James Blunt celebrates the 20th anniversary of his biggest hit that calls ‘a bit creepy'

CNN

04-06-2025

James Blunt's song 'You're Beautiful' is beloved, even though it's not about what some people imagine.
The British singer recently shared a video and post on social media in which reflected on his hit earworm.
'20 years ago today, I released a song that bought me this house,' Blunt said. 'Whoever thought a song about being high as a kite on drugs, stalking someone else's girlfriend would resonate quite so much? Thank you. You guys are beautiful.'
The song off his 2004 debut album, 'Back to Bedlam,' became a worldwide hit in 2005.
In 2020, the former British army captain wrote an essay for the Guardian about 'You're Beautiful' and talked about the inspiration for the tune.
'One day I was on the underground in London and saw an ex-girlfriend with her new boyfriend,' he wrote. '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 also addressed the disconnect between how the song came to be and how fans viewed it.
'It's always been portrayed as romantic, but it's actually a bit creepy,' he wrote. 'It's about a guy (me) 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?''
How beautiful is that?