Why (Annie Lennox song)

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"Why"
Single Why cover.jpg
Single by Annie Lennox
from the album Diva
B-side"Primitive"
Released16 March 1992 (1992-03-16)[1]
Genre
Length4:53
Label
Songwriter(s)Annie Lennox
Producer(s)Stephen Lipson
Annie Lennox singles chronology
"Put a Little Love in Your Heart"
(1988) 		"Why"
(1992) 		"Precious"
(1992)
Music video
"Why?" on YouTube

"Why" is the first solo single of Scottish singer Annie Lennox, released on 16 March 1992. It was taken from her debut solo album, Diva (1992), and reached No. 5 in the United Kingdom. In the United States, "Why" peaked at No. 34 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 6 on the Adult Contemporary chart. It was also a big hit internationally, reaching No. 1 in Italy and peaking within the Top 10 in Belgium, Canada, Ireland and five other countries.

Critical reception[]

"And while the album maybe didn't live up to those hopes, Diva's first single remains an enduring classic. A bold enough move to have your first single be a torch ballad of regret, but this one is a weeper for the ages. It's a musical version of the Kübler-Ross model with Lennox hitting the grief stage as she welcomes her ex-lover "down to the water's edge" to "cast away those doubts", spilling out "the contents of her head" during the depression stage, and then crumpling to the floor repeating the phrase, "You don't know how I feel" as acceptance sets in. This was the song that you put on repeat to cope with that awful breakup because in every syllable she sings, you can hear that Lennox has been there too and feels just as bad as you do."

—Stereogum talking about the song.[2]

Jennifer Bowles from Associated Press described the song as an "emotional" and "hypnotizing ballad".[3] Larry Flick from Billboard called it a "soft-yet-vivid ballad that beautifully showcases the rich and distinctive tone of her voice". He noted that the "sophisticated nature of track will strain at (and should ultimately knock down) the tight boundaries of top 40 radio."[4] Cashbox labeled it as a "soulful ballad", that "is stirring attention, which is, of course, Annie's forte."[5] Keith Wallace from Columbia Daily Spectator said that "Why" "wants to be a soulful ballad, but it's so drippy and goofy that it doesn't come anywhere close."[6] Stephanie Zacharek from Entertainment Weekly noted how "languorously [Lennox] stretches that word across several measures as if she were unfurling a length of satin."[7] Dave Sholin from Gavin Report stated that the "haunting" song is "a testament to her singing and writing prowess."[8]

Another editor, Kent Zimmerman called it "spiritually ultrasonic, breathtakingly sophisticated, lyrically telling and congruently adult in texture and tempo."[9] HuffPost wrote that Lennox' vocal approach "evokes" Sting and Paul Simon and added "she declares, "This is the book I never read, these are the words I never said, this is the path I'll never tread", then went on to say, "These are the dreams I'll dream instead", making this her sideways stab at creating her own "My Way" (as the artist points out in the notes [of her 2009 collection])."[10] Music & Media commented that the singer "confidently goes AC on her first solo effort" and it is "gently moving and highly polished. She could hardly move farther away from the stirring rock of Eurythmics."[11] Tore Tungodden from Norwegian newspaper Nordhordland picked the song as a "musical higglight", adding it as "beautiful and catchy".[12] Kjell Moe from Nordlys called it "beautiful and intense".[13] Pop Rescue noted that "a soft brushed beat and gentle percussion sit comfortably beneath Annie's sad vocals. This song gently grows, throwing in some extra soft beats, but generally keeps itself a little low-key."[14]

Nick Griffiths from Select said that it is "the sort of tasteful soulful ballady thing you 'd probably expect of her by now, and when the tide of tasteful soulful balladiness swamps her halfway through it's no surprise either."[15] Slant Magazines Eric Henderson wrote that "Why" is "hardly the sort of melodramatic setting we'd imagine from an album whose very name evokes histrionic pretense. But Annie Lennox isn't and has never been a representative pop diva. Her body is lanky and angular instead of curvaceously plush. Her exaggerated facial features (capped off with a most spectacular set of cheekbones that she wisely never allowed her hair to grow long enough to cover) are matched in androgen-fabulousness only by her tremulously guttural alto."[16] Harry Dean from Smash Hits called it a "glistening beauty". In 2015, Stereogum ranked "Why" at No. 1 in their list of the 10 best Annie Lennox songs.[17]

Chart performance[]

"Why" was successful on the charts on several countries, peaking at No. 1 in Italy. In Europe, it reached the top 10 in Belgium, Denmark, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom, as well as on the Eurochart Hot 100, where it peaked at No. 3. In the UK, the single reached No. 5 in its third week at the UK Singles Chart, on 5 April 1992. Additionally, it was a top-20 hit in Austria, Germany and Spain. Outside Europe, "Why" reached No. 7 on the RPM Singles Chart in Canada, No. 15 in New Zealand, No. 17 in Australia, and No. 34 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States. But on the Billboard Adult Contemporary, it was an even bigger hit, peaking at No. 6.

Music video[]

The music video for the song was directed by British director Sophie Muller and was filmed in Venice, Italy[18] during the shoot for the Diva album cover. The video shows Lennox sitting in front of a vanity mirror staring and marveling at herself before slowly putting on makeup. By the middle of the video, Lennox is fully made up and in the outfit she wore on the Diva album cover. The rest of the video consists of shots of Lennox posing for the cameras along with in-between shots of her singing the song. The video won Lennox an award for Best Female Video at the 1992 MTV Video Music Awards.[19][20] It was uploaded to YouTube in October 2009. As of September 2020, the video has got more than 46,8 million views.[21]

Track listings[]

7-inch single

No.TitleLength
1."Why" (Single Version)4:53
2."Primitive"4:17

CD maxi

No.TitleLength
1."Why" (Single Version)4:53
2."Primitive"4:20
3."Why" (Instrumental)4:54

Charts[]

DJ Sammy version[]

"Why"
Dj Sammy Why.jpg
Single by DJ Sammy featuring Britta Medeiros
from the album The Rise
ReleasedJune 2005
Recorded2003
Genre
Length4:00
Label
Songwriter(s)Annie Lennox
Producer(s)
  • Martin Eyerer
  • Oliver Laib
DJ Sammy singles chronology
"Rise Again"
(2004) 		"Why"
(2005) 		"L'bby Haba"
(2006)

In 2005 Spanish producer DJ Sammy covered "Why" with vocals from German singer Britta Medeiros. "Why" is the second single from the album The Rise. The music video features DJ Sammy in a room with a mixboard that he uses to create three holographic women that sing the song.

Formats and track listings[]

US CD single

  1. "Why" (Radio Edit) – 4:00
  2. "Why" (Candlelight Mix) – 4:25
  3. "Why" (Extended Mix) – 6:44
  4. "Why" (Phunk Investigation Remix) – 5:55
  5. "Why" (Breeze & Styles Remix) – 6:17
  6. "Why" (DJ Sammy's Extended Mix) – 7:10
  7. "Why" (Parker & Hanson Remix) – 7:58
  8. "Why" (Andrew McCensit Remix) – 7:58
  9. "Why" (Phunk Investigation Dub) – 9:21

Germany CD single

  1. "Why" (Radio Edit)
  2. "Why" (Sammy Extended)
  3. "Why" (Parker & Hanson Remix)
  4. "Cheba"

Australia CD single

  1. "Why" (Radio Edit)
  2. "Why" (Club Mix)
  3. "Why" (Sammy's Extended Mix)
  4. "Why" (Parker & Hanson Mix)

UK CD single

  1. "Why" (Radio Edit) – 3:28
  2. "Why" (Club Mix) – 6:43
  3. "Why" (Breeze & Styles Remix) – 6:19
  4. "Why" (Phunk Investigation Remix) – 5:55
  5. "Why" (Parker & Hanson Mix) – 8:46
  6. "Why" music video

Charts[]

Chart (2005) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[54] 29
Germany (Official German Charts)[55] 64
Hungary (Dance Top 40)[56] 38
Ireland (IRMA)[57] 16
Ireland Dance (IRMA)[58] 5
UK Singles (OCC)[59] 7

References[]

  1. ^ "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 14 March 1992. p. 21. Retrieved 19 June 2021. Misprinted as 15 March; the album releases section (p. 12) uses the correct date.
  2. ^ "The 10 Best Annie Lennox Songs". Stereogum. 15 April 2015. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
  3. ^ "Post-Eurythmics Lennox solos as 'Diva'". Portsmouth Daily Times. 4 October 1992. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  4. ^ "Single Reviews: New & Noteworthy" (PDF). Billboard. 25 April 1992. p. 74. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
  5. ^ "Music Reviews: Singles" (PDF). Cashbox. 2 May 1992. p. 5. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  6. ^ Wallace, Keith (27 May 1992). "Don't feel rejected Dave, she needs you". Columbia Daily Spectator. p. 3. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  7. ^ Zacharek, Stephanie (15 May 1992). "Diva". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
  8. ^ Sholin, Dave (17 April 1992). "Personal Picks: Singles" (PDF). Gavin Report. p. 56. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  9. ^ Zimmerman, Kent (1 May 1992). "Jazz New Releases" (PDF). Gavin Report. p. 36. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  10. ^ "HuffPost Reviews : The Annie Lennox Collection". HuffPost. 27 March 2009. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
  11. ^ "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. 14 March 1992. p. 10. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
  12. ^ Tungodden, Tore (11 April 1992). "Lekker Lennox". Nordhordland (in Norwegian). p. 24. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
  13. ^ Moe, Kjell (10 April 1992). "På egen hånd". Nordlys (in Norwegian). p. 31. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  14. ^ "REVIEW: "DIVA" BY ANNIE LENNOX (CD, 1992)". Pop Rescue. 12 August 2015. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  15. ^ "Reviews: New Singles". Select. 1 April 1992. p. 87. Retrieved 3 March 2020.
  16. ^ "Annie Lennox - Diva". Slant. Archived from the original on 7 November 2007. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
  17. ^ "The 10 Best Annie Lennox Songs". Stereogum. 15 April 2015. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
  18. ^ Tilli, Robbert (4 April 1992). "Who's That Diva? RCA/BMG Gear Up For Lennox Debut" (PDF). Music & Media. p. 6. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  19. ^ http://www.mvdbase.com/video.php?id=16391
  20. ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HG7I4oniOyA
  21. ^ "Annie Lennox - Why (Official Music Video)". YouTube. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  22. ^ "Australian-charts.com – Annie Lennox – Why". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  23. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Annie Lennox – Why" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  24. ^ "Ultratop.be – Annie Lennox – Why" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  25. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 2006." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  26. ^ "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 1964." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  27. ^ "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 9 no. 16. 18 April 1992. p. 14. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
  28. ^ "Hits of the World" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 104 no. 18. Prometheus Global Media. 2 May 1992. p. 55. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  29. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Annie Lennox – Why" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  30. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Annie Lennox". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  31. ^ "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 9 no. 16. 18 April 1992. p. 14. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
  32. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 18, 1992" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40 Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  33. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Annie Lennox – Why" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  34. ^ "Charts.nz – Annie Lennox – Why". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  35. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Annie Lennox – Why". VG-lista. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  36. ^ Fernando Salaverri (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  37. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Annie Lennox – Why". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  38. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Annie Lennox – Why". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  39. ^ "Annie Lennox: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  40. ^ "Annie Lennox Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  41. ^ "Annie Lennox Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  42. ^ "Annie Lennox Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  43. ^ "Danishcharts.com – Annie Lennox – Why". Tracklisten. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  44. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 1992" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 14 April 2019.
  45. ^ "The RPM Top 100 Hit Tracks of 1992" (PDF). RPM. Vol. 56 no. 25. 19 December 1992. p. 8. Retrieved 23 March 2019.
  46. ^ "The RPM Top 100 Adult Contemporary tracks of 1992". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
  47. ^ "1992 Year-End Sales Charts" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 9 no. 51/52. 19 December 1992. p. 17. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  48. ^ "Top 100 Singles - Jahrescharts 1992" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 14 April 2019.
  49. ^ "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1992". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
  50. ^ "Jaaroverzichten - Single 1992" (in Dutch). Retrieved 24 March 2018.
  51. ^ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1992". Retrieved 24 March 2018.
  52. ^ "Year End Charts: Top Singles". Music Week. 16 January 1993. p. 8.
  53. ^ "1992 The Year in Music" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 104 no. 52. 26 December 1992. p. YE-38. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
  54. ^ "Australian-charts.com – DJ Sammy – Why". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  55. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – DJ Sammy – Why" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 14 April 2019.
  56. ^ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Dance Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved 14 April 2019.
  57. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – DJ Sammy". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
  58. ^ "Top 10 Dance Singles, Week Ending 16 June 2005". GfK Chart-Track. Retrieved 20 June 2019.[dead link]
  59. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.

External links[]

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