Because of You (Ne-Yo song)

"Because of You" is a song by American singer and songwriter Ne-Yo. It was written by Ne-Yo, Mikkel S. Eriksen, and Tor Erik Hermansen for his second studio album Because of You (2007), while production was helmed by Eriksen and Hermansen under their production moniker Stargate. The song served as the album's first single. It started radio play the week of March 27, 2007.[1][2]

"Because of You"
Single by Ne-Yo
from the album Because of You
ReleasedMarch 27, 2007
Recorded2006
GenreR&B
Length4:26
LabelDef Jam
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Stargate
Ne-Yo singles chronology
"Sexy Love"
(2006)		 "Because of You"
(2007)		 "Do You"
(2007)

Song information

Four other versions of the song have surfaced, one with an extended ending, one featuring rapper AC, S-One, Michael Jackson as well as Joe Budden. The official remix, however, features Kanye West.

"Because of You" debuted on the US Billboard Hot 100 at number 84 in March;[3] it reached the top ten in May when it climbed from number 39 to number 5 in one week.[4] The song has become his second-most successful song in the U.S., after his 2006 number-one hit "So Sick". By May the single had reached a peak at number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, behind only Maroon 5's "Makes Me Wonder". It also peaked at number 4 in the UK, becoming Ne-Yo's only lead single from an album in that country to not reach the top spot, until "Time of Our Lives" from Non-Fiction.

The beat used is somehow unique in the R&B style. The main melodic instruments include muted harpsichord and guitar, whilst the groove uses a bass/clap beat combined together. The groove is heavily influenced by the disco style guitar with delay. The bass/clap beat, mixed with harpsichord, gave listeners an initial impression of the song being a remix, with which the effect is typically associated. This type of beat would later appear in Ne-Yo's 2008 hit "Closer", which uses guitar with a bass/clap beat mixed with keyboard and chorus matching the vocals.

The song was featured in the 2007 film Are We Done Yet?. It also appears in Grand Theft Auto IV's fictional Soul/R&B radio station The Vibe 98.8.

The song was performed during the second intermission of the 2008 NHL All-Star Game in Atlanta. Ne-Yo was joined on the ice rink of Philips Arena by the Halftime Live marching band.[5]

Ne-Yo has stated that the song is a continuation from the 2006 single "Sexy Love".

Music video

The song's music video, directed by Melina Matsoukas and Costume Designed by June Ambrose premiered on Access Granted on March 14, 2007, a sneak preview having previously been shown on BET. A small clip of the video has also been shown on TRL. The video has garnered over 140 million views on YouTube.

Ne-Yo throughout the video echoes dance moves popularized by Michael Jackson. The first scene features Ne-Yo turning up to a club with his girlfriend, played by Camila Alves (real life Wife of Actor Matthew McConaughey).

At the club, as she invites him to dance, a girl (played by La'Shontae Heckerd) brushes past him and is shown to express a seductive look. He decides to follow her into the bathroom, and there the two share a passionate kiss. The scene ends with her leaving as he rinses his face with water in regret. In the next scene, Ne-Yo is shown in the bedroom with his girlfriend. As she falls asleep, he receives a call from the girl he met at the club, asking him to join her as a clip of her diving in a steamy pool is shown. He leaves with shoes but no socks on, intending on slipping his feet into the pool. After he arrives, she displays seductive moves in the pool as he takes photos of her. The two are again shown sharing a kiss after he lifts her out of the pool.

The following scene shows Ne-Yo in the bedroom with his girlfriend. As they embrace in bed, flashes of the girl he met replace that of his girlfriend, showing that he keeps seeing her in his mind and replays their rendezvous. Finally, Ne-Yo is shown dancing with only socks on, displaying moves that echo James Brown's classic leg shuffle slide.

The music video implies the need to be with more than one person, and the hardship in maintaining a relationship whilst also encountering sexual liaisons with another. Eventually the person becomes addicted to sex as if 'she is the sweetest drug'.

The actress playing the 'seductress', La'Shontae Heckard, also appears in the music video of Ne-Yo's 2007 single, Do You. Ne-Yo has also worked with Trent Dickens for the choreography.

Track listing
Hit 3 Pack - EP:
  1. "Because of You" - 4:26
  2. "So Sick" - 3:27
  3. "Leaving Tonight" (Featuring Jennifer Hudson) - 5:14
Remixes - EP:
  1. "Because of You" (Sunfreakz Radio Edit) - 3:29
  2. "Because of You" (Josh Harris Radio Edit) - 3:54
  3. "Because of You" (Kriya vs. Erik Velez Radio Mix) - 3:54
  4. "Because of You" (Sunfreakz Remix) - 7:17
  5. "Because of You" (Josh Harris Vocal Club Mix) - 7:56
  6. "Because of You" (Kriya vs. Erik Velez Club Mix) - 5:52
Remix - EP:
  1. "Because of You" (Remix) [Featuring Kanye West] - 3:44

Official versions
  • "Because of You" (Album Version) - 4:26
  • "Because of You" (Josh Harris Vocal Club Mix) - 7:56
  • "Because of You" (Josh Harris Radio Edit) - 3:54
  • "Because of You" (Kriya vs. Erik Velez Club Mix) - 5:52
  • "Because of You" (Kriya vs. Erik Velez Radio Mix) - 3:54
  • "Because of You" (Sunfreakz Remix) - 7:17
  • "Because of You" (Sunfreakz Radio Edit) - 3:29
  • "Because of You" (Remix) [Featuring Kanye West] - 3:44

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[39] Gold 35,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[40] Gold 5,000*
Japan (RIAJ)[41] Gold 100,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[42] Gold 400,000
United States (RIAA)[43] 2× Platinum 2,000,000

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Covers

Saxophonist Eric Darius covered the track on his 2008 album, Goin' All Out. Japanese singer Ken Hirai covered the track on his 2009 album, Ken's Bar II. British boy band FDM (signed to Ne-Yo's record label Compound Entertainment) made a cover to the song featuring Ne-Yo himself.

Filipina acoustic singer Sabrina covered the song from her 2009 album, I Love Acoustic Too.

Before the formation of One Direction , band member Louis Tomlinson covered the song in 2009.

References
  1. MMR 24/7 Song Airplay, 7-day chart
  2. NEW Ne-Yo "Because of You" Archived 2007-02-02 at the Wayback Machine CONCRETELOOP.COM January 31, 2007
  3. Jonathan Cohen, "Mims Remains 'Hot' At No. 1, Akon Stays Close", Billboard.com, March 8, 2007.
  4. Jonathan Cohen, "Maroon 5 Makes 'Wondrous' Jump To Lead Hot 100", Billboard.com, May 3, 2007.
  5. "All-Star Game Entertainment 2002-2008". www.nhl.com. Archived from the original on 2010-11-03. Retrieved 2011-10-18.
  6. "Australian-charts.com – Ne-Yo – Because of You". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
  7. "Austriancharts.at – Ne-Yo – Because of You" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
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  9. "Ultratop.be – Ne-Yo – Because of You" (in French). Ultratip. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
  10. "Ne-Yo Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
  11. "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Change the chart to CZ – RADIO – TOP 100 and insert 200724 into search. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  12. "Hits of the World – Eurocharts" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 119 no. 19. May 12, 2007. p. 53. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  13. "Offiziellecharts.de – Ne-Yo – Because of You". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved October 29, 2018.
  14. "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Rádiós Top 40 játszási lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  15. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Because of You". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  16. "Ne-Yo Chart History (Japan Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
  17. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 19, 2007" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40 Retrieved July 22, 2011.
  18. "Dutchcharts.nl – Ne-Yo – Because of You" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  19. "Charts.nz – Ne-Yo – Because of You". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
  20. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  21. "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 200725 into search. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
  22. "South Korea Gaon International Chart (Week: January 01, 2012 to January 07, 2012)". Gaon Chart. December 15, 2012. Archived from the original on December 19, 2012. Retrieved December 21, 2012.
  23. "Swedishcharts.com – Ne-Yo – Because of You". Singles Top 100. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
  24. "Swisscharts.com – Ne-Yo – Because of You". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
  25. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
  26. "Official R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  27. "Ne-Yo Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
  28. "Ne-Yo Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
  29. "Ne-Yo Chart History (Dance Mix/Show Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  30. "Ne-Yo Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
  31. "Ne-Yo Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
  32. "Ne-Yo Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
  33. "Top 100–Jaaroverzicht van 2007". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
  34. "End of Year Charts 2007". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
  35. "End of Year Singles Chart Top 100 – 2007". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
  36. "Hot 100 Songs – Billboard Chart Archive". Retrieved April 1, 2019.
  37. "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 2007". Billboard. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
  38. "Rhythmic Songs – Year-End 2007". Billboard. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
  39. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2008 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on 10 August 2020. Retrieved 2012-10-29.
  40. "New Zealand single certifications – Ne-Yo – Because of You". Recorded Music NZ.
  41. "Japanese single certifications – Ne-Yo – Because of You" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan.
  42. "British single certifications – Ne-Yo – Because of You". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 2019-05-30. Select singles in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type Because of You in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  43. "American single certifications – Ne-Yo – Because of You". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH. 
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