Last Friday, Taylor Swift dropped ‘You Need To Calm Down’ — the second single off of her upcoming album Lover and a fiercely debated track on Twitter. Now, we have the film clip for it.
‘You Need To Calm Down’ saw some fans praise Taylor Swift for her wokeness, some even dubbing it a “gay anthem”. Others had a real issue with the track’s perceived tone deafness, particularly the line: “‘Cause shade never made anybody less gay”.
Mostly, there were a lot of people left confused and unsure. Was she just fawning to Pride Month? Or is it simply just a bop about haters — who knows.
The accompanying video, released yesterday, is full of appearances from queer celebs and allies and is based in some world centred around the queer aesthetic. It’s packed with bubblegum decor: rainbows and pink, fairy floss, and glitter.
She also managed to gather a bunch of celebs for the video. Appearing alongside Taylor Swift are: the Queer Eye guys, RuPaul, Ellen DeGeneres, Laverne Cox, Katy Perry, Hannah Hart, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Adam Lambert, Todrick Hall, Hayley Kiyoko Tatiana… Ryan Reynolds?
Oh, and there’s also a cheesy on-screen reunion with once public nemesis (and apparent inspiration behind Bad Blood) Katy Perry:
The final card of the video asks viewers to sign a petition to the US Senate, urging them to pass the Equality Act, which offers federal protection to LGBTQ citizens against discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation.
Taylor Swift’s new album, Lover is out Friday, 23rd August.
Watch the clip below.
