Because of You (Ne Yo song)

Song information

Five other versions of the song have surfaced, one with an extended ending, one featuring rapper AC, S-One, Michael Jackson as well as Joe Budden; a second one features Bone Thugs-N-Harmony. The official remix, however, features Kanye West. The song debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 84 in March; it reached the top ten in May when it climbed from number 39 to number 5 in one week. The song has become his second-most successful song in the U.S., after his 2006 number-one hit "So Sick". By May the single had reached a peak at number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, behind only Maroon 5's "Makes Me Wonder". It also peaked at number 4 in the UK, becoming Ne-Yo's only lead single to date to not reach the top spot.

The beat used is somehow unique in the R&B style. The main melodic instruments include muted harpsichord and guitar, whilst the groove uses a bass/clap beat combined together. The groove is heavily influenced by the disco style guitar with delay. The bass/clap beat, mixed with harpsichord, gave listeners an initial impression of the song being a remix, with which the effect is typically associated. This type of beat would later appear in Ne-Yo's 2008 hit "Closer", which uses guitar with a bass/clap beat mixed with keyboard and chorus matching the vocals.

The song was featured in the 2007 film Are We Done Yet?. It also appears in Grand Theft Auto IV's fictional Soul/R&B radio station The Vibe 98.8.

The song was performed during the second intermission of the 2008 NHL All-Star Game in Atlanta. Ne-Yo was joined on the ice rink of Philips Arena by the Halftime Live marching band.

Ne-Yo has stated that the song is a continuation from the 2006 single "Sexy Love".

Music video

The song's music video, directed by Melina Matsoukas and Costume Designed by June Ambrose premiered on Access Granted on March 14, 2007, a sneak preview having previously been shown on BET. A small clip of the video has also been shown on TRL. The video has garnered over 80 million views on YouTube.

Ne-Yo throughout the video echoes dance moves popularized by Michael Jackson. The first scene features Ne-Yo turning up to a club with his girlfriend, played by Camila Alves (real life Wife of Actor Matthew McConaughey).

At the club, as she invites him to dance, a girl (played by La'Shontae Heckerd) brushes past him and is shown to express a seductive look. He decides to follow her into the bathroom, and there the two share a passionate kiss. The scene ends with her leaving as he rinses his face with water in regret. In the next scene, Ne-Yo is shown in the bedroom with his girlfriend. As she falls asleep, he receives a call from the girl he met at the club, asking him to join her as a clip of her diving in a steamy pool is shown. He leaves with shoes but no socks on, intending on slipping his feet into the pool. After he arrives, she displays seductive moves in the pool as he takes photos of her. The two are again shown sharing a kiss after he lifts her out of the pool.

The following scene shows Ne-Yo in the bedroom with his girlfriend. As they embrace in bed, flashes of the girl he met replace that of his girlfriend, showing that he keeps seeing her in his mind and replays their rendezvous. Finally, Ne-Yo is shown dancing with only socks on, displaying moves that echo James Brown's classic leg shuffle slide.

The music video implies the need to be with more than one person, and the hardship in maintaining a relationship whilst also encountering sexual liaisons with another. Eventually the person becomes addicted to sex as if 'she is the sweetest drug'.

The actress playing the 'seductress', La'Shontae Heckard, also appears in the music video of Ne-Yo's 2007 single, Do You. Ne-Yo has also worked with Trent Dickens for the choreography.

Track listing

1. "Because of You" - 4:26
2. "So Sick" - 3:27
3. "Leaving Tonight" (Featuring Jennifer Hudson) - 5:14

1. "Because of You" (Sunfreakz Radio Edit) - 3:29
2. "Because of You" (Josh Harris Radio Edit) - 3:54
3. "Because of You" (Kriya vs. Erik Velez Radio Mix) - 3:54
4. "Because of You" (Sunfreakz Remix) - 7:17
5. "Because of You" (Josh Harris Vocal Club Mix) - 7:56
6. "Because of You" (Kriya vs. Erik Velez Club Mix) - 5:52

1. "Because of You" (Remix) [Featuring Kanye West] - 3:44

Official versions

Covers

Saxophonist Eric Darius covered the track on his 2008 album, Goin' All Out. Japanese singer Ken Hirai covered the track on his 2009 album, Ken's Bar II. British boy band FDM (signed to Ne-Yo's record label Compound Entertainment) made a cover to the song featuring Ne-Yo himself.

Filipina acoustic singer Sabrina covered the song from her 2009 album, I Love Acoustic Too.