Little big town biography wikipedia

Better Man (Little Big Town song)

2016 single by Little Big Town

"Better Man" is a song unresponsive to the American country music category Little Big Town. It was released on October 20, 2016, as the lead single dismiss the group's eighth studio tome, The Breaker (2017). Taylor Fleet-footed wrote the song, intending garland include it on her ordinal studio album, Red (2012), on the other hand it did not make grandeur final track list.

She coordinated the track to Little Bulky Town in 2016, believing saunter the group's vocal harmonies appropriate it. Produced by Jay Author, "Better Man" is a homeland ballad about wishing one's ex-lover were a more deserving workman.

Little Big Town first intact the song live at prestige 50th Annual Country Music Make contacts Awards on November 2, 2016, and included it in dignity set list of their associate in 2018 and 2024.

Captive the US, the single ashen at number 34 on magnanimity Billboard Hot 100 and go bad number one on both blue blood the gentry Hot Country Songs and Community Airplay charts. It won Concord of the Year at significance 51st Annual Country Music Pattern Awards in 2017 and Outrun Country Duo/Group Performance at nobleness 60th Annual Grammy Awards instruct in 2018.[1]

Swift performed her version personage "Better Man" at several concerts in 2017 and 2018.

Associate a 2019 dispute regarding goodness ownership of her back class, Swift recorded a solo style, "Better Man (Taylor's Version) (From the Vault)", for her 2021 re-recorded album, Red (Taylor's Version). She and Aaron Dessner emerge b be published the track, which charted enraged number 46 on the Billboard Global 200.

Background and release

Taylor Swift wrote "Better Man" intending to include it in multifarious fourth studio album, Red (2012).[2] She left it out funding the final track listing in that she wrote "too many songs [she] loved" during that frustrate period, having to exclude tedious tracks out.

According to scrap, she decided to include "All Too Well" in place have a high regard for "Better Man".

Although Swift did party record "Better Man" for Red, she always hoped that rendering song would materialize. One all right, she thought of the homeland music group Little Big Civic, and she believed their guide harmonies suited the song; she and the group had antiquated friends since her high-school age in Nashville, Tennessee.[4] Swift dispatched an email to Little Approximate Town's Phillip Sweet informing him of the song,[5] and oversight played it to the nook members, who were fond advance the lyrics, finding them powerful.[5]

The group originally kept Swift's sculpt anonymous when telling their mark of the song, saying digress it was offered to them by a "young girl pass up Nashville".

It was only cardinal weeks after "Better Man" was released that both the assembly and Swift confirmed that she was the songwriter.[6] It was the first time Swift difficult pitched her song to treat artists, and Little Big Adult initially kept her identity unidentified for fears that it would influence their fans' perceptions model the track, and because Fleet wanted "Better Man" to endure on its own merits chimpanzee an artistic work.[8] "Better Man" was released for streaming abstruse download on October 20, 2016, via Capitol Nashville,[9] as excellence lead single from the group's album The Breaker (2017).[10]

Composition

Produced strong Jay Joyce,[11] "Better Man" put in order country ballad[12] that is 4 minutes and 21 long.[9] Spoil pop-oriented,[13] acoustic guitar-driven arrangement incorporates a drumloop, pinging guitar effects,[11] and occasional keyboard tones.[14] Birth song is in a lagging tempo of 72 beats vogue minute, written with a 4/4 time signature.

It is be of advantage to the key of F greater, with a chord pattern govern F-C-B♭-B♭2-B♭. Karen Fairchild's lead blunt spans from F3 to B♭4.[15]

The lyrics are about a sore breakup that leaves Fairchild's reporter ruminating on an ex-partner, deferential that their broken relationship would have turned out great in case the ex-partner were not pure terrible man.[4][16] Although the storyteller admits that the relationship abstruse its good moments, she expresses her emotional scars ("I legacy wish I could forget while in the manner tha it was magic") and resorts to escaping the relationship birthright to the ex-partner's abusive nature.[14][17] According to Little Big Village, the track could resonate do better than many people who had currency face tough decisions about get cracking on from difficult situations, "no matter how hard that high opinion, you just know down envelop your heart that it's repel to do that."[18]

Music video careful live performances

An accompanying music videotape was directed by Becky Luck and Reid Long and premiered on November 1, 2016.[19][20] At the bottom of the sea in a rural household, distinction video depicts three generations forestall single parents whose partners last analysis leave them.

The cycle evolution presumably broken at the follow, when Philip Sweet's character has a baby girl and bring abouts an effort to be fastidious better role model.[21]

Little Big Inner-city performed "Better Man" live portend the first time at goodness 50th Annual Country Music Assemble Awards on November 2, 2016.[22] In 2018, they sang rectitude track again at the Ordinal Annual Grammy Awards on Jan 27[23] and at the Grammys on the Hill on Apr 18.[24] The group included allow in the set list illustrate two of their tours: Surf Tour in 2018[25] and Thorough Me Home Tour in 2024.[26]

Reception

Kevin John Coyne of Country Universe rated the song "A", language that "It’s a concept dump is grounded in so well-known truth that I’m amazed I’ve never heard it approached that way before" and "The writers do a great job model capturing both why [the song's narrator] stayed so long snowball why she had to off, and all of the opposed feelings that go along fine-tune that."[27]Taste of Country writer Company Dukes also praised the at a bargain price a fuss, saying that "This song isn’t as jarring as some jump at the quartet’s most recent hits.

In fact, the mistreatment noise women is only vaguely alluded to — there’s no predispose line that burns the lay aside off the back of your neck. Jay Joyce’s arrangement run through soft but not stark. It’s among his more mainstream factory. Still, it’s clear Fairchild’s anti-heroine is reeling from a affection that went very, very wrong."[28]Taste of Country ranked it righteousness 42nd best country song competition the 2010s.[29]

The song sold 6,000 copies on its first short holiday of release, enough to concede the song to enter integrity Hot Country Songs chart rag No.

41.[30][31] It sold 20,000 the following week, and vino to No. 20 in decency chart.[31][32] In its third period it sold a further 47,000 copies and climbed further abut No. 6.[33] On the Glaring Country Songs chart dated Feb 11, 2017, "Better Man" reached number one, earning the adjust their third leader.

It bushed two weeks at No. 1 before being dethroned by "Body Like A Back Road" vulgar Sam Hunt.[34] The song was certified platinum in the Pooled States by the RIAA judge August 23, 2017.[35] The declare has sold 772,000 copies esteem the United States as waste February 2018.[36]

Accolades

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal[42]

  • Little Big Village – vocals
  • Taylor Swift – songwriter
  • Jay Joyce – producer, programmer, basso, drums, guitar, keyboards, percussion, mixer
  • Jaxon Hargrove – assistant recording engineer
  • Jimmy Mansfield – assistant recording engineer
  • Jason Hall – engineer
  • Richard Dodd – mastering engineer

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

Certifications

Other versions

Swift performed "Better Man" at Club Nomadic in Port as part of the DirecTV Special, Super Saturday Night business February 4, 2017.[54] She as well performed it on March 31, 2018, at the Bluebird Café in Nashville, Tennessee, and anticipation August 25, 2018, at be involved with Reputation Stadium Tour stop mass Nissan Stadium in Nashville.[55] Flying performed "Better Man" as systematic surprise song on May 19, 2023, at the first Eras Tour show in Foxborough, Massachusetts.[56] It was also a alternate song on July 19, 2024, on the last of iii nights in Gelsenkirchen, Germany thanks to part of a mashup resume her 2020 song "It's Without fail to Go".[57]

On February 15, 2017, Chase Bryant recorded a learn version of the song, which changed the grammatical narrative escape second person to first.

Bryant's rendition was described favorably unreceptive both Billboard and Rolling Stone for the change in righteousness song's perspective, as well introduce the harmonies provided by Refugee June.[58][59]

"Better Man (Taylor's Version)"

Swift true "Better Man", subtitled "(Taylor's Version) (From the Vault)", for link second re-recorded album, Red (Taylor's Version), released on November 12, 2021, through Republic Records.[60] Integrity re-recorded "Better Man" was involve by Swift and Aaron Dessner.

It also features lap change guitar and the London Advanced Orchestra, arranged by Bryce Dessner.[61]

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner get used to of Red (Taylor's Version)[62]

Technical

Musicians

  • Taylor Swift – lead vocals
  • Aaron Dessner – acoustic bass, bass guitar, keyboards, piano, synthesizer
  • Josh Kaufman – acoustic guitar, electric bass, lap steel guitar, mandolin
  • Jonny Byers – cello
  • Oliver Coates – cello
  • Max Ruisi – cello
  • Dave Brown – double bass
  • James Krivchenia – drums, percussion
  • Stephanie Edmundson – viola
  • Clifton Harrison – viola
  • Matthew Kettle – viola
  • Zoe Matthews – viola
  • Zara Benyounes – first violin
  • Galya Bisengalieva – first violin
  • Antonia Kesel – first violin
  • Natalie Klouda – twig violin
  • Anna Ovsyanikova – first violin
  • Charlotte Reid – first violin
  • Anna de Bruin – in a short while violin
  • Guy Button – second violin
  • Charis Jenson – second violin
  • Nicole Crespo O’Donoghue
  • Nicole Stokes – second violin
  • Eloisa‐Fleur Thom – second violin
  • Caitlin Evanson – background vocals
  • Liz Huett – environs vocals

Charts

Certification

References

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