Meant to Be

Album

All Your Fault Pt. 2

Label

Warner Bros. Records

Genre

Country pop

Composer(s)

B.Rexha, T.Hubbard, J.Miller, D.A.Garcia

Entered Chart

Nov 11, 2017

Peak Date

Apr 7, 2018

Released

October 24, 2017

Recorded

Unknown

Catalog #

Warner Bros.

Bebe Rexha recorded this song with the country-pop duo Florida Georgia Line for the closing track of her third extended play All Your Fault: Pt. 2. It was released to American contemporary hit radio on October 24, 2017, as the second single from the EP. The piano-driven ballad has a feel-good message of whatever will be, will be. Bebe Rexha wrote the song with FGL's Tyler Hubbard, David Garcia and Josh Miller, inspired by some encouraging words of wisdom from Hubbard's pregnant wife, Hayley. "It was my second session of the day and their second session of the day, and they were kind of over it and so was I," Rexha recalled to Billboard. "Tyler and I sat down, and he was like, 'You know what my just wife told me? She said, 'If it's meant to be, it'll be that we write a hit or not.' And, I said, 'Well that's the song - let's go!' Then the song just poured out." Rexha explained how the track's fatalistic lyrical content helped her through her own troubles. "I've recently been going through heartbreak, and I listen to the song, and it makes me feel better and like there's some type of destiny and if something doesn't work out then, there's something better waiting for you," she said. "I think that's something we need more than ever with all the events going on in the world. People want to feel safe and like everything's going to be OK." Both Bebe Rexha and Florida Georgia Line are no strangers to collaborations: The pop songstress has been a guest on tunes by Cash Cash, David Guetta, G-Eazy, Martin Garrix, Louis Tomlinson and more. Meanwhile, the country duo have become renowned with working with artists from a wide cross section of genres including singer/rapper Nelly, pop acts Backstreet Boys and Hailee Steinfeld plus EDM duo Chainsmokers. So when Rexha hooked up with FGL it was well, "Meant to Be." The music video directed by Sophie Muller was filmed in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It features Rexha playing a waitress at an old-fashioned diner who has dreams of being a big star in the music business. The Florida Georgia Line duo portray customers eating in one of the booths. Report this ad Speaking to ABC Radio about the way the FGL's collaboration with Bebe Rexha came together, Tyler Hubbard said: "Man, it was pretty organic. We ended up, last-minute, kinda out of the blue, getting together with her in LA when we were [there] writing, and wrote it kind of on a whim, late-night. The next thing you know, we just kinda hit gold, if you will. A really special song kinda fell out of the sky, as we call it. It doesn't happen like that every time we get in a room to write." Bebe Rexha told ABC Radio that Florida Georgia Line offered to fly her to Nashville two days after they wrote the track. "It was like, 'Why?' They're like, 'To celebrate, 'cause we wrote an amazing song!'" she recalled. "That is incredible, 'cause in the pop world, when you write a great song, it could go #1, and you still won't get flowers or anything! You have to, like, beg for it!" This was only the fourth song to debut at #1 on the country chart, following Garth Brooks' "More Than a Memory," Craig Wayne Boyd's "My Baby's Got a Smile on Her Face." and the all-star "Forever Country" by Artists of Then, Now & Forever. "Meant To Be" achieved the longest reign at #1 on the country chart for a song by a lead female, when it logged its 11th week at the summit. Previously, Taylor Swift's "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together Again" ruled the tally for 10 weeks in 2012-13. Rexha told Billboard she has always respected the country genre. "Growing up in New York City, I knew of [country] artists that had crossed over to the pop side, like Faith Hill, Dixie Chicks and Taylor Swift," she said. "I never thought a New York girl like me would have a country hit, but I guess it goes to show you that some things are just… meant to be." "When we wrote the song, Tyler was just doing what he does best with his country roots and I was doing what I knew best with my roots. We were just being true to ourselves," Rexha continued. "The meaning is simple and honest, and that's why I think it's resonating with the world. The beautiful thing about music is that it allows you to break boundaries, and that's what I want to be remembered for: breaking boundaries." Bebe Rexha originally thought she would be collaborating with Little Big Town on this song - not Florida Georgia Line. She admitted the country group mixup to CMT's Cody Alan, explaining: "I can't lie, I had met Little Big Town at one of the awards [shows]. When I walked in the studio, I saw Tyler [Hubbard] there, and I said, 'Where are the other band members?' I told Tyler and he started laughing." "Meant to Be" was also included on Rexha's debut album, Expectations. Speaking to Billboard at the Academy of Country Music Awards, the singer explained how the single's success led to her making Expectations, "a lot more stripped down." "There's different sides of me and...I went back to my roots," she said. "I love No Doubt and Alanis Morissette and Lauryn Hill and wrote these more real, honest songs, and there's a lot more guitar." "I think 'Meant to Be' helped me see that you could have success with a record that's just honest and raw," Rexha added. "It doesn't have to be hidden by 10 million sounds." The song set the all-time record for the most weeks at #1 on the Country chart when it logged its 35th week atop the tally on August 4, 2018. It usurped Sam Hunt's "Body Like a Back Road," which led for 34 weeks in 2017. It was finally unseated by Kane Brown's "Lose It" after 50 weeks at the top of the listing. In 2020, this was certified Diamond for selling over 10 million units in the US. With the certification Floria Georgia Line became the first country act with two Diamond singles, the other being "Cruise." BBC Radio 2's Scott Mills, using data from the Official Charts Company, revealed the UK's Top 30 most streamed country songs of all time on his show broadcast on March 10, 2024. Bebe Rexha's "Meant to Be" snagged the top spot, followed by Dolly Parton's "9 to 5" at #2 and John Denver's "Take Me Home Country Roads" at #3.

Baby, lay on back and relax
Kick your pretty feet up on my dash
No need to go nowhere fast
Let's enjoy right here where we at
Who knows where this road is supposed to lead
We got nothing but time
As long as you're right here next to me
Everything's gonna be alright

If it's meant to be, it'll be, it'll be
Baby, just let it be
If it's meant to be, it'll be, it'll be
Baby, just let it be
So, won't you ride with me, ride with me?
See where this thing goes
If it's meant to be, it'll be, it'll be
Baby, if it's meant to be

I don't mean to be so uptight
But my heart's been hurt a couple times
By a couple guys that didn't treat me right
I ain't gonna lie, ain't gonna lie
'Cause I'm tired of the fake love, show me what you're made of
Boy, make me believe
Whoa, hold up, girl, don't you know you're beautiful?
And it's easy to see

If it's meant to be, it'll be, it'll be
Baby, just let it be
If it's meant to be, it'll be, it'll be
Baby, just let it be
So, won't you ride with me, ride with me?
See where this thing goes
If it's meant to be, it'll be, it'll be
Baby, if it's meant to be

So, come on, ride with me, ride with me
See where this thing goes
So, come on, ride with me, ride with me
Baby, if it's meant to be

Maybe we do
Maybe we don't
Maybe we will
Maybe we won't

But if it's meant to be, it'll be, it'll be
Baby, just let it be (sing it, Bebe)
If it's meant to be, it'll be, it'll be (come on)
Baby, just let it be (let's go)
So, won't you ride with me, ride with me?
See where this thing goes
If it's meant to be, it'll be, it'll be
Baby, if it's meant to be (yeah)

If it's meant to be, it'll be, it'll be
Baby, if it's meant to be
If it's meant to be, it'll be, it'll be
Baby, if it's meant to be (mm)