Portrait (He Knew)

"Portrait (He Knew)" is a song by the American progressive rock band Kansas. It was written by Kerry Livgren and Steve Walsh and was recorded for the band's fifth album, Point of Know Return. The song was also released as a single after the success of "Point of Know Return" and "Dust in the Wind" and charted at #64 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was later released on the live and compilation albums Two for the Show, Live at the Whisky, Device, Voice, Drum, The Kansas Boxed Set, The Ultimate Kansas, Sail On: The 30th Anniversary Collection, Works in Progress, and Playlist: The Very Best of Kansas. It appears in a number of different mixes and lengths: the original album version, the edited single version, a different single edit that appears as a bonus track on the European-only 1999 compilation Definitive Collection, and a new remix by the original producers Jeff Glixman as a bonus track on the CD remaster of its original parent album. It was also released on the DVDs of Device, Voice, Drum and Works in Progress.[1][2][3][4]

"Portrait (He Knew)"
German single cover
Single by Kansas
from the album Point of Know Return
B-side"Lightning's Hand"
GenreProgressive rock, Progressive Pop
Length4:30
Songwriter(s)Kerry Livgren, Steve Walsh
Kansas singles chronology
"Dust in the Wind" "Portrait (He Knew)" "People of the South Wind"
Point of Know Return track listing
10 tracks
  1. "Point of Know Return"
  2. "Paradox"
  3. "The Spider"
  4. "Portrait (He Knew)"
  5. "Closet Chronicles"
  6. "Lightning's Hand"
  7. "Dust in the Wind"
  8. "Sparks of the Tempest"
  9. "Nobody's Home"
  10. "Hopelessly Human"

Background

The inspiration for the song came from Kerry Livgren's admiration for Albert Einstein. He wrote the lyrics in a time when he was going through a spiritual transitional phase in his life, and after converting to Christianity, he re-recorded the song with his band AD, modifying the lyrics to make them fit the story of Jesus Christ and retitling the song "Portrait II".

Billboard Magazine described "Portrait (He Knew)" as "a rivieting, snarling rock number which winds up in a frenzied rock climax."[5]

Chart positions
Chart (1977) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 64
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References
  1. "Kansas (2)– Portrait (He Knew)". discogs.com. Retrieved 11 January 2014.
  2. "Portrait (He Knew)". allmusic.com. Retrieved 11 January 2014.
  3. "Point of Know Return". itunes.apple.com. Retrieved 11 January 2014.
  4. "POINT OF KNOW RETURN". progarchives.com. Retrieved 11 January 2014.
  5. "Top Single Picks" (PDF). Billboard. June 3, 1978. p. 110. Retrieved 2020-07-09.
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