The British musician, 50, believes that anyone who plays the 2005 track at their weddings is “f**ked up.”
James Blunt might have melted the hearts of women in the late 2000s with the romantic lyrics of “You’re Beautiful,” but had they known the true meaning behind them, they might have run a mile instead.
The singer’s biggest hit sold over four million copies globally, dominated the UK charts for weeks, and earned numerous award nominations. Yet, despite all its success, many listeners didn’t realize the song wasn’t as sweet and soppy as it seemed.
Spoiler alert: “You’re Beautiful” isn’t the romantic love song you once thought it was.
In “You’re Beautiful,” Blunt narrates the tale of falling for a woman who smiles at him on the subway, captivated by her stunning appearance. In his words, she’s simply “beautiful.”
However, the singer has admitted that the character he portrays in the song should actually “be locked up” rather than adored. The inspiration behind the track is much darker than it initially seems.
During an appearance on Channel 4’s Sunday Brunch in November of last year, Blunt revealed the unsettling origins of some of his most famous songs.
“I usually try to write songs for specific moments,” the 50-year-old said. “‘Goodbye, My Lover’ is obviously for breakups, and I have a song for divorces called ‘I’ll Take Everything.’
“‘Bonfire Heart’ is for Bonfire Night, and ‘Wise Men’ is about Christmas,” Blunt continued.
“‘You’re Beautiful,’ of course, is the most played song at weddings, even though it’s actually about a guy high on drugs stalking someone else’s girlfriend.”
Yep, that’s right—Blunt is singing from the perspective of a guy who’s not only high but also obsessing over a random woman he spots on public transport.
In a 2020 interview with The Guardian, Blunt shared the details behind the encounter that inspired the hit song.
“One day, I was on the underground in London and saw an ex-girlfriend with her new boyfriend,” he explained. “Our eyes met, but we just walked past each other, and I went home and wrote the words to ‘You’re Beautiful’ in two minutes.”
He added, “I went to see my songwriter friend Sacha Skarbek in Los Angeles, and with Amanda Ghost as a co-writer, we finished the song. It’s always been portrayed as romantic, but it’s actually a bit creepy. It’s about a guy who’s high and stalking someone else’s girlfriend on the subway. But everyone has those moments where you wonder… what if I’d said something?”
Blunt also took the opportunity to set the record straight about what fans were actually celebrating during their first dance on their wedding day.
In a 2017 interview with The Huffington Post, he didn’t hold back: “Everyone says, ‘Ah, he’s so romantic. I want ‘You’re Beautiful’ as my wedding song.’ These people are f**ked up.”
He continued, “You get labeled with things like, ‘Oh, James Blunt. Isn’t he just a soft romantic?’ Well, f**king song. It’s about a guy who’s high as a f**king kite on drugs in the subway, stalking someone else’s girlfriend when that guy is right in front of him. He should be locked up or put in prison for being some kind of perv.”
