You Belong to Me (Carly Simon song)

"You Belong to Me" is a song written by American singer-songwriters Carly Simon and Michael McDonald. Simon wrote the lyrics, and McDonald composed the music.^[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	Jazz fusion soft rock blue-eyed soul
Length	3:52 (Album Version) 3:12 (Single Version)
Label	Elektra
Composer(s)	Michael McDonald
Lyricist(s)	Carly Simon
Producer(s)	Arif Mardin
Carly Simon singles chronology
"Nobody Does It Better" (1977) "You Belong to Me" (1978) "Devoted to You" (1978)
Audio video
"You Belong to Me" on YouTube

Overview

Released 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 stayed 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 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 the 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

• 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

7" single ^[11]

• "You Belong to Me" – 3:12
• "In A Small Moment" – 3:05

Chart performance

Weekly chart (1978) Peak position Australia[12] 43 Canada Top Singles (RPM)[13] 5 Canada RPM Adult Contemporary[14] 7 US Billboard Hot 100[15] 6 US Billboard Adult Contemporary[16] 4 US Cash Box Top 100 9

Year-end chart (1978) Peak position Canada[17] 31 US Billboard Hot 100[18] 59 US Cash Box[19] 74

Awards

Year	Award	Category	Work	Result	Ref.
1979	Grammy Awards	Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female	"You Belong To Me"	Nominated	[4]

The Doobie Brothers version

"You Belong to Me" originally appeared on The Doobie Brothers' seventh studio album, Livin' on the Fault Line (1977).^[20] 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

Weekly chart (1983)	Peak position
US Billboard Hot 100[2]	79

Anita Baker's version

"You Belong to Me"
Single by Anita Baker
from the album Rhythm of Love
Released	1995
Recorded	1994
Genre	R&B soul jazz
Length	4:41
Label	Elektra
Songwriter(s)	Carly Simon Michael McDonald
Producer(s)	Michael J. Powell Anita Baker (exec.)
Anita Baker singles chronology
"It's Been You" (1995) "You Belong to Me" (1995) "My Funny Valentine" (1995)

In 1994, American R&B/soul singer Anita Baker re-recorded her version of the song for the compilation album Rubáiyát: Elektra's 40th Anniversary in 1990.^[21] She re-released the track in 1995 as the fourth single from her fifth studio album, Rhythm of Love.^[22]

Jennifer Lopez version

In 2002, American singer Jennifer Lopez re-recorded her version of the song for her third studio album, This is Me... Then, as the ninth track on that album, was produced by Cory Rooney and Dan Shea, who produced the majority of the album.^[23] 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, and 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
Studio	The Hit Factory (New York, NY)[24] Record Plant (Los Angeles, CA)[24]
Genre	R&B pop Hip Hop
Length	3:30
Label	Epic
Songwriter(s)	Carly Simon Michael McDonald
Producer(s)	Cory Rooney Dan Shea (exec.)
Audio video
"You Belong to Me" on YouTube