You Belong to Me (1952 song)
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"You Belong to Me" is a popular song. It opens with the lyric "See the pyramids along the Nile/Watch the sun rise on a tropic isle..." but says to keep in mind, that wherever the narrator's lover may travel,"you belong to me."
It is credited to three writers: Pee Wee King, Redd Stewart, and Chilton Price. Actually Price wrote the song, and gave rights to the other two in exchange for publicity. She did this because of the success of an earlier hit which she had written, "Slow Poke," which had done so well with a similar arrangement that she felt she could do better by ceding partial credit for authorship to King and Stewart, rather than trying to publicize the song herself.
The original version of the song was recorded by Sue Thompson on Mercury's country label, soon covered by Patti Page, whose version was issued by Mercury as catalog number 5899, with the flip side "I Went to Your Wedding" (a bigger Patti Page hit, reaching #1). It entered the Billboard chart on August 22, 1952, and lasted 12 weeks on the chart, peaking at #4.
A cover version by Jo Stafford became the biggest hit version, however. Issued by Columbia Records as catalog number 39811, it was Stafford's biggest hit, topping the charts in both the United States and the United Kingdom (the first song by a female singer to top the UK chart).
Another cover version, by Dean Martin, released by Capitol Records as catalog number 2165, was also in play at that time.
All the versions were combined in the rankings on the Cash Box charts, and the song reached #1 on those charts as well, lasting on the chart for more than half a year.
A later version of the song, by The Duprees, also made the Billboard Top 10, reaching #7 in 1962.
It was recorded by many other pop vocalists at the time, including Patsy Cline and Bing Crosby.
Rocker Tori Amos also sang a version of the classic for the Julia Roberts film Mona Lisa Smile in 2003.
On February 1, 2007, a short rendition of the song was sung by 64-year-old Sherman Pore as an audition piece for the television show American Idol, as a tribute to his wife who had passed away from cancer two days before.
A different song with the same title by Carly Simon (originally recorded by the Doobie Brothers) reached the Top 10 in 1978.
[edit] Recorded versions
- Danny Aiello
- Tori Amos
- Paul Anka
- Anita Baker
- Pat Boone
- Bonnie Bramlett
- Michael Buble
- Ann Hampton Callaway
- Alley Cats
- Benny Carter & his Orch.
- Petula Clark
- Patsy Cline
- Doobie Brothers
- Rosemary Clooney
- Alma Cogan
- Amie Comeaux
- Sam Cooke
- Bing Crosby
- Mike Curb
- The Duprees
- Bob Dylan (Natural Born Killers soundtrack)
- Firebirds
- Ella Fitzgerald
- Flat Duo Jets
- Tennessee Ernie Ford
- Connie Francis
- Judy Garland
- Crystal Gayle
- Boris Grebenshchikov
- Dan Hicks
- Homer and Jethro
- Kelley Hurt
- Catherine Ann Irwin
- Joni James
- Pee Wee King
- Jerry Lee Lewis
- Lino
- Dean Martin (#12 on Billboard charts)
- Johnny Mathis
- Gene McDaniels
- Maureen McGovern
- The Misfits
- Michel Montecrossa
- Jane Morgan
- Anne Murray
- Spider Nick & The Maddogs
- Amando Noriega
- Michael Nullenthin
- Newell
- Oler
- The Orioles
- Patti Page (#4 on Billboard charts)
- The Pinheads
- Jim Reeves
- Kate Rusby
- Santo and Johnny
- Janet Seidel
- Vonda Shepard
- Hank Snow
- Ned Spurlock
- Jo Stafford(#1 on Billboard charts, Gold Record)
- Ringo Starr
- Rod Stewart
- Ben Taylor
- Tommy Tune
- Gene Vincent
- Jason Wade (soundtrack from the film Shrek 2001)
- Sara Watkins (although it was never recorded, she performs it as an encore at Nickel Creek concerts)
- Ben Wilmot
- Wintergreen
| Preceded by Auf Wiederseh'n Sweetheart |
Cash Box magazine best selling record chart #1 record September 27, 1952–October 18, 1952 |
Succeeded by I Went to Your Wedding |
