Because of You (Ne-Yo song)
Encyclopedia
"Because of You" is a 2007 song by singer and songwriter Ne-Yo
. It is the first single from his second album of the same name
. The single started radio play the week of February 4, 2007.
as well as Joe Budden
; a second one features Bone Thugs-N-Harmony
. The official remix, however, features Kanye West
. The song debuted on the Billboard Hot 100
at number 84 in March; it reached the top ten in May when it climbed from number 39 to number 5 in one week. The song has become his second-most successful song in the U.S., after his 2006 #1 hit So Sick
. It reached a peak at number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100
chart. It also peaked at number 4 in the UK becoming his only lead single to date to not reach the top spot.
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's music video
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 26 million views on YouTube
.
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.
Ne-Yo has stated that the song is a continuation from the 2007 single Sexy Love
.
).
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.
Remixes - EP:
Remix - EP:
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.
Ne-Yo
Shaffer Chimere Smith, Jr. , better known by his stage name Ne-Yo, is an American pop and R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, dancer and actor. Beginning his career as a songwriter, Ne-Yo penned the hit "Let Me Love You" for singer Mario...
. It is the first single from his second album of the same name
Because of You (Ne-Yo album)
- Chart history :AlbumChart procession and succession- Release history :- External links :* at Discogs* at Metacritic...
. The single started radio play the week of February 4, 2007.
Song information
Five other versions of the song have surfaced, one with an extended ending, one featuring rapper AC, S-One, Michael JacksonMichael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
as well as Joe Budden
Joe Budden
-Early life:Budden was born in Spanish Harlem, but lived in Queens until he was 12 and from there moved to Jersey City, New Jersey. He is one of five boys...
; a second one features Bone Thugs-N-Harmony
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony is an American Hip-Hop/R'n'B band from Cleveland, Ohio formed in 1991. It originally consisted of rappers Layzie Bone, Flesh-n-Bone, Bizzy Bone, Krayzie Bone, and Wish Bone. Rapper Eazy-E of the group N.W.A signed Bone Thugs-N-Harmony to Ruthless Records in 1994, when Bone...
. The official remix, however, features Kanye West
Kanye West
Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
. The song debuted on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
at number 84 in March; it reached the top ten in May when it climbed from number 39 to number 5 in one week. The song has become his second-most successful song in the U.S., after his 2006 #1 hit So Sick
So Sick
"So Sick" is an R&B–pop song by American singer-songwriter Ne-Yo. The track was produced by Norwegian production team Stargate for Ne-Yo's debut album In My Own Words....
. It reached a peak at number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart. It also peaked at number 4 in the UK becoming his only lead single to date to not reach the top spot.
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
Closer (Ne-Yo song)
"Closer" is a 2008 Single by American pop/R&B singer Ne-Yo. The song was produced by Stargate.The song was released as the first single from his third album Year of the Gentleman. It reached #1 in the UK, scoring Ne-Yo his second UK No.1 following 2006's So Sick...
, which uses guitar with a bass/clap beat mixed with keyboard and chorus matching the vocals.
The song's music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
premiered on Access Granted
Access Granted
Access Granted is an American television series that features an in depth look at the planning and production of R&B and hip hop music videos. Each week, a different artist and their new music video are featured, with the video premiering at the end of the episode. The series began airing in 2001...
on March 14, 2007, a sneak preview having previously been shown on BET
Bet
Bet or BET may refer to:* A wager in gambling* Basic Economics Test * Bet , the second letter in many Semitic alphabets, including Aramaic, Hebrew, Phoenician and Syriac* Brunauer-Emmett-Teller isotherm. See BET_theory...
. A small clip of the video has also been shown on TRL
Total Request Live
Total Request Live is a television series on MTV that featured popular music videos. TRL was MTV's prime outlet for music videos as the network continues to concentrate on reality-based programming. In addition to music videos, TRL featured daily guests...
. The video has garnered over 26 million views on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
.
The song was featured in the 2007 film Are We Done Yet?
Are We Done Yet?
Are We Done Yet? is a 2007 family comedy film starring Ice Cube. The film is both a remake of the classic Cary Grant comedy Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House and a sequel to 2005's comedy Are We There Yet? The film was directed by Steve Carr from a screenplay by Hank Nelken...
. It also appears in Grand Theft Auto IV's
Grand Theft Auto IV
Grand Theft Auto IV is a 2008 open world action video game published by Rockstar Games, and developed by British games developer Rockstar North. It has been released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 video game consoles, and for the Windows operating system...
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
Philips Arena
Philips Arena is an indoor arena in Atlanta, Georgia.Completed in 1999 to replace The Omni, at a cost of $213.5 million, it is home to the Atlanta Hawks, of the National Basketball Association, and the Atlanta Dream, of the Women's National Basketball Association...
by the Halftime Live marching band.
Ne-Yo has stated that the song is a continuation from the 2007 single Sexy Love
Sexy Love
"Sexy Love" is the fourth and final U.S. single and the second and final international single released from R&B and pop artist Ne-Yo's debut album, In My Own Words. It has reached number 7 on the Billboard Hot 100. In the United Kingdom, the single charted at number twenty-one on downloads alone...
.
Music video
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 girlfriend of Matthew McConaugheyMatthew McConaughey
Matthew David McConaughey is an American actor.After a series of minor roles in the early 1990s, McConaughey gained notice for his breakout role in Dazed and Confused . He then appeared in films such as A Time to Kill, Contact, U-571, Tiptoes, Sahara, and We Are Marshall...
).
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
Do You (song)
"Do You" is a 2007 single by American singer-songwriter Ne-Yo. It is about Ne-Yo questioning his ex-girlfriend if she ever thinks about him anymore. It is the second single from his second album, Because of You. The single was officially released to radio the week of June 12, 2007...
.
Ne-Yo has also worked with Trent Dickens for the choreography.
Track listing
Hit 3 Pack - EP:- "Because of You" - 4:26
- "So SickSo Sick"So Sick" is an R&B–pop song by American singer-songwriter Ne-Yo. The track was produced by Norwegian production team Stargate for Ne-Yo's debut album In My Own Words....
" - 3:27 - "Leaving Tonight" (Featuring Jennifer HudsonJennifer HudsonJennifer Kate Hudson is an American recording artist, actress and spokesperson. She came to prominence in 2004 as one of the finalists on the third season of American Idol coming in seventh place...
) - 5:14
Remixes - EP:
- "Because of You" (Sunfreakz Radio Edit) - 3:29
- "Because of You" (Josh Harris Radio Edit) - 3:54
- "Because of You" (Kriya vs. Erik Velez Radio Mix) - 3:54
- "Because of You" (Sunfreakz Remix) - 7:17
- "Because of You" (Josh Harris Vocal Club Mix) - 7:56
- "Because of You" (Kriya vs. Erik Velez Club Mix) - 5:52
Remix - EP:
- "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
| Chart (2007) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Czech Republic (IFPI IFPI The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a not-for-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland... ) |
27 |
Chart progression and succession
Covers
Saxophonist Eric DariusEric Darius
Eric Darius is a smooth jazz saxophonist and composer. He is a native of New Jersey who grew up in Tampa, Florida.- Biography :Darius began his performing career at the age of 11 when he toured with the youth-based Sonny LaRosa and America's Youngest Jazz Band. The tour's final performance was held...
covered the track on his 2008 album, Goin' All Out
Goin' All Out
Goin' All Out is an smooth jazz album by saxophonist Eric Darius. Released on June 24, 2008, this album is the fourth by Eric Darius, but his first effort released through Blue Note Records. The album peaked at position 9 on Billboard's Top Contemporary Jazz chart, staying on the chart for over 5...
.
Japanese singer Ken Hirai
Ken Hirai
is a Japanese R&B and pop singer. Since his debut, Hirai has worked as a model, actor, composer, lyricist, singer, and spokesperson.During his career, Hirai has released 32 singles and 11 albums up until October 2010. According to Oricon, his single Hitomi Wo Tojite became the best-selling single...
covered the track on his 2009 album, "Ken's Bar II
Ken's Bar II
-Oricon sales charts :...
".
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.