Don't Know Why

For other uses, see Don't Know Why (disambiguation).

"Don't Know Why" is a song written and composed by Jesse Harris that originally appeared on his 1999 album, Jesse Harris & the Ferdinandos. A cover of the song was the debut single of American singer Norah Jones from her debut studio album, Come Away with Me (2002).

"Don't Know Why"
Single by Norah Jones
from the album Come Away with Me
B-side	"I'll Be Your Baby Tonight"
Released	January 28, 2002 (2002-01-28)
Studio	Sorcerer Sound (New York City) Allaire (Shokan, New York)
Genre	Jazz-pop^[1]
Length	3:06
Label	Blue Note
Songwriter(s)	Jesse Harris
Producer(s)	Norah Jones Arif Mardin Jay Newland
Norah Jones singles chronology
"Don't Know Why" (2002) "Feelin' the Same Way" (2002)
"Turn Me On" (2003) "Don't Know Why" / "I'll Be Your Baby Tonight" (2003) "Sunrise" (2004)
Alternative cover
Cover art for "Don't Know Why" / "I'll Be Your Baby Tonight"
Audio sample
file help
Music video
"Don't Know Why" on YouTube

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 Awards in 2003 for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. 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 magazine's "500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born".^[2]

Jones' piano-playing has been compared to that of Floyd Cramer, having a "style and grace, a musical maturity not found in many keyboard players today."^[3][4][5]

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 Come Away with Me album booklet.^[6]

Personnel

• Jesse Harris – writing, acoustic guitar, electric guitar
• Norah Jones – vocals, piano, production
• Lee Alexander – bass guitar
• Dan Rieser – drums
• Arif Mardin – production, mixing
• Jay Newland – production, engineering, mixing
• Mark Birkey – assistant engineering
• Ted Jensen – mastering

Technical credits

• Recorded at Sorcerer Sound (New York City) and Allaire Studios (Shokan, New York)
• Mixed at Sear Sound (New York City)
• Mastered at Sterling Sound (New York City)

Charts

Weekly charts 2002–2003 weekly chart performance for "Don't Know Why" Chart (2002–2003) Peak position Australia (ARIA)^[7] 5 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)^[8] 56 Croatia (HRT)^[9] 6 France (SNEP)^[10] 74 Germany (Official German Charts)^[11] 82 Netherlands (Single Top 100)^[12] 86 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)^[13] 24 Scotland (OCC)^[14] 71 Scotland (OCC)^[15] with "I'll Be Your Baby Tonight" 78 UK Singles (OCC)^[16] 59 UK Singles (OCC)^[17] with "I'll Be Your Baby Tonight" 63 US Billboard Hot 100^[18] 30 US Adult Alternative Songs (Billboard)^[19] 5 US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)^[20] 4 US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)^[21] 8 US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)^[22] 32 2022 weekly chart performance for "Don't Know Why" Chart (2022) Peak position Japan Hot Overseas (Billboard Japan)^[23] 20

Year-end charts Year-end chart performance for "Don't Know Why" Chart (2003) Position Australia (ARIA)^[24] 77 US Billboard Hot 100^[25] 97 US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)^[26] 7

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)^[27]	Platinum	70,000
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)^[28]	Gold	45,000
Italy (FIMI)^[29] sales since 2009	Platinum	70,000
United Kingdom (BPI)^[30]	Silver	200,000
United States (RIAA)^[31]	2× Platinum	2,000,000
Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)	Ref.
United States	January 28, 2002 (2002-01-28)	Triple A radio	Blue Note	^[32]
United Kingdom	May 13, 2002 (2002-05-13)	CD	Parlophone	^[33]
United States	June 24, 2002 (2002-06-24)	Hot adult contemporary radio	Blue Note	^[34]
	August 5, 2002 (2002-08-05)	Contemporary hit radio		^[35]
Australia	February 24, 2003 (2003-02-24)	CD	Parlophone	^[36]
United Kingdom (re-release)	September 1, 2003 (2003-09-01)			^[37]

Parodies

• The children's television show Sesame Street 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 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.^[38]

References

1. Mason, Stewart. "Norah Jones – Don't Know Why". AllMusic. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
2. . March 6, 2009. Archived from the original on March 6, 2009. Retrieved July 27, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
3. "'Norah Jones' Articles at know your music". know your music.
4. "Come Away With Me Has Never Sounded Better". Analog Planet. January 17, 2003.
5. "Who's Floyd Cramer?". Magnolia Banner News. November 28, 2017.
6. Come Away with Me (US CD album booklet). Norah Jones. Blue Note Records. 2002. 7243 5 32088 2 0.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
7. "Norah Jones – Don't Know Why". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
8. "Norah Jones – Don't Know Why" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
9. . Croatian Radiotelevision. Archived from the original on April 24, 2003. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
10. "Norah Jones – Don't Know Why" (in French). Les classement single.
11. "Norah Jones – Don't Know Why" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
12. "Norah Jones – Don't Know Why" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
13. "Norah Jones – Don't Know Why". Top 40 Singles.
14. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
15. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
16. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
17. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
18. "Norah Jones Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
19. "Norah Jones Chart History (Adult Alternative Songs)". Billboard.
20. "Norah Jones Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard.
21. "Norah Jones Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard.
22. "Norah Jones Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard.
23. "Billboard Japan Hot Overseas: October 19, 2022". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved October 19, 2022.
24. "ARIA Top 100 Singles for 2003". ARIA. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
25. "Billboard Top 100 – 2003". Billboardtop100of.com. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
26. "2003 The Year in Music". Billboard. Vol. 115, no. 52. December 27, 2003. p. YE-80. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
27. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2016 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
28. "Danish single certifications". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
29. "Italian single certifications – Norah Jones – Don't Know Why" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved September 27, 2021. Select "2021" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Select "Don't Know Why" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli" under "Sezione".
30. "British single certifications – Norah Jones – Don't Know Why/I'll Be Your Baby Tonight". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
31. "American single certifications – Norah Jones – Don't Know Why". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved November 24, 2021.
32. "Going for Adds" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1437. January 25, 2002. p. 31. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
33. "New Releases – For Week Starting 13 May 2002: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. May 11, 2002. p. 27. Retrieved August 26, 2021.
34. "Going for Adds" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1458. June 21, 2002. p. 33. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
35. "Going for Adds" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1464. August 2, 2002. p. 31. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
36. "The ARIA Report: New Releases Singles – Week Commencing 24th February 2003" (PDF). ARIA. February 24, 2003. p. 24. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 6, 2003. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
37. "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. August 30, 2003. p. 23. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
38. Komonibo, Ineye (December 5, 2019). "The Butterfly On The Masked Singer Was Revealed — & It Was The Show's Most Touching Moment". Refinery29. Retrieved December 5, 2019.

External links

• reviewed by Ted Gioia ()