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"Because of You" is a 2007 song by singer and songwriter Ne-Yo. It is the first single from his Second album of the same name. The single started radio play the week of February 4, 2007.
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 #1 hit So Sick. It reached a peak at number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It also peaked at number 4 in the UK.
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's music video 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 15 million views on YouTube.
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 lyrics describe 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'.
Ne-Yo has stated that the song is a continuation from the 2007 single Sexy Love.
Saxophonist Eric Darius covered the track on his 2008 album, Goin' All Out.
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