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The romantic love song was originally developed for the prison scene where Pocahontas visits John Smith before he is to be put to death for the supposed alleged murder of Kocoum, a trusted Powhatan warrior who asked to marry Pocahontas. The musical number, which was about 90% animated, was to be a duet performed by the pair as they acknowledge their strong romantic love for each other. 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, about 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. Jon Secada and Shanice also sang the song in Spanish, and Jon Secada also sang it in Brazilian Portuguese, not with Shanice, but with Daniela Mercury.
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.
This song shows the meaning of if both Pocahontas and John Smith didn't meet, they would've never fallen in love with each other and they would've never known each other without the hate and disgust from both sides; the Native Americans and the English settlers.
Lyrics[]
John Smith: If I never knew you
If I never felt this love
I would have no inkling of
How precious life can be
If I never held you
I would never have a clue
How at last I'd find in you
The missing part of me
In this world so full of fear
Full of rage and lies
I can see the truth so clear
In your eyes
So dry your eyes
And I'm so grateful to you
I'd have lived my whole life through
Lost forever
If I never knew you
Pocahontas: I thought our love would be so beautiful
Somehow we'd make the whole world bright
I never knew that fear and hate could be so strong
All they'd leave us were these whispers in the night
But still my heart is saying we were right
For if I never knew you
John Smith: There's no moment I regret
Pocahontas: If I never knew this love
John Smith: Since the moment that we met
Pocahontas: I would have no inkling of
John Smith: If our time has gone too fast
Pocahontas: How precious life can be...
John Smith: I've lived at last...
(Instrumental)
John Smith: And I'm so grateful to you
I'd have lived my whole life through
Empty as the sky
Pocahontas: Never knowing why
John Smith and Pocahontas: Lost forever
If I never knew you.
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
- Filmed in New York City, the music video features Shanice and Secada performing the song with clips of Pocahontas being projected on buildings behind them.
Chart positions[]
| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles | 8 |
| U.S. Billboard Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Songs | 24 |
| UK Singles Chart | 51 |
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.
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.
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 gentlemen are inter-cut throughout the video.
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This page uses content from the English Wikipedia. The original article was at If I Never Knew You (Movie Lyrics). The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with DisneyWiki and Disney Fan Fiction, the text of Wikipedia is available under the GNU Free Documentation License. |
| Pocahontas |
|---|
 Characters: Pocahontas | John Smith | Governor Ratcliffe | Thomas | Meeko | Flit | Percy | Wiggins | Grandmother Willow | Nakoma | Kocoum | Kekata | John Rolfe | King James | Queen Anne | Mrs. Jenkins | Uttamatomakkin | Namontack | Redfeather Songs: The Virginia Company | Steady as the Beating Drum | Just Around The Riverbend | Listen With Your Heart | Mine, Mine, Mine | Colors of the Wind | Savages | If I Never Knew You | Where Do I Go From Here | What a Day in London | Wait 'Till He Sees You | Things Are Not What They Appear | Between Two Worlds |