"You Belong to Me" is a song written by American singer-songwriters Carly Simon and Michael McDonald. The lyrics were written by Simon and the music was composed by McDonald.[1] Originally recorded by McDonald's rock group The Doobie Brothers for their seventh studio album, Livin' on the Fault Line (1977), the song was made famous by Simon when she recorded it for her seventh studio album, Boys in the Trees (1978). A live version of the song from The Doobie Brothers' 1983 album Farewell Tour would later chart on the Pop Singles chart at No. 79 in August 1983.[2]
| "You Belong to Me" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Carly Simon | ||||
| from the album Boys in the Trees | ||||
| B-side | "In a Small Moment" | |||
| Released | April 1978 (U.S.) | |||
| Recorded | 1978 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:52 (Album Version) 3:12 (Single Version) | |||
| Label | Elektra | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
| |||
| Producer(s) | Arif Mardin | |||
| Carly Simon singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Audio video | ||||
| "You Belong to Me" on YouTube | ||||
Overview
editReleased as the lead single from Simon's seventh studio album, Boys in the Trees (1978), "You Belong to Me" reached the top 10 of the Billboard Pop Singles chart, peaking at No. 6, and remained on the chart for 18 weeks.[3] It also peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, and remained on the chart for 19 weeks.[3] At the 21st Annual Grammy Awards in 1979, the track earned Simon a nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.[4] Cash Box particularly praised the lead and backing vocals and "lilting sax solo."[5] Record World said that it "blends [Simon's] style with The Doobie Brothers' in a sultry, rather dream-like way, and some appropriate sax work adds to the effect."[6]
One of Simon's biggest hits, "You Belong to Me" has been featured on many compilations of her work, including the three-disc box set Clouds in My Coffee (1995), the UK import The Very Best of Carly Simon: Nobody Does It Better (1998), the two-disc retrospective Anthology (2002), and the single-disc Reflections: Carly Simon's Greatest Hits (2004).[7] It is also featured in Simon's 1987 HBO concert special Live from Martha's Vineyard, and the accompanying Greatest Hits Live (1988). The track is also featured in romantic comedy films Desperately Seeking Susan (1985)[8] and Little Black Book (2004).[9]
In 2009, Simon re-recorded the song, with guest vocalist John Forté, for her album of acoustic performances of many of her past hits, Never Been Gone.[10]
Personnel
edit- Carly Simon – lead vocals, backing vocals
- Richard Tee – Fender Rhodes electric piano
- Cornell Dupree – electric guitar
- Eric Gale – electric guitar
- Gordon Edwards – bass
- Steve Gadd – drums
- David Sanborn – alto saxophone solo
- James Taylor – backing vocals
- Jonathan Abramowitz, Lamar Alsop, Julien Barber, Alfred Brown, Fredrick Buldrini, Paul Gershman, Ted Hoyle, Theodore Israel, Harold Kohon, Jesse Levy, Charles Libove, Guy Lumia, Joe Malin, Yoko Matsuo, Homer Mensch, Kermit Moore, Marvin Morgenstern, Alan Shulman, Mitsue Takayama and Gerald Tarack – strings
Track listing
edit- 7" single [11]
- "You Belong to Me" – 3:12
- "In A Small Moment" – 3:05
Chart performance
edit
|
|
Awards
edit| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Grammy Awards | Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female | "You Belong To Me" | Nominated | [4] |
The Doobie Brothers version
edit"You Belong to Me" originally appeared on The Doobie Brothers' seventh studio album, Livin' on the Fault Line (1977).[19] The live version from their 1983 album Farewell Tour would later chart on the Pop Singles chart at No. 79 in August 1983.
Chart performance
edit| Weekly chart (1983) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100[2] | 79 |
Anita Baker version
edit| "You Belong to Me" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Anita Baker | ||||
| from the album Rhythm of Love | ||||
| Released | 1995 | |||
| Recorded | 1994 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:41 | |||
| Label | Elektra | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) |
| |||
| Anita Baker singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
In 1994, American R&B/soul singer Anita Baker re-recorded her own version of the song for the compilation album Rubáiyát: Elektra's 40th Anniversary in 1990.[20] She subsequently re-released the track in 1995 as the fourth single from her fifth studio album, Rhythm of Love.[21]
Jennifer Lopez version
editIn 2002, American singer Jennifer Lopez re-recorded her own version of the song for her third studio album, This is Me... Then as the ninth track on that album, produced by Cory Rooney and Dan Shea who produced the majority of the album.[22] It had a more urban soul sound than Simon's original, lasting three minutes and thirty seconds. Lopez's version contains an interpolation of "Catch the Beat", written by G. Andrews, K. Nix, Brad Osborne, T. Ski Valley and performed by T. Ski Valley.
| "You Belong to Me" | |
|---|---|
| Single by Jennifer Lopez | |
| from the album This Is Me... Then | |
| Recorded | 2002 |
| Genre | |
| Length | 3:30 |
| Label | Epic |
| Songwriter(s) |
|
| Producer(s) |
|
| Audio video | |
| "You Belong to Me" on YouTube | |
References
edit- ^ "Broken Record Podcast : Michael McDonald and Paul Reiser". Pushkin Industries.
- ^ a b "The Doobie Brothers - Chart history | Billboard". Billboard. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
- ^ a b "Carly Simon - Chart history | Billboard". Billboard. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
- ^ a b "Carly Simon". The Recording Academy. Archived from the original on March 20, 2022. Retrieved October 19, 2018.
- ^ "CashBox Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. April 15, 1978. p. 46. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
- ^ "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. April 15, 1978. p. 1. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
- ^ "You Belong To Me". Carlysimon.com. Archived from the original on October 13, 2007. Retrieved August 9, 2014.
- ^ "Desperately Seeking Susan - Soundtracks". IMDb. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
- ^ "Little Black Book - Soundtracks". IMDb. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
- ^ Mitchell, Gail (October 23, 2009). "Carly Simon has "good time" revisiting old songs". Reuters. Archived from the original on April 22, 2023. Retrieved October 23, 2009.
- ^ "You Belong to Me". Discogs. 1978. Retrieved January 3, 2020.
- ^ David Kent (1993). Australian Charts Book 1970—1992. Australian Chart Book Pty Ltd, Turramurra, N.S.W. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "Image : RPM Weekly". Library and Archives Canada. 17 July 2013.
- ^ "Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 218.
- ^ "Image : RPM Weekly". Library and Archives Canada. July 17, 2013.
- ^ "Top 100 Hits of 1978/Top 100 Songs of 1978".
- ^ The CASH BOX Year-End Charts: 1978
- ^ Kurtz, Peter. "Livin' on the Fault Line". AllMusic. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
- ^ Heilman, Dan. "Rubaiyat: Elektra's 40th Anniversary". AllMusic. Retrieved April 13, 2013.
- ^ Henderson, Alex. "Rhythm of Love". AllMusic. Retrieved April 13, 2013.
- ^ Jennifer Lopez - This Is Me... Then Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic, retrieved 2023-12-05
