Because (The Dave Clark Five song)

"Because"
Single by The Dave Clark Five
from the album American Tour
Released August 1964
Format 7" single
Recorded 1964
Genre Pop rock
Length 2:23
Label Columbia (UK)
Capitol (Canada)
Epic (US)
Writer(s) Dave Clark[1]
Producer(s) Adrian Clark
The Dave Clark Five singles chronology
"Can't You See That She's Mine"
(1964)		 "Because"
(1964)		 "Everybody Knows (I Still Love You)"
(1964)

"Because" is a song by The Dave Clark Five, recorded in 1964. Originally the B-side to "Can't You See That She's Mine" in the United Kingdom, "Because" was released as a single in the United States and reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Julian Lennon released a cover version of the song which peaked at number 40 on the UK Singles Chart in 1985.

Background and release

"Because" was written with the intention of being the Dave Clark Five's fifth US single, but the band's label, Epic Records, was initially resistant, believing the ballad strayed too far from the hit-making formula that had proven successful with the band's previous upbeat singles.[2] In May 1964, the song was released in the UK as the B-side to "Can't You See That She's Mine". Clark insisted that "Because" be released as an A-side in the US, and Epic eventually agreed.[1] The single entered the Billboard Hot 100 chart at number sixty in August, and peaked six weeks later at number three.[3][4] "Because" became the band's fifth US single to sell more than one million copies.[5] In Canada, the song reached number three on RPM magazine's singles chart.[6]

Critical reception

In a review for the single, Billboard described "Because" as a "warmly romantic ballad ... that should keep [The Dave Clark Five] on the chart."[7] Richie Unterberger of Allmusic said the song "was on about the same melodic level as all but the best of the early Beatles' compositions." Unterberger complimented the track's harmony vocals and chord changes, and felt the song "proved that the band had a more subtle dimension than was evident from the stomping hits that were their main diet."[1]

Other versions

The Supremes recorded a cover version of "Because" on the group's A Bit of Liverpool (1964), a tribute album dedicated to music of the British Invasion.[8] Julian Lennon recorded the song for the soundtrack to Dave Clark's 1986 musical Time. Released as a single in 1985, Lennon's version reached number 40 on the UK Singles Chart,[9] and number 8 on the Belgium Singles Chart.[10]

Track listing

7" Vinyl (US, Canada)
No. TitleWriter(s) Length
1. "Because"  Clark 2:23
2. "Theme Without a Name"  Clark, Davidson 2:05

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Chart (1964) Peak
position
Canadian Singles Chart[6] 3
US Billboard Hot 100[11] 3
US Cash Box Top 100[12] 7

Year-end charts

Chart (1964) Peak
position
US Billboard Hot 100[13] 64

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Unterberger, Richie. "'Because' - Song Review". Allmusic (Rovi Corporation). Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  2. ↑ Ryan, Thomas (1995). American Hit Radio: A History of Popular Singles from 1955 to the Present. Rocklin, Calif.: Prima Publishing. p. 139. ISBN 978-0-7615-0230-2.
  3. ↑ "'Billboard' Hot 100". Billboard (Nielsen Business Media, Inc.) 76 (31): 22. 1964-08-01. ISSN 0006-2510.
  4. ↑ "'Billboard' Hot 100". Billboard (Nielsen Business Media, Inc.) 76 (37): 22. 1964-09-12. ISSN 0006-2510.
  5. ↑ Murrells, Joseph (1984). Million Selling Records (1st ed.). London: Batsford. p. 190. ISBN 978-0-7134-3843-7.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "RPM 100". RPM (RPM Music Publications Ltd.) 2 (3). 1964-09-14. ISSN 0315-5994. Retrieved 2009-11-05.
  7. ↑ "Singles Reviews". Billboard (Nielsen Business Media, Inc.) 76 (30): 14. 1964-07-25. ISSN 0006-2510.
  8. ↑ Strong, Martin C. (2002). The Great Rock Discography (6th ed.). Edinburgh: Canongate Books. p. 1040. ISBN 978-1-84195-312-0.
  9. ↑ "Julian Lennon - 'Because'". Chart Stats. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  10. ↑ http://australian-charts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Julian+Lennon&titel=Because&cat=s
  11. ↑ "The Dave Clark Five Album & Song Chart History". Billboard (Nielsen Company). Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  12. ↑ "Cash Box Top 100 08/29/64". Cashbox Magazine, Inc. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  13. ↑ "Top Records of 1964". Billboard (Nielsen Business Media, Inc.) 77 (1): 6. 1965-01-02. ISSN 0006-2510.