Bigger Than the Whole Sky

"Bigger Than the Whole Sky"
Song by Taylor Swift
from the album Midnights (3am Edition)
ReleasedOctober 21, 2022 (2022-10-21)
GenreAmbient
Length3:38
LabelRepublic
Songwriter(s)Taylor Swift
Producer(s)
Lyric video
"Bigger Than the Whole Sky" on YouTube

"Bigger Than the Whole Sky" is a song written and recorded by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift as a bonus track for the 3am Edition of her tenth original studio album, Midnights (2022). Produced by Swift and Jack Antonoff, "Bigger Than the Whole Sky" is a country-influenced ambient ballad with ambiguous lyrics expressing grief and heartache over a person the narrator has never met.

Music critics praised Swift's songwriting and some interpreted the song to be about miscarriage. "Bigger Than the Whole Sky" charted in the top 30 of singles charts in Canada, the Philippines, and the United States. On November 19, 2023, Swift performed the song live at the Eras Tour concert in Rio de Janeiro, following the death of Ana Clara Benevides.

Background and release

Taylor Swift's tenth original studio album, Midnights, was released October 21, 2022, by Republic Records. Three hours after the 13-track standard edition was released, a 3am Edition containing seven bonus tracks was surprise-released.[1] Swift described those bonus tracks as a byproduct of her creative process while conceiving Midnights.[2] "Bigger Than the Whole Sky" is one of the seven 3am songs, and it is track number 15 out of 20 on the listing. Swift wrote it by herself and co-produced the track with Jack Antonoff, with whom she produced the entirety of the album's standard edition.[3]

After Swift embarked on her sixth headlining concert tour, the Eras Tour, on May 26, 2023, she released two other editions of Midnights that both feature "Bigger Than the Whole Sky": Til Dawn on streaming and download, and Late Night on concert-exclusive CDs and limited-time download.[4][5] On November 19, 2023, Swift performed the song live for the first time at the Eras Tour stop in Rio de Janeiro, following the death of Ana Clara Benevides.[6]

"Bigger Than The Whole Sky" debuted and peaked at number 21 on the US Billboard Hot 100.[7] On the Billboard Global 200, the track reached number 22.[8] It peaked on the singles charts of Canada (20),[9] Hungary (31),[10] and Portugal (68).[11] It also charted on Billboard's Hits of the World charts for the Philippines (19)[12] and Vietnam (60).[13] In Australia, the track was certified gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA).[14]

Composition

"Bigger Than the Whole Sky" is an ambient ballad.[15] Insider's Callie Ahlgrim and Courteney Larocca described the production as "country-tinged",[16] and Rolling Stone's Rob Sheffield said it was a "twangy grief ballad", demonstrated by Antonoff's slide guitar, that resembled the sound of "Sad Beautiful Tragic", a song from Swift's 2012 album Red.[17]

The lyrics are about heartache after a significant event.[18] According to Vulture's Nate Jones, the title is a probable allusion to the writer Emily Dickinson.[19] The song is ambiguous and does not reference what exactly was lost.[20][21] The opening verse depicts the narrator in grievance, "No words appear before me in the aftermath/ Salt streams out my eyes and into my ears."[22] In the second verse, the narrator tries to find reason for the loss and expresses her guilt, alluding to religion: "Did some bird flap its wings over in Asia?/ Did some force take you because I didn't pray?"[18][20][22] The chorus is dedicated to someone the narrator has not met: "And I've got a lot to pine about/ I've got a lot to live without/I'm never gonna meet/ What could've been, would've been/ What should've been you."[20][21] Swift uses her breathy vocals in an upper register to sing the word "goodbye" in the chorus: "Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye/You were bigger than the whole sky/You were more than just a short time."[21][22][23]

Critical reception

Upon release, many listeners shared on social media that felt a connection to the song in relation to miscarriages that they experienced.[21][24][25] After Swift performed it live in November 2023, Chris Willman of Variety commented that the track had become "an anthem over the last 13 months for fans who are grieving a loved one".[26] According to People's Kelsie Gibson, some listeners felt that "Bigger Than the Whole Sky" was a continuation of Swift's 2012 charity single, "Ronan", which was dedicated to a 4-year-old boy who died because of cancer.[27] Sheffield and The Atlantic's Shirley Li described the song's tone as elegiac.[23] The former ranked the song in the top 50 among Swift's 274 songs in her entire discography and lauded it for being "powerfully understated".[17] Ahlgrim and Larocca commended the lyrics for portraying heartbreak with vague yet emotionally resonant lyrics that could apply to a wide range of emotional experiences by different people.[16]

Personnel

Credits are adapted from Tidal.[3]

Charts

Chart performance for "Bigger Than the Whole Sky"
Chart (2022) Peak
position
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[9] 20
Global 200 (Billboard)[8] 22
Greece International (IFPI)[28] 65
Hungary (Single Top 40)[10] 31
Philippines (Billboard)[12] 19
Portugal (AFP)[11] 68
Sweden Heatseeker (Sverigetopplistan)[29] 13
UK Audio Streaming (OCC)[30] 35
UK Singles Downloads (OCC)[31] 9
UK Singles Sales (OCC)[32] 12
US Billboard Hot 100[33] 21
Vietnam (Vietnam Hot 100)[13] 60

Certifications

Certifications for "Bigger Than the Whole Sky"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[14] Gold 35,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ Mier, Tomás (October 21, 2022). "Taylor Swift Surprises Fans With Midnights 3 A.M. Edition Featuring 7 Additional Songs". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on October 26, 2022. Retrieved October 24, 2022.
  2. ^ Brandle, Lars (October 21, 2022). "Taylor Swift's 'Chaotic Surprise' Is Midnights (3am Edition), Featuring 7 Extra Tracks". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 26, 2022. Retrieved October 24, 2022.
  3. ^ a b "Credits / Midnights (3am Edition)". Tidal. October 21, 2022. Archived from the original on January 6, 2023. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
  4. ^ Lonsdale, John (May 26, 2023). "From 'Til Dawn to 3 a.m., Here's Where to Buy Every Edition of Taylor Swift's Midnights Online". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on May 30, 2023. Retrieved August 27, 2023.
  5. ^ "Midnights (The Late Night Edition) Digital Album". Taylor Swift Official Store. Archived from the original on May 27, 2023. Retrieved August 27, 2023.
  6. ^ Rizzo, Carita (November 20, 2023). "Watch Taylor Swift Debut 'Bigger Than the Whole Sky' in Rio". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on November 20, 2023. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
  7. ^ Zellner, Xander (October 31, 2022). "Taylor Swift Charts All 20 Songs From 'Midnights' on Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 31, 2022. Retrieved November 1, 2022.
  8. ^ a b "Taylor Swift Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved November 1, 2022.
  9. ^ a b "Taylor Swift Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved November 1, 2022.
  10. ^ a b "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
  11. ^ a b "Taylor Swift – Bigger Than the Whole Sky". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
  12. ^ a b "Taylor Swift Chart History (Philippines Songs)". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 8, 2023. Retrieved November 1, 2022.
  13. ^ a b "Taylor Swift Chart History (Billboard Vietnam Hot 100)". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 6, 2022. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
  14. ^ a b "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2023 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
  15. ^ Rizzo, Carita (November 20, 2023). "Watch Taylor Swift Debut 'Bigger Than The Whole Sky' In Rio De Janeiro". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on November 20, 2023. Retrieved December 22, 2023.
  16. ^ a b Ahlgrim, Callie; Larocca, Courteney (October 30, 2022). "We are pleased to inform you that Taylor Swift's 8 bonus tracks for Midnights contain some of her best songwriting ever". Insider. Archived from the original on April 2, 2023. Retrieved December 26, 2023.
  17. ^ a b Sheffield, Rob (October 28, 2023). "'Bigger Than the Whole Sky' (2022)". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on December 26, 2023. Retrieved December 26, 2023.
  18. ^ a b Durney, Ellen (October 21, 2022). "Taylor Released A Song Which Many Think Is About Miscarriage And Fans Are Sharing Their Own Experiences". BuzzFeed News. Archived from the original on October 23, 2022. Retrieved October 24, 2022.
  19. ^ Jones, Nate (November 8, 2023). "All 214 Taylor Swift Songs, Ranked". Vulture. Archived from the original on September 13, 2019. Retrieved December 26, 2023.
  20. ^ a b c Watts, Marina (October 25, 2022). "People Who Have Had Miscarriages Are Relating To This Taylor Swift Song". Bustle. Archived from the original on October 26, 2022. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  21. ^ a b c d Hampson, Laura (October 27, 2022). "Taylor Swift song praised by people who have suffered miscarriages". The Independent. Archived from the original on October 27, 2022. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  22. ^ a b c Hopper, Alex (November 21, 2023). "The Poignant Meaning Behind 'Bigger Than the Whole Sky' by Taylor Swift". American Songwriter. Archived from the original on November 25, 2023. Retrieved December 26, 2023.
  23. ^ a b Li, Shirley (November 2, 2022). "Taylor Swift's Best New Songs Aren't Technically on Midnights". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on November 3, 2022. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
  24. ^ Campoamor, Danielle (October 21, 2022). "A new Taylor Swift song is speaking powerfully to people who have had a miscarriage". Today.com. Archived from the original on October 24, 2022. Retrieved October 24, 2022.,
  25. ^ Chelosky, Danielle (October 26, 2022). "Taylor Swift's 'Bigger Than The Whole Sky' Aids Mothers Who Had Miscarriage". Uproxx. Archived from the original on October 26, 2022. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  26. ^ Willman, Chris (November 20, 2023). "Taylor Swift Debuts Grief-Themed 'Bigger Than the Whole Sky' in First Concert After Rio Fan's Death". Variety. Archived from the original on November 29, 2023. Retrieved December 26, 2023.
  27. ^ Gibson, Kelsie (October 26, 2022). "Taylor Swift's 'Bigger Than the Whole Sky' Song Is Resonating with Fans". People. Archived from the original on October 28, 2022. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
  28. ^ "IFPI Charts". IFPI Greece. Archived from the original on March 26, 2018. Retrieved November 2, 2022.
  29. ^ "Veckolista Heatseeker, vecka 43". Sverigetopplistan. Archived from the original on October 31, 2022. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
  30. ^ "Official Audio Streaming Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
  31. ^ "Official Singles Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
  32. ^ "Official Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on October 31, 2022. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
  33. ^ "Taylor Swift Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved November 1, 2022.

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