"You Don't Know My Name" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Alicia Keys for her second studio album The Diary of Alicia Keys (2003). It was written by Keys, Kanye West and Harold Lilly, and produced by Keys and West. The song contains a sample from the 1975 song "Let Me Prove My Love to You", written by J. R. Bailey, Mel Kent and Ken Williams and performed by The Main Ingredient. It was released as the lead single from The Diary of Alicia Keys on November 10, 2003, by J Records.
Directed by Chris Robinson and Andrew Young, rapper Mos Def plays Michael Harris, Alicia's love interest, and Keys plays a waitress at a restaurant. The music video follows Keys working as a waitress at a café. One day, Keys meets a man (played by Mos Def) in the café, and she falls in love with him. Later on, Keys is at a house party where she runs into that same man when a fight is about to break out, and the scene resembles the house party scene in the movie Cooley High. Later in the video, Keys imagines getting the courage to call him and to tell him about her feelings. However, at the end of the movie, she remembers his order but there is no other recognition and the scene ends with his card still being in the bowl and Keys staring out the window since she will never be able to reveal her true feelings for the man.
Blender placed the song at number 37 on its list of "The 100 Best Songs of 2004".[1]Pitchfork ranked "You Don't Know My Name/Will You Ever Know It? (Reggae Remix)" at number twenty-three on their list of Top 50 Singles of 2004.[2]
^You Don't Know My Name (US 12-inch single vinyl disc). Alicia Keys. J Records. 2003. 82876-56599-1.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^You Don't Know My Name (European & Canadian CD single liner notes). Alicia Keys. J Records, BMG. 2003. 82876 581372.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^You Don't Know My Name (UK CD single liner notes). Alicia Keys. J Records, MBK Entertainment, BMG. 2003. 82876 58865 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^You Don't Know My Name (European enhanced CD single liner notes). Alicia Keys. J Records. 2003. 82876 58161 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^You Don't Know My Name (European CD maxi-single liner notes). Alicia Keys. J Records. 2003. 82876 574602.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^You Don't Know My Name (EU 12-inch single vinyl disc). Alicia Keys. J Records. 2003. 82876 57460 1.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)