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(Top) 1 Music video 2 Track listings 3 Credits and personnel 4 Charts 4.1 Weekly charts 4.2 Year-end charts 5 Certifications 6 Release history 7 References 8 External links

Don't Know Why

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"Don't Know Why"

SinglebyNorah Jones

from the album Come Away with Me

B-side

"Lonestar"
"Peace"

Released

January 28, 2002

Studio

Sorcerer Sound (New York City)
Allaire (Shokan, New York)

Genre

Jazz pop^[1]

Length

3:06

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"onYouTube

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

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, winning three Grammy Awards in 2003 for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. "Don't Know Why" was also successful abroad, reaching number five in Australia, number six in Croatia, and number 24 in New Zealand. 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[edit]

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 pier, and at a beach rental stand accompanied by a wooden piano while undersea images are projected onto the walls.

Track listings[edit]

UK CD single^[6]

"Don't Know Why" – 3:05
"Lonestar" – 3:05
"Peace" – 3:51

Dutch CD single^[7]

"Don't Know Why" – 3:05
"Cold Cold Heart" – 3:38

French CD single^[8]

"Don't Know Why" – 3:05
"Lonestar" – 3:07

Australian CD single^[9]

"Don't Know Why"
"I'll Be Your Baby Tonight"
"Lonestar"
"Peace"

UK CD single (2003)^[10]

"Don't Know Why" – 3:05
"I'll Be Your Baby Tonight" – 3:16
"Crazy" (live) – 3:29

Credits and personnel[edit]

Credits are lifted from the Come Away with Me album booklet.^[11]

Recording

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)

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, mixing, engineering

Mark Birkey – assistant engineering

Ted Jensen – mastering

Charts[edit]

Weekly charts[edit]

2002–2003 weekly chart performance for "Don't Know Why"
Chart (2002–2003)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)^[12]	5
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)^[13]	56
Croatia (HRT)^[14]	6
France (SNEP)^[15]	74
Germany (Official German Charts)^[16]	82
Netherlands (Single Top 100)^[17]	86
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)^[18]	24
Scotland (OCC)^[19]	71
Scotland (OCC)^[20] with "I'll Be Your Baby Tonight"	78
UK Singles (OCC)^[21]	59
UK Singles (OCC)^[22] with "I'll Be Your Baby Tonight"	63
USBillboard Hot 100^[23]	30
USAdult Alternative Songs (Billboard)^[24]	5
USAdult Contemporary (Billboard)^[25]	4
USAdult Pop Airplay (Billboard)^[26]	8
USPop Airplay (Billboard)^[27]	32

2022 weekly chart performance for "Don't Know Why"
Chart (2022)	Peak position
Japan Hot Overseas (Billboard Japan)^[28]	20

Year-end charts[edit]

Year-end chart performance for "Don't Know Why"
Chart (2002)	Position
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)^[29]	38
US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)^[30]	25
US Triple-A (Billboard)^[31]	5

Chart (2003)	Position
Australia (ARIA)^[32]	77
USBillboard Hot 100^[33]	97
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)^[34]	7
US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)^[35]	25

Certifications[edit]


Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)^[36]	Platinum	70,000^‡
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)^[37]	Gold	45,000^‡
Italy (FIMI)^[38] sales since 2009	Platinum	70,000^‡
Spain (PROMUSICAE)^[39]	Platinum	60,000^‡
United Kingdom (BPI)^[40] with "I'll Be Your Baby Tonight"	Gold	400,000^‡
United States (RIAA)^[41]	2× Platinum	2,000,000^‡
^‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history[edit]

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)	Ref.
United States	January 28, 2002	Triple A radio	Blue Note	^[42]
United Kingdom	May 13, 2002	CD	Parlophone	^[43]
United States	June 24, 2002	Hot adult contemporary radio	Blue Note	^[44]
United States	August 5, 2002	Contemporary hit radio	Blue Note	^[45]
Australia	February 24, 2003	CD	Parlophone	^[46]
United Kingdom (re-release)	September 1, 2003	CD	Parlophone	^[47]

References[edit]

^ Mason, Stewart. "Norah Jones – Don't Know Why". AllMusic. Retrieved October 24, 2021.

^ "The 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born: 51-100 Article on Blender :: The Ultimate Guide to Music and More". 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)

^ "'Norah Jones' Articles at know your music". know your music.

^ "Come Away With Me Has Never Sounded Better". Analog Planet. January 17, 2003.

^ "Who's Floyd Cramer?". Magnolia Banner News. November 28, 2017.

^ Don't Know Why (UK CD single liner notes). Norah Jones. Parlophone. 2002. CDCL 836, 7243 5 50933 2 5.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)

^ Don't Know Why (Dutch CD single liner notes). Norah Jones. EMI Records. 2002. 7243 5506322 9.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)

^ Don't Know Why (French CD single liner notes). Norah Jones. Blue Note Records, Capitol Records. 2002. 7243 551342 2 6.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)

^ Don't Know Why (Australian CD single liner notes). Norah Jones. Parlophone. 2003. 7243 5 52027 2 7.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)

^ Don't Know Why / I'll Be Your Baby Tonight (UK CD single liner notes). Norah Jones. Parlophone. 2003. CDCL 848, 7243 5 52938 2 4.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)

^ 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)

^ "Norah Jones – Don't Know Why". ARIA Top 50 Singles.

^ "Norah Jones – Don't Know Why" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.

^ "HR Top 20 Lista". Croatian Radiotelevision. Archived from the original on April 24, 2003. Retrieved March 7, 2021.

^ "Norah Jones – Don't Know Why" (in French). Les classement single.

^ "Norah Jones – Don't Know Why" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.

^ "Norah Jones – Don't Know Why" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.

^ "Norah Jones – Don't Know Why". Top 40 Singles.

^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 22, 2019.

^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 22, 2019.

^ "Norah Jones Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.

^ "Norah Jones Chart History (Adult Alternative Songs)". Billboard.

^ "Norah Jones Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard.

^ "Norah Jones Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard.

^ "Norah Jones Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard.

^ "Billboard Japan Hot Overseas: October 19, 2022". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved October 19, 2022.

^ "Most-Played AC Songs of 2002". Airplay Monitor. Vol. 10, no. 51. December 20, 2002. p. 19.

^ "Most-Played Adult Top 40 Songs of 2002". Airplay Monitor. Vol. 10, no. 51. December 20, 2002. p. 16.

^ "The 2002 Allstars: Most-Played Triple-A Songs". Airplay Monitor. Vol. 10, no. 51. December 20, 2002. p. 52.

^ "ARIA Top 100 Singles for 2003". ARIA. Retrieved April 13, 2021.

^ "Billboard Top 100 – 2003". Billboardtop100of.com. Retrieved April 8, 2022.

^ "The Year in Music: Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks". Billboard. Vol. 115, no. 52. December 27, 2003. p. YE-80. Retrieved December 18, 2023.

^ "The Year in Charts 2003: Most-Played Adult Top 40 Songs". Airplay Monitor. Vol. 11, no. 51. December 19, 2003. p. 22.

^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2016 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved July 14, 2022.

^ "Danish single certifications". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved July 14, 2022.

^ "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".

^ "Spanish single certifications – Norah Jones – Don't Know Why". El portal de Música. Productores de Música de España. Retrieved January 29, 2024.

^ "British single certifications – Norah Jones – Don't Know Why/I'll Be Your Baby Tonight". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved April 21, 2023.

^ "American single certifications – Norah Jones – Don't Know Why". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved November 24, 2021.

^ "Going for Adds" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1437. January 25, 2002. p. 31. Retrieved May 8, 2021.

^ "New Releases – For Week Starting 13 May 2002: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. May 11, 2002. p. 27. Retrieved August 26, 2021.

^ "Going for Adds" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1458. June 21, 2002. p. 33. Retrieved May 8, 2021.

^ "Going for Adds" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1464. August 2, 2002. p. 31. Retrieved May 8, 2021.

^ "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.

^ "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. August 30, 2003. p. 23. Retrieved September 8, 2021.

External links[edit]

"Don't Know Why" reviewed by Ted Gioia (Jazz.com)

Norah Jones

Studio albums

Compilation albums

Extended plays

First Sessions

Collaborative albums

New York City
El Madmo
Here We Go Again: Celebrating the Genius of Ray Charles
Rome
Foreverly

Singles

Concert tours

Little Broken Hearts Tour

Wax Poetic
The Little Willies (The Little Willies
For the Good Times)
Puss n Boots (No Fools, No Fun)
Ravi Shankar (father)
Anoushka Shankar (half-sister)
Lee Alexander
"Everybody Needs a Best Friend"

Category

Awards for "Don't Know Why"

v t e Grammy Award for Record of the Year
1950s	"Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu (Volare)" – Domenico Modugno (1958) "Mack the Knife" – Bobby Darin (1959)
1960s	"Theme from A Summer Place" – Percy Faith (1960) "Moon River" – Henry Mancini (1961) "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" – Tony Bennett (1962) "Days of Wine and Roses" – Henry Mancini (1963) "The Girl from Ipanema" – Astrud Gilberto & Stan Getz (1964) "A Taste of Honey" – Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass (1965) "Strangers in the Night" – Frank Sinatra (1966) "Up, Up and Away" – The 5th Dimension (1967) "Mrs. Robinson" – Simon & Garfunkel (1968) "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In" – The 5th Dimension (1969)
1970s	"Bridge over Troubled Water" – Simon & Garfunkel (1970) "It's Too Late" – Carole King (1971) "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" – Roberta Flack (1972) "Killing Me Softly with His Song" – Roberta Flack (1973) "I Honestly Love You" – Olivia Newton-John (1974) "Love Will Keep Us Together" – Captain & Tennille (1975) "This Masquerade" – George Benson (1976) "Hotel California" – Eagles (1977) "Just the Way You Are" – Billy Joel (1978) "What a Fool Believes" – The Doobie Brothers (1979)
1980s	"Sailing" – Christopher Cross (1980) "Bette Davis Eyes" – Kim Carnes (1981) "Rosanna" – Toto (1982) "Beat It" – Michael Jackson (1983) "What's Love Got to Do with It" – Tina Turner (1984) "We Are the World" – USA for Africa (1985) "Higher Love" – Steve Winwood (1986) "Graceland" – Paul Simon (1987) "Don't Worry, Be Happy" – Bobby McFerrin (1988) "Wind Beneath My Wings" – Bette Midler (1989)
1990s	"Another Day in Paradise" – Phil Collins (1990) "Unforgettable" – Natalie Cole with Nat King Cole (1991) "Tears in Heaven" – Eric Clapton (1992) "I Will Always Love You" – Whitney Houston (1993) "All I Wanna Do" – Sheryl Crow (1994) "Kiss from a Rose" – Seal (1995) "Change the World" – Eric Clapton (1996) "Sunny Came Home" – Shawn Colvin (1997) "My Heart Will Go On" – Celine Dion (1998) "Smooth" – Santana featuring Rob Thomas (1999)
2000s	"Beautiful Day" – U2 (2000) "Walk On" – U2 (2001) "Don't Know Why" – Norah Jones (2002) "Clocks" – Coldplay (2003) "Here We Go Again" – Ray Charles & Norah Jones (2004) "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" – Green Day (2005) "Not Ready to Make Nice" – Dixie Chicks (2006) "Rehab" – Amy Winehouse (2007) "Please Read the Letter" – Alison Krauss & Robert Plant (2008) "Use Somebody" – Kings of Leon (2009)
2010s	"Need You Now" – Lady Antebellum (2010) "Rolling in the Deep" – Adele (2011) "Somebody That I Used to Know" – Gotye featuring Kimbra (2012) "Get Lucky" – Daft Punk featuring Pharrell Williams & Nile Rodgers (2013) "Stay with Me" (Darkchild version) – Sam Smith (2014) "Uptown Funk" – Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars (2015) "Hello" – Adele (2016) "24K Magic" – Bruno Mars (2017) "This Is America" – Childish Gambino (2018) "Bad Guy" – Billie Eilish (2019)
2020s	"Everything I Wanted" – Billie Eilish (2020) "Leave the Door Open" – Silk Sonic (2021) "About Damn Time" byLizzo (2022) "Flowers" – Miley Cyrus (2023)

v t e Grammy Award for Song of the Year
1950s	"Nel blu, dipinto di blu (Volare)" – Domenico Modugno (songwriter) (1958) "The Battle of New Orleans" – Jimmy Driftwood (songwriter) (1959)
1960s	"Theme of Exodus" – Ernest Gold (songwriter) (1960) "Moon River" – Johnny Mercer & Henry Mancini (songwriters) (1961) "What Kind of Fool Am I?" – Leslie Bricusse & Anthony Newley (songwriters) (1962) "Days of Wine and Roses" – Johnny Mercer & Henry Mancini (songwriters) (1963) "Hello, Dolly!" – Jerry Herman (songwriter) (1964) "The Shadow of Your Smile" – Paul Francis Webster & Johnny Mandel (songwriters) (1965) "Michelle" – John Lennon & Paul McCartney (songwriters) (1966) "Up, Up, and Away" – Jimmy Webb (songwriter) (1967) "Little Green Apples" – Bobby Russell (songwriter) (1968) "Games People Play" – Joe South (songwriter) (1969)
1970s	"Bridge over Troubled Water" – Paul Simon (songwriter) (1970) "You've Got a Friend" – Carole King (songwriter) (1971) "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" – Ewan MacColl (songwriter) (1972) "Killing Me Softly with His Song" – Norman Gimbel & Charles Fox (songwriters) (1973) "The Way We Were" – Alan and Marilyn Bergman & Marvin Hamlisch (songwriters) (1974) "Send In the Clowns" – Stephen Sondheim (songwriter) (1975) "I Write the Songs" – Bruce Johnston (songwriter) (1976) "Evergreen (Love Theme from A Star Is Born)" – Barbra Streisand & Paul Williams (songwriters) / "You Light Up My Life" – Joe Brooks (songwriter) (1977) "Just the Way You Are" – Billy Joel (songwriter) (1978) "What a Fool Believes" – Kenny Loggins & Michael McDonald (songwriters) (1979)
1980s	"Sailing" – Christopher Cross (songwriter) (1980) "Bette Davis Eyes" – Donna Weiss & Jackie DeShannon (songwriters) (1981) "Always on My Mind" – Johnny Christopher, Mark James & Wayne Carson (songwriters) (1982) "Every Breath You Take" – Sting (songwriter) (1983) "What's Love Got to Do with It" – Graham Lyle & Terry Britten (songwriters) (1984) "We Are the World" – Michael Jackson & Lionel Richie (songwriters) (1985) "That's What Friends Are For" – Burt Bacharach & Carole Bayer Sager (songwriters) (1986) "Somewhere Out There" – James Horner, Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil (songwriters) (1987) "Don't Worry, Be Happy" – Bobby McFerrin (songwriter) (1988) "Wind Beneath My Wings" – Larry Henley & Jeff Silbar (songwriters) (1989)
1990s	"From a Distance" – Julie Gold (songwriter) (1990) "Unforgettable" – Irving Gordon (songwriter) (1991) "Tears in Heaven" – Eric Clapton & Will Jennings (songwriters) (1992) "A Whole New World" – Alan Menken & Tim Rice (songwriters) (1993) "Streets of Philadelphia" – Bruce Springsteen (songwriter) (1994) "Kiss from a Rose" – Seal (songwriter) (1995) "Change the World" – Gordon Kennedy, Wayne Kirkpatrick & Tommy Sims (songwriters) (1996) "Sunny Came Home" – Shawn Colvin & John Leventhal (songwriters) (1997) "My Heart Will Go On" – James Horner & Will Jennings (songwriters) (1998) "Smooth" – Itaal Shur & Rob Thomas (songwriters) (1999)
2000s	"Beautiful Day" – Adam Clayton, David Evans, Laurence Mullen & Paul Hewson (songwriters) (2000) "Fallin'" – Alicia Keys (songwriter) (2001) "Don't Know Why" – Jesse Harris (songwriter) (2002) "Dance with My Father" – Richard Marx & Luther Vandross (songwriters) (2003) "Daughters" – John Mayer (songwriter) (2004) "Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own" – Adam Clayton, David Evans, Laurence Mullen & Paul Hewson (songwriters) (2005) "Not Ready to Make Nice" – Emily Burns Erwin, Martha Maguire, Natalie Maines Pasdar & Dan Wilson (songwriters) (2006) "Rehab" – Amy Winehouse (songwriter) (2007) "Viva la Vida" – Guy Berryman, Jonathan Buckland, William Champion & Christopher Martin (songwriters) (2008) "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" – Thaddis "Kuk" Harrell, Beyoncé Knowles, Terius Nash & Christopher Stewart (songwriters) (2009)
2010s	"Need You Now" – Dave Haywood, Josh Kear, Charles Kelley & Hillary Scott (songwriters) (2010) "Rolling in the Deep" – Adele Adkins & Paul Epworth (songwriters) (2011) "We Are Young" – Jack Antonoff, Jeff Bhasker, Andrew Dost & Nate Ruess (songwriters) (2012) "Royals" – Joel Little & Ella Yelich O'Connor (songwriters) (2013) "Stay with Me" (Darkchild version) – James Napier, William Phillips & Sam Smith (songwriters) (2014) "Thinking Out Loud" – Ed Sheeran & Amy Wadge (songwriters) (2015) "Hello" – Adele Adkins & Greg Kurstin (songwriters) (2016) "That's What I Like" – Christopher Brody Brown, James Fauntleroy, Philip Lawrence, Bruno Mars, Ray Charles McCullough II, Jeremy Reeves, Ray Romulus & Jonathan Yip (songwriters) (2017) "This Is America" – Donald Glover, Ludwig Göransson & Jeffery Lamar Williams (songwriters) (2018) "Bad Guy" – Billie Eilish O'Connell & Finneas O'Connell (songwriters) (2019)
2020s	"I Can't Breathe" – Dernst Emile II, H.E.R. & Tiara Thomas (songwriters) (2020) "Leave the Door Open" – Brandon Anderson, Christopher Brody Brown, Dernst Emile II & Bruno Mars (songwriters) (2021) "Just Like That" – Bonnie Raitt (songwriter) (2022) "What Was I Made For?" – Billie Eilish O'Connell & Finneas O'Connell (songwriters) (2023)