a thousand years

For Twilight fan Christina Perri, landing a track on the soundtrack for Breaking Dawn was a dream come true. She told MTV News how she penned the song after attending an early screening of the movie. Said Perri: "I tried not to get hyped out, because it's one of my favorite movies, one of my favorite books, one of my favorite soundtracks, and that could potentially freak out the little songwriter in me. So I tried to put that aside and take it one step at a time, went to see the movie and cried like a baby, because it's so good, and I felt so lucky to be there. And then went home and wrote a love song to Edward and Bella... and to have it be chosen, I'm unbelievably honored."

Perri wrote the song based on the emotions that she felt reading about the star-crossed love affair between Edward and Bella throughout Stephenie Meyer's series. "When we went to watch the screening, they told us to see where there was temporary music added and just jump into those scenes a little harder," she explained to MTV News. "But I'm fortunately a fan of the movie and the characters, and I feel like, by reading these books, I can step into that feeling that Edward and Bella have for each other. So [songwriter] David Hodges and I sat down, and it just came out in one afternoon. I feel like it was all meant to happen; I feel like it was all waiting inside me, waiting to come out."

The lines, "I have loved you for a thousand years, I'll love you for a thousand more," are appropriate for vampires like Edward and Bella because, they're like, immortal, but humans also took to this song, using it in their weddings as an expression of everlasting love.