World's Smallest Violin

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[a strong example] of the three brothers' fearless leap into a multitude of musical genres, daring to explore folk, jazz and musical theatre all within a single track. This ambitious bridging of styles could lead to disaster, but the brothers of AJR have mastered the skill, mirroring not only the sound, but also the lyrical content of each genre: In "World's Smallest Violin", for example, they imitate country classics by telling a generational story. In terms of Broadway influences, many tracks are narrative-driven, and listeners have long noticed melodic similarities to that of theatrical soundtracks. In conjunction with songs that often speak to very foundational human emotions and fragilities, this may be what is most compelling about AJR's music, and what allows the band's songs to resonate with audiences both young and old. [6]

In a TikTok made by the band themselves, production for the song included creating a beat with clapping and stomping their feet. To make background vocals, a vocoder was used. The band also wanted to try to flawlessly seam a transition from a violin to vocals to a guitar, with a theatrical ending to the song where "everything comes at once", with a continuously speeding up verse. [7]

Critical reception

Initial reception for "World's Smallest Violin" was favorable to mixed. Music critic for Variety, A. D. Amorosi wrote that the song did not fit in well with the album's message of an emotionally deep and thought-provoking; however, Amorosi wrote that the song, removed from the album, would work well. [8] Zachary Wittman, writer for The Globe, wrote a negative review on the OK Orchestra album itself; however, he found "World's Smallest Violin" to be "passable", saying "[it] is the second passable song on here with a nice melody and a really fun lyrical concept. Again though, they ruin it with some horrid turns of phrases. I understand the metaphor of the world's smallest violin needing to be played is the equivalent of needing to vent to someone about your mental health, but they did not need to say 'spew my tiny symphony.'" [9]

Music video

On the same day as its release, a music video was released for "World's Smallest Violin". In the video, AJR performs the song in an apartment while strange things happen around them, such as things breaking, instruments floating, and a tornado blowing papers around the room. The video ends with the room and members Adam and Ryan suddenly freezing, as member Jack looks around in confusion. [1]

The music video had a spike in views after the song went viral; it is currently the most viewed video on AJR's YouTube channel, with 200 million views as of June 2024.

Personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal. [10]

  • Adam Met – backing vocals, instruments, composer
  • Jack Met – lead vocals, instruments, composer
  • Ryan Met – backing vocals, instruments, composer, producer
  • Chris Gehringermastering engineer
  • Joe Zook – audio mixing
  • Alba Avoricani – additional vocals
  • Danny Ferenbach – violin

Commercial performance

"World's Smallest Violin"
World's Smallest Violin.jpeg
Single by AJR
from the album OK Orchestra
ReleasedMarch 26, 2021 (2021-03-26)
Recorded2020
Length3:01
Label
Songwriter(s)
  • Adam Met
  • Jack Met
  • Ryan Met
Producer(s) Ryan Met, Jack Met
AJR singles chronology
"Way Less Sad"
(2021)
"World's Smallest Violin"
(2021)
"All My Favorite Songs"
(2021)
Audio
"World's Smallest Violin" on YouTube

Just over a year after the song was initially released, "World's Smallest Violin" went viral on social media platform TikTok, leading to a spike in views on the official music video on YouTube and streams on Spotify. It is currently the most viewed video on the AJR YouTube channel, with 200 million views.

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for "World's Smallest Violin"
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA) [22] Platinum70,000
Poland (ZPAV) [23] Platinum50,000
New Zealand (RMNZ) [24] Gold15,000
United Kingdom (BPI) [25] Silver200,000
United States (RIAA) [26] Platinum1,000,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

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