Everybody Knows

John Legend recorded “Everybody Knows” during the 2007–2008 sessions for Evolver, his third studio album. The track was written by John Stephens, Kawan Prather, James Ho, Terrence Smith and Demetria McKinney, and produced by Malay and KP. First released on Evolver in 2008 and promoted as a single in 2009, it showed the album’s move toward more contemporary pop-soul production while retaining Legend’s piano-led ballad writing. The song reached Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and became one of the album’s better-known non-club tracks after “Green Light.” The track remains a representative Evolver-era ballad in John Legend’s catalogue and a staple of the album’s softer, relationship-focused side. Its Anthony Mandler-directed video helped extend the song’s visibility beyond radio and album audiences.