I Know Him So Well

"I Know Him So Well"
Song
B-side	"Chess" (London Symphony Orchestra)

"I Know Him So Well" is a song from the concept album and subsequent musical Chess by Tim Rice, Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus. In this duet, two women – Svetlana, the Russian chess champion's estranged wife, and Florence, his mistress – express their bittersweet feelings for him and at seeing their relationships fall apart.

Original version

The duet was number one in the UK for four weeks in 1985 when released as a single by Elaine Paige (as Florence) and Barbara Dickson (as Svetlana), who laid down their vocals separately and never met during the recording of the song, only for the video and subsequent performances on Top of the Pops and the European tours. This recording remains in the Guinness Book of Records as the biggest selling UK Chart single ever by a female duo. Paige also appeared in the original London West End stage production of Chess.

In the UK on 18 September 2004, the BBC's All-Time Greatest Love Songs (hosted by Lionel Richie) saw the duet performed live by Paige and Dickson, together for the first time in 20 years, to a rapturous reception. Paige played her solo demo recording of the song on her BBC Radio 2 show, Elaine Paige on Sunday.

In January 2011 the Official Charts Company released a list of the top 10 All Time Best Selling Duets in which "I Know Him So Well" was placed seventh in the chart.

Original recording credits

• Benny Andersson – keyboards, synthesizers
• Barbara Dickson – vocals
• Anders Eljas – keyboards, synthesizers
• Rutger Gunnarsson – bass
• Per Lindvall – drums, percussion
• Elaine Paige – vocals
• Lasse Wellander – guitars

• Writers and producers – Benny Andersson, Tim Rice and Björn Ulvaeus
• Arrangement – Benny Andersson and Anders Eljas
• Engineer and mixer – Michael B. Tretow

Cover versions

The song has been covered by various music artists including:

• Barbra Streisand for her 1985 album The Broadway Album; the track was later included on her 1991 box-set Just for the Record
• The Shadows on their 1986 album Moonlight Shadows (instrumental version)
• Whitney Houston and her mother Cissy Houston on Houston's 1987 album Whitney
• Willeke Alberti and Simone Kleinsma in 1989 as a Dutch version renamed "Ik Ken Hem Te Goed"
• Steps for the 1999 Abbamania tribute album; their cover was later released as a single on their 2002 The Last Dance compilation album
• Vivian Chow and Shirley Kwan, who covered the song in Cantonese as (男人心)
• John Barrowman on his 2008 album Music Music Music, with Daniel Boys
• Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders, who performed a spoof of the song on their 1990 UK Live tour (available on VHS video only)
• Paul O'Grady (in his Lily Savage persona) as a live duet with Barbara Dickson on the TV special An Evening With Lily Savage (available on DVD)
• Amateur Transplants, who used the tune for Finals Fantasy on their second album Unfit to Practice
• Idina Menzel and Kerry Ellis performed a version of the song at the concert version of Chess at the Royal Albert Hall with the London Philharmonic Orchestra
• Elaine Paige and Susan Boyle, who performed a live cover of the song on the TV program I Dreamed a Dream: The Susan Boyle Story

"I Know Him So Well"
Song

Geraldine McQueen and Susan Boyle version

"I Know Him So Well" was recorded by Peter Kay and Susan Boyle for Comic Relief 2011, with Kay appearing as his alter ego Geraldine McQueen. Their version reached number 11 on the UK Singles Chart.

Background

In an interview with British daily Metro, Boyle said that she felt honoured when Kay asked her if she could contribute vocals to the cover. She said, "his [Kay's] vision was clear from the start and I wanted to be involved." The song was released as a single worldwide, later.

Music video

The music video made its debut on the night of Red Nose Day 2011 and features both Kay and Boyle re-enacting the original video. The video's plot stayed true to the original, while incorporating spoof scenes.