I Knew You When (Marianas Trench song)

"I Knew You When" is a song recorded by Canadian pop rock band Marianas Trench. It was released on November 16, 2018 as their first single from their fifth studio album Phantoms. The song was accompanied by its music video released in December 2018. It reached within the top 30 on the Canada CHR/Top 40 and the Canada Hot AC charts.

Composition and lyrics
The band teased a preview of the song via social media on November 5, 2018. "I Knew You When" has been described as a dance-oriented and pop rock song. Lead singer Josh Ramsay spoke to Substream Magazine on the meaning behind the song.

""This is about long term, messy, real life love. Love with consequence. Not about drunken lust, or doing shots in a bar, or 'living life for just tonight,' but the kind of real-life relationship that takes a decade to build, through ups and downs. If I've learned one thing in my life as a performer it's this; if you're going to sing a song every night for the rest of your career, you better mean it – and I do.""

Ramsay wrote and produced the track. The song runs at 106 BPM and is in the key of E major.

Music video
The music video for "I Knew You When" was released on YouTube on December 19, 2018 and was directed by Kyle Davison.

Personnel

 * Josh Ramsay – vocals, rhythm guitar
 * Matt Webb – lead guitar, backing vocals
 * Mike Ayley – bass, backing vocals
 * Ian Casselman – drums, backing vocals