The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived Explained

The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived
Artist:Taylor Swift
Album:The Tortured Poets Department
Studio:Long Pond (New York)
Genre:Rock
Label:Republic
Producer:
  • Taylor Swift
  • Aaron Dessner

"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 rock 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

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]

Music and lyrics

"The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived" was described as a rock breakup song and a provocative "diss track" addressed to an unnamed ex-lover,[8] [9] doubting the veracity of their relationship.[10] Sonically, the track is mostly built around piano and blinking programming.[11] 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.[12] [13] Swift audibly sighs several times during the song,[14] and her voice distorts upon entering the bridge. The song is divided into two distinct parts, the first being an understated piano ballad and the second a provocative one-chord bridge 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?" The bridge employs extensive references to espionage.[15] 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). 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, although Ludovic Hunter-Tilney of the Financial Times argued such speculation "misse[d] the point" of Swift's work. Healy's aunt reportedly acknowledged that he was the subject of the song.

Critical reception

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.[11] 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."[16] The Observer's Kitty Empire named it "the album's sickest burn."[17] Alex Hopper of American Songwriter and Callie Ahlgrim of Business Insider both chose it as a standout song on The Tortured Poets Department,[18] [19] as did Mary Siroky of Consequence and Mary Kate Carr of The A.V. Club in otherwise underwhelmed reviews of the album.[20] [21] Caroline Darney of USA Today selected it as the sixth best song on the album;[22] she and Grace Wehniainen of Bustle both opined that the bridge was among the best of her career. 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).[23]

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;[24] Zoladz called it "satisfyingly vicious." Writing for Beats Per Minute, John Wohlmacher described it as a "no-holds barrage of verbal fists".[25] 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.[26] Lauren Webb's review for Clash praised the track's "unrestrained bitterness",[27] and Will Harris's review for Q described it as a "vulnerable attack to the heartstrings."[28] Ludovic Hunter-Tilney of the Financial Times lauded the song as a "quietly venomous piano assassination."[29]

Commercial performance

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.[30] 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.[31] Elsewhere, the song charted within the top 20 in New Zealand (17), Canada (18), and Ireland (19), and reached the singles charts of several other European countries.

Personnel

Charts

Chart (2024)! scope="col"
Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[32] 16
France (SNEP)[33] 137
Greece International (IFPI)[34] 28
Ireland (Billboard)[35] 19
Lithuania (AGATA)[36] 88
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[37] 17
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[38] 60
Swiss Streaming (Schweizer Hitparade)[39] 42
UK Streaming (OCC)[40] 17

Notes and References

  1. News: West . Bryan . April 21, 2024 . Taylor Swift makes Grammys history with fourth album of the year win for 'Midnights' . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240205024530/https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/music/2024/02/04/taylor-swift-wins-grammys-2024-midnights/72425158007/ . February 5, 2024 . April 21, 2024 . USA Today.
  2. Blistein . Jon . February 7, 2024 . Taylor Swift Reveals Tortured Poets Department Back Up Plan In Case She Didn't Win a Grammy . limited . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240207163624/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/taylor-swift-tortured-poets-department-backup-plan-tokyo-1234963303/ . February 7, 2024 . August 19, 2024 . Rolling Stone.
  3. Web site: Puckett-Pope . Lauren . Gonzales . Erica . April 19, 2024 . Is Taylor Swift's 'The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived' About Matty Healy? . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240423132341/https://www.elle.com/culture/music/a60541478/taylor-swift-the-smallest-man-who-ever-lived-lyrics-meaning/ . April 23, 2024 . 21 April 2024 . Elle.
  4. Web site: April 19, 2024 . As The Tortured Poets Department drops, here's all Taylor Swift's albums ranked by sales . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240419095336/https://www.musicweek.com/talent/read/as-the-tortured-poets-department-drops-here-s-all-taylor-swift-s-albums-ranked-by-sales/089645 . April 19, 2024 . August 16, 2024 . Music Week.
  5. Web site: Calffe . Joel . May 10, 2024 . Taylor Swift Adds Not-So-Subtle Nods to Matty Healy to Eras Show . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240510232003/https://www.harpersbazaar.com/celebrity/latest/a60757868/taylor-swift-matty-healy-references-eras-tour/ . May 10, 2024 . August 16, 2024 . . en-US.
  6. Web site: Knight . Kathryn . May 10, 2024 . Taylor Swift's transition between two new songs on The Eras Tour has a heart-breaking meaning . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240510184537/https://www.capitalfm.com/news/music/taylor-swift-transition-smallest-man-meaning/ . May 10, 2024 . August 16, 2024 . . en.
  7. Web site: Logan . Elizabeth . May 10, 2024 . Taylor Swift Drastically Changed the Eras Tour Set List in Order to Add ‘TTPD’: Here’s a Massive Explainer . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240513232926/https://www.glamour.com/story/taylor-swifts-eras-tour-setlist-in-order-heres-everything-shes-changed-so-far . May 13, 2024 . August 16, 2024 . . en-US.
  8. Web site: Frost . Caroline . April 20, 2024 . Taylor Swift's "Diss Track" Sees Pop Star Ex's Family Speak Out In His Defence . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240421235554/https://deadline.com/2024/04/taylor-swift-matt-healy-family-defence-smallest-man-who-ever-lived-song-1235890800/ . April 21, 2024 . 21 April 2024 . Deadline.
  9. Web site: Sheffield . Rob . April 26, 2024 . All 274 of Taylor Swift’s Songs, Ranked . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240627004854/https://au.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/taylor-swift-all-247-songs-ranked-58660/ . June 27, 2024 . August 16, 2024 . . en-AU.
  10. Web site: Wehniainen . Grace . April 19, 2024 . This Might Be Taylor Swift’s Most Venomous Breakup Song Ever . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240419042036/https://www.bustle.com/entertainment/taylor-swift-the-smallest-man-who-ever-lived-lyrics-meaning . April 19, 2024 . August 16, 2024 . . en.
  11. Web site: Lipshutz . Jason . Taylor Swift's 'The Tortured Poets Department': All 31 Tracks Ranked . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240421235554/https://www.billboard.com/lists/taylor-swift-the-tortured-poets-department-tracks-ranked/but-daddy-i-love-him/ . April 21, 2024 . 21 April 2024 . Billboard.
  12. Web site: Yasmin . Shahana . O'Connor . Roisin . April 20, 2024 . How Taylor Swift takes aim at Matty Healy on The Tortured Poets Department . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240421235554/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/taylor-swift-matty-healy-tortured-poets-lyrics-b2531823.html . April 21, 2024 . April 21, 2024 . The Independent.
  13. Web site: Danhauer . Whitney . April 20, 2024 . Taylor Swift Seemingly Shades Matty Healy's Style in 'The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived' From 'TTPD' . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240421235600/https://www.lifeandstylemag.com/posts/taylor-swift-seemingly-shades-matty-healys-style-in-the-smallest-man-who-ever-lived-from-ttpd/ . April 21, 2024 . 21 April 2024 . Life & Style.
  14. Web site: Jayswal . Palak . May 5, 2024 . Review: Taylor Swift – The Tortured Poets Department - SLUG Magazine . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240510061607/https://www.slugmag.com/music/national-music-reviews/review-taylor-swift-the-tortured-poets-department/ . May 10, 2024 . August 16, 2024 . . en-US.
  15. Web site: Jones . Nate . May 20, 2024 . All 245 Taylor Swift Songs, Ranked . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240520204025/https://www.vulture.com/article/all-taylor-swift-songs-ranked-from-worst-to-best.html . May 20, 2024 . August 16, 2024 . . en.
  16. Web site: Fish . Ryan . April 22, 2024 . Every Song on Taylor Swift's The Tortured Poets Department,' Ranked . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240423002125/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/taylor-swift-the-tortured-poets-department-songs-ranked/ . April 23, 2024 . June 27, 2024 . The Hollywood Reporter.
  17. News: Empire . Kitty . Kitty Empire . April 20, 2024 . Taylor Swift: The Tortured Poets Department Review – A Whole Lotta Love Gone Bad . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240420111103/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2024/apr/20/taylor-swift-the-tortured-poets-department-review-joe-alwyn . April 20, 2024 . August 16, 2024 . The Observer.
  18. Hopper . Alex . April 19, 2024 . The Gloves Are Off on Taylor Swift's Double Album, The Tortured Poets Department . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240421080229/https://americansongwriter.com/the-gloves-are-off-on-taylor-swifts-double-album-the-tortured-poets-department/ . April 21, 2024 . August 16, 2024 . American Songwriter.
  19. Web site: Ahlgrim . Callie . April 26, 2024 . Taylor Swift New Album The Tortured Poets Department Is Getting Mixed Reviews—Here's What Critics Are Saying . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240426163628/https://www.businessinsider.com/taylor-swift-tortured-poets-department-album-reviews-critics-reviews-2024-4 . April 26, 2024 . August 16, 2024 . Business Insider.
  20. Web site: Siroky . Mary . April 19, 2024 . Taylor Swift Gets Lost in Her Own Shadow on The Tortured Poets Department . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240420032541/https://consequence.net/2024/04/taylor-swift-tortured-poets-department-review/ . April 20, 2024 . August 16, 2024 . . en-US.
  21. Web site: Carr . Mary Kate . April 19, 2024 . Taylor Swift's The Tortured Poets Department Is Stuck in the Past . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240419201239/https://www.avclub.com/taylor-swift-the-tortured-poets-department-review-1851419476 . April 19, 2024 . August 16, 2024 . The A.V. Club.
  22. Web site: Darney . Caroline . April 23, 2024 . The 13 best songs on Taylor Swift's The Tortured Poets Department, ranked . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240423125434/https://ftw.usatoday.com/lists/taylor-swift-tortured-poets-department-best-songs-review-rankings . April 23, 2024 . August 16, 2024 . For the Win . . en-US.
  23. Web site: Zoladz . Lindsay . April 19, 2024 . Taylor Swift's New Album, The Tortured Poets Department, Could Use an Editor: Review . subscription . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240420000556/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/19/arts/music/taylor-swift-album-tortured-poets-department-review.html . April 20, 2024 . August 16, 2024 . The New York Times.
  24. Web site: Willman . Chris . April 29, 2024 . Taylor Swift's 75 Best Songs, Ranked . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240430003704/https://variety.com/lists/best-taylor-swift-songs-ranked/ . April 30, 2024 . June 28, 2024 . Variety.
  25. Web site: Wohlmacher . John . April 23, 2024 . Album Review: Taylor Swift – The Tortured Poets Department . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240423110048/https://beatsperminute.com/album-review-taylor-swift-the-tortured-poets-department/ . April 23, 2024 . June 27, 2024 . Beats Per Minute.
  26. Sheffield . Rob . Rob Sheffield . April 19, 2024 . Come for the Torture, Stay for the Poetry: This Might Be Taylor Swift's Most Personal Album Yet . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240419041049/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/taylor-swift-the-tortured-poets-department-review-1235006977/ . April 19, 2024 . June 27, 2024 . Rolling Stone.
  27. Web site: Webb . Lauren . April 19, 2024 . Taylor Swift - The Tortured Poets Department . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240419084356/https://www.clashmusic.com/reviews/taylor-swift-the-tortured-poets-department/ . April 19, 2024 . June 27, 2024 . Clash.
  28. 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 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20240421124948/https://qthemusic.com/p/taylor-swift-the-tortured-poets-department-review/ . April 21, 2024 . August 16, 2024 . Q.
  29. News: Hunter-Tilney . Ludovic . April 19, 2024 . Taylor Swift: The Tortured Poets Department Review—Heartbreak Inspires Anguish, Anger and A Career Highlight . subscription . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240420145407/https://www.ft.com/content/66753273-04d3-49c4-ac5a-6e48a7d3a27c . April 20, 2024 . August 16, 2024 . Financial Times.
  30. Web site: Trust . Gary . April 29, 2024 . Taylor Swift Claims Record Top 14 Spots on Billboard Hot 100, Led by 'Fortnight' with Post Malone . May 9, 2024 . . April 29, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240429170523/https://www.billboard.com/lists/taylor-swift-hot-100-top-14-fortnight-post-malone-record/ . live .
  31. News: Gbogbo . Mawunyo . April 29, 2024 . Taylor Swift's New Album The Tortured Poets Department Smashes Chart Records in the US, UK and Australia . 2024-05-10 . . en-AU . May 10, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240510010807/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-04-29/taylor-swift-tortured-poets-department-charts-uk-billboard-aria/103779382 . live .
  32. Web site: ARIA Top 50 Singles Chart. Australian Recording Industry Association. April 29, 2024. April 26, 2024. May 9, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240509103914/https://www.aria.com.au/charts/singles-chart/2024-04-29. live.
  33. Web site: Top Singles (Week 16, 2024). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. French. April 29, 2024. May 31, 2021. https://archive.today/20210531082745/https://snepmusique.com/les-tops/le-top-de-la-semaine/top-albums/?categorie=Top%20Singles. live.
  34. Web site: IFPI Charts . May 1, 2024 . www.ifpi.gr . May 1, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240501120745/https://www.ifpi.gr/digital_ien.html . live .
  35. Taylor Swift Chart History (Ireland Songs). Billboard. May 6, 2024. November 7, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231107051337/https://www.billboard.com/artist/taylor-swift/chart-history/i15/. live.
  36. Web site: 2024 16-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100). lt. AGATA. April 26, 2024. April 26, 2024. April 19, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240419091240/https://www.agata.lt/lt/naujienos/s16-3/. live.
  37. Web site: NZ Top 40 Singles Chart. Recorded Music NZ. April 29, 2024. April 26, 2024. April 26, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240426045359/https://nztop40.co.nz/chart/singles?chart=5799. live.
  38. Web site: Veckolista Singlar, vecka 17. Sverigetopplistan. April 26, 2024. April 26, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240426122136/https://sverigetopplistan.se/chart/41/?dspy=2024&dspp=17. live.
  39. Web site: Streaming Top 100. Schweizer Hitparade. May 15, 2024.
  40. Web site: Official Streaming Chart Top 100. Official Charts Company. April 26, 2024. May 9, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240509095655/https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/streaming-chart/20240426/7510/. live.

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