If They Only Knew (song)

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"If They Only Knew"
If They Only Knew by Alfie Arcuri.jpg
Single by Alfie Arcuri
Released19 May 2017 (2017-05-19)
Recorded2017
GenrePop
Length3:44
LabelUniversal Music Australia
Songwriter(s)
  • Alfie Arcuri
  • Toby Lee
  • Cameron Nacson[1]
Alfie Arcuri singles chronology
"Cruel"
(2016) 		"If They Only Knew"
(2017) 		"Love is Love"
(2017)
Music video
"If They Only Knew" on YouTube

"If They Only Knew" is a song by Australian singer songwriter, Alfie Arcuri. It was released digitally in May 2017, as the lead single from his forthcoming second studio album.

Background and release[]

In 2016, Arcuri won the fifth season of The Voice (Australia) and released a studio album of covers performed on the show shortly after. The album, titled Zenith peaked at number 5 on the ARIA Charts.

Since then, Arcuri has been writing material. In an interview with auspOp, Arcuri explained “I never intended "If They Only Knew" to be a single, but it ended up affecting me the most. When you feel heartbreak for the very first time, it’s the most extreme emotion, other than being in love. I can’t explain how it makes me feel that I’ve written it and hopefully people will connect to it the way I have.” [2]

The song is a love story from a previous relationship, whereby Arcuri’s ex-partner’s parents didn’t know he was gay. “I fell in love with this guy and it was instant love”. Arcuri explained “We were together for a couple of years and half way through the relationship he came out. The song is almost like a diary entry for me telling his parents how innocent our love and relationship was because to them I was like the devil who turned their son gay. It wasn’t like that at all though, it was a beautiful love.” [3]

Arcuri performed the song live on The Voice (Australia) on 25 June 2017.[4]

Music video[]

The music video for "If They Only Knew" was released on 30 June. Arcuri told auspOp; “Acceptance is something that we all struggle with. For some young people that challenge involves discovering their identity and their sexuality. Being gay myself, I struggled to accept my sexuality for quite sometime.” Adding, “I worked with a team of people and together we have shot a short film for "If They Only Knew" exploring some of the challenges that young LGBTQ people face. I believe that by sharing our stories we can inspire empathy and help support anyone going through that struggle. Love is Love.” [5]

Charts[]

Chart (2016) Peak
position
Australian (ARIA Charts)[6] 96

Release history[]

Country Date Format Edition Label
Australia 19 May 2017 [7] Digital download Standard Universal Music Australia
Australia 23 June 2017 [8] Digital download Stripped back Universal Music Australia

References[]

  1. ^ "ASCAP Repertory entry for this song". ASCAP. Retrieved June 12, 2021.
  2. ^ "IF YOU ONLY KNEW ALFIE ARCURI". auspOp. 23 June 2017. Retrieved 30 June 2017.
  3. ^ "Alfie Arcuri nervous to perform new song, 'If They Only Knew': 'I didn't intend to release it'". Daily Telegraph. 25 June 2017. Retrieved 30 June 2017.
  4. ^ "Live: Alfie Arcuri - 'If They Only Knew'". 9Now. 25 June 2017. Retrieved 30 June 2017.
  5. ^ "ALFIE ARCURI DROPS 'IF THEY ONLY KNEW' VIDEO". auspOp. 30 June 2017. Retrieved 30 June 2017.
  6. ^ "ARIA Chart Watch #427". auspOp. 1 July 2017. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
  7. ^ "If They Only Knew - single". iTunes Australia. Retrieved 30 June 2017.
  8. ^ "If They Only Knew (stripped back version) - single". iTunes Australia. Retrieved 21 November 2017.
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