Released August 1964 Recorded 1964 Length 2:23 | Format 7" single Genre Pop rock | |
Label Columbia (UK)
Capitol (Canada)
Epic (US) | ||
"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 version of the song which peaked at number 40 on the UK Singles Chart in 1985.
Contents
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. 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. The single entered the Billboard Hot 100 chart at number sixty in August, and peaked six weeks later at number three. "Because" became the band's fifth US single to sell more than one million copies. In Canada, the song reached number three on RPM magazine's singles chart.
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." 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."
Other versions
The Supremes recorded a version of "Because" on the group's A Bit of Liverpool (1964), a tribute album dedicated to music of the British Invasion. 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, and number 8 on the Belgium Singles Chart.