Because of You (Ne-Yo album)

"Because of You"
Because of You
Studio album by Ne-Yo
Released	April 25, 2007
Recorded	2006–07
Genre	R&B; hip hop soul; Pop;
Length	49:57
Label	Def Jam; Compound;
Producer	Jay-Z (exec.); Timothy Bloom; Ron "Neff-U" Feemster; The Heavyweights; Eric Hudson; Knobody; Ne-Yo; Stargate; Syience; Shea Taylor;
Ne-Yo chronology
Singles from Because of You
	"Because of You"; Released: March 27, 2007; "Do You"; Released: September 22, 2007; "Can We Chill"; Released: September 29, 2007; "Go On Girl"; Released: December 4, 2007;

Because of You is the second studio album by American singer and songwriter Ne-Yo. It was released by Compound Entertainment and Def Jam Recordings on April 25, 2007 in the United States. Ne-Yo reteamed with many previous collaborators to work on the follow-up to his debut album In My Own Words (2006), involving Ron "Neff-U" Feemster, StarGate, and Shea Taylor, as well as new and upcoming musicians such as The Heavyweights, Eric Hudson, Timothy Bloom, Knobody, and Syience. Next to them, Because of You features guest vocal contributions from rapper Jay-Z on "Crazy" and fellow R&B singer Jennifer Hudson on "Leaving Tonight".

Because of You debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts, selling over 250,000 copies in its first week, and was later certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It also reached the top ten in Canada and the United Kingdom but was commercially less successful than In My Own Words elsewhere. Released to generally positive reviews from most music critics, who complimented the album for the advancement over its predecessor,[1] it won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary R&B Album at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards in February 2008.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	74/100[1]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
The A.V. Club	B[3]
Entertainment Weekly	B+[4]
Los Angeles Times	[5]
PopMatters	[6]
Robert Christgau	[7]
Rolling Stone	[8]
Slant Magazine	[9]
Stylus Magazine	C+[10]
Yahoo! Music UK	[11]

At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from critics, the album received an average score of 74, which indicates "generally favorable" reviews, based on 14 critics.[1] PopMatters's Colin McGuire found that with Because of You Ne-Yo "relishes in his disgust for a sophomore slump by fighting back with an album that leaves his first solo effort so far in the dust". He felt that the album "might end up being the best R&B album of the year."[6] Similarly, AllMusic editor Andy Kellman noted that "the key to the album's potency and freshness is its differences from In My Own Words [...] Making it to number one on your own, writing a major hit for one of the planet's most popular entertainers, and qualifying as the heir to R. Kelly can have that effect."[2]

In his review for The A.V. Club, Nathan Rabin wrote that the album "is a real sleeper that reveals considerable strengths upon repeat listens [...] Best of all, with a running time of just over 59 minutes, Because of You is largely devoid of filler, and it never threatens to wear out its welcome."[3] Simon Vozick-Levinson from Entertainment Weekly noted that "indeed, the album is an unmistakable attempt to channel Michael Jackson's early work such as Off the Wall [...] and the effort often pays off beautifully [...] Ne-Yo's lithe falsetto puts the many others who've been labeled Jackson-esque to shame."[4] Slant Magazine also compared the album's sensual ballads to Janet Jackson.[9] Kelefa Sanneh, writer for The New York Times, found that Ne-Yo "got a silky voice and a clear knack for chronicling obsessive love and lust; maybe one day he’ll create a half-crazed R&B masterpiece. But in the meantime, Because of You is a likable little album: 12 girl-crazy songs from a boy who can stop anytime he wants. Honest."[12]

Commercial performance

Because of You debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, selling 251,000 copies on its first week of release.[13] Because of You is Ne-Yo's second number-one album. The album has shipped one million units in the US. It has sold over 1,630,000 copies in the United States alone. It spawned four singles: "Because Of You", "Do You", "Can We Chill", and "Go On Girl". "Leaving Tonight" was released as a radio single.

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Because of You"	Shaffer Smith Tor Erik Hermansen Mikkel S. Eriksen	Stargate Ne-Yo^[a]	4:26
2.	"Crazy" (featuring Jay-Z)	Smith Ron "Neff-U" Feemster Shawn Carter	Feemster	4:21
3.	"Can We Chill"	Smith Eric Hudson	Hudson Ne-Yo^[a]	4:24
4.	"Do You"	Smith Marcus Allen Melvin Sparkman	The Heavyweights Ne-Yo^[a]	3:48
5.	"Addicted"	Smith Shea Taylor	Taylor Ne-Yo^[a]	3:46
6.	"Leaving Tonight" (featuring Jennifer Hudson)	Smith Jerome Foster Joe Davi Smokey Robinson Marvin Tarplin Pamela Moffett-Young	Knobody Ne-Yo^[a]	5:15
7.	"Ain't Thinking About You"	Smith Hudson	Hudson Ne-Yo^[a]	3:41
8.	"Sex With My Ex"	Smith Taylor	Taylor Ne-Yo^[a]	3:39
9.	"Angel"	Smith Reginald Perry	Syience Ne-Yo^[a]	3:28
10.	"Make It Work"	Smith Taylor	Taylor Ne-Yo^[a]	4:09
11.	"Say It"	Smith Timothy Bloom	Bloom Ne-Yo^[a]	4:41
12.	"Go On Girl"	Smith Hermansen Eriksen Espen Lind Amund Bjørklund	Stargate Ne-Yo^[a]	4:21

UK bonus track
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
13.	"That's What It Does"	Smith Taylor	Taylor Ne-Yo^[a]	3:32

Japanese bonus tracks
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
13.	"That's What It Does"	Smith Taylor	Taylor Ne-Yo^[a]	3:32
14.	"Spotlight"	Smith Hermansen Eriksen	Stargate Ne-Yo^[a]	4:04

Notes

^{^[a]} signifies a co-producer
"Leaving Tonight" contains elements of "Baby Come Close" written by Smokey Robinson, Marvin Tarplin, Pamela Moffett-Young, and performed by Smokey Robinson.

Personnel

Credits adapted from album’s liner notes.[14]

Marcus Allen – producer (track 4)
David Barnett – viola (tracks 4, 11)
Timothy "Keys" Bloom – producer (track 11)
Jeff Chestek – engineer (track 4)
Tom Coyne – mastering
Joe Davi – guitar and bass (track 6)
Kevin "KD" Davis – mixing (tracks 2–11)
Andrew Dawson – engineer (track 9)
Mikkel S. Eriksen – producer, engineer, and all instruments (tracks 1, 12)
Ron "Neff-U” Feemstar – producer (track 2)
Larry Gold – string arrangement and production (tracks 4, 11)
Jaymz Hardy-Martin III – engineer (tracks 4, 11)
Tor Erik Hermansen – producer and all instruments (tracks 1, 12)
Ricardo "Slick" Hinkson – assistant engineer (tracks 4, 7, 10, 11)
Bob Horn – engineer (track 2)
Josh Houghkirk – assistant mixing engineer (tracks 1, 12)
Eric Hudson – producer and all instruments (tracks 3, 7)
Jennifer Hudson – vocals (track 6)
Jay-Z – rap (track 2)
Gloria Justen – violin (tracks 4, 11)
Knobody – producer (track 6)
Olga Konopelsky – violin (tracks 4, 11)
Emma Kummrow – violin (tracks 4, 11)
Danielle Laport – additional recording (track 10)
Espen Lind – guitar (track 12)
Jennie Lorenzo – cello (tracks 4, 11)
Ne-Yo – vocals (all tracks), co–producer (tracks 1, 3–12)
Deepu Panjwani – assistant engineer (tracks 4, 7, 10, 11)
Syience – producer (track 9)
Melvin Sparkman – producer (track 4)
Brian Springer – engineer (track 9)
Brian Sumner – engineer (track 3)
Igor Szwec – violin (tracks 4, 11)
Phil Tan – mixing (tracks 1, 12)
Shea Taylor – producer and guitar (tracks 5, 8, 10), saxophone and horns (track 5)
Michael Tocci – engineer (all tracks)
Shane "Bermuda" Woodley – assistant mixing engineer (tracks 2–11), engineer (tracks 3, 7)

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2007)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[15]	39
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[16]	59
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[17]	8
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[18]	30
French Albums (SNEP)[19]	175
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[20]	54
Irish Albums (IRMA)[21]	34
Italian Albums (FIMI)[22]	97
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[23]	34
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[24]	49
UK Albums (OCC)[25]	6
US Billboard 200[26]	1
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[27]	1

Year-end charts

Chart (2007)	Position
UK Albums (OCC)[28]	138
US Billboard 200[29]	53
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[30]	13

Certifications


Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[31]	Gold	100,000^{^}
United States (RIAA)[32]	Platinum	1,000,000^{^}
^*sales figures based on certification alone ^{^}shipments figures based on certification alone

Release history

Table of release dates, formats, editions and record labels
Region	Date	Format	Editions	Label
Japan	April 25, 2007	CD, digital download	Standard	Def Jam, Compound
Australia	April 27, 2007
Europe	April 27, 2007
United Kingdom	April 30, 2007
United States	April 25, 2007
Canada	May 26, 2007
Sweden	May 26, 2007

References

"Because of You". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
Kellman, Andy. "Because of You - Ne-Yo". AllMusic. Retrieved November 18, 2009.
Rabin, Nathan (May 22, 2007). "Ne-Yo: Because of You". The A.V. Club. The Onion. Retrieved November 18, 2009.
Vozick-Levinson, Simon (April 22, 2007). "Because of You Review". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. Retrieved November 18, 2009.
Kim, Serena (April 29, 2007). "Tori's torn in pieces". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 18, 2009.
McGuire, Colin (June 7, 2007). "Ne-Yo: Because of You". PopMatters. Retrieved November 18, 2009.
Christgau, Robert. "CG: Ne-Yo". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved November 26, 2012.
Sheffield, Rob (May 14, 2007). "Ne-Yo: Because Of You". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Archived from the original on May 26, 2007. Retrieved November 27, 2012.
Cinquemani, Sal (April 29, 2007). "Ne-Yo: Because Of You". Slant Magazine. Retrieved November 27, 2012.
Soto, Alfred (May 9, 2007). "Ne-Yo - Because of You - Review". Stylus Magazine. Retrieved November 18, 2009.
Britten, Anna (April 30, 2007). "Ne-Yo - 'Because Of You'". Yahoo! Music UK. Archived from the original on May 18, 2007. Retrieved November 27, 2012.
Sanneh, Kelefa (April 30, 2007). "New CDs". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
HITS Daily Double
Because of You (booklet). Def Jam. 2007.
"Australiancharts.com – Ne-Yo – Because of You". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
"Ultratop.be – Ne-Yo – Because of You" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
"Ne-Yo Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
"Dutchcharts.nl – Ne-Yo – Because of You" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
"Lescharts.com – Ne-Yo – Because of You". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
"Offiziellecharts.de – Ne-Yo – Because of You" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
"Irish-charts.com – Discography Ne-Yo". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
"Italiancharts.com – Ne-Yo – Because of You". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
"Charts.nz – Ne-Yo – Because of You". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
"Swisscharts.com – Ne-Yo – Because of You". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
"Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
"Ne-Yo Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
"Ne-Yo Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
"Top Selling Albums of 2007" (PDF). UK Charts Plus. 2007. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
"Billboard 200 Year-End 2007". Billboard. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
"Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Year-End 2007". Billboard. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
"British album certifications – Ne-Yo – Because of You". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type Because of You in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
"American album certifications – Ne-Yo – Because of You". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH.

External links

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gollark: Allegedly they apply security updates.

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[metacritic-1] "Because of You". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved March 31, 2019.

[Kellman-2] Kellman, Andy. "Because of You - Ne-Yo". AllMusic. Retrieved November 18, 2009.

[Rabin-3] Rabin, Nathan (May 22, 2007). "Ne-Yo: Because of You". The A.V. Club. The Onion. Retrieved November 18, 2009.

[Levinson-4] Vozick-Levinson, Simon (April 22, 2007). "Because of You Review". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. Retrieved November 18, 2009.

[Kim-5] Kim, Serena (April 29, 2007). "Tori's torn in pieces". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 18, 2009.

[McGuire-6] McGuire, Colin (June 7, 2007). "Ne-Yo: Because of You". PopMatters. Retrieved November 18, 2009.

[Christgau-7] Christgau, Robert. "CG: Ne-Yo". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved November 26, 2012.

[Sheffield-8] Sheffield, Rob (May 14, 2007). "Ne-Yo: Because Of You". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Archived from the original on May 26, 2007. Retrieved November 27, 2012.

[Cinquemani-9] Cinquemani, Sal (April 29, 2007). "Ne-Yo: Because Of You". Slant Magazine. Retrieved November 27, 2012.

[Soto-10] Soto, Alfred (May 9, 2007). "Ne-Yo - Because of You - Review". Stylus Magazine. Retrieved November 18, 2009.

[Britten-11] Britten, Anna (April 30, 2007). "Ne-Yo - 'Because Of You'". Yahoo! Music UK. Archived from the original on May 18, 2007. Retrieved November 27, 2012.

[12] Sanneh, Kelefa (April 30, 2007). "New CDs". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved March 31, 2019.

[13] HITS Daily Double

[14] Because of You (booklet). Def Jam. 2007.

[ac_Australia_Ne-Yo-15] "Australiancharts.com – Ne-Yo – Because of You". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 31, 2019.

[ac_Flanders_Ne-Yo-16] "Ultratop.be – Ne-Yo – Because of You" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 31, 2019.

[ac_BillboardCanada_Ne-Yo-17] "Ne-Yo Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved March 31, 2019.

[ac_Netherlands_Ne-Yo-18] "Dutchcharts.nl – Ne-Yo – Because of You" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 31, 2019.

[ac_France_Ne-Yo-19] "Lescharts.com – Ne-Yo – Because of You". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 31, 2019.

[ac_Germany4_Ne-Yo-20] "Offiziellecharts.de – Ne-Yo – Because of You" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved March 31, 2019.

[ac_Ireland2_Ne-Yo-21] "Irish-charts.com – Discography Ne-Yo". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 31, 2019.

[ac_Italy_Ne-Yo-22] "Italiancharts.com – Ne-Yo – Because of You". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 31, 2019.

[ac_New_Zealand_Ne-Yo-23] "Charts.nz – Ne-Yo – Because of You". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 31, 2019.

[ac_Switzerland_Ne-Yo-24] "Swisscharts.com – Ne-Yo – Because of You". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 31, 2019.

[ac_UK2_-25] "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 31, 2019.

[ac_Billboard200_Ne-Yo-26] "Ne-Yo Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved March 31, 2019.

[ac_BillboardRandBHipHop_Ne-Yo-27] "Ne-Yo Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved March 31, 2019.

[28] "Top Selling Albums of 2007" (PDF). UK Charts Plus. 2007. Retrieved March 31, 2019.

[29] "Billboard 200 Year-End 2007". Billboard. Retrieved March 31, 2019.

[30] "Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Year-End 2007". Billboard. Retrieved March 31, 2019.

[United_KingdomNe-YoBecause_of_YoualbumCertRef-31] "British album certifications – Ne-Yo – Because of You". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type Because of You in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.

[United_StatesNe-YoBecause_of_YoualbumCertRef-32] "American album certifications – Ne-Yo – Because of You". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH.

[a]

Ne-Yo
Discography Awards and nominations
Studio albums	In My Own Words Because of You Year of the Gentleman Libra Scale R.E.D. Non-Fiction Good Man
Compilation albums	Ne-Yo: The Collection
Singles	"Stay" "So Sick" "When You're Mad" "Sexy Love" "Because of You" "Do You" "Can We Chill" "Go On Girl" "Closer" "Miss Independent" "Single" "Mad" "Part of the List" "Never Knew I Needed" "Beautiful Monster" "Champagne Life" "One in a Million" "Lazy Love" "Let Me Love You (Until You Learn to Love Yourself)" "Don't Make Em Like You" "Forever Now" "Incredible" "Money Can't Buy" "She Knows" "Time of Our Lives" "Coming with You" "Two" "Earn Ur Love" "Another Love Song" "Push Back"
Featured singles	"Back Like That" "Make Me Better" "Sexual Healing" "Hate That I Love You" "Bust It Baby (Part 2)" "Finer Things" "By My Side" "Camera Phone" "Knock You Down" "Be on You" "Baby by Me" "Angels Cry" "Super High" "Give Me Everything" "Turn All the Lights On" "Leave You Alone" "Let's Go" "Turn Around" "Play Hard" "Tonight" "Higher Place"
Promotional singles	"The Way You Move"
Other songs	"Friend Like Me" "One Shining Moment"

Grammy Award for Best Progressive R&B Album
Best Contemporary R&B Album (2003–2011)	Ashanti – Ashanti (2003) Dangerously in Love – Beyoncé (2004) Confessions – Usher (2005) The Emancipation of Mimi – Mariah Carey (2006) B'Day – Beyoncé (2007) Because of You – Ne-Yo (2008) Growing Pains – Mary J. Blige (2009) I Am... Sasha Fierce – Beyoncé (2010) Raymond v. Raymond – Usher (2011)
Best Urban Contemporary Album (2013–present)	Channel Orange – Frank Ocean (2013) Unapologetic – Rihanna (2014) Girl – Pharrell Williams (2015) Beauty Behind the Madness – The Weeknd (2016) Lemonade – Beyoncé (2017) Starboy – The Weeknd (2018) Everything Is Love – The Carters (2019) Cuz I Love You (Deluxe) – Lizzo (2020)