Death by a Thousand Cuts (song)

"Death by a Thousand Cuts"
Live from Paris cover artwork
Song by Taylor Swift
from the album Lover
Written	2019
Released	August 23, 2019 (2019-08-23) (album version) May 17, 2020 (2020-05-17) (Live from Paris)
Studio	Electric Lady (New York City)
Genre	Pop
Length	3:19
Label	Republic
Songwriter(s)	Taylor Swift Jack Antonoff
Producer(s)	Taylor Swift Jack Antonoff
Audio video
"Death by a Thousand Cuts" on YouTube

"Death by a Thousand Cuts" is a song by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift for her seventh studio album Lover released on August 23, 2019, through Republic Records. Written and produced by Swift and Jack Antonoff, it serves as the tenth track of the album. It is a pop torch song with an upbeat production. Unlike the singer's previous break-up songs which were diaristic in the nature, "Death by a Thousand Cuts" was influenced by splits of her friends, as well as of fictional characters. Swift cited 2019 romantic comedy film Someone Great as a key inspiration. The lyrics are based on character dynamics from the film, as they portray the protagonist's attempts to overcome the painful remnants of a failed relationship.

"Death by a Thousand Cuts" was middling for the music commentary, usually receiving a complement over one of its parts in Lover tracks reviews. Commercially, it peaked at number 48 in Australia, 62 in Canada, and 67 in the United States. Swift debuted the track live as a country pop rendition during the one-off concert City of Lover. She also performed a stripped-down version of "Death by a Thousand Cuts" on NPR's Tiny Desk Concert, and as a "surprise song" multiple times during the Eras Tour (2023-24).

Background

In March 2019, Elle issued Swift's essay called "30 Things I Learned Before Turning 30", which featured the singer questioning her songwriting skills―she was anxious about being in a healthy relationship, since most of her catalogue consists of songs about failed love experiences. The singer was affraid that she would not be able to write a break up song when she would be happy.^[1] Her solution turned out to be going back to her roots of getting inspiration taken from other people experiences or books and movies, as she used to do when she begun writing at the age of 12.^[2] She told during her NPR Tiny Desk concert that some of her friends finished their love encounters while she was developping Lover, and she absorbed various books and movies regarding breakups, that gave her idea to write a "Death by a Thousand Cuts".^[3] Swift elaborated on Elvis Duran and the Morning Show, that one of the works that influenced the song was 2019 romantic comedy film Someone Great, written and directed by Jennifer Kaytin Robinson. The film's director shown her appreciation on Instagram, revealing that her movie was mainly inspired by Swift's 2014 album 1989, and especially its closer "Clean".^[4]

Music and lyrics

Written and produced by Swift and her friend and frequent collaborator Jack Antonoff,^[5] "Death by a Thousand Cuts" spans for three minutes and 19 seconds.^[6] Described by the singer herself as a "sad bop",^[7] "Death by a Thousand Cuts" is a "shimmering"^[8] pop song,^[9][10] whose "trippy" and "polyphonic" production complements sad lyrical subject matter.^[11][12] The song's instrumentation includes "faint" church bells,^[13] "slippery" guitar line,^[14] "tinkling" piano,^[15] "swirling" keyboards and "quivering" synths.^[16]

Writing for NME, Nick Levine said that "Death by a Thousand Cuts" has "echoes" of Fleetwood Mac's 1987 pop rock album Tango In The Night,^[8] while Lindsay Zoladz of The Ringer called it "Pitch Perfect-core" which will end up as "an a cappella group staple for many years to come".^[17] Vulture's Craig Jenkins opined that the "pretty guitar figure" of the song "carries a whiff of the Beatles' 'Blackbird'".^[18] Another comparison drew from the instrumentation was made in a review by Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine, he deemed the synthesizers and keyboards used in the track to be reminiscent of the Beach Boys' Pet Sounds (1966).^[16] For New York Times, Jon Caramanica argued that "Death by a Thousand Cuts" could be a Kelsea Ballerini song.^[19]

Live performances

Swift debuted "Death by a Thousand Cuts" live during the one-off promotional concert City of Lover, which occured in Olympia theater in Paris, France, on September 9, 2019.^[20] She played it on an acoustic guitar, and during her emotional performance of the bridge, the audience sang along with her.^[21] The concert was filmed and later aired as a TV special on American Broadcasting Company (ABC) on May 17, 2020.^[22] The following day, the performance was released for a digital download and streaming.^[21] Sarah Carson from i called it "gorgerous",^[23] while NME's Hannah Mylrea opined that Swift turned the track into "earnest country-pop tune".^[24] Named as one of the eight best moments of the gig, Billboard's Jason Lipshutz wrote that Swift was "seething with emotion on the bridge before steadying herself with a sly grin".^[21]

Month later, Swift performed "Death by a Thousand Cuts" during her "intimate" performance for NPR Music, as part of their Tiny Desk Concert series in October 2019.^[25] The singer played four songs acousticly, to showcase how they sounded during the writing process;^[26] besides "Death by a Thousand Cuts" performed on a guitar,^[25] she sung "The Man", "Lover" (both 2019), and "All Too Well" (2012).^[27] Between singing the songs, Swift discussed how she developed them, highlighting her relief after creating "Death by a Thousand Cuts".^[28]

In 2023, Swift embarked on the Eras Tour, which introduced the acoustic set when the singer performed two different songs from her discography each show.^[29] On the second night in Arlington, on April 1, the singer decided to play "Death by a Thousand Cuts" on a piano. Before she sang, Swift said that she was asked to sing this song by Antonoff, who attended the concert; she continued by recalling City of Lover, expressing her desire of her friend being present during this event, since "the crowd screamed the bridge so loudly". However, during the bridge, she messed up lyrics, and repeated it, later adding that she will sing any song again, if she would make a mistake during the performance.^[30] The singer kept her promise, singing "Death by a Thousand Times" one more time, during Los Angeles show on August 5.^[31] This time, Swift dedicated the song to Robinson, who was present in the audience.^[32] The following year, she introduced a mash-up of "Death by a Thousand Cuts" with "Babe" on guitar, during the March 7 concert at Singapore's national stadium. Ashley Iasimone from Billboard reported that Swift "combined two of her most iconic breakup songs",^[33] People's Ilana Kaplan dubbed it as "sweet".^[34] She later performed the song as part of mash-ups with her tracks "Hits Different" (2022), "Getaway Car" (2018) and "The Great War" (2022) at the tour's London and Indianapolis stops.^[35]

Credits and personnel

Credits are adapted from the liner notes of Lover.^[6]

Studios

• Recorded at Electric Lady Studios (New York City)
• Mixed at MixStar Studios (Virginia Beach)
• Mastered at Sterling Sound (New York City)

Personnel

• Taylor Swift – songwriting, production, vocals
• Jack Antonoff – songwriting, production, recording, guitar, keyboard, synthesizers
• Laura Sisk – recording
• John Rooney – recording assistant
• John Hanes – engineering
• Serban Ghenea – mixing
• Randy Merrill – mastering

Charts

Weekly chart performance for "Death by a Thousand Cuts"

Chart (2019)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)[36]	48
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[37]	62
US Billboard Hot 100[38]	67

Certifications

Certifications for "Death by a Thousand Cuts"

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[39]	2× Platinum	140,000^‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[40]	Silver	200,000^‡
^‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

1. Swift, Taylor (March 6, 2019). "30 Things I Learned Before Turning 30". Elle. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
2. "Taylor Swift: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert". NPR Music. October 28, 2019. Retrieved December 29, 2023 – via YouTube.
3. Viswanath, Jake (October 16, 2019). "Taylor Swift Is *Really* Relieved She Can Still Write Sad Songs When She's Happy". Bustle. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
4. DiMeglio, Mary J. (August 23, 2019). "Taylor Swift Calls Rom-Com Inspiration Behind 'Lover' Song the 'Most Meta Thing That's Ever Happened to Me'". Billboard. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
5. Coscarelli, Joe (August 23, 2019). "Taylor Swift Releases Lover the Old-Fashioned Way". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 28, 2019. Retrieved November 23, 2023.
6. Lover (liner notes). Taylor Swift. Republic Records. 2019.
7. Jones, Marcus (August 23, 2019). "A track-by-track breakdown of Taylor Swift's new album Lover". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
8. Levine, Nick (August 23, 2019). "Taylor Swift – 'Lover' review". NME. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
9. Petridis, Alexis (August 23, 2019). "Taylor Swift: Lover review – pop dominator wears her heart on her sleeve". The Guardian. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
10. Alexander, Bryan (May 18, 2020). "Taylor Swift gets intimate in 'City of Lover Concert,' reveals writing 'Cornelia Street' in bathtub". USA Today. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
11. Kornhaber, Spencer (August 23, 2019). "Taylor Swift Finds Her Faith on Lover". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on August 23, 2019. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
12. Mason-Brase, Jack; Almeida, Nicole (August 26, 2019). "Roundtable: A Review of Taylor Swift's 'Lover'". Atwood Magazine. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
13. Zaleski, Annie (August 26, 2019). "Taylor Swift is done proving herself on the resonant Lover". A.V. Club. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
14. Sargent, Jordan (August 23, 2019). "Taylor Swift's Lover Shines in Its Quietest Moments". Spin. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
15. Bruner, Raisa (August 23, 2019). "Let's Discuss the Lyrics to Every Song on Taylor Swift's Lover". Time. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
16. Cinquemani, Sal (August 23, 2019). "Review: Taylor Swift's Lover Course Corrects in Multiple Directions". Slant Magazine. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
17. Zoladz, Lindsay (August 26, 2019). "Taylor Swift Is a 'Lover' and a Fighter". The Ringer. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
18. Jenkins, Craig (August 23, 2019). "The Old Taylor Is Back on Lover and the Best She's Been in Years". Vulture. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
19. Caramanica, Jon (August 23, 2019). "Taylor Swift Emerges From the Darkness Unbroken on 'Lover'". New York Times. Archived from the original on August 23, 2019. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
20. Willman, Chris (May 18, 2020). "Taylor Swift's Acoustic Side Commands Center Stage in 'City of Lover' Special". Variety. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
21. Lipshutz, Jason (May 17, 2020). "Taylor Swift's 'City of Lover Concert' Special: 8 Best Moments". Billboard. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
22. Castillo, Jessica (May 18, 2020). "Taylor Swift Watched 'City of Lover' Concert Special with Fans". Teen Vogue. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
23. Carson, Sarah (September 10, 2019). "Taylor Swift – City of Lover, L'Olympia, Paris: this tiny show was magical, intimate, and unique". i. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
24. Mylrea, Hannah (September 10, 2019). "Taylor Swift's The City of Lover concert: an intimate celebration of her fans and career". NME. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
25. Reed, Ryan (October 16, 2019). "Taylor Swift Plays Intimate Tiny Desk Concert, Details Inspiration for 'Lover' Songs". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
26. Minsker, Evan; Monroe, Jazz (October 16, 2019). "Watch Taylor Swift's NPR 'Tiny Desk Concert'". Pitchfork. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
27. Garvey, Marianne (October 16, 2019). "Taylor Swift shines solo in Tiny Desk Concert". CNN. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
28. Larocca, Courtney (October 16, 2019). "Taylor Swift says she used to worry about what would happen to her career if she was ever happy and couldn't depend on breakup songs anymore". Business Insider. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
29. "Every Surprise Song Played by Taylor Swift on 'The Eras Tour'". Consequence. July 31, 2023. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
30. Shutler, Ali (April 2, 2023). "Taylor Swift will play different surprise songs at every single night of the 'Eras' tour". NME. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
31. Iasimone, Ashley (August 6, 2023). "Taylor Swift Surprises 'Someone Great' Director With 'Death by a Thousand Cuts' Performance in Los Angeles". Billboard. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
32. Squires, Bethy (August 6, 2023). "Taylor Swift Sang 'Death by a Thousand Cuts' for the Writer-Director Who Inspired It". Vulture.com. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
33. Iasiomone, Ashley (March 9, 2024). "All the Surprise Songs Taylor Swift Has Performed on The Eras Tour (So Far)". Billboard. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
34. Kaplan, Ilana (March 7, 2024). "Taylor Swift Performs Mashups from 4 Different Albums During Night 4 of the Eras Tour in Singapore". People. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
35. Smith, Katie Louise (June 23, 2024). "Here's Every Surprise Song Performed on Taylor Swift's Eras Tour". Capital FM. Archived from the original on June 23, 2024. Retrieved June 23, 2024.
36. "ARIA Chart Watch #540". auspOp. August 31, 2019. Archived from the original on August 31, 2019. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
37. "Taylor Swift Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
38. "Taylor Swift Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
39. "Jan 2024 Single Accreds" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved April 10, 2024.
40. "British single certifications – Taylor Swift – Death by a Thousand Cuts". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved October 17, 2023.