Song Details
- Album Release Date: 2012
- Genre: jazz
Song Meaning of “I Wanna Know” by Kirk Whalum
I Wanna Know is a song that speaks to the ache that many of us can feel when we have a connection with someone that we know isn’t returned in kind. Kirk Whalum expresses this sentiment in the chorus, as he sings “I wanna know what it’s like when you love someone and they don’t love you back.” He is wrestling with the intense feelings of longing and regret that come from investing your emotions in someone who cannot or will not reciprocate them.
The lyrics in the verses further illustrate the emotional vulnerability that Kirk Whalum is facing in this situation. He sings in frustration, “I’ve done all I can/I just don’t understand/Why it doesn’t change the way you feel/And when you look at me/It’s like you don’t see/All the love that I’m trying to give.” Here, he is exploring the difficulty of knowing that even when we give our all, that won’t necessarily be enough to create the love that we desire.
Ultimately, the song speaks to the universal experience of loving someone who may not be able to love us back. As Kirk Whalum sings in the chorus, he is searching for what answers may lay beyond the hurt and confusion of unrequited love.