"I Knew You Were Waiting (for Me)" is a song released by American singer Aretha Franklin and English singer George Michael as a duet in 1987.[1] The song was a number one hit in the United States and the United Kingdom.[2] Billboard listed "I Knew You Were Waiting (for Me)" as Franklin's all-time biggest Hot 100 single.[3] The song was Franklin's biggest hit on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, reaching number two.[4][5] The song was written by Simon Climie and Dennis Morgan and produced by Narada Michael Walden.[6] Franklin and Michael won a 1987 Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal for "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)".In 1984, Michael was approached to write and produce a song for Franklin for an unspecified soundtrack album; however, his busy schedule with Wham! made it impossible for him to do so at the time. Michael was also anxious that writing for one of his favourite artists could be too nerve-wracking (considering himself to be unworthy) and that for Franklin to sing a song he had written would be "ludicrous".[9][10] According to Michael, he originally approached both Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder respectively, before Franklin.[11]

In 2017, following Michael's death in late 2016, Franklin recalled the following about the recording of "I Knew You Were Waiting (for Me)":

The first time I heard George was with Wham! and I liked it then. He had a very unique sound, very different from anything that was out there. When Clive (Davis, Franklin's producer and label boss) suggested we get together for "I Knew You Were Waiting," I was all ready. It reminded me of (working with producer) Jerry Wexler. We'd go in the studio and cut songs. If we were happy with what we recorded, Jerry would say "Let's wait until tomorrow. If we feel the same way (then) that we do now, maybe we have a hit." "I Knew You Were Waiting" had that. Musically, it does not grow old.[12]