Jump to content

Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?"
SongbyTaylor Swift
from the albumThe Tortured Poets Department
ReleasedApril 19, 2024(2024-04-19)
Studio
GenreChamber pop
Length5:34
LabelRepublic
Songwriter(s)Taylor Swift
Producer(s)
Lyric video
"Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?"onYouTube

"Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?"is a song written and recorded by the American singer-songwriterTaylor Swiftfor her eleventh studio album,The Tortured Poets Department(2024). She andJack Antonoffproduced the track, which is aSouthern gothic-inspiredchamber popsong that incorporates dense echo and strings. The lyrics were inspired by Swift's bitter feelings while reflecting on her teenage rise to stardom, and they compare a narrator to a wicked witch and a trapped circus animal, detailing how her upbringing in an asylum contributes to her callous and viscous nature.

Critical reception of "Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?" was mixed. Some critics found the tone heavy that makes the track hard to listen to and the lyrics confusing, but some others praised the musical elements and complimented the lyrics as biting and impactful. The song peaked at number nine on theBillboardGlobal 200and charted in the top 10 in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States. It also received a silvercertificationfrom the United Kingdom. Swift performed it on the 2024 shows of herEras Tour.

Music and lyrics[edit]

In a commentary forAmazon Music,Swift recalled that she wrote "Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?" alone on piano, while being in a bitter state reflecting on how her teenage rise to stardom influenced her self-perception. She said that "the world has this sense of ownership" over public figures, leading them to be easily critiqued for their behaviors; "We put them through hell. We watch what they create, then we judge it. We love to watch artists in pain, often to the point where I think sometimes as a society we provoke that pain, and we just watch what happens."[1]

Swift produced "Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?" withJack Antonoff,whoprogrammedit and played instruments includingsynths(Juno,Moog,M1,Mellotron),drums,bass, electric guitar, piano, andcello.The track was recorded by Jonathan Low, Jack Manning, Joey Miller, and Laura Sisk atConway Recording Studiosin Los Angeles,Electric Lady Studiosin New York, and Esplanade Studios in New Orleans. Other musicians on the track include Sean Hutchinson (drums),Aaron Dessner(piano),Zem Audu(synths),Mikey Freedom Hart(synths),Evan Smith(synths), and Michael Riddleberger (percussion). The song is track 10 on Swift's eleventh studio album,The Tortured Poets Department,which was released on April 19, 2024, viaRepublic Records.[2][3]

"Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?" achamber popsong[4]that is instrumented by dense echo and strings[5]and infuses elements ofSouthern Gothic.[6]Thebridgeincorporates a resonatingbass.[7]The lyrics detail Swift's perception of her public image. The song starts with Swift confronting her critics ( "If you wanted me dead, you should've just said/ Nothing makes me feel more alive" ) and, in thechorus,imagines herself as a witch that unleashes her anger onto a town ( "So I leap from the gallows and I levitate down your street/ Crash the party like a record scratch as I scream/ 'Who's afraid of little old me?'/ You should be" ).[8][9]In the next verse, Swift recounts having been raised in an "asylum" and expresses how she becomes cold-hearted in the face of speculation on her personal life ( "I was tame, I was gentle/ Til the circus life made me mean" ).[8][10]She details how she had to conform herself to a culture in which she was brought up: "You taught me, you caged me, and then you called me crazy."[6]

Several critics compared the song's theme to that of "Anti-Hero"(2022), a track about Swift's self-critique and self-loathing.[6][11][12]Rob SheffieldofRolling Stonedescribed "Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?" as a "luridly comic goth-horror melodrama of girlhood in America" and labelled it an "evil twin" of "Mirrorball"(2020) while also being" filtered through "Mary Shelley's 1818 novelFrankenstein.[13]Vulture's Craig Jenkins thought that the lyrics portrayed a "thirst for supernatural revenge" that recalls "witch trials andCarrie".[14]Vogue Australiathought that the title is a reference toWho's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?,a 1962 play about a derailed marriage.[12]

Critical reception[edit]

"Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?" received mixed reviews. Several critics remarked that the song had a heavy tone that made it hard to listen to. Mark Savage of theBBCthought that the theme was "salty and mischievous" and described the sound as "suffocated".[5]Olivia Horn ofPitchforkdeemed the lyrical imagery "convoluted" as the track portrays Swift as both a witch and a circus animal,[15]andSlant Magazine's Jonathan Keefe criticized the lyrics as overwritten, blemishing the song's attempt at showcasing Swift at her "most lacerating".[16]InThe New York Times,Jon Pareleslamented that the track lacked the "playful but self-questioning touch" of "Anti-Hero", making it "pretty much just sad or angry" and thus regress into "teenage petulance",[11]and Lindsay Zoladz found it surprising that Swift "doesn't deliver this one with a (needed) wink" despite having "played dexterously with humor and irony elsewhere in her catalog".[17]Beats Per Minute's John Wohlmacher described the composition as being "both too theatric and lo-fi at the same time" and the revengeful lyrics as confusing, given "the respect and adoration [Swift has] gotten from press and audiences".[18]

On a positive side,PopMatters' Jeffrey Davies deemed the track the album's best, writing that it demonstrates a "vicious cycle" of Swift's detractors "still [providing] her with enough ammunition for new material".[19]Laura Snapes fromThe Guardianthought that the "vengeful wrath" of the song contains some of Swift's most cutting lyrics and deemed it a "deservedly bitter, barbed update of the cutesier and more cloying 'Anti-Hero'".[6]Writing for theAssociated Press,Maria Sherman was an amalgam of Swift's past albums, namely the "musical ambitiousness" ofFolkloreandEvermore(2020) and the sharp "sensibilities" ofReputation(2017), but with more depth and complexities.[7]The Hollywood Reporter's Ryan Fish ranked "Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?" fourth out of the 31 tracks on the album, deeming the portrayal of Swift's "witchy persona" compelling and saying that the production has ahook"[needing] to be shouted by a crowd in a stadium".[20]

Commercial performance[edit]

WhenThe Tortured Poets Departmentwas released, tracks from the album occupied the top 14 of the USBillboardHot 100;"Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?" debuted at a peak of number nine on the chart, where Swift became the first artist to monopolize the top 14.[21][22]In Australia, the song reached number nine on theARIA Singles Chartand made her the artist with the most entries in a single week with 29.[23][24]Elsewhere, "Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?" peaked at number nine on theBillboardGlobal 200[25]and reached the top 10 in Canada[26]and New Zealand[27]and the top 25 in Singapore (14),[28]the Philippines (20),[29]Portugal (22),[30]Luxembourg (23),[31]Switzerland (23),[32]and Belgium (25).[33]The song received a silvercertificationfrom theBritish Phonographic Industry(BPI).[34]

Live performances[edit]

Swift included "Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?" among other tracks fromThe Tortured Poets Departmentin the revamped set list for her sixth concert tour,the Eras Tour,starting from the May 2024 shows inParis.[35][36]She performed the song while standing atop a glass-plated block that moved across the stage.[37]Clashwrote that Swift was "rising and flying around the stage"[38]whileThe Scotsmandescribed that she "actually [levitated] down our street", ranking it the best number of the concert because it had the "biggest singalong of the night".[39]Billboardconsidered the track a "live standout" among the newly-added songs, opining that it was exemplary of Swift's description of the act as "Female Rage: the Musical".[40]

Personnel[edit]

Credits are adapted from the liner notes ofThe Tortured Poets Department.[41]

Charts[edit]

Chart performance for "Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?"
Chart (2024) Peak
position
Argentina (Argentina Hot 100)[42] 85
Australia (ARIA)[23] 9
Belgium (Billboard)[33] 25
Brazil (Brasil Hot 100)[43] 60
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[26] 10
Czech Republic (Singles Digitál Top 100)[44] 44
Denmark (Tracklisten)[45] 31
France (SNEP)[46] 90
Global 200(Billboard)[25] 9
Greece International (IFPI)[47] 16
Lithuania (AGATA)[48] 55
Luxembourg (Billboard)[31] 23
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[27] 10
Norway (VG-lista)[49] 38
Philippines(Billboard)[29] 20
Poland (Polish Streaming Top 100)[50] 76
Portugal (AFP)[30] 22
Singapore (RIAS)[28] 14
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[51] 70
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[52] 39
Swiss Streaming (Schweizer Hitparade)[32] 23
UK Singles Downloads(OCC)[53] 51
UK Streaming(OCC)[54] 13
USBillboardHot 100[21] 9

Certification[edit]

Certification for "Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[34] Silver 200,000‡

‡Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References[edit]

  1. ^Richardson, Kalia (April 22, 2024)."Taylor Swift Reveals Meaning Behind Songs inThe Tortured Poets Department".Rolling Stone.Archivedfrom the original on June 11, 2024.RetrievedJune 11,2024.
  2. ^Swift, Taylor (2024).The Tortured Poets Department(liner notes).Republic Records.
  3. ^"AsThe Tortured Poets Departmentdrops, here's all Taylor Swift's albums ranked by sales ".Music Week.April 19, 2024.Archivedfrom the original on April 19, 2024.RetrievedJune 11,2024.
  4. ^Donovan, Thom (May 14, 2024)."Ranking the 5 Best Songs on Taylor Swift'sThe Tortured Poets Department".American Songwriter.Archivedfrom the original on May 24, 2024.RetrievedJune 11,2024.
  5. ^abSavage, Mark (April 19, 2024)."Taylor SwiftTortured Poets Departmentreview: Album finds star vulnerable but vicious ".BBC.Archivedfrom the original on April 19, 2024.RetrievedJune 10,2024.
  6. ^abcdSnapes, Laura (April 19, 2024)."Breakups, fantasies and her most cutting lyrics: inside Taylor Swift'sThe Tortured Poets Department".The Guardian.Archivedfrom the original on April 22, 2024.RetrievedJune 10,2024.
  7. ^abSherman, Maria (April 19, 2024)."Music Review: Taylor Swift'sThe Tortured Poets Departmentis great sad pop, meditative theater ".Associated Press.Archivedfrom the original on April 22, 2024.RetrievedJune 10,2024.
  8. ^abGonzales, Erica (April 19, 2024)."Taylor Swift Reflects on Her Reputation in 'Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?'".Elle.Archivedfrom the original on May 27, 2024.RetrievedJune 11,2024.
  9. ^Prance, Sam (May 17, 2024)."Taylor Swift Reveals Real Meaning Behind 'Who's Afraid Of Little Old Me?' Lyrics".Capital.Archivedfrom the original on May 27, 2024.RetrievedJune 11,2024.
  10. ^D’Souza, Shaad (April 19, 2024)."8 Takeaways From Taylor Swift's New AlbumThe Tortured Poets Department".Pitchfork.Archivedfrom the original on April 20, 2024.RetrievedJune 10,2024.
  11. ^abPareles, Jon;Sisario, Ben;Zoladz, Lindsay; Ganz, Caryn (April 23, 2024)."Tortured PoetsHas Shifted the Taylor Swift Debate. Let's Discuss ".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on June 7, 2024.RetrievedJune 10,2024.
  12. ^abMiyashita, Nina; Waterhouse, Jonah (April 24, 2024)."All the hidden meanings in Taylor Swift'sThe Tortured Poets Departmentalbum ".Vogue Australia.Archivedfrom the original on April 23, 2024.RetrievedJune 11,2024.
  13. ^Sheffield, Rob(April 25, 2024)."'Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?' (2024) ".Rolling Stone.Archivedfrom the original on June 11, 2024.RetrievedJune 11,2024.
  14. ^Jenkins, Craig (April 23, 2024)."The Performative Poets Department".Vulture.Archivedfrom the original on April 23, 2024.RetrievedJune 10,2024.
  15. ^Horn, Olivia (April 22, 2024)."Taylor Swift:The Tortured Poets Department/The Anthology".Pitchfork.Archivedfrom the original on April 25, 2024.RetrievedJune 10,2024.
  16. ^Keefe, Jonathan (April 22, 2024)."Taylor SwiftThe Tortured Poets DepartmentReview ".Slant Magazine.Archivedfrom the original on April 22, 2024.RetrievedJune 10,2024.
  17. ^Zoladz, Lindsay (April 19, 2024)."OnThe Tortured Poets Department,Taylor Swift Could Use an Editor ".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on April 20, 2024.RetrievedJune 10,2024.
  18. ^Wohlmacher, John (April 23, 2024)."Album Review: Taylor Swift –The Tortured Poets Department".Beats Per Minute.Archivedfrom the original on April 23, 2024.RetrievedJune 10,2024.
  19. ^Davies, Jeffrey (April 25, 2024)."Taylor Swift'sThe Tortured Poets DepartmentIs Ambitious ".PopMatters.Archivedfrom the original on April 27, 2024.RetrievedJune 10,2024.
  20. ^Fish, Ryan (April 22, 2024)."Every Song on Taylor Swift'sThe Tortured Poets Department,Ranked ".The Hollywood Reporter.Archivedfrom the original on April 23, 2024.RetrievedJune 10,2024.
  21. ^ab"Taylor Swift Chart History (Hot 100)".Billboard.Retrieved June 7, 2024.
  22. ^Trust, Gary (April 29, 2024)."Taylor Swift Claims Record Top 14 Spots onBillboardHot 100, Led by 'Fortnight' with Post Malone ".Billboard.Archivedfrom the original on April 29, 2024.RetrievedMay 9,2024.
  23. ^ab"ARIA Top 50 Singles Chart".Australian Recording Industry Association.April 29, 2024.Archivedfrom the original on May 9, 2024.RetrievedJune 7,2024.
  24. ^Gbogbo, Mawunyo (April 29, 2024)."Taylor Swift's New AlbumThe Tortured Poets DepartmentSmashes Chart Records in the US, UK and Australia ".ABC News.Archivedfrom the original on May 10, 2024.RetrievedMay 10,2024.
  25. ^ab"Taylor Swift Chart History (Global 200)".Billboard.Retrieved June 7, 2024.
  26. ^ab"Taylor Swift Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)".Billboard.Retrieved June 7, 2024.
  27. ^ab"NZ Top 40 Singles Chart".Recorded Music NZ.April 29, 2024.Archivedfrom the original on April 26, 2024.RetrievedJune 7,2024.
  28. ^ab"RIAS Top Charts Week 17 (19 - 25 Apr 2024)".RIAS.Archived fromthe originalon May 1, 2024.RetrievedJune 7,2024.
  29. ^ab"Philippines Songs - Week of May 4, 2024".Billboard.Archived fromthe originalon May 2, 2024.RetrievedJuly 5,2024.
  30. ^ab"Taylor Swift – Who's Afraid of Little Old Me? ".AFP Top 100 Singles.Retrieved June 7, 2024.
  31. ^ab"Taylor Swift Chart History (Luxembourg Songs)".Billboard.Archivedfrom the original on November 1, 2022.RetrievedJune 7,2024.
  32. ^ab"Streaming Top 100".Schweizer Hitparade.Archivedfrom the original on May 15, 2024.RetrievedMay 15,2024.
  33. ^ab"Taylor Swift Chart History (Belgium Songs)".Billboard.Archivedfrom the original on October 30, 2023.RetrievedJune 7,2024.
  34. ^ab"British single certifications – Taylor Swift – Who's Afraid Of Little Old Me".British Phonographic Industry.RetrievedJune 28,2024.
  35. ^Bayer, Lili (May 9, 2024)."Taylor Swift Eras tour addsTortured Poets Departmentand combinesFolkloreandEvermoreeras – as it happened in Paris ".The Guardian.Archivedfrom the original on May 10, 2024.RetrievedJune 11,2024.
  36. ^Rosenbloom, Alli (May 9, 2024)."Taylor Swift debuts revamped Eras Tour setlist withTortured Poets Departmentsongs ".CNN.Archivedfrom the original on May 21, 2024.RetrievedJune 11,2024.
  37. ^Shafer, Ellise (May 9, 2024)."Taylor Swift Plays 'The Tortured Poets Department' Songs Live for the First Time at Paris Eras Tour Show".Variety.Archivedfrom the original on May 21, 2024.RetrievedJune 11,2024.
  38. ^Sinclair, Hannah (June 8, 2024)."Taylor Swift's Murrayfield Show Is An Eras Extravaganza".Clash.Archivedfrom the original on June 8, 2024.RetrievedJune 11,2024.
  39. ^Hepburn, David (June 10, 2024)."Taylor Swift Eras Tour Edinburgh Ranked: All 44 song performances rated - from incredible to merely good".The Scotsman.Archivedfrom the original on June 11, 2024.RetrievedJune 11,2024.
  40. ^Levine, Robert (May 10, 2024)."Taylor Swift's Eras Tour Kicks Off European Leg in Paris: 8 Best Moments".Billboard.Archivedfrom the original on May 22, 2024.RetrievedJune 11,2024.
  41. ^The Tortured Poets Department(The Manuscript edition vinyl liner notes). Taylor Swift. Republic Records. 2024. 602458933314.{{cite AV media notes}}:CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  42. ^"Taylor Swift – Chart History (Argentina Hot 100)"BillboardArgentina Hot 100 Singlesfor Taylor Swift. Retrieved June 7, 2024.
  43. ^"Taylor Swift Chart History (Brasil Hot 100)".Billboard.Archivedfrom the original on November 3, 2023.RetrievedJune 7,2024.
  44. ^"ČNS IFPI "(in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic.Note: Change the chart to CZ – SINGLES DIGITAL – TOP 100 and insert 202417 into search.Retrieved June 7, 2024.
  45. ^"Track Top-40 Uge 17, 2024".Hitlisten.Archivedfrom the original on April 30, 2024.RetrievedJune 7,2024.
  46. ^"Top Singles (Week 17, 2024)"(in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.Archivedfrom the original on May 31, 2021.RetrievedJune 7,2024.
  47. ^"IFPI Charts".ifpi.gr.Archivedfrom the original on May 1, 2024.RetrievedJune 7,2024.
  48. ^"2024 17-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)"(in Lithuanian).AGATA.April 26, 2024.Archivedfrom the original on April 26, 2024.RetrievedJune 7,2024.
  49. ^"Singel 2024 uke 17".VG-lista.Archivedfrom the original on April 26, 2024.RetrievedJune 7,2024.
  50. ^"OLiS – oficjalna lista sprzedaży – single w streamie"(Select week 19.04.2024–25.04.2024.) (in Polish).OLiS.Archivedfrom the original on February 2, 2023.RetrievedJune 7,2024.
  51. ^"Taylor Swift – Who's Afraid of Little Old Me? "Canciones Top 50.Retrieved June 7, 2024.
  52. ^"Veckolista Singlar, vecka 17".Sverigetopplistan.Archivedfrom the original on April 26, 2024.RetrievedJune 7,2024.
  53. ^"Official Singles Downloads Chart Top 100".Official Charts Company.Retrieved July 2, 2024.
  54. ^"Official Streaming Chart Top 100".Official Charts Company.Archivedfrom the original on May 9, 2024.RetrievedJuly 2,2024.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Who%27s_Afraid_of_Little_Old_Me%3F&oldid=1233452584"