Song · Norah Jones
“Don't Know Why” by Norah Jones
From the EP First Sessions (2001)
“Don't Know Why” by Norah Jones appears on 13 radio countdowns from 6 stations between 2002 and 2025. It was first released in 2001 on the EP First Sessions. Its best result is #1 on the WXRT Listener Poll: Top 30 Songs of 2002. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #1 indie & aaa song of 2002, #779 indie & aaa song of all time and #90 of the '00s.
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Norah Jones' "Don't Know Why" first surfaced on her First Sessions EP in 2001 before settling onto her debut album, Come Away with Me, in 2002, and it wasn't hers to begin with: Jesse Harris wrote it and cut it himself with the Ferdinandos back in 1999. Jones took it to Blue Note, slowed the room down and made it her own.
The vocal barely rises above a murmur, all smoke and patience, and her piano, which drew comparisons to Floyd Cramer's playing, rolls along with an easy, unhurried grace. Released as her first single, it became a quiet giant, taking 3 Grammys in 2003: Best Female Pop Vocal Performance along with both Record and Song of the Year.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
Year-end countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 1 | 93XRT Chicago, IL | WXRT Listener Poll: Top 30 Songs of 2002 | 30 |
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 648 | WXPN | WXPN 885 All-Time Greatest Songs (2004) | 885 |
| 2009 | 53 | WYEP | WYEP 913 Songs That Matter from the Last Decade | 913 |
| 2009 | 111 | WYEP | WYEP 913 Essential Songs | 913 |
| 2013 | 21 | WXPN | WXPN 885 Greatest Songs of the New Millennium (2013) | 885 |
| 2022 | 141 | 90.9 The Bridge | 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the 2000s | 907 |
| 2022 | 1131 | WYEP | WYEP Countdown to Fall 2022 | 603 |
| 2023 | 294 | 90.9 The Bridge | 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of All Time | 909 |
| 2024 | 312 | The Colorado Sound | The Colorado Sound Top 1055 Songs of the 21st Century | 1055 |
| 2024 | 543 | KEXP | The Best Opening Tracks of All Time | 738 |
| 2024 | 71 | WXPN | WXPN The 885 Greatest Songs of the 21st Century (2024) | 885 |
| 2025 | 189 | 90.9 The Bridge | 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the 21st Century | 909 |
| 2025 | 84 | WYEP | WYEP Best Songs of the 21st Century (So Far) | 714 |
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