Norah Jones “Don’t Know Why” wins 3 Grammys

Don’t Know Why Norah Jones

Writer(s): Jesse Harris (see lyrics here) Released: January 28, 2002 First Charted: May 25, 2002 Peak: 30 BB, 35 RR, 4 AC, 8 A40, 5 AA, 59 UK, 5 AU, 8 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 3.0 US, 0.4 UK, 3.71 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): 0.40 radio, 127.81 video, 679.38 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Singer/songwriter Geethali Norah Jones Shankar was born in 1979 in New York City. She was the daughter of Indian musician Ravi Shankar and American concert producer Sue Jones. She grew up with her mother in Texas after her parents separated in 1986. She had an affinity for the music of Billie Holiday and Bill Evans. In high school, she won Down Beat’s Student Music Award for Best Jazz Vocalist twice. She went to the University of North Texas to major in jazz piano. She met Jesse Harris when he and a group of musicians put on a cliic at the school. He later urged her to move to New York City to pursue music. SF She did so in 1999. She started performing with Harris, including the song “Don’t Know Why,” which he’d recorded for his own Jesse Harris & the Ferdinandos album in 1999. He “changed the key to fit her voice, added a drum beat, then recorded a demo of the song with Harris in October 2000.” SF The demo caught the attention of the jazz label Blue Note and they signed her to a record deal. Jones released her debut album, Come Away with Me, in 2002. The album’s blend of acoustic pop with soul and jazz became a surprise, slow-burning hit, reaching #1 on the Billboard album chart and racking up sales of more than 12 million in the U.S. alone. It won Grammys for Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album. Its lead single, “Don’t Know Why,” won Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. Jones also won Best New Artist. As stated at Songfacts.com, “Many have enjoyed a latte at a coffee shop or filled in a crossword puzzle while…[‘Don’t Know Why’] plays as a mellow backdrop, but the lyric is anything but soothing. The singer is left catching teardrops in her hand when her lover is a no-show. According to…Harris, it's not autobiographical - he often writes songs about loss that have nothing to do with his personal life.” SF Resources: SF Songfacts Related Links: First posted 1/24/2026.