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.”
Hollywood Star Arrested, Charged After Altercation: ‘Held Down Until Police Arrived’
NYC Board of Elections worker says ‘not my job to report anyone’ when asked about registering non-citizens
Gun store owner says FBI asked him to check firearm sales against list of names, pics in Guthrie case
Mike Lee calls Schumer’s ‘Jim Crow 2.0’ attack on voter ID bill ‘paranoid fantasy’
Palestinian activist accused of expressing desire to ‘kill Jews’ wins deportation case
Air Force One scraps iconic Kennedy-era paint scheme for Trump-approved red, white, blue design
Inside world’s top science society’s convention bashing Trump, pushing DEI, pronouns: ‘Felt like a funeral’
How did Jeffrey Epstein get rich? Meet Les Wexner, the ex-Victoria’s Secret CEO who once worked with him
Mistrial declared in Texas ICE detention center ambush trial over defense lawyer’s T-shirt
Firebrand conservatives set to duke it out in GOP Texas AG debate
Remembering Rush Limbaugh, Five Years to the Day After His Passing
Genetic genealogy that caught notorious killers now used in Nancy Guthrie case
ALERT: Gunman Arrested at Capitol Today – Carrying Loaded Shotgun, Wearing Tactical Vest
Dem governor’s ‘dangerous’ anti-ICE law ignites backlash after alleged box cutter attack by illegal alien
‘Giving judicial saboteurs new tools’: Conservatives slam new ethics guidance for federal judges
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.
Hollywood Star Arrested, Charged After Altercation: ‘Held Down Until Police Arrived’
NYC Board of Elections worker says ‘not my job to report anyone’ when asked about registering non-citizens
Gun store owner says FBI asked him to check firearm sales against list of names, pics in Guthrie case
Mike Lee calls Schumer’s ‘Jim Crow 2.0’ attack on voter ID bill ‘paranoid fantasy’
Palestinian activist accused of expressing desire to ‘kill Jews’ wins deportation case
Air Force One scraps iconic Kennedy-era paint scheme for Trump-approved red, white, blue design
Inside world’s top science society’s convention bashing Trump, pushing DEI, pronouns: ‘Felt like a funeral’
How did Jeffrey Epstein get rich? Meet Les Wexner, the ex-Victoria’s Secret CEO who once worked with him
Mistrial declared in Texas ICE detention center ambush trial over defense lawyer’s T-shirt
Firebrand conservatives set to duke it out in GOP Texas AG debate
Remembering Rush Limbaugh, Five Years to the Day After His Passing
Genetic genealogy that caught notorious killers now used in Nancy Guthrie case
ALERT: Gunman Arrested at Capitol Today – Carrying Loaded Shotgun, Wearing Tactical Vest
Dem governor’s ‘dangerous’ anti-ICE law ignites backlash after alleged box cutter attack by illegal alien
‘Giving judicial saboteurs new tools’: Conservatives slam new ethics guidance for federal judges
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.
