When released in Canada and the United States, it reached number one on both charts and received widespread airplay.

[1] The song has sold 625,000 copies in the U.K. as stated by the Official Charts Company, and by October 2012 over three million in the U.S.,[2] where it remains Blunt's biggest hit single to date, and his only one to reach the top 40 of the U.S.

In an interview with HitQuarters, co-writer Sacha Skarbek said that Blunt brought the title, verses, and the approach of the chorus to a songwriting session.

One lyrical version has an explicit word in it ("She could see from my face that I was fucking high") which was released on Back to Bedlam and most of the "You're Beautiful" singles.

The radio edit of the song replaces the explicit lyric, changing it to "She could see from my face that I was flying high".

This is parodied in "Weird Al" Yankovic's song "You're Pitiful": After the initial start, he says "What, was I too early?

Blunt removes the upper portion of his clothing in a cold, bare, snowy setting and places all of his personal belongings on the ground.

[11] At the end of the video, he jumps off a cliff and falls into the water while he sings the lyrics: "But it's time to face the truth, I will never be with you".

[8] At least one writer's interpretation is that it shows Blunt taking his own life, perhaps following a Japanese tradition of removing one's shoes and contents of clothing prior to jumping from a great height.

[15]^[a] The video has been parodied in a Dead Ringers spoof, with Jon Culshaw impersonating Blunt, singing the song with different lyrics where he explains how he can be cool.

[citation needed] About.com gave the song four and a half stars out of five, saying "The simple power of Blunt's songwriting is effective at conveying the pain of realizing he will never be with the object of his affections.

"[16] "You're Beautiful" was ranked number seven in a poll conducted by Rolling Stone magazine to identify the 10 most annoying songs.

While "Hollaback Girl" by Gwen Stefani achieved the same accolade, it has been disputed due to the song's hip-hop-based influences.

This also became the first single by a British artist to reach number one since Elton John's "Candle in the Wind 1997" (1997).

CD1 includes an exclusive acoustic recording of "Fall at Your Feet", a cover taken from the BBC Radio 1 live lounge sessions.