You Belong With Me
Single | Fearless (2008) | Fearless (Taylor's Version) [2021]
«I had overheard a friend of mine talking to his girlfriend and he was completely on the defensive, saying [things like] ‘I love you more than anything! Baby, I’m so sorry.’ She was just yelling at him! I felt so bad for him in that moment. So I came up with the first line, ‘You’re on the phone with your girlfriend, she’s upset, she’s going off about something that you said,’ and I ran that into the storyline that I’m in love with him and he should be with me instead of her.»
Commercial Performance and Accolades
The song received nominations for the Grammy Awards for “Song of the Year”, “Record of the Year”, and “Best Female Pop Vocal Performance”. “You Belong with Me” enjoyed commercial success as well; in the United States, the song became Taylor’s highest-charting single on the Billboard Hot 100 at the time, at No. 2. It managed to gain the largest crossover radio audience since Faith Hill’s “Breathe” did in 2000. It has since sold over 10 million copies in the US, making it eligible for a rare diamond certification from the RIAA.
The video won the MTV Video Music Award for “Best Female Video” at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, but during Taylor’s acceptance speech, rapper Kanye West interrupted, protesting in support of Beyoncé. The incident caused a reaction in the media, with many coming to Taylor’s defense. It was also the origin of a more than decade long feud between West and Taylor and is one of the most talked about pop culture moments of the century.
Music Video
Taylor's Version
«'You Belong With Me' just absolutely changed my life. It was one of those songs that I had written about unrequited love and crushes at school. And I never would have imagined how many people I would see in a crowd one day screaming, 'She wears short skirts, I wear t-shirts,’ or there would be think pieces about it, or that it would be this thing that launched me and my career into this place that I never imagined it would go to. It was this song and 'Love Story’ that really, really changed my life in a huge way. And I’ve had so much fun with the fans singing this into crowds over the years. So, getting to re-do it was really a joyful experience. Cause I kind of was looking back on all of those memories and thinking, 'Wow, I’m really lucky.’»
Lyrics
[Verse 1]
You’re on the phone
With your girlfriend
She’s upset
She’s going off about
Something that you said
‘Cause she doesn’t get your humor
Like I do
I’m in the room
It’s a typical Tuesday night
I’m listening to the kind of music
She doesn’t like
And she’ll never know your story
Like I do
[Pre-chorus 1]
But she wears short skirts
I wear t-shirts
She’s cheer captain
And I’m on the bleachers
Dreaming about the day
When you wake up and find
That what you’re looking for
Has been here the whole time
[Chorus]
If you could see
That I’m the one
Who understands you
Been here all along
So why can’t you see?
You belong with me
You belong with me
[Verse 2]
Walking the streets
With you and your worn-out jeans
I can’t help thinking
This is how it ought to be
Laughing on a park bench
Thinking to myself
Hey, isn’t this easy?
And you’ve got a smile
That could light up this whole town
I haven’t seen it in awhile
Since she brought you down
You say you’re fine
I know you better than that
Hey whatcha doing
With a girl like that?
[Pre-chorus 2]
She wears high heels
I wear sneakers
She’s cheer captain
I’m on the bleachers
Dreaming about the day
When you wake up and find
That what you’re looking for
Has been here the whole time
[Chorus]
If you could see
That I’m the one
Who understands you
Been here all along
So why can’t you see?
You belong with me
Standing by and
Waiting at your back door
All this time
How could you not know, baby?
You belong with me
You belong with me
[Bridge]
Oh, I remember
You driving to my house
In the middle of the night
I’m the one who makes you laugh
When you know you’re about to cry
I know your favorite songs
And you tell me about your dreams
Think I know where you belong
Think I know it’s with me
Can’t you see
That I’m the one who understands you?
Been here all along
So why can’t you see?
You belong with me
[Final Chorus]
Standing by and waiting at your back door
All this time how could you not know, baby?
You belong with me
You belong with me
You belong with me
[Outro]
Have you ever thought
Just maybe
You belong with me?
You belong with me
| Albums | Fearless Fearless (Taylor’s Version) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Released | November 11, 2008 | |||
| Re-Released | April 9, 2021 | |||
| Genre | Country Pop | |||
| Length | 3:51 | |||
| Labels | Big Machine Records Republic Records | |||
| Songwriters | Taylor Swift Liz Rose | |||
| Producers | Nathan Chapman (original) Christopher Rowe Taylor Swift | |||
FEARLESS CHRONOLOGY | ||||
| ||||
![Fearless (Taylor's Version) [Republic Records, 2021]](https://taylorswiftswitzerland.ch/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Et8qlsWXMAQ80VC-scaled.jpg)
