You Were Meant for Me (Jewel song)

"You Were Meant for Me"
Single by Jewel
from the album Pieces of You
B-side "Cold Song" "Rocker Girl" "Emily"
Released November 12, 1996
Format CD single
Genre Folk-pop
Length 4:13 (Album Version)
3:45 (Album/Radio Edit)
Label Atlantic, 1996
Writer(s) Jewel Kilcher/Steve Poltz
Producer(s) Ben Keith/Peter Collin
Certification Platinum (Australia), Platinum (USA)
Jewel singles chronology
"Who Will Save Your Soul"
(1996)		 "You Were Meant for Me"
(1996)		 "Foolish Games"
(1997)
Pieces of You track listing
"I'm Sensitive"
(9)		 "You Were Meant for Me"
(10)		 "Don't"
(11)
Alternative cover

"You Were Meant for Me" is a folk pop song written by Jewel and Steve Poltz and performed by Jewel on her first album, Pieces of You. It relates the singer's incomprehension of a failed relationship, and her inadequate attempts at moving on with her life. It was the second single from that album and went on to receive a great deal of recognition. It became a hit and reached #2 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 for 2 weeks, (held off by "Can't Nobody Hold Me Down" by Puff Daddy & Mase & "Hypnotize" by The Notorious B.I.G.) & and went to #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart for a single week.[1]

Foolish Games/You Were Meant For Me ranked at number 15 on Billboard's All Time Top 100 in 2008.[2] When the All Time chart was retabulated for the chart's 55th anniversary in 2013, it remained in the top 20 at number 17.[3]

About the record

"You Were Meant For Me" was Jewel's second single to be taken from her debut album.

Atlantic Records had Jewel re-record the song for a more radio-friendly version. Initially, the first version that was released was the "Juan Patino Radio Mix" (with a music video produced by Sean Penn). This version did not gather much attention, and it was later cancelled, with the video pulled from MTV and VH1. Jewel again went back into the studio to record the song for a third time. The version produced is known as the "radio version".

The original radio version, "Juan Patino Radio Mix", was never released commercially, but on a promotional LP titled "Phyllis Barnabee Finally Gets A Bra" in 1996. The actual "radio version" was released on a commercial CD single, and later on a re-release of Jewel's debut album "Pieces of You".

Music video

A music video was directed by Lawrence Carroll for the Radio Edit. Steve Poltz appeared in the video. In the video Jewel and Poltz appeared together in numerous scenes, most of them depicting how both of them wants to be together but always separated. In one scene, Poltz tries to reach for Jewel's hand, but a curtain appears between them and separating their hands. In another scene, Jewel lies in front of Poltz and starts to undress and reveals her underwear, but instead of reaching for him, she moves away from him, leaving Poltz with his arms raised towards her. Other scenes including Jewel lies beside a little pond with some little ships (which is also the single's cover), Jewel sits inside a boat in the middle of a room alone, and Jewel sits on a side of a bedroom while Poltz, shirtless, was in the other side and tries to reach towards her.

The video won the award for Best Female Video at the 1997 MTV Video Music Awards.

Track listing

US Promo (Original Promo) (PRCD6416-2)

  1. You Were Meant For Me (Juan Patino Mix)
  2. Cold Song
  3. Rocker Girl
  4. Emily

Released originally in 1995

US Promo (re-issue) (PRCD6888)

  1. You Were Meant For Me (album edit)

US Promo Maxi (PRCD6605)

  1. You Were Meant For Me (album edit)
  2. You Were Meant For Me (album version)
  3. You Were Meant For Me (acoustic version)

US CD Single (075678702129) *

  1. You Were Meant For Me (album edit)
  2. Foolish Games (album version)

This CD single was re-issued after "Foolish Games" had been released as a single from the "Batman & Robin" soundtrack. Keeping to the original track listing the single contained a bonus track, the radio edit of "Foolish Games". The song was not listed on the inlay of the single

European CD Single

  1. You Were Meant For Me (album edit)
  2. Cold Song
  3. Rocker Girl

Charts

Peak positions

Chart (1996–1997) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[4] 3
Canada Top Singles (RPM) 2
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[5] 69
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[6] 22
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[7] 32
US Billboard Hot 100[8] 2
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[9] 1
US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[10] 1
US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)[11] 1
US Alternative Songs (Billboard)[12] 26

End of year charts

End of year chart (1997) Position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[13] 2
End of year chart (1998) Position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[14] 87

End of decade charts

Chart (1990–1999) Position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[15] 67

All-time charts

Chart (1958–2013) Position
US Billboard Hot 100[16] 17

Awards

Year Award-giving Body Award Result
1997 MTV Video Music Awards Best Female Video Won
Viewer's Choice Nominated
Video of the Year

Cover versions

Bellefire version

A single by the Irish girl group Bellefire was scheduled for release in June 2004, as the follow-up to "Say Something Anyway". The release was cancelled, although the track received some airplay in some far east countries. It is included on the album Spin the Wheel.

A promotional video exists and is included on a special edition of the Spin the Wheel album. The video was directed by Andy Hylton.

Other versions

References

  1. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 126.
  2. ↑ http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/specials/hot100/charts/top100-titles-20.shtml
  3. ↑ http://www.billboard.com/articles/list/2155531/the-hot-100-all-time-top-songs?list_page=8
  4. ↑ "Australian-charts.com – Jewel – You Were Meant for Me". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 2010-08-31.
  5. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Jewel – You Were Meant for Me" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 2010-08-31.
  6. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Jewel – You Were Meant for Me". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 2010-08-31.
  7. ↑ "Jewel: Artist Chart History" UK Singles Chart. Retrieved 2010-08-31.
  8. ↑ "Jewel Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Hot 100 for Jewel. Retrieved 2010-08-31.
  9. ↑ "Jewel Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Adult Contemporary for Jewel. Retrieved 2010-08-31.
  10. ↑ "Jewel Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Pop Songs for Jewel. Retrieved 2010-08-31.
  11. ↑ "Jewel Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Adult Pop Songs for Jewel. Retrieved 2010-08-31.
  12. ↑ "Jewel Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Alternative Songs for Jewel. Retrieved 2010-09-27.
  13. ↑ "Billboard Top 100 - 1997". Retrieved 2010-08-28.
  14. ↑ "Billboard Top 100 - 1998". Retrieved 2010-08-28.
  15. ↑ Geoff Mayfield (December 25, 1999). 1999 The Year in Music Totally '90s: Diary of a Decade - The listing of Top Pop Albums of the '90s & Hot 100 Singles of the '90s. Billboard. Retrieved October 15, 2010.
  16. ↑ Bronson, Fred (2 August 2013). "Hot 100 55th Anniversary: The All-Time Top 100 Songs". Billboard. Retrieved 9 August 2013.
Preceded by
"For the First Time" by Kenny Loggins		 Billboard Adult Contemporary number-one single
May 17, 1997 		Succeeded by
"Butterfly Kisses" by Bob Carlisle