James Blunt confirms dark meaning behind 'You're Beautiful'

Whether it’s your go-to karaoke song or a track that just the thought of makes your ears burn, James Blunt’s ‘You’re Beautiful’ is one of the biggest love songs from the 2000s.

I bet just reading the name has it stuck in your head.

But while it may have sold over four million copies, it actually has a pretty dark meaning.

In the music video, Blunt seems to jump from a cliff into icy water while singing about a woman who is clearly rather important to him.

The star appeared on Channel 4’s Sunday Brunch today (5 November) and spoke about the inspiration behind some of his most-known songs.

"I normally try and write songs for specific moments,” he said.

"'You're Beautiful', obviously most played song at weddings, even though it's about a guy high on drugs stalking someone else's girlfriend."

Blunt went on to reveal he has a song for every occasion, continuing: "'Goodbye, My Lover' that's obviously for separations, but I have a song for divorces called 'I'll Take Everything'.

Luke Brennan / Contributor / Getty Images

"'Bonfire Heart' for Bonfire Night. 'Wise Men' is obviously about Christmas."

In a previous appearance on The John Bishop Show, he revealed the song’s true meaning.

He told viewers: “It’s about me stalking somebody else’s girlfriend on the underground while I’m high… but people play it at their weddings, which is nice."

The singer-songwriter also told The Guardian about the moment that inspired ‘You’re Beautiful’.

Mike Lewis Photography / Contributor/Getty Images

“One day I was on the underground in London and saw an ex-girlfriend with her new boyfriend.

"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 explained.

“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?”

So drugs and stalking on the London Underground, perhaps the earworm isn’t quite as romantic as you may have hoped.

Topics: Music, Celebrity, James Blunt

Jess Battison

Jess is an Entertainment Journalist with a love of all things pop culture. Her main interests include keeping up with the Twitter girlies, waiting for a new series of The Traitors and losing her voice at a Beyoncé concert. She graduated with a first in Journalism from City, University of London in 2021 and has previously worked at MyLondon.

@jessbattison_