"Better Man" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Little Big Town | ||||
from the album The Breaker | ||||
Released | October 20, 2016 | |||
Genre | Country | |||
Length |
| |||
Label | Capitol Nashville | |||
Songwriter(s) | Taylor Swift | |||
Producer(s) | Jay Joyce | |||
Little Big Town singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Music video | ||||
"Better Man" on YouTube |
"Better Man" is a song by American country group Little Big Town. It was released on October 20, 2016, as the lead single from the group's eighth studio album, The Breaker (2017). American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift wrote the song, intending to include it on her fourth studio album, Red (2012), but the song did not make the final track list. She passed the song to Little Big Town in 2016, believing the group's vocal harmonies suited it.
Produced by Jay Joyce, [1] "Better Man" was first performed live at the 50th CMA Awards on November 2, 2016. The song won Song of the Year and was nominated for Single of the Year, and Music Video of the Year at the 2017 CMA Awards. [2] The song won a Grammy Award for Best Country Duo/Group Performance and was nominated for Best Country Song at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards. [3]
Swift recorded her version of "Better Man", subtitled in parentheses "(Taylor's Version) (From The Vault)", for her 2021 re-recorded album, Red (Taylor's Version) . The version was produced by Swift and Aaron Dessner.
The song was written by Taylor Swift. According to group member Karen Fairchild, Swift thought of the group because of the harmonies, and sent the song to them. [4] [5] According to Swift, the song was originally intended for her fourth studio album Red (2012). [6] An unnamed source from Us Weekly reported that she sent it to the group in July 2016. [7]
"Better Man" has a play length of 4 minutes and 21 seconds. The song is in a slow tempo of 72 beats per minute, written with a 4/4 time signature. It is in the key of F major, with a chord pattern of F-C-B♭-B♭2-B♭. Karen Fairchild's lead vocal spans from F3 to B♭4. [8]
Swift revealed in August 2021 that she would be recording her rendition of "Better Man" for the 2021 re-recording of Red. [9] With it comes a 36-second longer recording and a downward transposition to E major. With the same tempo and time signature, Swift's vocals range E3 to A4.
An accompanying music video was directed by Becky Fluke and Reid Long and premiered on November 1, 2016. [10] Set in a rural household, the video depicts three generations of single parents whose partners ultimately leave them. [11] The cycle is presumably broken at the end, when Philip Sweet's character has a baby girl and makes an effort to be a better role model. [11]
Kevin John Coyne of Country Universe rated the song "A", saying that "It’s a concept that is grounded in so much truth that I’m amazed I’ve never heard it approached this way before" and "The writers do a great job of capturing both why [the song's narrator] stayed so long and why she had to leave, and all of the conflicting feelings that go along with that." [12] Taste of Country writer Billy Dukes also praised the song, saying that "This song isn’t as jarring as some of the quartet’s most recent hits. In fact, the mistreatment of women is only vaguely alluded to — there’s no one line that burns the hair off the back of your neck. Jay Joyce’s arrangement is soft but not stark. It’s among his more mainstream productions. Still, it’s clear Fairchild’s protagonist is reeling from a love that went very, very wrong." [13] Taste of Country ranked it the 42nd best country song of the 2010s. [14]
Year | Association | Category | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2017 | Billboard Music Awards [15] | Top Country Song | Nominated |
CMT Music Awards [16] | Group Video of the Year | Won | |
Video of the Year | Nominated | ||
CMA Awards [2] | Single of the Year | Nominated | |
Song of the Year | Won | ||
Music Video of the Year | Nominated | ||
2018 | Grammy Awards [17] | Best Country Duo/Group Performance | Won |
Best Country Song | Nominated | ||
ACM Awards [18] | Single Record of the Year | Nominated | |
The song sold 6,000 copies on its first day of release, enough to allow the song to enter the Hot Country Songs chart at No. 41. [19] [20] It sold 20,000 the following week, and rose to No. 20 in the chart. [20] [21] In its third week it sold a further 47,000 copies and climbed further to No. 6. [22] On the Hot Country Songs chart dated February 11, 2017, "Better Man" reached number one, earning the group their third leader. It spent two weeks at No. 1 before being dethroned by "Body Like A Back Road" by Sam Hunt. [23] The song was certified platinum in the United States by the RIAA on August 23, 2017. [24] The song has sold 772,000 copies in the United States as of February 2018. [25]
Credits adapted from Tidal. [26]
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Decade-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Canada (Music Canada) [36] | Gold | 40,000‡ |
United States (RIAA) [37] | 3× Platinum | 3,000,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
Swift performed "Better Man" at Club Nomadic in Houston as part of the DirecTV Special, Super Saturday Night on February 4, 2017. [38] She also performed it on March 31, 2018, at the Bluebird Café in Nashville, Tennessee, and on August 25, 2018, at her Reputation Stadium Tour stop at Nissan Stadium in Nashville. [39] Swift performed "Better Man" as a surprise song on May 19, 2023, at the first Eras Tour show in Foxborough, Massachusetts. [40]
On February 15, 2017, Chase Bryant recorded a cover version of the song, which changed the grammatical narrative from second person to first. Bryant's rendition was described favorably by both Billboard and Rolling Stone for the change in the song's perspective, as well as the harmonies provided by Runaway June. [41] [42]
"Better Man (Taylor's Version)" | |
---|---|
Song by Taylor Swift | |
from the album Red (Taylor's Version) | |
Released | November 12, 2021 |
Genre | Country |
Length | 4:57 |
Label | Republic |
Songwriter(s) | Taylor Swift |
Producer(s) |
|
Lyric video | |
"Better Man (Taylor's Version)" on YouTube |
Swift recorded "Better Man", subtitled "(Taylor's Version) (From the Vault)", for her second re-recorded album, Red (Taylor's Version) , released on November 12, 2021, through Republic Records. [43] The re-recorded "Better Man" was produced by Swift and Aaron Dessner. It also features lap steel guitar and the London Contemporary Orchestra, arranged by Bryce Dessner. [44]
Chart (2021) | Peak position |
---|---|
Canada (Canadian Hot 100) [45] | 36 |
Global 200 ( Billboard ) [46] | 46 |
UK Audio Streaming (OCC) [47] | 98 |
US Billboard Hot 100 [48] | 51 |
US Hot Country Songs ( Billboard ) [49] | 13 |
Taylor Alison Swift is an American singer-songwriter. She is a subject of widespread public interest and has been named by various publications as one of the greatest songwriters. With artistry and entrepreneurship that have influenced the music industry and popular culture, Swift is an advocate of artists' rights and women's empowerment.
"Fearless" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift and the title track of her 2008 second studio album. Swift wrote the song with Liz Rose and Hillary Lindsey while promoting her 2006 self-titled debut album, and she produced it with Nathan Chapman. She placed it first on Fearless's track listing because she thought it encompassed the album's overarching theme; the song's lyrics are about a perfect first date despite its uncertainties. The production is country pop and pop rock and incorporates dynamic guitars. Big Machine Records released "Fearless" to US country radio as the album's fifth and final single on January 4, 2010.
Speak Now is the third studio album by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, released on October 25, 2010, through Big Machine Records. Swift wrote the album entirely herself within two years while touring to promote her second studio album, Fearless (2008).
"Better than Revenge" is a song written and recorded by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift for her third studio album, Speak Now (2010). Produced by Swift and Nathan Chapman, the electric guitar-driven pop punk song is about Swift's plea for vengeance against a romantic rival. Swift included the song on the set list of her Speak Now World Tour (2011–2012).
Red is the fourth studio album by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It was released on October 22, 2012, by Big Machine Records. The album's title refers to the tumultuous, "red" emotions Swift experienced during the album's conception; its songs discuss the complex and conflicting feelings resulting from fading romance.
"Begin Again" is a song written and recorded by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift for her fourth studio album, Red (2012). It was released as the second single from Red on October 1, 2012, by Big Machine Records. Produced by Swift, Dann Huff, and Nathan Chapman, "Begin Again" is a gentle country and soft rock ballad with acoustic guitar, steel guitar, and percussion. Its lyrics are about falling in love again after a failed, toxic previous relationship.
"Red" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift and the title track of her fourth studio album (2012). The song was produced by Dann Huff, Nathan Chapman, and Swift. Big Machine Records released the song onto the iTunes Store on October 2, 2012, as Red's second promotional single, and to U.S. country radio on June 24, 2013, as an official single. Musically, "Red" combines country, roots rock, pop rock, soft rock over acoustic banjo, guitars, and electronic vocal manipulation. Lyrically about a tumultuous relationship, the refrain likens the conflicting emotions to a spectrum of colors, including the color red which symbolizes the ensuing intense feelings.
"I Knew You Were Trouble" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift from her fourth studio album, Red (2012). Swift wrote the song with its producers, Max Martin and Shellback. A dance-pop, pop rock, and teen pop song with a dubstep refrain, "I Knew You Were Trouble" features electric guitars and synthesizers, with lyrics that talk about self-blame after a toxic relationship. The dubstep production divided music critics, who noted it as a radical move from Swift's previous country pop songs.
"22" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift from her fourth studio album, Red (2012). It was released as the album's fourth single on March 12, 2013, by Big Machine Records. Written and produced by Swift, Max Martin, and Shellback, "22" combines pop styles such as dance-pop and bubblegum with disco and 1990s rock. The track begins with an acoustic guitar riff and progresses into an upbeat refrain which incorporates pulsing synthesizers and syncopated bass drums. The lyrics celebrate being 22 years old while acknowledging the heartache that the narrator experienced in the past.
"All Too Well" is a song by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. The song was developed by Swift while she was on the Speak Now World Tour in 2011, and she co-wrote the final version with Liz Rose. A truncated version, at 5 minutes and 29 seconds, was produced by Swift and Nathan Chapman and released on Swift's fourth studio album, Red (2012). After a 2019 dispute regarding the ownership of Swift's masters, she re-recorded the song as "Taylor's Version" and released a "10 Minute Version" containing the trimmed lyrics from the 2012 release as part of the re-recorded album Red in November 2021.
"Everything Has Changed" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift featuring the English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran from Swift's fourth studio album, Red (2012). It was released as the sixth single from the album on July 14, 2013, by Big Machine Records. A music video for the song was released earlier on June 6, 2013. Produced by Butch Walker, "Everything Has Changed" is a guitar-led folk-pop ballad. Its lyrics are about wanting to know a new lover better. The song received mixed reviews from critics, who either complimented or criticized the production.
"Forever & Always" is a song written and recorded by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift for her second studio album, Fearless (2008). Swift was inspired to write the song by her short-lived relationship with Joe Jonas in 2008. Produced by Swift and Nathan Chapman, "Forever & Always" is a country pop and pop rock song whose lyrics are about a troubled relationship with an ex-boyfriend. Music critics found the song catchy but generic, and they commented that it set the precedent to Swift's songwriting about her highly publicized personal life on subsequent albums.
"Holy Ground" is a song written and recorded by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift for her fourth studio album, Red (2012). Produced by Jeff Bhasker, "Holy Ground" is an upbeat song combining country rock and heartland rock with insistent drums. In the lyrics, the narrator reminisces about a good moment in a failed relationship; she describes where she and the ex-lover once stood as "holy ground".
"Out of the Woods" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift from her fifth studio album, 1989 (2014). Swift wrote and produced the song with Jack Antonoff. With lyrics inspired by a failed relationship and the ensuing anxieties that Swift experienced, "Out of the Woods" is a synth-pop song with elements of Eurodance and indietronica and features heavy synthesizers, looping drums, and layered background vocals.
The Breaker is the eighth studio album by American country music group Little Big Town. It was released on February 24, 2017, through Capitol Nashville. Reviews for the album were positive. The Breaker debuted atop the Top Country Albums chart and number four on the Billboard 200. The album also charted in countries like New Zealand, Canada and Australia. It spawned three singles: "Better Man", "Happy People" and "When Someone Stops Loving You". After giving several performances in Nashville's Ryman Auditorium that started on the album's release date, the group embarked on a worldwide tour to promote the record.
"Babe" is a song recorded by American country music duo Sugarland, featuring guest vocals from American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It was released by Big Machine Records on April 20, 2018, as the second single from Sugarland's sixth studio album, Bigger (2018). "Babe" is a midtempo country pop ballad and breakup song. It peaked at number 2 on the Billboard Digital Songs chart, number 8 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs, and at number 72 on the Billboard Hot 100.
"Only the Young" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It was released on January 31, 2020, through Republic Records, as a promotional single for Miss Americana, a 2020 Netflix documentary on Swift. In the film's closing credits, the song is featured. Held back from being included on Swift's seventh studio album, Lover (2019), the song was both written and produced by Swift and Joel Little, inspired by the 2018 United States elections.
Evermore is the ninth studio album by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It was a surprise album released on December 11, 2020, via Republic Records, less than five months after her previous studio album Folklore. Evermore was a spontaneous product of Swift's extended collaboration with her Folklore collaborator Aaron Dessner, mainly recorded at his Long Pond Studio in the Hudson Valley.
Red (Taylor's Version) is the second re-recorded album by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. Released via Republic Records on November 12, 2021, as a part of Swift's countermeasure against the purchase of the masters of her back catalog, the album is the re-recording of Swift's fourth studio album, Red (2012), and follows the first re-recording, Fearless (Taylor's Version) (2021).
"Treacherous" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, taken from her fourth studio album, Red (2012). Swift wrote the track with its producer Dan Wilson. Blending styles of country and pop, "Treacherous" is a slow-burning ballad that builds up into a finale. Its lyrics are about a narrator's attempt to protect a fragile and dangerous relationship. A demo of the song was included in the track-list of Red's deluxe edition.