You Belong with Me

"You Belong with Me"
Single by Taylor Swift
from the album Fearless
Released	April 20, 2009 (2009-04-20)
Recorded	2008
Studio	Blackbird (Nashville)
Genre	Country pop power pop
Length	3:52
Label	Big Machine
Songwriter(s)	Taylor Swift Liz Rose
Producer(s)	Nathan Chapman Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift singles chronology
"White Horse" (2008) "You Belong with Me" (2009) "Fifteen" (2009)
Music video
"You Belong with Me" on YouTube

"You Belong with Me" is a song by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, taken from her second studio album Fearless (2008). Swift wrote the song with Liz Rose and produced it with Nathan Chapman. Inspired by a phone call between a male friend of hers and his girlfriend that she overheard, the lyrics are about an insecure protagonist's unrequited love for an out-of-reach interest. A country pop and power pop song, "You Belong with Me" features a banjo-led production incorporating new wave electric guitars in the mix. Big Machine Records released the song as the third single from Fearless on April 20, 2009.

Critics lauded the song's radio-friendly appeal and emotional sentiments, though some felt that it demonstrated Swift's formulaic and repetitive songwriting. At the 2010 Grammy Awards, "You Belong with Me" received nominations for Song of the Year, Record of the Year, and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. The single reached the top ten on charts and received sales certifications in Australia, Canada, Japan, and New Zealand. In the U.S., driven by non-country airplay, it peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and was the first country song to reach number one on the all-genre Radio Songs chart. The single was certified seven times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

"You Belong with Me" was ranked among the greatest songs of the 2000s decade by CMT and VH1. The song's music video, directed by Roman White, features Swift portraying two characters: an ordinary girl (the protagonist and narrator) and a popular girl (the antagonist and girlfriend); Lucas Till portrays the male lead. The protagonist secretively loves the male lead, who has an unsympathetic girlfriend. The video won Best Female Video at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards; during Swift's acceptance speech, Kanye West interrupted, which caused a controversy widely covered by the media. "You Belong with Me" was included on the regular set lists of four of Swift's world tours: the Fearless Tour (2009–2010), the Speak Now World Tour (2011–2012), the Red Tour (2013–2014), and the Reputation Stadium Tour (2018).