"Because of You" by Tony Bennett

Tony Bennett, one of the last and greatest crooners, died yesterday at the age of 96. In tribute to him I then thought I would share what was both his debut single and his first no. 1 hit. "Because of You" was written by Arthur Hammerstein and Dudley Wilkinson in 1940. The first recording of it was by Larry Clinton and His Orchestra, who recorded it on December 12 1940. The song did fairly well, ranking no. 95 for the year 1941.

Tony Bennett recorded his cover of "Because of You" on April 4 1951. Percy Faith did the orchestral backing for Mr. Bennett's version of the song. "Because of You" by Tony Bennett proved to be a massive hit, reaching no. 1 on the Billboard chart and remaining at no. 1 for 10 weeks. It is easy to see why it was such a huge hit. While it was Tony Bennett's first single, on the record he already sounds like an accomplished singer. His rich, expressive baritone is already apparent in his version of "Because of You."

Tony Bennett continued to perform "Because of You" for the rest of his life, and it was part of his repertoire even in his final concerts. According to Tony Bennett's team, he was still singing at his piano the day before he died. The final song he sang was "Because of You."