![]() ![]() Because of You became the title of Bennett’s debut album it set the stage for his rise, and for the resurgence of a mature pop style whose appeal transcended teenybopper fads and reached a more world-weary audience. It floated for weeks from sandwich-shop jukeboxes and sitting-room radios across the country. The single sold more than a million copies. In his book The B Side: The Death of Tin Pan Alley and the Rebirth of the Great American Song, Ben Yagoda calls Bennett “the most justly celebrated singer of standards”-yet “Because of You” was virtually unknown, as was Bennett, when he recorded it. When he sings, “And I can smile because of you,” the subtext is simple but crushing: The object of his love is the only thing that can keep his spirit from collapsing. “Then,” he said, “we decided I would just sing honestly and sincerely.”īennett brought an eventful young life-childhood hardship, the horrors of war-to bear on the heartbroken lull of “Because of You.” Faith’s orchestra curls around Bennett’s trembling voice and weightless cadence, informed by the singer’s lifelong adoration of jazz. Prior to that, Bennett, by his own admission, had been unsuccessfully trying out an overwrought style. Use your natural voice and sing the song.” Better counsel was never given. But Faith’s chance selection changed all that. At first, the song went nowhere, the Hammerstein brand notwithstanding. Instead, it was written by Oscar’s far less notable uncle, Arthur, along with his creative partner Dudley Wilkinson. It was co-written by a Hammerstein-but not Oscar, the lyricist who famously collaborated with Richard Rodgers. “Because of You” has an interesting provenance. He was on the verge of being dropped by the label when, in 1951, the orchestra leader Percy Faith randomly picked “Because of You” out of a pile of sheet music for Bennett to record. His career began in earnest at Columbia Records (then the home of Frank Sinatra), but almost stalled out before it began. As part of the postwar occupying force, he sang in Army bands. ![]() He had fought in World War II, participating in the liberation of Nazi concentration camps. When Bennett first recorded the song, he was a 24-year-old kid from Queens whose slim discography had yielded little success. Without “Because of You,” none of it might have happened. There is much to remember Bennett for, from his civil-rights activism to his stewardship of classic American pop songs. Where many artists downplay their early work, Bennett kept “Because of You” close to his heart. But it was always more than a stepping stone. It was “Because of You,” his first hit, released in 1951, and the single that propelled him to more than seven decades of fame, fortune, and legend. In recent days, Tony Bennett-who died Friday at the age of 96-reportedly sang one last song while sitting at his piano. ![]()
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