She Used to Be Mine

This article is about the Sara Bareilles song. For other uses, see She Used to Be Mine (disambiguation).

"She Used to Be Mine" is a song written by American singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles for Waitress, her musical stage adaptation of the 2007 film of the same name.^[1] It was recorded by Bareilles for her fifth studio album, What's Inside: Songs from Waitress (2015), and was released to digital retailers as its lead single on September 25, 2015.^[2]

"She Used to Be Mine"
Single by Sara Bareilles
from the album What's Inside: Songs from Waitress
Released	September 25, 2015 (2015-09-25)
Genre	Pop
Length	4:10
Label	Epic
Songwriter(s)	Sara Bareilles
Producer(s)	Neal Avron Sara Bareilles
Sara Bareilles singles chronology
"I Choose You" (2014) "She Used to Be Mine" (2015) "Armor" (2018)
Music video
"Sara Bareilles - She Used To Be Mine (Official Video)" on YouTube

The song was recorded by Jessie Mueller for the cast recording of the Broadway production of Waitress in 2016, and performed by Mueller and Bareilles at the 70th Tony Awards.^[3] The song was also featured as a bonus track on country singer Jennifer Nettles' Broadway album Always Like New ahead of her taking over the role of Jenna from Bareilles in October 2021.

Composition

"She Used to Be Mine" is a sentimental ballad written and composed by Sara Bareilles with a duration of four minutes and ten seconds (4:10). The song is instrumented primarily by the piano and also features guitar and drums.^[4][5] Bareilles' vocal performance has been described as "powerful", with a vocal range of F₃ to D₅.^[4][5] According to the digital sheet music published by Sony/ATV Music Publishing, the song is composed in the key of F major with a "moderately slow" tempo.^[5] Lyrically, the song discusses losing one's sense of self and struggling with changes in circumstances, sung from the perspective of the musical's protagonist, Jenna.^[4][6] In the Broadway production, it is usually played in the key of G-flat major, and was played in the key of G major for the original Boston production. When both Sara Bareilles and Betsy Wolfe took on the roles, the song was played again in F major.

Critical reception

Madison Vain of Entertainment Weekly called the song "delicate, nostalgic, and wonderfully theatrical," in the magazine's "7 Tracks We Loved This Week" feature and praised the song as "a beautiful introduction" to the musical's story.^[7] Charles Isherwood of The New York Times said it is a “gentle but wrenching song, featuring a melody that soars and then recedes in waves, is the high point of the show—and for that matter a high point of the Broadway season. Suddenly, a pleasant and polished but weightless musical comedy rises to transporting heights, and sweeps up your heart along with it.”^[8]

Context within the musical

This number takes place in Act 2 of the musical Waitress, when Jenna, the protagonist, is reflecting on her life. Jenna thinks about the kind of person she once was and how her life has disappointed her.^[9] Bareilles explained the story behind this song during a Reddit AMA: "I wrote it for the scene in the movie where the lead character, Jenna, feels like she's lost all hope of saving herself from her terrible situation, and she's reflecting on who she thought she would have become.^[9]

Expansion beyond Broadway

Bareilles, in an interview with The New York Times, said that "the range of who this song speaks to is much broader than I could have anticipated ...The chasm between who we are, and who we thought we would be, is always something we’re negotiating ... In the life of 'Waitress', people make an assumption that it's a very feminine show, and it is, and I love that. But these themes go so far beyond gender."^[10] Jesse Green, the co-chief theater critic for The New York Times, reflects that the emotional content has a classic arc from sadness and self-criticism to acceptance and triumph.^[10]

Live performance

"She Used To Be Mine" was performed at the 2016 Tony Awards by Sara Bareilles and Jessie Mueller.^[11]

Commercial performance

"She Used to Be Mine" was the most-added song on hot adult contemporary (Hot AC) radio the week of its release, according to radio monitoring organization Mediabase.^[12] The song debuted at number 40 on the Billboard Adult Pop Songs chart on the chart dated October 17, 2015.

Charts

Chart (2015)	Peak position
US Adult Pop Airplay (Billboard)[13]	26
US Digital Song Sales (Billboard)[14]	49

Chart (2019–2020)	Peak position
Scotland (OCC)[15]	24
UK Singles Downloads (OCC)[16]	72

Release history

Country	Date	Format	Ref.
Various	September 25, 2015	Digital download	[2][17]
United States	September 28, 2015	Hot adult contemporary radio	[18]

References

1. Lipshutz, Jason (September 24, 2015). "Sara Bareilles Announces 'What's Inside: Songs From Waitress' Album". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved September 25, 2015.
2. "She Used To Be Mine - Single by Sara Bareilles". iTunes Store (US). Apple Inc. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
3. "Tonys: 'Waitress' Stars Sara Bareilles, Jessie Mueller Perform "She Used to Be Mine"". The Hollywood Reporter. June 12, 2016. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
4. Malach, Maggie (September 25, 2015). "Sara Bareilles' "She Used To Be Mine" Lyrics Prove This Is One Of Her Most Relatable Songs Ever". Bustle. Retrieved October 7, 2015.
5. "Sara Bareilles "She Used to Be Mine" Sheet Music". MusicNotes. Sony/ATV Music Publishing. October 2015. Retrieved October 7, 2015.
6. Reilly, Kaitlin (October 1, 2015). "Is Sara Bareilles' "She Used To Be Mine" On Spotify? Here's What You Need To Know". Bustle. Retrieved October 7, 2015.
7. Vain, Madison; Brown, Eric Renner; Falcone, Dana Rose (October 2, 2015). "7 tracks we loved this week: Daughter, Thomas Rhett, Sara Bareilles, and more". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 7, 2015.
8. Isherwood, Charles (April 24, 2016). "Review: Jessie Mueller Serves a Slice of Life (With Pie) in Sara Bareilles's 'Waitress'". The New York Times. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
9. "Full Synopsis". Music Theatre International. Retrieved October 12, 2021.
10. Paulson, Michael (February 4, 2019). "Sara Bareilles Sang 'She Used to Be Mine.' Now Fans Are Making It Theirs". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 12, 2021.
11. Weatherby, Taylor (June 13, 2016). "'Waitress' Cast Slays Performance Of 'Opening Up' & 'She Used To Be Mine' At Tony Awards". Hollywood Life. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
12. Cantor, Brian (September 28, 2015). "Sara Bareilles' "She Used To Be Mine" Ranks as Hot AC Radio's Most-Added Song". Headline Planet. Cantortainment. Retrieved October 7, 2015.
13. "Sara Bareilles Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard.
14. "Sara Bareilles Chart History (Digital Song Sales)". Billboard.
15. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 1, 2020.
16. "Official Singles Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 8, 2019.
17. Other international digital releases:

    • In Australia: "She Used To Be Mine - Single by Sara Bareilles". iTunes Store (Australia)accessdate=October 6, 2015.
    • In Canada: "She Used To Be Mine - Single by Sara Bareilles". iTunes Store (Canada). Retrieved October 6, 2015.
    • In the UK: "She Used To Be Mine - Single by Sara Bareilles". iTunes Store (UK). Retrieved October 6, 2015.
18. "R&R :: Going For Adds :: Hot AC". Radio & Records. Archived from the original (Week Of: September 28, 2015) on September 25, 2015. Retrieved October 6, 2015.