If They Only Knew (song)
# If They Only Knew (song)

"If They Only Knew" is a song by Australian singer-songwriter Alfie Arcuri. It was released digitally in May 2017, as the lead single from his planned but unreleased second studio album.

## Background and release

In 2016, Arcuri won the fifth season of The Voice Australia and released a studio album of covers performed on the show shortly after. The album, Zenith, peaked at number 5 on the ARIA Charts.

Arcuri then began to write material. In an interview with auspOp, Arcuri explained: "I never intended "If They Only Knew" to be a single, but it ended up affecting me the most. When you feel heartbreak for the very first time, it's the most extreme emotion, other than being in love. I can't explain how it makes me feel that I've written it and hopefully people will connect to it the way I have."

The song is a love story from a previous relationship, whereby Arcuri's ex-partner's parents did not know he was gay. "I fell in love with this guy and it was instant love," Arcuri explained. "We were together for a couple of years and half way through the relationship he came out. The song is almost like a diary entry for me telling his parents how innocent our love and relationship was because to them I was like the devil who turned their son gay. It wasn't like that at all though, it was a beautiful love."

Arcuri performed the song live on The Voice Australia on 25 June 2017.

## Music video

The music video for "If They Only Knew" was released on 30 June 2017. Arcuri told auspOp: "Acceptance is something that we all struggle with. For some young people that challenge involves discovering their identity and their sexuality. Being gay myself, I struggled to accept my sexuality for quite sometime." He added, "I worked with a team of people and together we have shot a short film for "If They Only Knew" exploring some of the challenges that young LGBTQ people face. I believe that by sharing our stories we can inspire empathy and help support anyone going through that struggle. Love is Love."

## Charts

Chart performance for "If They Only Knew" :

| Chart (2016) | Peak position |
| - | - |
| Australia (ARIA) | 96 |

## Release history

Release history and formats for "If They Only Knew" :

| Country | Date | Format | Edition | Label |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Australia | 19 May 2017 | Digital download | Standard | Universal Music Australia |
| Australia | 23 June 2017 | Digital download | Stripped back | Universal Music Australia |
