Shade never made anybody less gay what does it mean
‘Shade never made anybody less gay’: Watch Taylor Swift’s new song celebrating inclusivity
American music star Taylor Swift has released a modern music video titled You Need to Calm Down and it is already winning the internet.
The prominent themes of the tune include tackling homophobia, demanding equal rights for the LGBTQ community, and commenting on the culture of pitting women against each other.
It features a plethora of artistes, including Ellen DeGeneres, Ryan Reynolds, Laverne Cox, Dexter Mayfield, Ciara, RuPaul, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Justin Mikita, Billy Porter, Adam Lambert, Todrick Hall, Hayley Kiyoko, Chester Lockhart, Adam Rippon, Hannah Hart, and Queer Eye’s Karamo Brown, Antoni Porowski, Jonathan Van Ness, Bobby Berk, and Tan France.
The music video is a colourful one, with vibrant tones, pride flags, and glitter, set in a trailer park. “Sunshine on the street at the parade, but you would rather be in the dark ages, makin’ that sign must’ve taken all night (sic),” Swift says during the video to a group of people displaying posters with homophobic messages. The song has been aptly released during pride month.
The music video ends with a cameo by singer Katy Pe
Lyrical meaning & subtext in YNTCD
It’s been a MINUTE since Taylor has given us lyrics rife with layers of meaning to interpret, and I’m so excited to get IN! TO! IT! with the lyrics of “You Need to Calm Down.” I’m sure the MV will present us more visual clues to play with, but before we get there, I want to signal out a few lines that are worth a second (or third) listen:
Verse 1:
You’re takin’ shots at me like it’s Patrón
This might be my favorite lyric in the lyric. This verse can perceive naval-gazing and petty, enjoy Taylor is venting her frustrations about being an ultra-rich celebrity who draws ire online. But this lyric speaks to something more systemic: the addictive, anesthetizing rush of Getting Angry Online, as toxic, violent, and numbing as substance abuse. This is a big idea to cram into an 8-word turn of phrase; for me, it’s elegant, flawless, vintage, Swift.
Snakes and stones never broke my bones
There’s the easy wordplay here (snakes, KKW, got it), but I’m more interested in the “stones” part of the lyric. This takes me back to “New Romantics”: I could build a castle out of all the bricks you threw at me. And then we found out what happened
“Swift is helping to bring narratives of uncensored and unapologetic queerness into the international spotlight”
BY RACHEL BADHAM. IMAGE YOUTUBE
After dropping her ultra queer music video for new solo , You Need To Calm Down, pop icon Taylor Swift has received mixed responses…
Some include praised her for showing support for the LGBTQI group during Pride month, however – she’s also received a great volume of backlash, with fans accusing her of exploiting queer customs and using the queer community for personal gain and profit.
Swift identifies as heterosexual and is a self-proclaimed ally. The video to You Want To Calm Down features dozens of Swift’s queer, star friends, from Ellen DeGeneres to Hayley Kiyoko to a smorgasbord of Performative Race stars.
A number of people possess claimed that the song, which states, “Shade never made anyone less gay,” and the rainbow-drenched video are just tactical, commercial moves to generate revenue, and that Swift is just hopping on board the “queer bandwagon” to gain attention.
However, in a month where solidarity is more important than ever, it’s essential that we join hands