You Need to Calm Down is a single by Taylor Swift, an American musician and a pop sensation. This song belongs to Lover, an album that Swift released in 2019. In this article, we will give a brief biography of Taylor Swift and discuss the history, criticism, and fan response to the song You Need to Calm Down.
Biography
Taylor Swift is an American songwriter and singer recognized for her artistic reinventions, songwriting, and genre-spanning discography. Taylor Swift is a prominent cultural icon and has influenced a generation of musical artists.
Swift was born in West Reading, Pennsylvania, on 13 December 1989. From an early age, Swift showed interest in music and progressed rapidly from roles in children’s theater to singing in front of a large crowd. She was only eleven when she sang ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ before a basketball game.
A year after this performance, she picked up her guitar and started to write songs. She took inspiration from country musicians such as Dixie Chicks and Mark Twain. Swift developed authentic material, and it was inspired by her tween alienation experience.
When Swift was thirteen years old, her parents moved to Hendersonville, Tennessee, after selling their farm in Pennsylvania. This allowed Swift more time to court country labels in Nashville, a city close to Hendersonville.
Swift later signed a development deal with RCA Records, and in 2004, when she was fourteen years old, she signed with Sony/ATV as a songwriter. Scott Borchetta later signed Swift, and under him, she released her first single titled ‘Tim McGraw’ in the summer of 2006.
The History Behind You Need to Calm Down
Joel Little and Taylor Swift produced and wrote You Need to Calm Down. Little had also previously worked with Swift on another album called ‘Me.’ The You Need to Calm Down song emphasizes the ridiculousness of Homophobia. In the song, Swift also addresses all her critics, and the song integrates LGBTQ+ charities and slang.
The You Need to calm down song was released in 2019 and was directed by Swift herself and Drew Kirsch. The song was also executively produced by Taylor Swift and Todrick Hall. The song’s music video features several celebrity appearances, and many of them identify as LGBTQ+.
Some celebrities in the song are Adam Lambert, Ellen DeGeneres, RuPaul, Katy Perry, Hayley Kiyoko, Todrick Hall, Laverne Cox, and more. The music video opens in a colorful park, and Taylor Swift wakes up in a trailer. Just one week after the song was officially released, the video had over 2 million likes and 40 million views on YouTube.
In 2019, Swift donated a huge sum to GLAAD (The Gay and Lesbian Alliance against discrimination) to develop campaigns to fight discrimination. Swift also developed a petition in support of the equality act, which will help the authorities develop more equality for minorities.
The You Need to Calm Down song motivated others to donate to GLAAD, and the organization reported that they got a significant increase in donations. On a radio show, Taylor Swift stated that she had observed different people in society, who put so much effort and energy into negativity, and it just made her feel like those people needed to calm down and were unnecessarily stressing themselves out.
Swift continued that the negativity seems more about the person and what they are negative about, so they just need to calm down a bit. Upon its release, the You Need to Calm Down song ranked 33 in the US Billboard Adult Top 40 and number 40 and 43 on different charts in Canada.
Some critics have praised the song and have said that while there is clunkiness in the deliverance, the key is the message that the song is delivering. The message is coming from arguably the biggest pop icon in the world, and it will have a massive impact.
The criticism of Taylor Swift is also unsurprising since the popular singer and songwriter has faced criticism throughout her illustrious career. Swift was a target when she was apolitical; she is a target when she uses her voice for something good, and it almost seems she simply cannot win.
Critics’ Response to You Need to Calm Down
However, despite the song’s intended good message and the increase in donations, Swift was accused of queerbaiting, which didn’t do a good job of representing the LGBTQ+ community.
Justin Kirkland of Esquire has stated that the song misses the core point of being an ally of the LGBT community. He reasoned that the song equates online haters with the societal and personal struggle of the LGBTQ+ community.
Other critics have criticized Swift for not fully understanding the roots of Homophobia. They say solving Homophobia requires more than telling bigots to come down by laying on a sun lounger.
Many critics have argued that Taylor Swift should not put herself in the middle of the fight against queer liberation. However, for the LGBTQ+ community, to have an ally as powerful as Taylor Swift is by no means a bad thing.
Swift has been open about the backlash she has received and has given a response to her criticism in the Scottish Sun. Swift states that she is well aware of the fact that no matter what she does, some people cannot wait to spill hate against her.
She said she never focuses on the critics and tries her best to make her fans happy. She loves to create music that will make her fans feel loved, supported, and accepted. She also said that she is always open to listening to constructive criticism.
Swift also stated that she can never be perfect and that there is always room to learn and improve. Swift said that she wants to learn and become a better and stronger ally of the LGBTQ+ community.
Fans’ Response to You Need to Calm Down
Many fans believe the You Need to Calm Down song’s criticism is unnecessary and has no hidden meaning. The song sends a strong message to those angry bigots who spread heat against the LGBTQ+ community.
Many fans have also praised this new and open support that Swift has offered to the LGBT community, and Swift has stated while she hasn’t been open about her previous political learnings, she is over that hill and is now speaking out.
Some fans pointed out that Swift has made a considerable effort to be an LGBTQ+ ally, as she has openly donated to LGBTQ+ charitable organizations in different states. While there is no doubt that Swift has felt this way for a while, fans appreciate that she finally showed her support through action.
Even in her music video, Swift gave a shout-out to GLAAD and emphasized EA, letters that stand for equality. Probably one of Swift’s biggest fans is the director of engagement and talent at GLAAD, Anthony Ramos.
Ramos thanked Taylor Swift in a lengthy post on the GLAAD website and said that he appreciates the fact that Swift, a pop music icon, continues to use her music and platform to highlight the issues surrounding the LGTBQ+ community.
Many fans believe that Ramos is speaking the truth because most artists will shy away from highlighting these issues because of the criticism they face. However, Swift has stood her ground and fought the criticism.
Many Fans have taken to Twitter and have supported Taylor Swift by calling her a Gay icon. Some have even requested her to release a Gay anthem. A Twitter user by the name ‘Zack’ has given full support to Swift by stating that he doesn’t understand the hate she gets.
Another Twitter user, Jesmina, has shared a video promoting the song. Many Taylor Swift fan accounts on Twitter support the message Swift is trying to give through her song. There is no doubt that the fan support for the song is overwhelming, and while a small percentage of the fanbase has criticized Swift, most of them have her back.
Conclusion
In this article, our focus was on Taylor Swift and her song ‘You need calm down’ We gave a brief bio of Swift and discussed the history and reasons behind the song. We also shared the response of critics and fans on the You Need to calm down song. While most critics have criticized the song, Swift doesn’t pay attention to them and just wants to serve her fans.