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.”
Missouri teen girl shot and killed at home, and now 3 friends face charges
Fox News ‘Antisemitism Exposed’ Newsletter: Spotlighting 250 years of Jewish contributions to America
Bon Voyage: Alleged Spousal Abuser Dem Katie Porter Announces She’s Done With Politics After California Gubernatorial Disaster
Platner Part 2? ‘Firejumper’ Running for Seat That Could Determine Who Wins House Actually Lobbyist Defending Transing Kids, Drag Shows in Libraries
‘Somebody needs to do something’: GOP senators split as Tuberville demands McConnell answers
Five takeaways from Todd Blanche hearing as Trump’s attorney general pick gains more GOP favor
Trump AG pick hangs by a thread as key GOP senators refuse to commit
‘I Knew It Was On Me’ – TV Reporter Somehow Holds It Together as Giant Bug Crawls Across Her Chest While She’s On Camera
AOC paid pro-Palestinian activist who fundraised for refugee camps suspected of being Hamas strongholds
House Campaign Cash Tracker: Democratic challengers raise big money, but GOP incumbents maintain advantage
Two families sue North Dakota hospital on allegations babies were switched at birth
ICE arrests record 238 illegal immigrants in one day during South Texas enforcement operation
Lindsey Graham’s final act reverberates in Senate as sister is urged to “keep pedaling”
Karoline Leavitt to hold first press briefing since return from maternity leave
Louisiana man accused of killing deputy US marshal faces possible death penalty
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.
Missouri teen girl shot and killed at home, and now 3 friends face charges
Fox News ‘Antisemitism Exposed’ Newsletter: Spotlighting 250 years of Jewish contributions to America
Bon Voyage: Alleged Spousal Abuser Dem Katie Porter Announces She’s Done With Politics After California Gubernatorial Disaster
Platner Part 2? ‘Firejumper’ Running for Seat That Could Determine Who Wins House Actually Lobbyist Defending Transing Kids, Drag Shows in Libraries
‘Somebody needs to do something’: GOP senators split as Tuberville demands McConnell answers
Five takeaways from Todd Blanche hearing as Trump’s attorney general pick gains more GOP favor
Trump AG pick hangs by a thread as key GOP senators refuse to commit
‘I Knew It Was On Me’ – TV Reporter Somehow Holds It Together as Giant Bug Crawls Across Her Chest While She’s On Camera
AOC paid pro-Palestinian activist who fundraised for refugee camps suspected of being Hamas strongholds
House Campaign Cash Tracker: Democratic challengers raise big money, but GOP incumbents maintain advantage
Two families sue North Dakota hospital on allegations babies were switched at birth
ICE arrests record 238 illegal immigrants in one day during South Texas enforcement operation
Lindsey Graham’s final act reverberates in Senate as sister is urged to “keep pedaling”
Karoline Leavitt to hold first press briefing since return from maternity leave
Louisiana man accused of killing deputy US marshal faces possible death penalty
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.
