“I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)” is a song by American singer Aretha Franklin and English singer George Michael, released on January 19, 1987, by Arista Records in the United States and Canada as the second single from Franklin’s thirty-first studio album, Aretha (1986). Written by Simon Climie and Dennis Morgan and produced by Narada Michael Walden, the song topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and marked Franklin’s second and last number one single in the US. The song was Franklin’s biggest hit on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, reaching number two. In the rest of the world, Michael’s label Epic Records released the song as a non-album single, and it reached number one on the UK singles chart, Franklin’s only number one placing in the United Kingdom.
“I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)” earned Franklin and Michael the 1987 Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. In 2018, Billboard magazine listed the song as Franklin’s all-time biggest Hot 100 single.
