B-side "Pretty Girl Bullsh*t" Genre R&B Label Bad Boy | Released November 18, 2003 Length 4:17 | |
Writer(s) Mario Winans, Sean Combs, Enya, Lo Down, Chauncey Hawkins, Erick Sermon, Parrish Smith | ||
"I Don't Wanna Know" is a song by American R&B artist Mario Winans, featuring a rap by P. Diddy, re-recorded background vocals by Enya and sampling the synthesizer riff from Enya's song "Boadicea". It reached number 1 in the United Kingdom and in Netherlands, and number 2 in the United States, stuck for eight consecutive weeks behind the Usher singles "Yeah" and "Burn", respectively. It remains Winans' only major success to date. As a result of its eight weeks at number 2, "I Don't Wanna Know" stands in joint fifth place for the most weeks at number 2 by a song which did not go to number 1, behind Foreigner's "Waiting for a Girl Like You", Missy Elliott's "Work It", Donna Lewis's "I Love You Always Forever" and Shania Twain's "You're Still the One".
Contents
Composition and critical reception
The song is based on a sample of the Fugees' 1996 hit single "Ready or Not", which itself was based on a slowed-down sample of the instrumental track "Boadicea" by Enya from her 1987 album Enya. Winans said: "I first heard 'Boadicea' at the end of the movie Sleepwalkers about five or six years ago. It's something I always wanted to produce. Then when The Fugees did it, oh my God, I loved it."
Vibe wrote that "Winans adds a simple stuttering beat that prevents the song from devolving into murky, saccharine Muzak. This is the secret of Winan's magic; the soft touch of the synthesizers and his gentle piano playing blend with the signature sound of the kick and snare – hard, unadorned, punching through the music's gauzy elegiac texture."
Track listing
- "I Don't Wanna Know" – 4:17
- "Pretty Girl Bullsh*t" (featuring Foxy Brown) – 4:22
- "I Don't Wanna Know" (Instrumental) – 4:17
Remixes and answer songs
The official remix features D-Block rapper Jae Hood, Enya, & P. Diddy. Another remix features Joe Budden, Enya, & P. Diddy. An answer to this song, "You Should Really Know", sung from a female perspective, was released later in the same year as Winans' single. Created by the producers The Pirates, it featured Shola Ama, Naila Boss, and Ishani. It used the same Enya sample as the original. Although it did not achieve the level of success Winans' single did in the U.S., it was a big UK triumph, peaking at #8 in the singles chart. Later on, another answer song called "I Already Know" sung by Noelle was released and had the same background melody as the original song. R&B group Nina Sky also recorded their own version of their song entitled "Time to Go" featuring Angie Martinez.