Taylor Swift's New Single Calls Out Homophobia And Sexism And Fans Are Seriously Obsessed
In an Instagram livestream yesterday, Taylor Swift ~finally~ announced the title and release date of her upcoming seventh album. It's called Lover, and our ears will be blessed with all 18 tracks on 23 August.
And THEN, as if she hadn't given us enough already, Taylor went and dropped the second single from Lover at midnight.
Big Machine / giphy.com
The song is called "You Need To Calm Down" and the single cover plays to the whole ~snakes to butterflies~ thing Taylor has been doing this era.
Sidenote: Yes, the title of the single was revealed in the video for "Me", and we all missed it.
Obviously, the song is a bop, but we need to focus on the lyrics for a second. Because even though Taylor said her new music had "political undertones", she was completely lying about the "under" bit.
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In a video for Beats 1, Taylor explained that the song was a response to people "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: apple.co/TSB1 #Lover
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For example, the first verse is a criticism of toxic online culture, calling out people who hide behind anonymous profiles to send hate.
Genius / genius.com
The bridge continues in the same vein, but specifically references society's constant comparison of women in similar fields.
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Because, as we all know, Taylor is no longer here for feuding with other women, and recognises that we can have MULTIPLE QUEENS!!!
But the thing fans are freaking out about most — and rightly so — is the second verse, where Taylor punches homophobia in its metaphorical face.
Genius / genius.com
The verse references both LGBT pride parades and the people who show up to protest them, saying they're in the "dark ages".
When I first looked up the lyrics to the song about three minutes after it was released, it said "you could be glad", and I was like, "that's cool, I guess". Then Taylor dropped the lyric video, and it turns out that's not the right lyric AT ALL.
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It turns out Taylor was actually referencing GLAAD, the organisation dedicated to fighting for LGBT equality.
And then in the pre-chorus following the second verse, Taylor takes her final shot and knocks homophobia out cold.
Genius / genius.com
Of course, this is Taylor Swift, so there are also some Easter eggs in the lyric video — like the fact that every instance of the letters "EA" in the second verse is highlighted in a different colour.
The letters “EA” have been emphasized in Taylor’s lyric video, standing for the Equality Act! Watch the full lyric video here: youtu.be/GWtfOHBF1_w
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Fans think Taylor is making a subtle reference to the Equality Act, which was the subject of her recent open letter to Tennessee Senator Lamar Alexander.
If you look closely, there's also a subtle reference to LGBT pride on the single cover, which will ~probably~ appear in the music video Taylor's releasing this coming Monday.
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I think it's safe to say we stan.
Taylor: “The album has some political undertones.”
Also Taylor: ARE YOU STUCK IN THE DARK AGE? PROTESTING HAPPINESS? BEING A LOSER? SHADE NEVER MADE ANYBODY LESS GAY! #YouNeedToCalmDown
Avoiding Homelessness
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Taylor LITERALLY wrote in a SONG stop being homophobic online and at pride parades cause it won’t make anybody less gay I DONT KNOW A BETTER PERSON
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And people aren't missing the fact that Taylor turned "you need to calm down" — a phrase often used to belittle those who are marginalised — into an empowering anthem for women and LGBT people.
but @taylorswift13 writing a song like #YouNeedToCalmDown a phrase men use primarily against women who are outspoken, and spinning it to tell the men to calm down instead. We have to stan.
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