Taylor Swift vs. Mathew V | Head 2 Head

In the 42nd edition of Head 2 Head (2024), Taylor Swift and Mathew V contend for the best rendition of “You Belong With Me.”

Welcome to Head 2 Head! On Head 2 Head, we pit at least two musicians performing the same song and compare their performances.  After deliberating, we render a verdict on which performance was the best, or, subjectively, which performance moved us more.  In the 42^nd edition of Head 2 Head (2024), Taylor Swift and Mathew V contend for the best rendition of “You Belong With Me”. So, without further ado, let the Head 2 Head commence

1. Taylor Swift, “You Belong With Me”

Fearless (Taylor’s Version) // Taylor Swift // 2021

“‘Cause she wears short skirts, I wear T-shirts / She’s cheer captain and I’m on the bleachers.” In 2008, “You Belong With Me” solidified pop star status of then-19-year-old Taylor Swift.  Swift was still firmly entrenched in country music, but “You Belong With Me” was a big-time, infectious country-pop song.  “You Belong With Me” was written by Swift and Liz Rose. Nominated for three Grammys, it won none despite being Swift’s ace-in-the-hole. In 2021, she re-recorded her Grammy-winning sophomore album Fearless as Fearless (Taylor’s Version).  The re-recorded “You Belong With Me (Taylor’s Version)” is faithful to the original.

Swift has become an even more elite songwriter since her “You Belong With Me” days. Revisiting “You Belong With Me,”  you can’t deny how catchy, infectious, and memorable it is.  “And you’ve got a smile that could light up this whole town,” Swift sings in the second verse, continuing, “I haven’t seen it in a while since she brought you down.” Oh, the nostalgia of a T. Swift song about a boy! The chorus is the centerpiece:

“If you could see that I’m the one who understands you

Been here all along, so why can’t you see?

You belong with me

Standing by and waiting at your back door

All this time how could you not know, baby?

You belong with me, you belong with me.”

“You Belong With Me” is one of the most memorable and tuneful songs of the aughts hands down.

Appears in 🔻:

• Taylor Swift, You Belong With Me (Taylor’s Version): FIERCE Pop + Rock 🔥🤘 35 (2023)

2. Mathew V, “You Belong With Me”

“You Belong With Me” // Mathew V // 2024

“Dreaming ‘bout the day when you wake up and find / That what you’re lookin’ for has been here the whole time.” Superstar Taylor Swift famously sang those lyrics from her ubiquitous hit, “You Belong With Me.” As such a big song by one of the biggest musicians, it’s a hard act to follow.  However, the handsome and talented Mathew V comes in hot on his cover of “You Belong With Me”.  The gifted Canadian makes “You Belong With Me” his own.

One way that “You Belong With Me” becomes a Mathew V song is instrumental accompaniment.  Where Swift had country-pop vibes with the instrumentation to match, Mathew is only accompanied by piano. The best moments from those 88 keys occur during the pre-chorus (excerpted above) and chorus sections.  The keys give this country-pop joint a jazzy, cabaret vibe. Who would’ve thought? More important than the keys are top-notch vocals. If you’ve followed “My Boy” you already know he’s a beast with his pipes.  His tone is gorgeous from the get-go.  He reinvigorates the already tuneful melodies of this classic with his playfulness, melodic tweaks, and sweet runs.  I love his energy and enthusiasm during the chorus the most:

“If you could see that I’m the one who understands you
Been here all along, so why can’t you see?
You belong with me.”

The second verse is more dynamic than the first – Mathew V flexes! Another delightful musical moment comes at the end. Mathew slackens the tempo, milking the pop greatness for everything it’s worth.  Taylor owns  “You Belong With Me” but Mathew V puts his foot into this pleasant, jazzy, stripped cover.

Appears in 🔻:

• Mathew V, You Belong With Me: Covers No. 41 (2024)

The Verdict 👨🏿‍⚖️ 

So, who did “You Belong With Me” the best? Is it the original, gargantuan country-pop hit by Taylor Swift or the jazzy reinterpretation by Mathew V?  Taylor Swift will always get ample credit for one of the most infectious songs of the 2000s.  There is a reason why “You Belong With Me” earned three Grammy nominations. No, it didn’t win, but those nods speak to how big it was.  That said, I’d argue that Mathew sings the song the best. So, who wins? We’ll give a slight edge to the original, which was iconic.

Taylor Swift vs. Mathew V: Head 2 Head No. 42 (2024) [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; Mathew V, Taylor Swift; Hernán Toro, Los Muertos Crew, RDNE Stock project, Thomas Ronveaux from Pexels]