Switchfoot Taps Jon Bellion for Reimagined Version of Hit Single “Meant To Live (Jon Bellion Version)
This weekend, beloved GRAMMY-winning rock band Switchfoot teamed with GRAMMY-winning singer/songwriter/producer Jon Bellion (Eminem, Rihanna, Jonas Brothers) to radically reimagine one of their biggest hits, 2003’s “Meant To Live,” which is out now.
Originally appearing on Switchfoot’s iconic triple-platinum LP The Beautiful Letdown, this new version trades the heavy riffing guitars of the original for a lush string arrangement by legendary arranger John Metcalfe (Coldplay, Blur, Peter Gabriel) and a passionate performance by Jon Bellion, whose heartfelt vocal delivery allows Switchfoot lead singer Jon Foreman’s stunning lyrics to take center stage. Recorded at London’s legendary Abbey Road Studios, this new arrangement of “Meant To Live” reaffirms Switchfoot’s legacy as one of the most influential rock groups of the 21st century.
Speaking about the track, Bellion noted: “I think ‘Meant to Live’ is one of the best-written songs of all time. That song is actually one of the reasons I got into music. I remember the energy on the song that was so healing and honest, and I felt like a human being. That song opened a lot of insight for me on how to write records where you can connect with me. I thought, ‘If it doesn’t connect with me like Switchfoot ‘Meant to Live’ connected with me when I was a kid, then I shouldn’t be writing it.’ If you would have told me 15 years ago that I would be covering this song cause the band would be approaching me for one of my favorite songs of all time to reimagine the song in a way I saw fit, I’d be completely honored.”
Switchfoot’s Jon Foreman recalls how the track came into being: “Years ago, Jon Bellion mentioned Switchfoot in a tweet as an inspiration for a song he was working on. I hit Jon back to tell him that I’ve loved his stuff for years. Since then, we’ve stayed in touch, texting from time to time. Fast forward to this year when we started re-recording The Beautiful Letdown: we had a lot of friends reach out with stories about how that album had impacted their lives–one of those friends was Jon Bellion… hearing Abbey Road strings playing a John Metcalfe arrangement with Jon Bellion’s voice singing those lyrics felt like a graduation (maybe the graduation that this college dropout never got!). It’s like I’m hearing the song for the first time, and I wonder who wrote it and where music even comes from–Bellion and I were talking about it the other day, how this version of the song truly illuminates the lyrics in a new way.”
2023 marks the 20-year anniversary of The Beautiful Letdown, and in celebration, Switchfoot released a reimagined version of the album earlier this year that features newly recorded versions of classic hits like “Meant To Live” (160M streams), “Dare You To Move” (235M streams) and more.
Switchfoot will kick off their massive 30+ date tour of North America at the tail end of Summer. The run of shows sees the band performing The Beautiful Letdown from front to back in its entirety in major markets like Chicago, Boston, Orlando, Detroit, Seattle, Los Angeles, and more. Numerous shows on the tour are already sold out or have very few tickets remaining, such as The Wiltern in Los Angeles, CA, House of Blues in Chicago, IL, and The Bluestone in Columbus, OH. For tickets and more information, click here.
Stream “Meant To Live (Jon Bellion Version)”
