the romantic 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 Captain 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 (Captain John Smith) and Judy Kuhn (Pocahontas) within the film's narrative. It was recorded for the original film in 1995.
[edit] 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
[edit] Music videos
- Clips of Pocahontas and John Smith
- Jon Secada and Shanice in New York with clips of Pocahontas
[edit] Chart positions
[edit] Cover versions
In 2001, it was covered by Michael Crawford 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 sung 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.[2]
[edit] The Cheetah Girls version
"If I Never Knew You" was covered by The Cheetah Girls for the album, DisneyMania 4. It was released as a single and premiered on Radio Disney on April 2006.
[edit] Music video
The music video was released on Disney Channel in 2006. It features the girls pulling up at a club in a limo 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.
[edit] Notes and references
[edit] See also
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Disney's Pocahontas
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| Top 10 singles |
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| Filmography and television series |
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Discography
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| Miscellaneous |
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