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The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived

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"The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived"
Song by Taylor Swift
from the album The Tortured Poets Department
ReleasedApril 19, 2024 (2024-04-19)
StudioLong Pond (New York)
Length4:05
LabelRepublic
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Taylor Swift
  • Aaron Dessner
Lyric video
"The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived" on YouTube

"The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift from her eleventh studio album, The Tortured Poets Department (2024). She wrote and produced the song with longtime collaborator Aaron Dessner. A breakup song about an ex-lover, "The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived" begins as a piano ballad with blinking programming before transitioning into a vitriolic bridge.

In reviews of The Tortured Poets Department, critics uniformly praised "The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived" for its unrestrained lyrics, and several selected it as an album or career highlight. Upon release, it peaked at number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100, number 18 on the Billboard Global 200, and the top 20 of singles charts in Australia, Canada, Ireland, and New Zealand. Swift included the song in the revamped set list of the Eras Tour starting in May 2024.

Background and release

[edit]

Swift announced The Tortured Poets Department, her eleventh studio album, at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards on February 4, 2024, while accepting the Best Pop Vocal Album award for Midnights (2022).[1] She revealed she worked on the album in secret through 2022 and 2023.[2] In the leadup to and aftermath of its release, fans and the media speculated that the album's songs discussed her relationships in that time frame with the English actor Joe Alwyn, the English singer-songwriter Matty Healy, and the American football player Travis Kelce.[3] Republic Records released the album on April 19, 2024;[4] "The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived" is 14th on the track list.

Swift included the song on The Tortured Poets Department act of the Eras Tour, which she introduced at the May 9 show in Paris. During the performance, she dons a white military jacket and performs a synchronized march across the stage during the song's bridge with her backup dancers as a marching band.[5] She ends the performance by collapsing on the floor along with the band;[6] a pantomime skit follows in which her dancers revive her and force her into a new outfit to perform "I Can Do It with a Broken Heart".[7] Swift's romantic partner, the American football player Travis Kelce, joined the dancers onstage between the songs at the June 23 show in London, inviting extensive commentary and fanfare;[8] Rolling Stone dubbed it the best moment from the international leg of the tour.[9]

Music and lyrics

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"The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived" was described as a breakup song and a provocative "diss track" addressed to an unnamed ex-lover,[10][11] doubting the veracity of their relationship.[12] Sonically, the track is mostly built around piano and blinking programming.[13] The lyrics describe a man in a "Jehovah's Witness suit", accusing him of showing her off then ghosting her and attempting to buy drugs from her distant friend.[14][15] Swift audibly sighs several times during the song,[16] and her voice distorts upon entering the bridge.[17] The song is divided into two distinct parts, the first being an understated piano ballad[18] and the second a provocative one-chord bridge[11][13] in which the narrator bombards the subject with a series of questions: "Were you sent by someone who wanted me dead? / Did you sleep with a gun underneath our bed? / Were you writing a book? / Were you a sleeper cell spy? / In 50 years will all this be declassified?"[19] The bridge employs extensive references to espionage.[20] Grace Wehniainen of Bustle noted that the song highlighted the differences between a relationship's public image and private reality, comparing that theme to "Peace" from Folklore (2020).[12] Several music critics, along with some of Swift's fans, speculated the song's subject was English singer-songwriter Matty Healy, with whom Swift had a publicized romance, due to perceptions of his height, reported history of substance abuse, and a signature suit and tie he often dons during performances,[note 1] although Ludovic Hunter-Tilney of the Financial Times argued such speculation "miss[ed] the point" of Swift's work.[26] Healy's aunt reportedly acknowledged that he was the subject of the song.[10]

Critical reception

[edit]

In reviews of its parent album, "The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived" received critical acclaim, and many identified it as one of the best songs on the album. In a ranking of all 31 songs from The Anthology edition of The Tortured Poets Department, Billboard ranked "The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived" in first place, with writer Jason Lipshutz considering the song "another Taylor Swift post-breakup takedown for the ages" and "the beating heart" of the album as a whole.[13] Naming the song a standout track, Ryan Fish of The Hollywood Reporter wrote "It’s perhaps the cruelest and most direct Swift has ever been on one of her breakup/revenge songs."[24] The Observer's Kitty Empire named it "the album's sickest burn."[23] Alex Hopper of American Songwriter and Callie Ahlgrim of Business Insider both chose it as a standout song on The Tortured Poets Department,[27][28] as did Mary Siroky of Consequence and Mary Kate Carr of The A.V. Club in otherwise underwhelmed reviews of the album.[29][30] Caroline Darney of USA Today selected it as the sixth best song on the album;[31] she and Grace Wehniainen of Bustle both opined that the bridge was among the best of her career.[12] Nate Jones of Vulture ranked it the 30th best song of her 245-song discography, dubbing it an "old school Taylor Swift knife to the heart." Jones and Lindsay Zoladz of The New York Times both named the track her best breakup song since "All Too Well" (2012).[20][32]

Other critics highlighted the song's intense lyrics and delivery. Chris Willman of Variety placed the song at 25th in his ranking of the 75 best songs by Swift, writing that it was her most scarring since "Dear John" (2010) and praising its "epic" bridge;[18] Zoladz called it "satisfyingly vicious."[32] Writing for Beats Per Minute, John Wohlmacher described it as a "no-holds barrage of verbal fists".[17] Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone opined that the song could be retitled "The Angriest Song I’ll Ever Write" for its heated interrogation-style questions and described it as a new perspective of her previous work.[19] Lauren Webb's review for Clash praised the track's "unrestrained bitterness",[33] and Will Harris's review for Q described it as a "vulnerable attack to the heartstrings."[25] Ludovic Hunter-Tilney of the Financial Times lauded the song as a "quietly venomous piano assassination."[26]

Commercial performance

[edit]

When The Tortured Poets Department was released, tracks from the album occupied the top 14 of the US Billboard Hot 100; "The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived" opened and peaked at number 14 and made Swift the first artist to monopolize the top 14 of the chart.[34][35] It debuted and peaked at number 18 on the Billboard Global 200. It peaked at number 16 in Australia, making Swift the artist with the most entries in a single week with 29.[36][37] Elsewhere, the song charted within the top 20 in New Zealand (17),[38] Canada (18),[39] and Ireland (19),[40] and reached the singles charts of several other European countries.

Personnel

[edit]
  • Taylor Swift – vocals, songwriter, producer
  • Aaron Dessner – producer, songwriter, recording engineer, bass guitar, drum programming, electric guitar, piano, synthesizer
  • Serban Ghenea – mixing
  • Bryce Bordone – engineer for mix
  • Bella Blasko – recording engineer
  • Beau Sorenson – additional engineer
  • Rob Moose – arranger, violin, viola
  • James McAlister – drums, electric guitar, percussion, synthesizer
  • Laura Sisk – vocal engineer
  • Randy Merrill – mastering
  • Jason Slota – percussion

Charts

[edit]
Chart performance for "The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived"
Chart (2024) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[36] 16
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[39] 18
France (SNEP)[41] 137
Global 200 (Billboard)[42] 18
Greece International (IFPI)[43] 28
Ireland (Billboard)[40] 19
Lithuania (AGATA)[44] 88
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[38] 17
Portugal (AFP)[45] 31
Slovakia (Singles Digitál Top 100)[46] 97
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[47] 90
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[48] 60
Swiss Streaming (Schweizer Hitparade)[49] 42
UK Singles Downloads (OCC)[50] 76
UK Streaming (OCC)[51] 17
US Billboard Hot 100[34] 14

Certifications

[edit]
Certifications for "The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[52] Gold 35,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[53] Silver 200,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Footnotes

[edit]
  1. ^ Attributed to Glamour's Lian Brooks,[21] Harper's Bazaar's Joel Calfee,[5] Life & Style's Whitney Danhauer,[15] Capital's Tiasha Debray,[22] The Observer's Kitty Empire,[23] The Hollywood Reporter's Ryan Fish,[24] Elle's Erica Gonzales and Lian Lauren Puckett-Pope,[3] and Q's Will Harris.[25]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ West, Bryan (April 21, 2024). "Taylor Swift makes Grammys history with fourth album of the year win for 'Midnights'". USA Today. Archived from the original on February 5, 2024. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
  2. ^ Blistein, Jon (February 7, 2024). "Taylor Swift Reveals Tortured Poets Department Back Up Plan In Case She Didn't Win a Grammy". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on February 7, 2024. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
  3. ^ a b Puckett-Pope, Lauren; Gonzales, Erica (April 19, 2024). "Is Taylor Swift's 'The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived' About Matty Healy?". Elle. Archived from the original on April 23, 2024. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
  4. ^ "As The Tortured Poets Department drops, here's all Taylor Swift's albums ranked by sales". Music Week. April 19, 2024. Archived from the original on April 19, 2024. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
  5. ^ a b Calffe, Joel (May 10, 2024). "Taylor Swift Adds Not-So-Subtle Nods to Matty Healy to Eras Show". Harper's Bazaar. Archived from the original on May 10, 2024. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
  6. ^ Knight, Kathryn (May 10, 2024). "Taylor Swift's transition between two new songs on The Eras Tour has a heart-breaking meaning". Capital. Archived from the original on May 10, 2024. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
  7. ^ Logan, Elizabeth (May 10, 2024). "Taylor Swift Drastically Changed the Eras Tour Set List in Order to Add 'TTPD': Here's a Massive Explainer". Glamour. Archived from the original on May 13, 2024. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
  8. ^ Rosenbloom, Alli (June 23, 2024). "Taylor Swift stuns London crowd by bringing Travis Kelce on stage during Eras Tour concert". CNN. Archived from the original on July 26, 2024. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
  9. ^ "Taylor Swift Across the Globe: The Best International Moments From the Eras Tour". Rolling Stone. August 20, 2024. Archived from the original on August 20, 2024. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
  10. ^ a b Frost, Caroline (April 20, 2024). "Taylor Swift's "Diss Track" Sees Pop Star Ex's Family Speak Out In His Defence". Deadline. Archived from the original on April 21, 2024. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
  11. ^ a b Sheffield, Rob (April 26, 2024). "All 274 of Taylor Swift's Songs, Ranked". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on June 27, 2024. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
  12. ^ a b c Wehniainen, Grace (April 19, 2024). "This Might Be Taylor Swift's Most Venomous Breakup Song Ever". Bustle. Archived from the original on April 19, 2024. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
  13. ^ a b c Lipshutz, Jason. "Taylor Swift's 'The Tortured Poets Department': All 31 Tracks Ranked". Billboard. Archived from the original on April 21, 2024. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
  14. ^ Yasmin, Shahana; O'Connor, Roisin (April 20, 2024). "How Taylor Swift takes aim at Matty Healy on The Tortured Poets Department". The Independent. Archived from the original on April 21, 2024. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
  15. ^ a b Danhauer, Whitney (April 20, 2024). "Taylor Swift Seemingly Shades Matty Healy's Style in 'The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived' From 'TTPD'". Life & Style. Archived from the original on April 21, 2024. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
  16. ^ Jayswal, Palak (May 5, 2024). "Review: Taylor Swift – The Tortured Poets Department - SLUG Magazine". SLUG Magazine. Archived from the original on May 10, 2024. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
  17. ^ a b Wohlmacher, John (April 23, 2024). "Album Review: Taylor Swift – The Tortured Poets Department". Beats Per Minute. Archived from the original on April 23, 2024. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  18. ^ a b Willman, Chris (April 29, 2024). "Taylor Swift's 75 Best Songs, Ranked". Variety. Archived from the original on April 30, 2024. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
  19. ^ a b Sheffield, Rob (April 19, 2024). "Come for the Torture, Stay for the Poetry: This Might Be Taylor Swift's Most Personal Album Yet". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on April 19, 2024. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  20. ^ a b Jones, Nate (May 20, 2024). "All 245 Taylor Swift Songs, Ranked". Vulture. Archived from the original on May 20, 2024. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
  21. ^ Brooks, Lian (April 19, 2024). "Is Taylor Swift's The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived about Matty Healy?". Glamour UK. Archived from the original on August 1, 2024. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
  22. ^ Debray, Tiasha (April 25, 2024). "Is Taylor Swift's 'The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived' about Matty Healy?". Capital. Archived from the original on April 25, 2024. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
  23. ^ a b Empire, Kitty (April 20, 2024). "Taylor Swift: The Tortured Poets Department Review – A Whole Lotta Love Gone Bad". The Observer. Archived from the original on April 20, 2024. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
  24. ^ a b Fish, Ryan (April 22, 2024). "Every Song on Taylor Swift's 'The Tortured Poets Department,' Ranked". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on April 23, 2024. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  25. ^ a b Harris, Will (April 19, 2024). "First Impressions: Taylor Swift's The Tortured Poets Department Is Every Bit the Epic Affair It Was Expected to Be". Q. Archived from the original on April 21, 2024. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
  26. ^ a b Hunter-Tilney, Ludovic (April 19, 2024). "Taylor Swift: The Tortured Poets Department Review—Heartbreak Inspires Anguish, Anger and A Career Highlight". Financial Times. Archived from the original on April 20, 2024. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
  27. ^ Hopper, Alex (April 19, 2024). "The Gloves Are Off on Taylor Swift's Double Album, The Tortured Poets Department". American Songwriter. Archived from the original on April 21, 2024. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
  28. ^ Ahlgrim, Callie (April 26, 2024). "Taylor Swift New Album The Tortured Poets Department Is Getting Mixed Reviews—Here's What Critics Are Saying". Business Insider. Archived from the original on April 26, 2024. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
  29. ^ Siroky, Mary (April 19, 2024). "Taylor Swift Gets Lost in Her Own Shadow on The Tortured Poets Department". Consequence. Archived from the original on April 20, 2024. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
  30. ^ Carr, Mary Kate (April 19, 2024). "Taylor Swift's The Tortured Poets Department Is Stuck in the Past". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on April 19, 2024. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
  31. ^ Darney, Caroline (April 23, 2024). "The 13 best songs on Taylor Swift's The Tortured Poets Department, ranked". For the Win. USA Today. Archived from the original on April 23, 2024. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
  32. ^ a b Zoladz, Lindsay (April 19, 2024). "Taylor Swift's New Album, The Tortured Poets Department, Could Use an Editor: Review". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 20, 2024. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
  33. ^ Webb, Lauren (April 19, 2024). "Taylor Swift - The Tortured Poets Department". Clash. Archived from the original on April 19, 2024. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  34. ^ a b "Taylor Swift Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  35. ^ Trust, Gary (April 29, 2024). "Taylor Swift Claims Record Top 14 Spots on Billboard Hot 100, Led by 'Fortnight' with Post Malone". Billboard. Archived from the original on April 29, 2024. Retrieved May 9, 2024.
  36. ^ a b "ARIA Top 50 Singles Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. April 29, 2024. Archived from the original on May 9, 2024. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  37. ^ Gbogbo, Mawunyo (April 29, 2024). "Taylor Swift's New Album The Tortured Poets Department Smashes Chart Records in the US, UK and Australia". ABC News. Archived from the original on May 10, 2024. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
  38. ^ a b "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. April 29, 2024. Archived from the original on April 26, 2024. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  39. ^ a b "Taylor Swift Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  40. ^ a b "Taylor Swift Chart History (Ireland Songs)". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 7, 2023. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
  41. ^ "Top Singles (Week 16, 2024)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Archived from the original on May 31, 2021. Retrieved April 29, 2024.
  42. ^ "Taylor Swift Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  43. ^ "IFPI Charts". www.ifpi.gr. Archived from the original on May 1, 2024. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
  44. ^ "2024 16-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. April 26, 2024. Archived from the original on April 19, 2024. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  45. ^ "Taylor Swift – The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
  46. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 17. týden 2024 in the date selector. Retrieved April 29, 2024.
  47. ^ "Taylor Swift – Fortnight" Canciones Top 50. Retrieved April 29, 2024.
  48. ^ "Veckolista Singlar, vecka 17". Sverigetopplistan. Archived from the original on April 26, 2024. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  49. ^ "Streaming Top 100". Schweizer Hitparade. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  50. ^ "Official Singles Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  51. ^ "Official Streaming Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on May 9, 2024. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  52. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2024 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
  53. ^ "British single certifications – Taylor Swift – The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
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