Carly Rae Jepsen (born November 21, 1985) is a Canadian singer, songwriter,… Read Full Bio ↴Carly Rae Jepsen (born November 21, 1985) is a Canadian singer, songwriter, and musician. After studying musical theatre, in 2007, Jepsen placed third on the fifth season of Canadian Idol. In 2008, Jepsen released her folk music-influenced debut studio album, Tug of War, in Canada. Jepsen's breakthrough came in 2012, with her single "Call Me Maybe"; the song was the best-selling single of that year, selling 18 million copies and reaching number one in at least 19 countries. It led to record deals with School Boy Records and Interscope Records. Later that year, Jepsen released her second studio album, Kiss. In 2014, she made her Broadway theatre stage debut, playing the titular character in Cinderella for 12 weeks. The following year, she released her third studio album, Emotion, influenced by 1980s music, dance-pop and synth-pop. In 2016, Jepsen performed in the television special Grease: Live and voiced the animated film Ballerina. Her fourth studio album, Dedicated, was released in 2019, along with a follow-up titled Dedicated Side B distributed a year later. Her sixth studio album, The Loneliest Time, was released in October 2022, followed by her Seventh studio album, The Loveliest Time was released July 2023.

Carly Rae Jepsen has received three Juno Awards, a Billboard Music Award, and an Allan Slaight Award, in addition to nominations for Grammy Awards, MTV Video Music Awards, Polaris Music Prize and People's Choice Awards.

Beautiful
Carly Rae Jepsen Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Hello, I know it's been a while
I wonder where you are
And if you think of me
Sometimes cause you're always on my mind
You know I had it rough
Tryin' to forget you but

The more that I look around

The more I realize
You're all I'm lookin' for

What makes you so beautiful
Is you don't know how beautiful you are
To me
You're not tryin' to be perfect
Nobody's perfect
But you are
To me (to me)
It's how you take my breath away
Feel the words that I don't say
I wish somehow I could say them now
Oh, I could say them now
Yeah

Just friends
The beginning or the end
How do we make sense
When we're on our own
It's like you're the other half of me
I feel incomplete
Should have know
Nothing in the world compares
To the feelings that we share
It's so not fair

What makes you so beautiful
Is you don't know how beautiful you are
To me
You're not tryin' to be perfect
Nobody's perfect
But you are
To me (to me)
It's how you take my breath away
Feel the words that I don't say
I wish somehow
I could say them now

It's not you
Blame it all on me
I was running from myself
'Cause I couldn't tell
How deep that we
We were gonna be
I was scared it's destiny
But it hurts like hell
Hope it's not too late
Just a twist of fate

What makes you so beautiful
Is you don't know how beautiful you are
To me
You're not tryin' to be perfect
Nobody's perfect
But you are
To me (to me)
It's how you take my breath away
Feel the words that I don't say

I wish somehow I could say them now
Oh, I could say them now, mm

Overall Meaning

In Beautiful, Carly Rae Jepsen sings about a past love interest that she misses and thinks about often. She wonders where he is and if he thinks of her as well. Despite trying to forget him, she realizes that he is all she is looking for. The song is a reflection of the struggles of moving on from a past relationship while simultaneously recognizing the beauty of the person she is missing.

Jepsen describes what makes the person so beautiful; it is not their attempt at perfection, but rather their imperfections that make them special to her. She shares her desire to express her love for him and how she wishes she could tell him how much he means to her.

The song also touches on the struggles of their relationship, including the confusion of whether they were just friends or something more. Jepsen speaks of feeling incomplete without him and how nothing compares to the feelings they share. The bridge of the song touches on the fear of commitment and the desire to run away from love when it feels too overwhelming.

Overall, Beautiful highlights the bittersweet feelings that come with a past love and the beauty that can still remain in the memories and thoughts of the person you miss.

Line by Line Meaning

Hello, I know it's been a while
It's been quite some time since we've last spoken.

I wonder where you are
I am curious about your current whereabouts.

And if you think of me
I wonder if I cross your mind from time to time.

Sometimes cause you're always on my mind
You occupy my thoughts quite often.

You know I had it rough
I went through a difficult time.

Tryin' to forget you but
I attempted to put you out of my mind but was unsuccessful.

The more that I look around
As I observe my surroundings more closely,

The more I realize
I have come to a greater understanding that

You're all I'm lookin' for
I am searching solely for you.

What makes you so beautiful
I am drawn to your attractive qualities.

Is you don't know how beautiful you are
You are unaware of your own appeal.

To me
In my eyes.

You're not tryin' to be perfect
You are not attempting to be flawless.

Nobody's perfect
No one is entirely without faults.

But you are
In my opinion, you come close.

It's how you take my breath away
You leave me breathless with your allure.

Feel the words that I don't say
You understand the sentiments that I do not verbalize.

I wish somehow I could say them now
I desire to express these thoughts at this moment.

Just friends
We have established a platonic relationship.

The beginning or the end
I am uncertain if this is just the start or the conclusion of our time together.

How do we make sense
We are attempting to comprehend our connection.

When we're on our own
When we are alone, without one another.

It's like you're the other half of me
You complete me in a way no one else does.

I feel incomplete
In your absence, I lack a fundamental part of myself.

Should have know
I recognize now, in hindsight,

Nothing in the world compares
No other thing or person can compare

To the feelings that we share
To the emotions and experiences we share together.

It's so not fair
It is unjust and unfortunate.

It's not you
You are not to blame.

Blame it all on me
I am responsible for the problems we face.

I was running from myself
I was avoiding my own feelings and desires.

'Cause I couldn't tell
Due to my own uncertainty and hesitancy.

How deep that we
The intensity of our connection.

We were gonna be
What we were going to become, together.

I was scared it's destiny
I was afraid our relationship was inevitable and fated.

But it hurts like hell
Even though it is painful,

Hope it's not too late
I hope that there is still a chance for us.

Just a twist of fate
Perhaps, just by chance or coincidence.

Oh, I could say them now, mm
I wish I could express these thoughts at this moment.

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Toby Gad, Justin Bieber, Carly Jepsen, Alex Lambert

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS