(Photo Credits: Screengrab from Taylor Swift’s YouTube Account)
Hey, guys! Did you watch Taylor Swift’s new music video for “You Need to Calm Down” already?
CNN described Taylor’s new single as “a pop anthem for equality and understanding” and “her most political move yet.” For not only did she drop the single amidst Pride Month, she also said at the end of the video, “Let’s show our pride by demanding that, on a national level, our laws truly treat all our citizens equally.” In addition, she requested fans to, “Please sign my petition for Senate support of the Equality Act on Change.org.” More importantly, a part of her new song reads:
You are somebody that we don’t know/But you’re comin’ at my friends like a missile/Why are you mad when you could be GLAAD? (You could be GLAAD)/Sunshine on the street at the parade/But you would rather be in the dark ages/Makin’ that sign must’ve taken all night
The song is actually a call to stop homophobia and bullying online and well, offline, especially during Pride parades. Taylor Swift herself said in an interview that the song is for “different people in our society who put so much energy and effort into negativity.”
“I’ve observed a lot of different people in our society who put so much energy and effort into negativity and it made me feel like, ‘you need to just calm down.’” Brand new @taylorswift13 is here. Check out #YouNeedToCalmDown: https://t.co/kskhSmhLrq #Lover pic.twitter.com/Nt4NboVR7q
— Beats 1 (@Beats1) June 14, 2019
The video also features a lot of LGBTQ icons such as:
- Ellen DeGeneres
- Katy Perry (dressed in a cheeseburger costume)
- RuPaul
- Laverne Cox
- Adam Lambert
- Dexter Mayfield
- Ciara
- The Queer Eye cast (Tan Frances, Karamo Brown, Jonathan Van Ness, Antoni Porowski, Bobby Berk)
- Ryan Reynolds
- Hayley Kiyoko
- Chester Lockhart
- Todrick Hall
- Adam Rippon
- Billy Porter
- Hanna Hart
- Jesse Tyler Ferguson and his husband Justin Mikita.
Check out what the fans are saying about You Need to Calm Down online:
👑 queens of music 👑
— TAYLORBTS13 💞 (@taylorbts13) June 17, 2019
Ariana Grande
Sia
Adele
Cardi b
TAYLOR SWIFT
Beyonce
Katy Perry
Nicki Minaj #taylorswift #YouNeedToCalmDownMusicVideo pic.twitter.com/J3Q3zY35cY
“…control your urges to scream about all the people you hate ‘cause shade never made anybody less gay!” 😂💙🌈🙌🏼 #TaylorSwift #YouNeedToCalmDownhttps://t.co/pza3sc7pVe
— Cristiano Lourenco (@lourencocrist) June 17, 2019
There are so many amazing moments in #TaylorSwift‘s #YouNeedToCalmDown video, but this is my favorite! Thank you #BillyPorter for all that you are and for being you!!!!!!!!!!!! #PoseFX https://t.co/pECBycywVE pic.twitter.com/CZpVPZ7GpK
— Anthony Peoples (@PeoplesAnthony) June 17, 2019
You Need to Calm Down is the second single from Taylor Swift’s upcoming seventh studio album called Lover due for release on August 23 via Republic Records.
Happy viewing!
Was OK with her as a musician. Then her reason to be in the medial spotlight became political. If she’d like to press her political views, she should run for office. Until then, no thanks.
Um her political view is acceptance of us. Do you really hate yourself that much?
Her political views are her choice. Nothing wrong there. She crosses a line of sensibility and propiety, however, when she uses her position behind a microphone in front of tens of thousands of people, or through widely distributed music, to heavily express it. If she wishes to do so, she needs to show true character and commitment and enter politics. No self hate here. That’s the kind of slam many Progressives/Liberals/Democras make as an attempt to insult/belittle/make go away those with views alternate to theirs. That hateful behavior is exactly how they gave the US to President Trump and Republicans/Conservatives/the… Read more »
why not? That’s what artists do…since music exists. John Lenon, Madonna, Leonard Cohen, Alanis Morissette, Jimi Hendrix…that’s what musicians/artists do, they help society progress because they have a microphone to say things. Its not about minimizing what another party thinks, it’s just to show the world common sense, about accepting everyone as they are, accepting LGBTQ+ people as normal people, or women who want abortion to do whatever they want with their body, or black man to live in peace and not get arrested for no reason because of their skin color and calm the fuck down and mind their… Read more »
I understand that…..but don’t call her music “an anthem for me”.
I gotta watch this video like right now! 🙂 I dunno about Katy Perry though with her controversy inviting a homophobic singer in one of her tracks, other than that, the cast sounds perfect.
Umm this song feels a whole lot like a cashout on faggotry. For one things the lyrics are lazy as hell. “Taking shots at me like I’m Patron”. I understand the link between shots and Patron but it’s not even being done in a way that make any kind of clever sense… It’s literally a wtf lyric. Which is pretty sad considering Swift usually has some wit to her songs. Following along we get this stunner : “why are you mad? When you can be GLAAD”… translation why are you mad when you can be a large nonprofit organization that… Read more »
why so angry? You Need to Calm Down.
What an original and unexpected response. I wish I cared enough about Taylor Swift to rise the the level of angry, unfortunately she just too beige in virtually every way for me to get that invested. I just decided to call this little number out for what it is, and that’s trading on some type of ally status to homos in a blatant attempt to boost a single thru the charts, cause ker-ching, ker-ching, ker-ching. But I ain’t mad at her for the hustle. Gotta get that coin, right?!
with so many ppl telling us to like this, hate that, this was a VERY nice way of saying “Bitch we got over you a long time ago. Lettigo the way of your weave.” lol Seriously though for pop(which is never known for great lyrics with any form of depth. no you don’t need to tell me about anyone. I probably wont agree, see you reply or care lol) this was nice. I even like the fact she knew it was fluff with her use of cotton candy. Great msg. sappy song. good to see gay icons(who made these ppl… Read more »
No thank you! Anything by TS makes me change the channel.
Is it me, or does the characters in the video just stereo-type gays as extremely flamboyant or drag queens. What about the rest of us that don’t fall into those 2 groups?