I Don't Wanna Know


"I Don't Wanna Know" is a song by American R&B artist Mario Winans, featuring rapper P. Diddy, and re-recorded background vocals by Enya. The song samples the synthesizer riff from Enya's song "Boadicea". It reached number one in the United Kingdom and in the Netherlands, and number two 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 two, "I Don't Wanna Know" stands in joint fifth place for the most weeks at number two by a song which did not go to number one, 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".

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

  1. "I Don't Wanna Know" – 4:17
  2. "Pretty Girl Bullsh*t" – 4:22
  3. "I Don't Wanna Know" – 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 sung from a female perspective, "You Should Really Know", was released later the same year as Winans' single. Created by the producers The Pirates, it features Shola Ama, Naila Boss and Ishani, and it uses the same Enya sample as the original. Although it did not achieve the level of success Winans' single did in the US, it was a top-ten hit in the United Kingdom, peaking at number eight on the UK Singles Chart, and it also reached the top 50 in Austria, Greece, Ireland and France.
Later, another answer song called "I Already Know" sung by Noelle was released and had the same background melody as the original song.
Puerto Rican-American R&B group Nina Sky also recorded their own version of their song entitled "Time to Go" featuring rapper Angie Martinez.

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications and sales