You Need to Calm Down
"You Need to Calm Down" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift and the second single from her seventh studio album, Lover (2019). Republic Records released it for download and streaming on June 14, 2019. Written and produced by Swift and Joel Little, "You Need to Calm Down" is an upbeat electropop and synth-pop song that is set over steady synth beats and has a refrain of ascending echoes. In the lyrics, Swift addresses Internet trolls and homophobes and voices her support for the LGBTQ+ community.
"You Need to Calm Down"
June 14, 2019
- Golden Age (Los Angeles)
- Golden Age West (Auckland)
2:51
- Taylor Swift
- Joel Little
- Taylor Swift
- Joel Little
Swift directed the music video for "You Need to Calm Down" with Drew Kirsch and executive-produced it with Todrick Hall. The video features an ensemble cast and many LGBT celebrity cameos. Some music critics praised the catchy production and pro-gay message of "You Need to Calm Down", but others found it confusing and cynical. Despite the mixed reaction, some media publications regard "You Need to Calm Down" as a gay anthem. The single reached number one in Scotland, number two in the United States, and the top five in Australia, Canada, Ireland, Malaysia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.
At the 2019 MTV Video Music Awards, the music video for "You Need to Calm Down" received nine nominations, winning Video of the Year and Video for Good. The song also received a nomination for Best Pop Solo Performance at the 62nd Grammy Awards. Swift included "You Need to Calm Down" in many live concerts and as part of the set list to her Eras Tour (2023–2024).
Critical reception[edit]
Music critics were divided with "You Need to Calm Down".[15] Dan Stubbs from NME called the song "withering in its measured response", concluding it was "an infectious, bite-size pop package".[16] Gwen Ihnat of The A.V. Club wrote that the song "clearly and refreshingly combats homophobia and anti-gay bias".[17] Maeve McDermott and Joshua Bote, writing for USA Today, considered the song "an improvement" over the previous single "Me!", and "a more promising example of what fans can expect" from the album.[18] Mikael Wood of the Los Angeles Times also concurred that the song was "a big creative improvement" over "Me!", while commenting the "explicit pro-gay message is certainly welcome, but it also feels just the slightest bit cynical".[19] Time's Raisa Bruner wrote that the song is "bright, bubbly and unabashedly vying for earworm status", and that it is a "colorful clapback that works as a warning to homophobes, trolls and bullies". She added that Swift is "sing-talking her way through a series of quotable lyrics, over a "juicy, unhurried" synth beat. Bruner further stated that, at this song, Swift is "at her most pop-forward" on Lover, owing to its cascading chorus echoes.[20]
Michelle Kim of Pitchfork wrote that, while the song is "well-intentioned" and the allyship deserved some praise, it is also "bewildering and underwhelming at the same time".[21] Justin Kirkland of Esquire wrote the song "misses the point of being an LGBTQ ally" by "equating online haters with the personal and societal struggle of LGBTQ+ people".[22] Similarly, Spencer Kornhaber from The Atlantic criticised the song's "breathtaking argument... that famous people are persecuted in a way meaningfully comparable to queer people."[23] Music critic Todd Nathanson described it as "a very trivializing song," specifically criticizing the line "shade never made anybody less gay" as minimizing the impact of homophobia.[24] Will Gottsegen of Spin wrote the song's "easy, inoffensive lyrics... feel engineered to appeal to the broadest possible demographic", and that the song "plays it too safe" and "feels a little like a cop out".[7] Constance Grady of Vox called the song "exhausting", comparing the song unfavorably to "Mean" (2011), another single from Swift.[25]
Herald-Tribune named "You Need to Calm Down" as the second-best song of 2019.[26]