I Never Knew (What That Song Meant Before) is the twenty-third solo studio album by American country singer Connie Smith.

[3][4] Smith had recorded three albums with Columbia by 1974 and had a top ten Billboard single with "Ain't Love a Good Thing".

In a 2021 interview, Smith recalled that she was more willing to assert herself with the making of her fourth Columbia project: "As I got a little more comfortable, I went in and spoke my mind more.

[6] The three-month break between sessions allowed for Smith and Ray Baker to find material to include on the project.

[6] Biographer Barry Mazor found the album to move away from the "suburban" pop style of her previous Columbia releases and more towards "traditional country".

Two songs composed by Dallas Frazier and Arthur Leo Owens are also part of the track listing.

As part of her religious beliefs, Smith incorporated one gospel selection on the album: "I Wish We'd All Been Ready", written by Larry Norman.

[8] I Never Knew (What That Song Meant Before) debuted on the American Billboard Country LP's chart on September 28, 1974.

[10] It became a top 20 single for Smith on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, peaking at number 13 in August 1974.

[11] All credits are adapted from the liner notes of I Never Knew (What That Song Meant Before)[7] and the biography booklet by Barry Mazor titled The Latest Shade of Blue.