You Belong To Me by The Doobie Brothers

Album: Livin' on the Fault Line (1977)

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Songfacts®:

This song is a tale of jealousy and infidelity. The girl has stepped out to have an affair, which the singer thinks she's doing to boil his passion for her. "You don't have to prove to me you're beautiful to strangers," he tells her. "You belong to me."
Doobies singer Michael McDonald wrote this song with Carly Simon, although they wrote their parts separately. The Doobie Brothers recorded it first, with McDonald changing the line "I'd always be your girl" to "always be the one." A year later, Simon released her version on the album Boys in the Trees, with her then-husband James Taylor singing backup vocals. Simon's version was the hit, going to #6 in the US.
In 1983 the Doobies did a live version on their album Farewell Tour, which was their last album before splitting up. The band did reform in 1988.
Anita Baker and Jennifer Lopez have both recorded this song, and McDonald mentioned Lopez' version during his 2004 concert on PBS. In 2007, Chaka Khan recorded the song with McDonald for her album Funk This. >>
Suggestion credit:
Sara - Silver Spring, MD, for all above

Comments: 9

Dt from Perdido BeachI like the Doobies and Carly's version. Like trying to decide between two different bottles of an excellent Cabernet.
Theo Kojak from St. LouisYou're going to think I'm crazy, but the horn sounds very much like the work of Herb Alpert, especially from his solo period that was going around the time this song was cut by the Doobies.
Arthur from PuteyOdin - It's a flugelhorn on this track, which Sanborn has never played (he does play alto sax on Carly Simon's version of this track, however). I've tried to track down the horn player on the Doobies version, without success. I think the best chance of finding out is for someone to contact David Paich, the producer, now with Toto. In the meantime, Chuck Findley would be my best guess. Failing that, perhaps Mangione.
Odin from AsgardCatvalet i am told it is not Chuck Mangione, but rather David Sanborn on sax.
https://saxsolos.com/shop/david-sanborn-belong/
Catvalet from Long Island, NyDoes anyone know if the horn part at the end of this song was done by Chuck Mangione? I know that he was a session player but I can't find verification that this was him playing. It certainly sounds like his sound.
Mike from Norwalk, CtHey Chip from Stratford, I think I may know who you are. Anyway, Michael McDonald's version hits home with me more because it seems he has much more feeling in the song. His version is as if he's living it, in fact, most of his songs are like this.
Chip from Stratford, CtDon't get me wrong, I'm a big Doobies fan. I even saw them with Michael McDonald. This will always be remembered as a Carly Simon song. Anyone alive in the ealy 70's will agree. Chip
Constance from Dallas, TxI disagree Sara You Belong To Me is more assoiciated with Carly Simon. I didn't know about Micheal singing this song until now.
Sara from Silver Spring, MdCarly Simon should have sung this first. It doesn't make sense she could say "I'd always be the one" Chaka Khan said that line. Today it is more associated with Michael McDonald than Carly Simon.

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