Songoftheday 1/11/24 - I waited until I saw the sun, I don't know why I didn't come...

 

 

"Don't Know Why" - Norah Jones

from the album Come Away With Me (2002)

Billboard Hot 100 peak: #30 (one week)

Weeks in the Top-40: 6

 

Today's song comes from Norah Jones, whose father was renowned world music artist Ravi Shankar. However, especially after moving from New York City to Texas after the separation of her parents, it was her mother Sue Jones, a music promoter, whose jazz-heavy musical tastes imprinted on Norah, who excelled in the genre in school and college. Jones eventually returned to the Big Apple to work the lounge circuit, where she ended up collaborating with jazz guitarist/producer/songwriter Peter Malick, who performed live with her singing and recorded sessions with her (that would eventually be released as their own album). 

One of her other side gigs got her noticed by Blue Note Records, who signed Norah on as a solo artist. After putting out an EP The First Sessions in 2001, which was only available at her shows and online for a short time, a year later Jones released her proper debut album Come Away With Me. Four songs from the EP were redone for the record, including the lead single "Don't Know Why". Written by Jesse Harris, who originally met Norah in college, the lyrics deceptively stray from the soft production, with Norah singing about her regret on not staying the course with an old love, and wallowing in the pain of knowing she could have had it good. Norah's breathy vocals remind me of the conversational yet succinct style of Carole King, even though their tones are totally different, but nonetheless captivate me. It's not a full story, it's more of a mood, yet I still get the picture of the emotion without having to know the total background, just that when the chance came "she didn't come". The musical backdrop (including Jones on piano) from producer Arif Mardin and engineer Jay Newland is much more simple and traditional than American pop radio had going on at the time, but it made the performance of a young person that much more notable. Nevertheless, the song, which was originally released at the beginning of 2002, didn't get much radio love until the award nominations came in, and suddenly Norah found herself on the crest of the first wave of what would become "Starbucks music", the blend of genres aimed at the discerning adult population that wanted something meaty to soundtrack their soccer-mom lives...

"Don't Know Why" eventually reached the top-40 on Billboard magazine's Hot 100 in March of 2003, after she rolled home with a truckload of Grammys. On the radio, the song peaked at #32 on Billboard's Mainstream Top-40 airplay chart, #8 on the older-skewing Adult Top-40 format, and #4 on the Adult Contempoary (or "easy listening") list, spending a hefty 66 weeks on the latter. It also went to #5 on the nascent Adult Album Alternative (or "Triple-A") Rock format in sister publication Radio & Records. Internationally, the single hit the top ten in Australia (#5) and Croatia (#6), and made the top-40 in New Zealand at #24, while only becoming a minor hit in the United Kingdom at #59. The Come Away With Me album, originally released in January of 2002, made the Billboard 200 initially that March and eventually climbed the way to #1 in January of 2003. It stayed at the top for 4 weeks and went on to rack up 165 weeks on the list and sold over twelve million copies. 

At the Grammy Awards in 2003, Norah won five trophies, with "Don't Know Why" winning for Record of the Year and Best Pop Female Vocal Performance, the Come Away With Me set taking Album Of The Year and Best Pop Vocal Album, and Jones getting Best New Artist. "Don't Know Why" also won writer Jesse Harris the Song Of The Year award, as well as Arif Mardin for Producer of the Year. Jay Newland and S Husky Hoskulds also won for their engineering work on the album. 

While the Grammys gave Norah a ton of exposure, and sold a shit-ton of albums, after mainstream pop radio dipped their toes into "Don't Know Why", programmers pulled right out like a toddler in a cold pool. The next single promoted to American radio from the album was title track "Come Away With Me", written by Jones herself with some really nice country-western touches. However while Adult Top-40 stations lingered with the song on the chart for a half year with a high of #21, it didn't even come near the Hot 100 (it did become a surprise hit in Canada, reaching #2 on the sales chart there). That was followed by a cover of the song "Turn Me On", which was a B-side for minor-grade teen idol Mark Dinning, which also appeared in the movie Love Actually. But again while it scored another top ten sales hit in Canada at #10, and was a minor hit in the UK at #80, it was ignored in the States. Another cut from the record, "Feelin' The Same Way" was released in Britain as a single, where it made it to #72, while her take on Bob Dylan's "I'll Be Your Baby Tonight" was paired with "Don't Know Why" on a British single and peaked at #67. The Dylan song was also included in the "deluxe" version of the record sold on iTunes. 

Later in 2003, Peter Malick released an album which featured his performances with Jones called New York City, which went to #54 on the Billboard 200 and topped their Blues Albums chart. One of the songs on the record, "Strange Transmissions", was remixed for the dancefloor, and got the singer her first and so far only appearance on Billboard's Dance Club Play chart at #23. Also that year, Norah came together with country music legend Willie Nelson for a cover of "Wurlitzer Prize (I Don't Want To Get Over You)" that appeared on the record Lonesome On'ry & Mean: A Tribute To Waylon Jennings. The result was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Country Vocal Collaboration the following year, which went to another pairing of soft-pop star and country artist, this time with veteran James Taylor and more recently minted bluegrass queen Alison Krauss on "How's The World Treating You". That was also from a tribute album, this time for the Louvin Brothers.

Norah returned with her own sophomore album Feels Like Home in 2004, which spent even more time atop the Billboard 200 at six weeks, though with less than half the total time on the list ended up selling over four million copies (still a very respectable number that would be revered in today's climate). Again the lead single "Sunrise", written by Jones with bassist Lee Alexander and produced by Mardin, was a hit on the older-skewing radio formats of Adult Top-40 (#18), Adult Contemporary (#21), and Triple-A Rock (#1 for six weeks), but pop radio was totally averse to anything "adult" at the time. Internationally it did much better, topped the list in Croatia, and landing her biggest hit in the UK at #30. Second release "What Am I To You?" also topped the Triple-A Rock format for a couple of weeks. But she would still get love from the music business and critics, with "Sunrise" winning the Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal, and album track "Creepin' In" with Dolly Parton being Norah nominated for Best Country Collaboration again (losing to Loretta Lynn and Jack White's "Portland Oregon" from her comeback album Van Lear Rose). The Feels Like Home album was also up for Best Pop Vocal Album, which went to Ray Charles for his duets album Genius Loves Company. But as a much better consolation, her collab with Charles on his set, a redo of his classic "Here We Go Again", won her trophies for Record Of The Year as well as Best Pop Vocal Collaboration. It also "bubbled under" the Hot 100 at #113 after it won. 

 

As a side project, Jones recorded an eponymous alternative country album with a band called the Little Willies which went to #48 on the Billboard 200 and #10 on the Country Albums list.

Jones' third solo album, Not Too Late, arrived in 2007, with Alexander taking over as producer after the death of Arif Mardin. The first single from the record, "Thinking About You", earned the singer her second (and so far most recent) placing on Billboard's Hot 100 at #82, while spending three weeks at #1 on the Triple-A Rock Airplay chart. The album scored a hat trick with three weeks at #1 on the Billboard 200, going on to sell over two million copies. While the record didn't garner any Grammy nominations, Norah found herself up for two collaboration awards, in the pop category with Foo Fighters with "Virginia Moon" from their In Your Honor album (which lost to Gorillaz and De La Soul for "Feel Good Inc."), as well as the country category with Willie Nelson on "Dreams Come True" from his It Always Will Be record (which went home with married couple Faith Hill and Tim McGraw for "Like We Never Loved At All"). The former was included on her collection of duets, called Featuring..., which made the top-40 on the Billboard 200 at #29 in 2010. But also in 2007, Norah participated in the tribute album to Joni Mitchell River, helmed by jazz artist Herbie Hancock, which ended up a surprise win for Album of the Year at the Grammys in 2008. 

 

The following year, Norah came back with her fourth studio album on Blue Note Records, The Fall. The lead single from the set, "Chasing Pirates", found Norah a way back on Adult Contemporary radio, peaking at #13, while again leading the Triple-A Rock airplay list for six weeks, as well as #38 on the main Rock Aiplay chart. The song even "bubbled under" the Hot 100 at #110. The album, which pointed in a more pop direction, peaked at #3 on the Billboard 200, selling over a million copies. "Chasing Pirates" scored a Grammy nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, losing to Lady Gaga for her "Bad Romance".

 

Jones reunited with Nelson in 2010 for a version of the song "Baby Its Cold Outside" from his standards set American Classic. It ended up becoming her sole appearance on Billboard's Country Songs airplay chart at #55, and was also nominated for the Best Pop Vocal Collaboration, which went to Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat for "Lucky". 

 

There were two albums in 2012 that featured Norah - a second Little Willies album called For The Good Times that hit #45 on the Billboard 200, and her own fifth solo release Little Broken Hearts, which was produced by Brian "Danger Mouse" Burton.  From the record "Happy Pills" climbed to #4 on the Triple-A Rock chart as well as #13 on the Adult Contemporary radio list and #44 on the main Rock Airplay tally. On the Billboard 200, the album spent a week at #2.

The next few years found Jones on more side projects, with 2013 album with punk-pop icon Billie Joe Armstrong from Green Day Foreverly which hit #19 on the Billboard 200, followed by yet another alternative country band she joined call Puss N' Boots, whose No Fools, No Fun made it to #83 on that sales list. 

Day Breaks was Norah's sixth album in 2016, saw the singer returning to her gentle and simple style from her start, and it took a week at #2 on the Billboard 200. The big single from the record, "Carry On", climbed to #8 on the Triple-A Rock radio chart.

After a four year break, Jones returned in 2020 with Pick Me Up Off The Floor, which was a jazz record but incorporated elements from all the other genres. The set came in at #87 on the Billboard 200 (a sign of the streaming times). The single "I'm Alive" was her most recent stint on the Triple-A Rock chart at #24. It was re-released in a deluxe version, including a duet with Mavis Staples, "I'll Be Gone", which was nominated for the Best American Roots Performance Grammy, which went to John Prine's "I Remember Everything". The following year, Norah released a live album, Til We Meet Again, which also got a Grammy nomination for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album, which went home with Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga for Love For Sale.

Norah's most recent album was a holiday set, I Dream Of Christmas, which placed at #100 on the Billboard 200 and #4 on the Holiday Albums and Jazz Albums sales charts. Two tracks from the record reached the Adult Contemporary radio chart in 2021, with "Christmas Don't Be Late" coming at #26 and "Christmas Is Calling (Jolly Jones)" placing at #29. The album was nominated for a Grammy for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album, losing to Michael Buble for Higher. 

(10/10)

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Here's Norah in concert in Amsterdam in 2007...

A year later, Jones reworked the song for Sesame Street...

Here's a really nice jazz take from her Live At Ronnie Scotts DVD....

And finally, from atop the Empire State building to commemorate the 20th anniversary re-release of Come Away With Me...

Up tomorrow: A New York rap legend gathers the children for a pep talk.