Because of You (1940 song)

"Because of You" is a popular song. It was written by Arthur Hammerstein and Dudley Wilkinson in 1940. It was used in the 1951 film I Was an American Spy.

"Because of You"
Single by Tony Bennett
from the album Because of You
B-side"I Won't Cry Anymore"
ReleasedApril 30, 1951 (1951-04-30)
RecordedApril 4, 1951 (1951-04-04)
StudioColumbia 30th Street Studio, New York City
GenrePop[1]
Length2:59
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)Arthur Hammerstein, Dudley Wilkinson
Producer(s)Percy Faith
Tony Bennett singles chronology
"Boulevard of Broken Dreams"
(1950)		 "Because of You"
(1951)		 "Cold, Cold Heart"
(1951)

Tony Bennett Recording

A 1951 recording by Tony Bennett (Columbia Records catalog number 39362, recorded April 4, 1951) was the first major hit for him, reaching number one on the Billboard charts and staying there for ten weeks.

Cover Versions

In 1951, there were several artists covering the song:

  • A cover version by Johnny Desmond reached number seventeen at the same time as the Tony Bennett recording.[2]
  • Tab Smith released an R&B instrumental version which hit number one on the R&B chart and number twenty on the pop chart.[3]
  • The song was also covered by Gloria DeHaven (Decca catalog number 27666)[4]
  • Louis Armstrong (Decca catalog number 27816).[4]
  • Les Baxter (Capitol catalog number 1681).[5]
  • In 1952, Seija Lampila recorded a Finnish-language version, Sun Vuokses.
  • In 1954, Sammy Davis Jr. recorded an unusual version (Decca catalog number 29200),[6] which consisted of impressions of various celebrities who were popular at that time. Part one of the single has impressions of Johnnie Ray, Dean Martin, Mario Lanza, Bennett and Nat King Cole, while part two has impressions of film stars such as Jerry Lewis and Edward G. Robinson.[7]
  • In 1959, a recording was made by Connie Francis.
  • In 1967, a live recording was made by Chris Montez, whose version peaked at number 71 on the U.S. pop chart and number 25 Easy Listening chart.[8]
  • Neil Sedaka recorded the song in 1964, but it was not released until 2005 when it appeared on the RCA/Legacy compilation Love Songs.
  • A version by Donnie Iris was released as a single in 1979. It was one of the first singles of his solo career, but it had no effect on the charts (his first successful single would come in 1980 with "Ah! Leah!").
  • On October 3, 1951,The New York Giants beat the Brooklyn Dodgers , when Bobby Thomson hit the "Shot Heard Round The World" off Brooklyn pitcher Ralph Branca. Thomson and Branca appeared together on a major TV variety show (probably The Talk of the Town). Each sang a version of "Because of You" with lyrics specially written for each of them.

See also

References
  1. "The iconic Tony Bennett to take the stage in Tulsa May 24". Tahlequah Daily Press. February 27, 2020. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
  2. Whitburn, Joel (1973). Top Pop Records 1940-1955. Record Research.
  3. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 536.
  4. Decca Records in the 27500 to 27999 series
  5. Capitol Records in 1500 to 2000 series
  6. Decca Records in the 29000 to 29499 series
  7. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5z_8gEjtK4g
  8. Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 173.



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