The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: Because of You

The song of the day for Thursday, September 12, 2024, is “Because of You.”

About This Song

“Because of You” was written in 1940 by Arthur Hammerstein (uncle to Oscar Hammerstein II) and Dudley Wilkinson. Arthur Hammerstein built what is now known as The Ed Sullivan Theatre, home to Late Show With Stephen Colbert.

About This Version

Tony Bennett and k.d. lang recorded “Because of You” on February 10, 2006, for Duets: An American Classic. It was arranged by Jorge Calandrelli; Chris Botti played trumpet on the recording.

“Because of You,” as well as Duets: An American Classis, is available on Apple Music.

The last song Tony Bennett sang before he died on July 21, 2023, was “Because of You.”

Here’s the video of Tony and k.d. recording “Because of You” from 2005:

We’ve also got a snippet of Tony Bennett singing “Because of You” from 1951:

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Song of the Day: Because of You

The song of the day for Monday, January 1, 2024, is “Because Of You.”

About This Song

“Because of You” was written in 1940 by Arthur Hammerstein and Dudley Wilkinson. It was first recorded by Larry Clinton and His Orchestra on December 12, 1940.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Because of You” on April 4, 1951, featuring an arrangement by Percy Faith. It was Bennett’s first big hit at Columbia Record, reaching #1 on the Billboard charts and staying there for ten weeks. It was the last song Bennett sang prior to his death on July 21, 2023.

“Because Of You,” as well as The Columbia Singles, Vol. 1, is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: Because of You

The song of the day for Sunday, February 19, 2023, is “Because of You.”

About This Song

“Because of You” was written in 1940 by Arthur Hammerstein and Dudley Wilkinson. It was Tony Bennett’s first major hit, recorded in 1951.

About This Version

Tony Bennett and k.d. lang recorded “Because of You” on February 10, 2006, for Duets: An American Classic. Jorge Calandrelli wrote the arrangement.

“Because of You,” as well as Duets: An American Classic is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: Because of You

The song of the day for Saturday, May 21, 2022, is “Because of You.”

About This Song

“Because of You” was written in 1940 by Arthur Hammerstein and Dudley Wilkinson.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Because of You” on April 4, 1951. It was arranged by Percy Faith.

“Because of You,” as well as all the singles collected on The Columbia Singles, Vol. 1, is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: Because of You

The song of the day for Thursday, January 23, 2020, is “Because of You.”

About This Song

“Because of You” was written in 1940 by Arthur Hammerstein and Dudley Wilkinson.

About This Version

It was Spring 1951. Tony had been told that he would need a real breakthrough recording or he might be dropped from his contract with Columbia. He was preparing for a recording session with Percy Faith. They had three songs planned, but need a fourth. Percy grabbed the sheet music for “Because of You” from the pile on his piano. And, well, the rest was history. After a slow start, “Because of You” was Bennett’s first song to hit #1 on the charts, thanks in large part to fans playing it on jukeboxes and calling radio stations to play that new song from Tony Bennett. It spent 10 weeks at the top of the charts and charted for 32 weeks and sold over a million copies.

Today, I’ve chosen his recording of this song with k. d. lang on the 2006 album Duets: An American Classic. I love the way Bennett’s and lang’s voice blend so beautifully in their duet recordings. This is one of the best of them.

“Because of You,” as well as Duets: An American Classic, is available from iTunes.