The Song That Made Tony Bennett a Star
Where many artists downplay their early work, he kept “Because of You,” his first hit, close to his heart.
In recent days, Tony Bennett—who died Friday at the age of 96—reportedly sang one last song while sitting at his piano. 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. But it was always more than a stepping stone. Where many artists downplay their early work, Bennett kept “Because of You” close to his heart. There is much to remember Bennett for, from his civil-rights activism to his stewardship of classic American pop songs. Without “Because of You,” none of it might have happened.
When Bennett first recorded the song, he was a 24-year-old kid from Queens whose slim discography had yielded little success. He had fought in World War II, participating in the liberation of Nazi concentration camps. As part of the postwar occupying force, he sang in Army bands. His career began in earnest at Columbia Records (then the home of Frank Sinatra), but almost stalled out before it began. 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.
“Because of You” has an interesting provenance. It was co-written by a Hammerstein—but not Oscar, the lyricist who famously collaborated with Richard Rodgers. Instead, it was written by Oscar’s far less notable uncle, Arthur, along with his creative partner Dudley Wilkinson. At first, the song went nowhere, the Hammerstein brand notwithstanding. But Faith’s chance selection changed all that. His advice to Bennett: “Just relax. Use your natural voice and sing the song.” Better counsel was never given. Prior to that, Bennett, by his own admission, had been unsuccessfully trying out an overwrought style. “Then,” he said, “we decided I would just sing honestly and sincerely.”
Bennett 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. There’s gravity to it, though. 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. But the strength of that love is enough.
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. That obscurity didn’t last long. The single sold more than a million copies. It floated for weeks from sandwich-shop jukeboxes and sitting-room radios across the country. 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.
Like many of his contemporaries, including his friend Sinatra, Bennett grudgingly capitulated to the commercial pressures of rock music—but only briefly. As he remarked in his memoir The Good Life, “I thought the world was losing its mind” when rock started conquering the pop charts in the ’60s. His two albums from 1970, Tony Sings the Great Hits of Today! and Tony Bennett’s “Something,” were bogged down by half-hearted interpretations of the Beatles and Stevie Wonder. From that low point, he decided to double down on his passion for jazz, even as the jazz world itself was pivoting away from dreamy crooners during the fusion-heavy ’70s. Likewise, he never gave up on “Because of You.” It remained a staple of his live sets and a fan favorite, a tender reminder of the delicate power and ageless warmth he possessed even in his youth.
Later decades grew kinder to Bennett; by the turn of the century, the world had fully embraced him once again. “Because of You” was, in part, responsible for the revival of his popularity; his rendition of this song with k. d. lang helped make his 2006 album, Duets: An American Classic, a platinum-selling triumph. It also paved the way for the final chapter of Bennett’s decorated career, in which he sang with younger artists such as Amy Winehouse and Lady Gaga, ensuring his resonance for generations to come.
Bennett might not have realized that “Because of You” would be his swan song, but it couldn’t have served as a better bookend. If by some twist of fate it had been his only hit, it would still echo with ache. As history would have it, though, the song was both the opening of and the epitaph to his career. “Because of You” made Bennett a star—and largely because of him, popular music retains a body of song whose romance will forever make us swoon.