In Defense of…You Need To Calm Down
On June 14th, 2019, Taylor Swift decided to change lives when she released the ally anthem of the year, “You Need To Calm Down”. A message to the haters and the homophobes, “YNTCD” was released during Pride Month as part of Swift’s Lover era. The music video saw the pop star surrounded by gay icons from hit shows like Drag Race and Queer Eye, along with her close friend and Co-Producer on the track, Todrick Hall. At the end of the music video, Swift showed a live petition, urging fans to sign and advocate for The Equality Act. This song, through its poppy production and straightforward lyrics, garnered mixed reviews, but I eat it up every time. So let’s explore some of these gripes and why I still think “You Need To Calm Down” is a great track.
Let’s start with the negatives. I think the main issue with this song's perception is its allyship. “You Need To Calm Down” at its core is a fuck you to every form of hater, from the angry individual tweeting Taylor at “7 AM” (damn), to the loser-homophobe staying up all night just to make a bad poster filled with hate. Now, if you don’t know Taylor Swift or know nothing about her aggressive allyship, all of this may seem very performative. Like a Target Pride Collection, it’s inauthentic and only happened for good PR and money. However, Swift is not some huge corporation; she is a person. A person who has been incredibly vocal about her love and support for the queer community for years. It should be noted that it is not normal for a straight megastar, especially with country roots, to consistently advocate for and highlight the community without any direct ties to it. If she wanted to appeal to everyone, a song like “YNTCD” would not exist.
This song was meant to be a listenable love letter to the community, written for an album all about love. The lyric change between “Like, can you just not step on my gown?” to “Like, can you just not step on his gown?” always makes me smile because she’s directly showing love and support to queer men, who express themselves in whatever way they want. I think people make this song some cringey attempt at allyship, but when I, a queer girl, stood in NRG stadium as Swift sang the lyrics “'Cause shade never made anybody less gay” (a bar by the way), and all around the room everyone’s wrists shined rainbow colors–I felt that allyship. In a room filled with thousands, in a political climate as homophobic as this one, Swift wanted queer people to feel safe with her. Cringey lyrics or not, that sentiment is beautiful.
Swift has always been one to talk the talk and walk the walk. In 2015, she released the music video for her song “Wildest Dreams”, which saw the starlet traipsing around Africa surrounded by gorgeous animals and environments. At the end of the music video, Swift shared that all the proceeds from the video will be donated to wild animal conservation efforts in Africa. This has always impressed me, as I’m sure no one would have taken issue if she hadn’t done this. In “YNTCD,” Swift sings, “Why are you mad? When you could be GLAAD?” A reference to GLAAD, the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, which saw a surge of donations following the song's release. This coincides with Swift’s own “generous” donation, according to the organization.
Honestly, the hate this song gets feels so unwarranted to me. Queer people have expressed it’s potential performative perception, and straight fans have expressed discomfort at the songs “unnecessary” nature. Yet at the end of the day, Swift’s advocacy, performative or not, always comes back with a positive effect. Swift’s deliberate release of this song has led to queer fans feel seen by her, safe in her own spaces. People are more inclined to donate to the organizations she is using her star power to highlight. And at the end of the day, since when did a little boppy poppy song hurt anyone? It seems to me like maybe you just need to calm down.
