She Will Be Loved

Did You Know?

• The band played the song at the request of George Lucas for his AFI Life Achievement Award ceremony, introduced by actor Jimmy Smits.
• An acoustic version appears on Maroon 5's live album 1.22.03.Acoustic (2004).
• A Cuban version of the song appears on the album Rhythms del Mundo: Cuba (2006).

Music videos

The initial music video for "She Will Be Loved" was abandoned after filming, leading to a complete reshoot. The discarded version showed Maroon 5 performing inside a house, with the band members rotating through every scene, including a party and a romantic storyline between Adam Levine's character and actress Elisha Cuthbert as his love interest. The band wore outfits matching those on the single's cover art. The official music video debuted on MTV's TRL on July 16, 2004.

Directed by Sophie Muller, with original sequence work by Johanna Bautista of Sweetheart Massive Attack, it presents a tragic love story. The plot follows a lonely socialite played by Kelly Preston, trapped in a marriage with a wealthy, neglectful, and abusive husband portrayed by John Colton. This relationship is contrasted with that of their daughter, played by Corinne Carrey, and her boyfriend, played by Levine. The young man becomes fixated on his girlfriend's mother, recognizing that despite her emotional distress and her husband's rejection, she remains beautiful and alluring, perhaps even more so than his own girlfriend.

The video draws frequent comparisons to the 1967 film The Graduate due to the parallel dynamics between the daughter, her boyfriend, and the mother. Levine noted the band aimed to capture beautiful shots from that movie, a personal favorite. The video was uploaded to the band's YouTube channel on June 16, 2009, featuring the radio mix version included on the 10th anniversary edition of Songs About Jane.

Reception

"She Will Be Loved" first appeared on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 50 on July 24, 2004, earning the week's Hot Shot debut. By August 21, it had climbed to number 20, marking Maroon 5's third straight Top 20 hit. The track reached number 9 on September 11, 2004, becoming the band's second top-ten single from Songs About Jane, following "This Love." It peaked at number 5 on September 25, matching "This Love"'s peak, then dipped to number 6 for three weeks before returning to number 5 on October 23 for two more weeks.

The Recording Industry Association of America certified it platinum on April 18, 2011, and by June 15, 2014, it had sold 3,558,083 copies in the US. It earned a four-times platinum certification on September 13, 2018. Internationally, the single hit number one in Australia, Belgium, Mexico, and Venezuela. At the 47th Annual Grammy Awards in 2005, it was nominated for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals but lost to Los Lonely Boys' "Heaven."