Throughout her career, Keys has won numerous awards including 14 Grammy awards and has sold over 75 million records worldwide. Billboard magazine named her the top R&B artist of the 2000–2009 decade, establishing herself as one of the best-selling artists of her time. In 2010, VH1 included Keys on its list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.
Keys released her first studio album, Songs in A Minor, in June 2001. It debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and sold 236,000 copies in its first week. The album sold over 6.2 million copies in the United States, where it was certified six times Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It went on to sell over 13 million copies worldwide, establishing Keys' popularity both inside and outside the United States, where she became the best-selling new artist and best-selling R&B artist of 2001. The album's lead single, Fallin', spent six weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. The album's second single, A Woman's Worth, peaked at number three on the same chart. The following year, the album was reissued as Remixed & Unplugged in A Minor, which included eight remixes and seven unplugged versions of the songs from the original.
Songs in A Minor led Keys to win five awards at the 2002 Grammy Awards: Song of the Year, Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, and Best R&B Song for Fallin', Best New Artist, and Best R&B Album; Fallin' was also nominated for Record of the Year. Keys became the second female solo artist to win five Grammy Awards in a single night, following Lauryn Hill at the 41st Grammy Awards. That same year, she collaborated with Christina Aguilera for the latter's upcoming album Stripped on a song entitled Impossible, which Keys wrote, co-produced, and provided with background vocals. During the early 2000s, Keys also made small cameos in television series Charmed and American Dreams.
Keys followed up her debut with The Diary of Alicia Keys, which was released in December 2003. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, selling over 618,000 copies its first week of release, becoming the largest first-week sales for a female artist in 2003. It sold 4.4 million copies in the United States and was certified four times Platinum by the RIAA. It sold nine million copies worldwide, becoming the sixth biggest-selling album by a female artist and the second biggest-selling album by a female R&B artist. The singles You Don't Know My Name and If I Ain't Got You both reached the top five of the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and the third single, Diary, entered the top ten. The fourth single, Karma, was less successful on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 20. If I Ain't Got You became the first single by a female artist to remain on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart for over a year.
Keys won Best R&B Video for If I Ain't Got You at the 2004 MTV Video Music Awards; she performed the song and Higher Ground with Lenny Kravitz and Stevie Wonder. Later that year, Keys released her novel Tears for Water: Songbook of Poems and Lyrics, a collection of unreleased poems from her journals and lyrics. The title derived from one of her poems, "Love and Chains" from the line: "I don't mind drinking my tears for water." She said the title is the foundation of her writing because "everything I have ever written has stemmed from my tears of joy, of pain, of sorrow, of depression, even of question". The book sold over US$500,000 and Keys made The New York Times bestseller list in 2005. The following year, she won a second consecutive award for Best R&B Video at the MTV Video Music Awards for the video Karma. Keys performed If I Ain't Got You and then joined Jamie Foxx and Quincy Jones in a rendition of Georgia on My Mind, the Hoagy Carmichael song made famous by Ray Charles in 1960 at the 2005 Grammy Awards. That evening, she won four Grammy Awards: Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for If I Ain't Got You, Best R&B Song for You Don't Know My Name, Best R&B Album for The Diary of Alicia Keys, and Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals" for My Boo with Usher.
Keys performed and taped her installment of the MTV Unplugged series in July 2005 at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. During this session, Keys added new arrangements to her original songs and performed a few choice covers. The session was released on CD and DVD in October 2005. Simply titled Unplugged, the album debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart with 196,000 units sold in its first week of release. The album sold one million copies in the United States, where it was certified Platinum by the RIAA, and two million copies worldwide. The debut of Keys' Unplugged was the highest for an MTV Unplugged album since Nirvana's 1994 MTV Unplugged in New York and the first Unplugged by a female artist to debut at number one. The album's first single, Unbreakable, peaked at number 34 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number four on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. It remained at number one on the Billboard Hot Adult R&B Airplay for 11 weeks.
Keys opened a recording studio in Long Island, New York, called The Oven Studios, which she co-owns with her production and songwriting partner Kerry "Krucial" Brothers. The studio was designed by renowned studio architect John Storyk of WSDG, designer of Jimi Hendrix' Electric Lady Studios. Keys and Brothers are the co-founders of KrucialKeys Enterprises, a production and songwriting team who assisted Keys in creating her albums as well as create music for other artists.
In 2006, Keys won three NAACP Image Awards, including Outstanding Female Artist and Outstanding Song for Unbreakable. She also received the Starlight Award by the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In October 2006, she played the voice of Mommy Martian in the "Mission to Mars" episode of the children's television series The Backyardigans, in which she sang an original song, Almost Everything Is Boinga Here. That same year, Keys nearly suffered a mental breakdown. Her grandmother had died and her family was heavily dependent on her. She felt she needed to "escape" and went to Egypt for three weeks. She explained: "That trip was definitely the most crucial thing I've ever done for myself in my life to date. It was a very difficult time that I was dealing with, and it just came to the point where I really needed to—basically, I just needed to run away, honestly. And I needed to get as far away as possible."
Keys released her third studio album, As I Am, in November 2007; it debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, selling 742,000 copies in its first week. It gained Keys her largest first week sales of her career and became her fourth consecutive number one album, tying her with Britney Spears for the most consecutive number-one debuts on the Billboard 200 by a female artist. The week became the second largest sales week of 2007 and the largest sales week for a female solo artist since singer Norah Jones' album Feels like Home in 2004. The album has sold nearly four million copies in the United States and has been certified three times Platinum by the RIAA. It has sold nearly six million copies worldwide. Keys received five nominations for As I Am at the 2008 American Music Award and ultimately won two. The album's lead single, No One, peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, becoming Keys' third and fifth number-one single on each chart, respectively. The album's second single, Like You'll Never See Me Again, was released in late 2007 and peaked at number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. The album's third single, Teenage Love Affair, peaked at number three on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. She released the fourth single, Superwoman, which peaked at number 82 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 12 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.
No One earned Keys the awards for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance and Best R&B Song at the 2008 Grammy Awards. Keys opened the ceremony singing Frank Sinatra's 1950s song Learnin' the Blues as a "duet" with archival footage of Sinatra in video and No One with John Mayer later in the show. Keys also won Best Female R&B Artist during the show. Keys, along with The White Stripes' guitarist and lead vocalist Jack White, recorded the theme song to Quantum of Solace, the first duet in Bond soundtrack history. In 2008, Keys was ranked in at number 80 the Billboard Hot 100 All-Time Top Artists. She also received three nominations at the 2009 Grammy Awards and won Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for Superwoman.
In an interview with Blender magazine, Keys allegedly said "'Gangsta rap' was a ploy to convince black people to kill each other, 'gangsta rap' didn't exist" and went on to say that it was created by "the government". The magazine also claimed she said that Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G. were "essentially assassinated, their beefs stoked by the government and the media, to stop another great black leader from existing". Keys later wrote a statement clarifying the issues and saying her words were misinterpreted. Later that year, Keys was criticized by anti-smoking campaigners after billboard posters for her forthcoming concerts in Indonesia featured a logo for the A Mild cigarette brand sponsored by tobacco firm Philip Morris. She apologized after discovering that the concert was sponsored by the firm and asked for "corrective actions". In response, the company withdrew its sponsorship.
Keys collaborated with record producer Swizz Beatz to write and produce Million Dollar Bill for Whitney Houston's seventh studio album, I Look to You. Keys had approached Clive Davis for permission to submit a song for the album. Keys also collaborated with recording artist Jay-Z on the song Empire State of Mind from his 2009 album, The Blueprint 3. The song topped the Billboard Hot 100 and became her fourth number-one single on that chart.
The following month, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers honored Keys with the Golden Note Award, an award given to artists "who have achieved extraordinary career milestones". She collaborated with Spanish recording artist Alejandro Sanz for Looking for Paradise, which topped the Hot Latin Songs chart. Keys released her fourth studio album, The Element of Freedom, in December 2009. It debuted at number two on the Billboard 200, selling 417,000 copies in its first week. As part of the promotional drive for the album, she performed at the Cayman Island Jazz Festival on December 5, the final night of the three day festival which will be broadcast on Black Entertainment Television (BET). The album's lead single, Doesn't Mean Anything, has peaked at number 60 on the Billboard Hot 100. Keys was ranked as the top R&B recording artist of the 2000–2009 decade by Billboard magazine and ranked at number five as artist of the decade, while her song, No One, was ranked at number six on the magazine's songs of the decade. In the United Kingdom, The Element of Freedom became Keys' first album to top the UK Albums Chart.
According to Songfacts, Keys said regarding the title of her fifth studio album, Girl On Fire. "Before making this record, in some ways I felt like a lion locked in a cage. I felt like a girl misunderstood that no one really knew, I felt like it was time to stop making excuses for any part of my life that I wanted to change. Once I made that choice I became a Girl on Fire, the lion broke free!!" The title track will be made available on iTunes and radio on September 4, 2012.
In May 2009, Swizz Beatz announced that he and Keys were romantically involved, and in May 2010, a representative for Keys and Swizz Beatz confirmed that they were engaged and expecting a child together. During the time of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the couple took part of a union and had the unborn child blessed in a Zulu ceremony, which took place in the Illovo suburb of South Africa. Keys and Swizz Beatz were married on the French island of Corsica on July 31, 2010. On October 14, 2010, Keys gave birth to a son, Egypt Daoud Ibarr Dean, in New York City.
1997
You Don't Know
Alicia Keys Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
From the day I saw you
I really, really wanted to catch your eye
Somethin' special 'bout you
I must really like you
'Cause not a lot of guys are worth my time, oh
Ooh, baby, baby, baby
It's getting kind of crazy'Cause you are taking over my mind
And it feels like, ooh
You don't know my name
I swear, it feels like, ooh
You don't know my name
('Round and 'round and 'round we go, will you ever know?)
Oh, baby, baby, baby
I see us on our first date
You're doing everything that makes me smile
And when we had our first kiss
It happened on a Thursday
Ooh, it set my soul on fire
Ooh, baby, baby, baby
I can't wait for the first time
My imagination's running wild
It feels like, ooh
You don't know my name
And I swear it, baby, it feels like, ooh
You don't know my name
('Round and 'round and 'round we go, will you ever know?)
I'm sayin', he don't even know what he's doin' to me
Got me feelin' all crazy inside
Doing more than I've ever done
For anyone's attention
Take notice of what's in front of you
'Cause did I mention (oh)
You bout' to miss a good thing?
And you'll never know how good it feels
To have all of my affection
And you'll never get a chance to experience my lovin' (oh)
'Cause my lovin' feels like
Ooh
You don't know my name
('Round and 'round and 'round we go)
And I swear (will you ever know?)
It feels like
Ooh
You don't my name
('Round and 'round and 'round we go) oh
(Will you ever know?)
Will you ever know it?
No, no, no, no, no
No, no
Will you ever know it?
Well, I'ma have to just go 'head and call this boy
Hello?
Can I speak to, to Michael?
Oh hey, how you doing?
Uh, I feel kinda silly doing this, but, uh
This is the waitress from the coffee house on 39th and Lennox
You know, the one with the braids?
Yeah, well, I see you on Wednesdays all the time
You come in every Wednesday on your lunch break, I think
And you always order the special with the hot chocolate
My manager be tripping and stuff
Talking 'bout we gotta use water but
I always use some milk and cream for you 'cause
I think you're kinda sweet
Anyway, you always got on some fly blue suit
And your cuff links are shining all bright
So, what you do? Oh, word? Yeah, that's interesting
Look, man, I mean I don't wanna waste your time, but
I know girls don't usually do this
But I was wondering if maybe we could get together
Outside the restaurant one day?
You know 'cause I do look a lot different outside my work clothes and
I mean, we could just go across the street to the park right here
Wait, hold up, my, my cell phone breaking up, hold up
Can you hear me now? Yeah
So, what day did you say?
Oh, yeah, Thursday's perfect, man
And it feels like ooh
You don't know my name
('Round and 'round and 'round we go) baby
(Will you ever know?) Baby, I swear, it's like, ooh
But you don't know my name
('Round and 'round and 'round we go, will you ever know?) No, no, no
And it feels like, ooh
But you don't know my name
('Round and 'round and 'round we go, will you ever know?)
And I swear on my mother and father it feels like, ooh
You don't know my name
('Round and 'round and 'round we go, will you ever know?)
"You Don't Know My Name" is a song by Alicia Keys that starts with an infatuated Keys' introduction, where she describes the moment she first saw this boy and how he has quickly taken over her mind. She goes on to talk about their potential first date, where everything he does makes her smile, and the moment they first kiss that sets her soul on fire. However, Keys is too shy to tell him how she feels, and he doesn't even know her name. Hence, she has to resort to calling him at his job, pretending to order a coffee while finally introducing herself to him.
Keys' lyrics showcase her deep infatuation with the boy and her desperation for him to know her name. Her reference to a specific location, 39th and Lennox, and her intricate introduction that leads to the eventual phone call, demonstrate how much effort she is willing to put in to get to know him. The phone call is the climax of the song, and it is where she finally takes a step forward in revealing her feelings.
Overall, the song's smooth flow and lyricism are perfectly blended, taking the listener on a journey with Keys as she tries to take control of her romantic destiny and make her feelings known.
Line by Line Meaning
Baby, baby, baby
A repeated phrase emphasizing the singer's fondness and attraction towards the person they are addressing.
From the day I saw you
Indicates that the singer has been interested in the addressed person since they first saw them.
I really, really wanted to catch your eye
The singer desired the attention of the person they are addressing.
Somethin' special 'bout you
The artist finds the person they are addressing unique and interesting in some way.
I must really like you
The artist has developed strong feelings towards the person they are addressing.
'Cause not a lot of guys are worth my time, oh
The singer considers the addressed person to be exceptional because they do not usually give their time to just anyone.
It's getting kind of crazy
The singer is feeling somewhat overwhelmed by their attraction towards the addressed person.
'Cause you are taking over my mind
The artist's thoughts are consumed by the person they are addressing.
And it feels like, ooh
You don't know my name
The artist thinks that the addressed person is not aware of their existence or does not know their name despite their strong feelings towards them.
('Round and 'round and 'round we go, will you ever know?)
A rhetorical question about whether the addressed person will ever become aware of the artist's feelings.
I see us on our first date
The singer is envisioning a future romantic encounter with the addressed person.
You're doing everything that makes me smile
The artist is imagining the addressed person doing things that bring them joy and happiness.
And when we had our first kiss
It happened on a Thursday
The singer is visualizing a specific moment in their romantic relationship with the addressed person, including the day of the week.
Ooh, it set my soul on fire
The singer's first kiss with the addressee was very passionate and intense.
I can't wait for the first time
My imagination's running wild
The singer is eagerly anticipating their first intimate experience with the addressee and has many fantasies about it.
I'm sayin', he don't even know what he's doin' to me
The artist believes that the addressee is unaware of the powerful effect they have on them.
Got me feelin' all crazy inside
The artist's emotions have been stirred up by their feelings for the addressee.
Doing more than I've ever done
For anyone's attention
The singer is going out of their way to try to get the addressee's attention and impress them.
Take notice of what's in front of you
The singer wants the addressee to pay attention to their feelings and interest in them.
'Cause did I mention (oh)
You bout' to miss a good thing?
The artist is warning the addressee that they might regret not reciprocating their feelings.
And you'll never know how good it feels
To have all of my affection
The artist believes that the addressee is missing out on the positive emotions that come with reciprocated romantic attention.
And you'll never get a chance to experience my lovin' (oh)
'Cause my lovin' feels like
The artist believes that the addressee is losing out on the opportunity to experience their love and the positive emotions it brings.
Well, I'ma have to just go 'head and call this boy
Hello?
The singer is making a bold move to try and connect with the addressee on the phone.
Can I speak to, to Michael?
The artist is trying to ask for the addressee by name.
Oh hey, how you doing?
The addressee picks up the phone and speaks to the singer.
Uh, I feel kinda silly doing this, but, uh
This is the waitress from the coffee house on 39th and Lennox
You know, the one with the braids?
The singer is introducing themselves to the addressee and reminding them of who they are.
Yeah, well, I see you on Wednesdays all the time
You come in every Wednesday on your lunch break, I think
And you always order the special with the hot chocolate
The singer is demonstrating their attention to detail and interest in the addressee's habits.
My manager be tripping and stuff
Talking 'bout we gotta use water but
I always use some milk and cream for you 'cause
I think you're kinda sweet
The artist is revealing that they have gone out of their way to make the addressee's beverage special because they like them.
Anyway, you always got on some fly blue suit
And your cuff links are shining all bright
So, what you do? Oh, word? Yeah, that's interesting
The artist is complimenting the addressee's style and expressing interest in their profession.
Look, man, I mean I don't wanna waste your time, but
I know girls don't usually do this
The singer is acknowledging that they are stepping outside of societal norms by initiating contact in this way.
But I was wondering if maybe we could get together
Outside the restaurant one day?
The singer is asking the addressee out on a date.
You know 'cause I do look a lot different outside my work clothes and
I mean, we could just go across the street to the park right here
The artist is suggesting a specific activity for their date and pointing out that they will be dressed differently from when the addressee sees them at work.
Wait, hold up, my, my cell phone breaking up, hold up
Can you hear me now? Yeah
So, what day did you say?
Oh, yeah, Thursday's perfect, man
The call gets cut off briefly, but the artist successfully arranges a date with the addressee.
And it feels like ooh
You don't know my name
('Round and 'round and 'round we go) baby
(Will you ever know?) Baby, I swear, it's like, ooh
The artist continues to express their frustration that the addressee does not know their name despite the significant feelings they have developed for them.
No, no, no
And it feels like, ooh
But you don't know my name
('Round and 'round and 'round we go, will you ever know?)
The repetition of 'no' emphasizes the singer's lament about feeling unrecognized by the person they are interested in.
And I swear on my mother and father it feels like, ooh
You don't know my name
('Round and 'round and 'round we go, will you ever know?)
The artist is willing to swear on their parents' names to express the depth of their frustration with the addressee's lack of recognition.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, THE ROYALTY NETWORK INC., Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Alicia J Augello-Cook, Harold Lilly Jr, J.r. Bailey, Kanye Omari West, Mel Kent
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@NissaGoodie
It's still one of my favorite songs by her
@rorisangtsoeu253
Her game is still better than the game men today pull up to girls/ women today....and this song is maybe 15 years plus....daaam girl.
@Antluvstrains
Same. I thought this was a sample from about 3 years ago. That’s how good this song is.
@Sight2Behold
Naaah, it's men with simple "game" that gets labeled corny, let's be real, that's why brothas just stop approaching in this day and age with social media and especially feminism
@Thatslove7
@@Antluvstrainswhat music from the last 3 years uses beats like this
@Thatslove7
@@Sight2Beholdwoman are simple. They are like this 🌊all men have to do is this🗿real life game pulls them in like nothing else. The corny ish is the game any dude tries to spit its always corny to me, but just being yourself or if anything just pure stoic and not saying anything even works. Simple
@Mika-eelHoven-f3l
Nee wag, are then jas, keep your bek
@merlemitchell5139
Its special, its Alicia Keys.
The song is also true, I never knew you. I couldn't ever pick one of your names out of about two dozen you went by.
I'm saying Good Bye to someone I never knew.
😮😢❤ I will never forget the the person I liked.
@laKarencita3
HAHAHAH her phone call script got me blushing and giggling like a little girl talking to her crush. She’s good! 😂❤
@michaelbloomer6376
It always gets me cuz my name is Michael and she was my first crush. I be bubbling tf up