Pop superstar turned left-wing activist Taylor Swift has revealed that her upcoming song “Only the Young” was written in response to her disappointment in the 2018 midterm elections that saw Republicans take key seats in her home state of Tennessee and released to encourage young voters to get engaged in left-wing causes.
“Only the Young” is set to be released in conjunction with the Netflix documentary Miss Americana, on January 31. The documentary provides a look into Swift’s music career, trailing the singer over the course of a few years.
Swift recently spoke to Variety about the new song and her political activism, which involved promoting Democrat candidates in Tennessee during the 2018 midterms.
The Grammy-winner also took aim at conservative politicians during the interview, describing their stances on certain policies as “sinister” and “so dark.”
Fox News True Crime Newsletter: Alex Murdaugh’s new defense, Luigi Mangione’s decision, Tyler Robinson’s fight
Rep. Tom Kean Jr. says he expects to return to Congress ‘in the next couple of weeks’ after missing 100 votes
Teen suspect tied to 12 attacks in chaotic Austin shooting spree identified as illegal alien
Plan for Trump’s ‘Triumphal Arch’ Clears Another Important Hurdle with DC Commission Approval
Texas congressional candidate claims she never called for ‘internment camps’ after party leaders condemn her
UK Cops Handcuffed Dying Stabbing Victim for Racially Insulting Sikh Who Allegedly Stabbed Him
Watch: ‘Survivor’ Host’s Awkward Blunder During Live Finale Spoils Results
Breaking: NASCAR Champion Kyle Busch Dead at Age 41
DHS touts millions of illegal immigrant departures as border crossings drop 94% under Trump
Democrats revolt over ‘biological’ wording in women’s history museum bill
‘Botched’ lethal injection earns Tennessee death row inmate reprieve
College students accused of turning popular beach town into booze-soaked free-for-all in takeover chaos
Single Chart Shows DNC’s Downfall Among the American Electorate Since 2009
Man arrested for allegedly hurling beer keg through window of famous Georgetown Cupcake bakery
Sanders caught on camera snapping at reporter over Platner’s posts: ‘Get a better job’
Swift specifically criticized Republican politicians for their stance on policies like the Employment Non-Discrimination Act.
“When you’re saying that certain people can be kicked out of a restaurant because of who they love or how they identify, and these are actual policies that certain politicians vocally stand behind, and they disguise them as family values, that is sinister. So, so dark,” the singer said.
Swift said she wrote “Only the Young” in the emotional aftermath of the 2018 elections.
“I was really upset about Tennessee going the way that it did, obviously. And so I just wanted to write a song about it,” Swift told Variety.
“I didn’t know where it would end up. But I did think that it would be better for it to come out at a time that it could maybe hopefully stoke some fires politically and maybe engage younger people to form their own views, break away from the pack, and not feel like they need to vote exactly the same way that people in their town are voting.”
Variety reported that Swift’s new song is heard over the end credits of the Netflix documentary.
The song reportedly features lyrics that reference the 2018 midterms: “You did all that you could do / The game was rigged, the ref got tricked / The wrong ones think they’re right / We were outnumbered — this time.”
Taylor Swift told the trade publication that “Only the Young” probably won’t be released as a single.
“I don’t see it as a single,” Swift said. “I just see it as a song that goes with this film. I don’t see it as a ‘let’s go make a music video and try to see what this does at radio’ single.”
For years, Swift declined to talk about her political beliefs. But the singer has since become a vocal supporter of the Democrat Party, using her vast social media following to promote Democrat candidates and lash out at conservatives.
In 2018, she published a statement on Instagram in which she criticized Republican Marsha Blackburn, who would eventually win her race for the U.S. Senate.
Fox News True Crime Newsletter: Alex Murdaugh’s new defense, Luigi Mangione’s decision, Tyler Robinson’s fight
Rep. Tom Kean Jr. says he expects to return to Congress ‘in the next couple of weeks’ after missing 100 votes
Teen suspect tied to 12 attacks in chaotic Austin shooting spree identified as illegal alien
Plan for Trump’s ‘Triumphal Arch’ Clears Another Important Hurdle with DC Commission Approval
Texas congressional candidate claims she never called for ‘internment camps’ after party leaders condemn her
UK Cops Handcuffed Dying Stabbing Victim for Racially Insulting Sikh Who Allegedly Stabbed Him
Watch: ‘Survivor’ Host’s Awkward Blunder During Live Finale Spoils Results
Breaking: NASCAR Champion Kyle Busch Dead at Age 41
DHS touts millions of illegal immigrant departures as border crossings drop 94% under Trump
Democrats revolt over ‘biological’ wording in women’s history museum bill
‘Botched’ lethal injection earns Tennessee death row inmate reprieve
College students accused of turning popular beach town into booze-soaked free-for-all in takeover chaos
Single Chart Shows DNC’s Downfall Among the American Electorate Since 2009
Man arrested for allegedly hurling beer keg through window of famous Georgetown Cupcake bakery
Sanders caught on camera snapping at reporter over Platner’s posts: ‘Get a better job’
The statement is at the center of a sequence in Miss Americana that shows Swift arguing with her father and business associates.
“For 12 years, we’ve not got involved in politics or religion,” an unnamed associate says in the documentary, according to Variety.
The singer’s father reportedly says, “I’ve read the entire [statement] and … right now, I’m terrified. I’m the guy that went out and bought armored cars.”
Despite the backlash, Swift told Variety that she wants to remain politically outspoken.
“Using my voice to try to advocate was the only choice to make. Because I’ve talked about equality and sung about it in songs … but we are at a point where human rights are being violated,” she said.
Story cited here.
