"Don't Know Why" is a song written and composed by

Jesse Harris Jesse Harris (born October 24, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter, producer, and guitarist. He has worked with Norah Jones, Melody Gardot, Madeleine Peyroux, Nikki Yanofsky, and Lizz Wright. Early life and education Harris and his twin sist ...

that originally appeared on his 1999 album, ''Jesse Harris & the Ferdinandos.'' A

cover Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of co ...

of the song was the debut single of American singer

Norah Jones Norah Jones (born Geethali Norah Jones Shankar; March 30, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. She has won several awards for her music and as of 2012, has sold more than 50 million records worldwide. ''Billboard'' named her the ...

from her debut studio album, ''

Come Away with Me ''Come Away with Me'' is the debut studio album by American recording artist Norah Jones, released on February 26, 2002, by Blue Note Records. Recording sessions took place at Sorcerer Sound Studio in New York City and Allaire Studios in Shokan, ...

'' (2002). Jones' version of "Don't Know Why" was released on January 28, 2002, peaked at number 30 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and was a critical success. The single went on to win three

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

s in 2003 for

Record of the Year The Grammy Award for Record of the Year is presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without reg ...

, Song of the Year, and

Best Female Pop Vocal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance was a Grammy Award recognizing superior vocal performance by a female in the pop category, the first of which was presented in 1959. It was discontinued after the 2011 Grammy season. The awar ...

. It remains Jones's biggest hit single in the United States to date, and her only one to reach the top 40 of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. "Don't Know Why" was also a modest hit abroad, reaching number five in Australia, number 24 in New Zealand, and number 59 in the United Kingdom. The song was ranked number 459 in ''

Blender A blender (sometimes called a mixer or liquidiser in British English) is a kitchen appliance, kitchen and laboratory appliance used to mix, crush, purée or emulsion, emulsify food and other substances. A stationary blender consists of a blender ...

'' magazine's "500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born". Jones' piano-playing has been compared to that of

Floyd Cramer Floyd Cramer (October 27, 1933 – December 31, 1997) was an American pianist who became famous for his use of melodic "half step" attacks. He was inducted into both the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. His signature ...

, having a "style and grace, a musical maturity not found in many keyboard players today."

Music video

A music video directed by Anastasia Simone and Ian Spencer was released in 2002. It features Jones performing the song on a gray beach at sunrise, on a rocky hill, and at a beach rental stand accompanied by a wooden piano while undersea images are projected onto the walls.

Credits and personnel

Credits are lifted from the ''

'' album booklet. Personnel *

– writing, acoustic guitar, electric guitar *

– vocals, piano, production * Lee Alexander – bass guitar * Dan Rieser – drums *

Arif Mardin Arif Mardin (March 15, 1932 – June 25, 2006) was a Turkish-American music producer, who worked with hundreds of artists across many different styles of music, including jazz, rock, soul, disco and country. He worked at Atlantic Records for ov ...

– production, mixing *

Jay Newland Jay Newland is an American music producer, engineer and mixer, perhaps best known for his work with Norah Jones on her 2002 debut album ''Come Away with Me'', one of the best-selling albums of all time, with 27 million units sold worldwide to da ...

– production, engineering, mixing * Mark Birkey – assistant engineering *

Ted Jensen Ted Jensen (born September 19, 1954) is an American mastering engineer, known for having mastered many recordings, including the Eagles' ''Hotel California'', Green Day's '' American Idiot'' and Norah Jones' ''Come Away with Me''. Biography Ted ...

– mastering Technical credits * Recorded at Sorcerer Sound (New York City) and Allaire Studios (

Shokan, New York Shokan is a hamlet (and census-designated place) located in the town of Olive in Ulster County, New York, United States, within the Catskill Park. The population was 1,183 at the 2010 census. History It was relocated to its present site in the ear ...

) * Mixed at Sear Sound (New York City) * Mastered at

Sterling Sound George Marino (April 15, 1947 – June 4, 2012) was an American mastering engineer known for working on albums by rock bands starting in the late 1960s. Biography Marino was born on April 15, 1947, in the New York City borough The Bronx. He at ...

(New York City)

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

Parodies

* The children's television show ''

Sesame Street ''Sesame Street'' is an American educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Workshop until June 2000) a ...

'' parodied the song with Jones playing the song "I Don't Know Why Y Didn't Come" on the piano, about the letter Y not showing up. Elmo watches her play and briefly sings along, as the Y arrives late, during the song. * The sketch comedy show ''

MADtv ''Mad TV'' (stylized as ''MADtv'') is an American sketch comedy television series originally inspired by '' Mad'' magazine. In its initial run, it aired on Fox from 1995 to 2009. After a one-off reunion show in 2015 to celebrate the twentiet ...

'' parodied the song in a commercial for the fictitious album ''Monotonous''. The joke of the sketch is that the song sets the mood for wild parties despite its slow pace.

Covers

* Michelle Williams performed the song on the second US series of ''

The Masked Singer ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

''.

References

External links

"Don't Know Why"
reviewed by Ted Gioia
Jazz.com
{{Authority control 1999 songs 2000s ballads 2002 debut singles Blue Note Records singles Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance Grammy Award for Record of the Year Grammy Award for Song of the Year Norah Jones songs Parlophone singles Pop ballads Song recordings produced by Arif Mardin Songs written by Jesse Harris