| "You Belong with Me" | ||||
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| Single by Taylor Swift | ||||
| from the album Fearless | ||||
| Released | April 20, 2009 | |||
| Recorded | 2008 | |||
| Studio | Blackbird (Nashville) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:51 | |||
| Label | Big Machine | |||
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| Taylor Swift singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "You Belong with Me" on YouTube | ||||
"You Belong with Me" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift and the third single from her second studio album Fearless (2008). Big Machine Records released the song to radio on April 20, 2009. Swift was inspired to write "You Belong with Me" after overhearing a telephone call between a touring band member and his girlfriend; she and Liz Rose wrote the lyrics, which discuss an unrequited love. Swift and Nathan Chapman produced the track, which has a banjo-led country pop production and incorporates fiddle, mandolin, and rock-influenced bass and electric guitars. Although the single was promoted on country radio, some critics categorized it into 1980s pop subgenres such as pop rock and power pop.
Early reviews of the song generally praised its radio-friendly production and the emotional engagement of the lyrics, although a few deemed the songwriting formulaic. Some feminist critics took issue with the lyrics as slut-shaming but retrospective opinions have considered "You Belong with Me" one of Swift's signature songs. At the 2010 Grammy Awards, the song was nominated in three categories, including Song of the Year and Record of the Year. The single reached the top 10 on several charts and received certifications in Australia, Canada, Japan, and New Zealand. In the United States, it peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100, and was the first country song to reach number one on both the Hot Country Songs chart and the all-genre Radio Songs chart. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified the single seven-times platinum.
Roman White directed the song's music video, which stars Swift as both the antagonist—an unsympathetic, popular brunette cheerleader—and the protagonist—a sympathetic, blonde girl next door who yearns for the antagonist's boyfriend. The video premiered on CMT on May 4, 2009, and won Best Female Video at the MTV Video Music Awards; Swift's acceptance speech was interrupted by Kanye West, which caused a controversy widely covered by the press. Following a 2019 dispute about the ownership of Swift's back catalog, she re-recorded the song as "You Belong with Me (Taylor's Version)" for her album Fearless (Taylor's Version) (2021). As of 2024[update], "You Belong with Me" has been included in the set lists of five of Swift's six headlining tours.