Taylor Swift puts homophobes on blast in new single ‘You Need to Calm Down’
The 29-year-old mocks the bigots and namechecks GLAAD in the second single from upcoming album 'Lover'.
By Will Stroude
After several very public displays of LGBTQ solidarity in the last few months, Taylor Swift is putting the battle against homophobia front and centre of her brand new single ‘You Need to Calm Down’.
The second single from the 29-year-old’s upcoming seventh studio album Lover – out 23 August – was released on Friday (June 14), falling firmly into the ‘hater clapback’ subsection of the pop superstars back catalogue, and spending a good portion of its run-time blasting homophobes.
Combining the chant-style verses reminiscent of 2017’s Reputation album with the bubble-gum pop of recent single ‘ME!’, ‘You Need to Calm Down’ sees Swfit directly address gay Pride protestors and US LGBTQ rights organisation GLAAD.
The lyrics of the second verse see Taylor sing: “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 pre-chorus goes on: “You just need to take several seats and then try to restore the peace / And control your urges to scream about all the people you hate / ‘Cause shade never made anybody less gay.”
Swift’s latest demonstration of allyship comes after the singer donated more than $100,000 to an LGBTQ rights organisation fighting anti-gay bills in her home state of Tennessee in April, and starting a petition urging legislators to vote in favour of the state’s Equality Act.
Watch the lyric video for Taylor Swift’s ‘You Need to Calm Down’ below: