Hello, and welcome to Big Gay Energy.
I'm Bree. I'm Theora.
And I'm Caitlin. Come along with us while we dive
into the fun and nuances of queer media.
Representation matters, and we're here to talk about it.
Cheers, queers. Today on The Big Gay Agenda, I
have No idea. Caitlyn has no idea what's on
the Big Gay agenda today. We had a Big Gay agenda and then
it is now our rescheduled Big Gay agenda.
So we're doing this agenda item. How much can you say agenda A
lot. I will.
Be your host who knows what's going on.
And Caitlyn is our learning participant, shall we say.
We're gonna play a little game, dear listener, OK?
And this game is what on earth is this talking about?
So I want Caitlin to guess based on the lines that I've put on
this slide. These are song lyrics.
They say if you're listening at home when Emma falls in love, I
know that boy will never be the same because she's the kind of
book that you can't put down, like if Cleopatra grew up in a
small town. Caitlin, what is going on here?
Is this an English class? No, not in English class.
This is the Big Gay Energy Podcast.
What do you think is going on with these words when Emma?
OK, so I think that this person may like Emma, but and Emma is
with someone else, but she doesn't quite love him yet.
But if when she falls in love, he's never going to be the same
because she's the best thing in the world and because she's
basically a queen to her. I absolutely love that
interpretation. Because, yes, when you're just
looking at this, it sounds like whoever's writing, it worships
Emma, right? Like a queen.
Yeah, I'm with you, Caitlin. So what are we talking about
today? We're talking about queer
themes. We're gonna talk about a topic
I've wanted to talk about for a very long time, which is queer
themes in Taylor Swift songs. So that was a Taylor Swift
lyric. That was one of my guesses, by
the way. I know, that's why.
I didn't let you guess so. Like her or not, Taylor Swift is
one of the most popular artists on the planet.
In fact, she just had a concert like a few days ago, and the
crowd was dancing so forcefully that it caused seismic activity
that's considered an earthquake. So yeah, no, I'm not even
kidding. Like, it was recordable.
Like it shook the earth from all the dancing from her thousands
of. Fans at her concert.
I'm not making. That's the scene.
It's like the Mamma Mia ending. So she is literally earth
changing. Yeah, that's.
If you don't know who Taylor Swift is, she is a musician.
Which how, but she is a musician, singer, lyricist,
music video director, etc. She wears many hats, her work.
Because she's so popular, clearly appeals to a wide
variety of audiences, including members of the career community,
yours included. So in honor of the eras tour
which is going on right now, it's about to go into its
international branch, I think, which for all those who are
going good for you, I'm totally not still salty about the
Ticketmaster debacle that cost me a ticket.
Like, hold on, she was in the airport on the way back from
Vancouver with all of us trying to get these tickets, and I was
about ready. I'm like, should we delay our
flights to get you there? Yeah, no.
The Ticketmaster site crashed. And so people were in the queue
for hours and hours and hours, and I was one of them who could
not get a ticket. So not salty at all about that.
Not at all, Not at all. But there's I think it's rumored
that she's coming back here. Rumor has it.
We'll see. But anyway, in honor of the Eros
tour that's still going on, we thought we'd take a closer look
at the themes in Taylor Swift's music that the gays and the days
can relate to. What this discussion, despite
the lyrics we just showed you, what this discussion is not
about, is the artist's sexuality in any way, shape, or form.
We're not talking about the artist.
This is strictly looking at the music.
Particularly the lyrics and why it's so it resonates with queer
people like me. So that is what this is about.
If you're looking for like Gaylord content, you're not
going to find it here. This is just her music and an
analysis of the music, so I just wanted to get that out of the
way. We try not to talk about people
themselves in this. No, I don't.
I don't think that is. That's not we're not talking
about the artists. We're talking about the work and
analyzing the work and why do queer people love it so much?
So you ready, Caitlin? Yeah, so ready.
So let's get back to Emma falls in Love the song.
So this song is clearly gives vibes of just like worshipping
women, whether it's queer or not.
If you take it out of context, it kind of sounds like.
The lyricist is worshipping Emma, like comparing her to
Cleopatra, who was literally a queen.
Like you said I love that you said that.
And the next line was also weird and kind of like a queer thing.
The next line after she says, like is singing, like Cleopatra
grew up in a small town and all the bad boys would be good boys
if they only had a chance to love her.
And to tell you the truth, sometimes I wish I was her.
It's that. For like, me reading that
through a queer lens, it's like that thing or like the lines
before that are almost like worshipping this Emma person.
And then the next line's like, do I want to be her?
Or like, do I want to be the boy?
Like it's like, you know, it's like, oh, I love you so much.
I want to be. Yeah, and that's like a
confusing thing like when you're like, first try to figure this
out, Yeah, you know, and you're like.
Do I admire this person? Do I want to worship this
person? Do I want to be this person?
That is why did not realize I was gay for so long.
My gosh, the amount of people I've just like, It's like such
huge fans of. It's just it's confusing.
OK, Caitlyn. So now we're going to just, yes,
switch on over. I'm going to play you the lyrics
so you can. I assume you've never heard the
song before, have you, Caitlin? I have not.
I did, or else I would have known what was going.
On I Know That's what I was kind of counting on.
So this song, Emma Falls in Love is from Taylor just redid or
rerecorded her Speak Now album. And this was the song that
wasn't on the original album. So this was that.
I really didn't. Exactly.
So unless you listen to Taylor Swift religiously, you would
have missed this song because it literally just came out.
I've been hearing more of her songs recently and she is pretty
damn good. She is.
And her lyrics, for me, they just, I'm literally the same age
as her. So for me, I really resonate
with the things she's talking about in her lyrics because they
follow the trajectory of my life as well in terms of.
Growing up and like the way you're kind of looking at love,
relationships, etcetera. So it's very relatable and her
lyrics very much mature as she gets older and it's just it's
cool to see the evolution of that.
All right. So I'm just going to play you
the clip that's essentially the lyrics we just went over.
When Emma falls in love, I know that boy will never be the same
that you can't put down. Like if cleared the truth blew
up in a small town and all the bad boys would be good boys if
they only had a chance to love her and tell you the truth.
Sometimes I wish I. Was OK, so that's Emma falls in
love. Can you hear all that?
Yes, I did. It's a really good song.
I like it. It's new.
As in it this. She wrote this when she was
younger, but it is released to the world now.
That's that's cool. I know.
So she's releasing all this stuff again because she has the
ownership, right? Yeah, so that's a whole other
thing, basically when she was. So she's been doing this, and
she's a teenager and so she got it to basically her Long story
short, her albums were sold. To somebody named Scooter Braun
who's like, yeah, he's horrible and it's Justin Bieber too.
Yeah, and he was horrible. And so basically, anytime you
stream one of her original albums from God, what was the
last thing? I think lover and all the way
back to like Taylor Swift. The first album.
She doesn't own the. The album.
So if it streams, Scooter Braun gets money.
So what she's been doing is she owns the rights to the lyrics.
So she did that. So she owns the words.
So she's releasing them with slightly different music and
releasing them so you'll see songs that say in parentheses
Taylor's version. So anytime you see that, she
owns that. So if you stream that song, she
gets the money, not the man who's making millions off of
her. So that's why she's slowly doing
that and as an incentive to like buy that album, listen to that,
she's releasing all the songs she made at that time.
Well, not all, but some songs she also wrote at that time that
didn't make the original cut. And she's also like, for some of
the songs, putting her original lyrics, and they're the ones
that they made her take out and stuff.
Aw. Yeah, so and hence how you got
like the all too well 10 minute version or it was like, yeah,
yeah, so. Things like that.
So she's like it's and it's much more her and you can tell versus
like a studio executive filtered version.
So it's really nice. And so if you like her and want
to support her, listen to the songs that say in parentheses
Taylor version. I think the only two albums she
owns outright right now, three actually are evermore folklore,
which are her Pandemic albums and Midnight's, she straight up
owns those. So there's no Taylor's version,
it is her version. That's why I was like swearing
and shit in the I do whatever I want, I love I I'm just
surprised that they let her have.
I believe back to December is like over 6 minutes long.
Yeah, like that's. Yeah, I love that song.
Oh my God, it's so good. I did listen.
I did listen to Taylor Swift when I was younger.
So like, I know. I know you know, some of these
that we're going to talk about. Cool.
Yeah, I mean, Taylor Swift was pretty big around here because
she's from around here, even though she didn't like, actually
like, stay here. Yeah, I mean, she had to go to
Nashville, where the music scene is.
All right, So let's move on from women worshiping women and get
into another theme that we all like, which is feeling the
colors of the rainbow. This girl, OK, this is something
my wife pointed out to me. She's like, does Taylor Swift
feel? Colors because she uses colors
as a descriptor for like feelings.
Like there's a whole song just called Red where she just uses I
love that song. It's great, but she it's like
colors, equal feeling. And so some people can do that
where like they feel things from colors.
And I'm pretty sure Taylor set this one of those people because
her lyrics anyway. So she loves colors and I picked
out one line from each song that has the colors of the rainbow in
them. And so this is like one song.
No, cuz I was like, no, Julie would pick this out, but she was
doing the rainbow in one song. I wish that she had a rainbow
song. We're just we're waiting for it.
Don't happen one day. All right, so the first up is a
line from Illicit Affairs, which is from the Folklore album,
which is You Showed me Colors I couldn't see with anyone else
which feels so queer quoted to me.
Because it's kind of like when you finally, like, get with
somebody that you like, or you find a community of people that
are like you and you start to speak the same language.
That's kind of what this line means to me.
But Colors I couldn't see with anybody else.
The next one is from Maroon, which is from midnights, and
it's the lips I used to call home.
So Scarlett, it was maroon, which I this is probably my
favorite one because she's using one color to describe another,
which is probably one of my favorite.
I like this next one. You want to read it?
I think this holy orange bottles.
Each night I pray to you. I'm just like holy orange
bottles. That's the.
I don't get it. Okay, Where?
What pharmacy do you use to fill your medications?
Right Aid. And what color are the bottles
that they give you? White.
Okay so. Like, but yeah, they're orange.
Because. So as a pharmacist, I can tell
you why they're never clear. And that's because light can
degrade chemicals. And so the standard for a very
long period of time was using amber bottles like glass, amber
glass, so that it protected whatever it was inside.
And so some pharmacies use a plastic version of that, like
Target, CVS, Walgreens, and and it looks like it's orange and
it's to prevent the pills from degradating.
So this was a song talking about somebody who is sick.
And was praying that the pills would make the person better.
But what if you put it in like a clear thing?
Is that bad? Yes.
OK, it will make your pills less effective because they'll
degrade faster and by degrade it's the active ingredient.
That's why most pill containers are rainbow.
That's why most pill containers, like if you buy the the original
bottles, they come in, they're just not see through at all.
Usually like the original bottles, but like when they
count them out, they have to put them in another bottle and
usually it's an orange plastic bottle.
And so the name of the song is Soon You'll Get Better from the
Lover album. I've never heard of these
albums. I've never heard of Lover.
I've heard of Midnight Lover Came.
Out when I was a resident, I think 2019.
This was before the pandemic. Right before the pandemic, this
came out. We're we're going to get more
into love Lover's a great one. This is like one of the first
ones where she's starting to like branch into a different era
shall we say. But that's this one.
The next one comes from one of my favorite songs ever, which is
dress. So this line is major mark on
me. A golden tattoo.
She never says yellow, but she uses golden a lot, so I use that
for I don't like the color yellow.
There are series about why she loves gold, which we're not
going to get into because that's Gaylor territory.
Can you tell me afterwards? Sure, Mike.
All right, next one is the green color.
This is one of my favorite songs ever that she's done.
It's called Wonderland from 1989.
I think the deluxe album that I can't remember if it was on OG
and it's didn't you flash your green eyes at me?
The song gives me Jill and Eve vibes.
It's so good. Oh my gosh, this is just an
episode where theor gets to geek out.
Yes. And then for Blue, we've got
Cruel Summer, which she just recently, I think we released.
Oh, I heard some of that. Yeah, and it's blue.
The feeling I've gotten. There's more, so there's blue,
but she's explicitly saying here, blue is the feeling.
And lastly. I had to use the title of the
song, right? Huh.
Isn't that the title of the song?
What Lavender? Yeah, So I had to use this one.
So this is from Midnight's Lavender Haze.
I feel the lavender haze creeping on me.
And so lavender haze is like, is is a queer term.
So like the lavender scare and like all that stuff.
So that's a explicitly kind of. Queer color and I thought that
was fitting for ending the rainbow color.
So she she there's tons of lyrics that have colors in them,
but like, we have at least one lyric of every color of the
rainbow and just a reference to colors in general.
So queers love rainbows and queers love colors.
So this is one other theme that we really enjoy.
I have a question. What's up?
So for everyone who doesn't know, because why would you if
you were a quickly threw this together because we were
supposed to fill something else. Did you just have all of this
like, in your head already? I mean, I had to Google.
I had the themes in my brain. I just had to like put it on a
slide. I just like, like you're like,
all right, this color was is in this song and this color that
song. No, I I had to like look up
first. I think examples like for some
of them. All right.
So yeah, colors, Caitlyn Thoughts colors.
Is that a theme that you're into?
I wish I knew what it would be like to like think in colors and
like, feel colors because I just can't understand it.
But I've heard like people like someone can say a name and
people will tell you like what color is associated with it.
That's interesting. I feel like she's one of those
people because it's just there's so many.
It's called like Synthesia or something.
Yes. Like there's a yeah, I don't
know what it's called. You might be right.
There's. I've been in a lot of therapy.
I've met a few people who can do this.
So yeah, it's just it's it is a real thing.
Yeah. I think that she's definitely in
that spectrum or whatever, whatever range this is.
I'm not super familiar with it, but the queers like their
colors. I feel like they saw something
of her talking about this probably color thing, but.
Yeah, I don't know. So it's very interesting.
I like rainbows. When I was little, this is not
relevant, but I used to say that my favorite color is rainbow.
And you turn out to be gay. So is that a coincidence,
Caitlin? I don't think so.
So this is the theme that's right up your alley.
Let's see if the next theme is also up your alley.
Ah okay. So this is the theme that comes
out over and over and over again, and it's secretly or not
so secretly being in love with your best friend.
Is there a queer theme out there than this?
Yeah, I think this is this is like the only thing.
No, I think this is like a universal thing.
Like if you weren't secretly or not so secretly in love with
your best friend? Are you a queer person Is my
question? I have no idea.
I know. I just.
I feel like that's the universal experience for this.
We're gonna listen to the song, and this one starts at the
beginning, so hopefully this will go better.
All right. So for the not so secretly or
secretly being in love with your best friend, there's no better
song for this than Dress from The Reputation album.
And we're just going to play just the first couple of lyrics
because you'll see what I'm talking about.
Our sicker moments in the garden room, they got no idea about me
and you. There was an indentation in the
shape of you. Page a mark on me.
A golden tattoo. All of this silence and
patience, pining and anticipation.
My hands are shaking from holding back from your heart.
All of this silence and patience, pining and desperately
waiting. My hands are shaking from all
this. Say my name and everything just
sounds. I don't want you like your best
friend, only about this dress so you could take care.
Okay, Caitlin. Very interesting.
I think it's relatable, right? I mean, not, maybe not that
brought the dress for you to take it off, but very, very, I
mean for the theme of being in love with your best friend.
How was this? It was perfect, yes.
So first of all, here's a theme that's relatable for queer
people. It's like closeted relationships
or like being with somebody. But then you can't be out in
public. So the beginning of the song,
secret moments in a crowded room.
So, like, nobody else knows they're together because they
got no idea about me and you, but clearly they're together and
something. But they are together in this.
Or is it pining? No, this isn't the pining.
You're jumping ahead to our next theme.
We'll get it. Okay, but just the beginning
sets up. This is a secret relationship.
So, but with your best friend though, so and then the next
lines are just like I don't want you like a best friend.
I'm clearly trying to get with you because I bought this dress
that I want you to take off. So I think that encapsulates a
lot of queer experiences and I find that relatable.
Thoughts. I am rereading and rereading and
it's a lot of words on the screen.
Sorry, no, it's fine. I just, I just want it to work
out. It doesn't the song, don't worry
about it. I'm just saying in terms of
like, how many queer media things have you seen with like,
secret relationships because they're queer?
A lot. Every single thing, right?
So the first paragraph of the song.
Super relatable, right? Covert relationships and then
the relationship thing where it's like best friend, but I
want more Beatrice and Ava, like, there's many examples of
things we've talked about. So this is a very relatable
song. Like just see.
Beatrice bought the shirt. So Beatrice bought this shirt
right here. And she took up her own sweater.
Okay. So you are appointed to her own
shirt for the people listening. Yes, Caitlin got me a replica of
Beatrice's shirt because I wouldn't shut up about it in our
other episodes. If you're gonna worry, you're
gonna go so that. But point is, this particular
song, these particular lyrics, this theme is very relatable to
queer people. And so there's a song you can
listen to over and over again. Remove the pronouns and you're
like, I I relate to this. This is me as a queer person.
I understand this and so Caitlin jumping to our next our next
theme which is pining. So much pining, that is.
Pining. That pining should just be a
synonym of queer. Totally.
And so dress starts it off with the literally saying pining in
anticipation. That's why, like, that song is
just the queerest, most queerest, relatable thing.
But she has other there's other songs that just hit the pining,
which again, Warrior done first get.
There's so many like things of just like queer binding.
So that theme, it's embedded our little hearts.
So another song I wanted to throw in there was Indivisible,
which I think is awesome to speak now.
Oh, it's not on the Red Album. Come on, Faye.
That's it. Well, it's in red.
No, I just put it. I just put it there in red to
make it look different. I know, but I thought maybe it
was on the Red Album. Never mind.
It doesn't matter. Wait, I might have it.
Hold on. It's her first album.
My dad. Wow, I know.
Sorry. I'm not as good with her.
Like OG stuff. I apologize.
I'm not an expert. I never claimed to be.
But anyway, it's invisible. The line, basically.
The entire song is just about literally like her earlier
album. There's a bunch of them on there
because she was in high school, which she wrote these.
And so the whole song is about. I wish this person would notice
me because if they could, we can finally be together and it would
be amazing. So the line is and you could see
right through me, but if you only knew me, we could be a
beautiful miracle, unbelievable instead of just invisible.
I don't know what describes pining better than that, to be
honest. Yeah, no, see, I don't hear it
as much like because I watch TV and don't listen like to lyrics
as much. So this is a little harder for
me so I can see it, but what comes to mind?
Of pining. Oh, I just went.
Could you see the lyrics or? No.
So you you asked me what better describes?
Oh then yes, go ahead. Go ahead.
Oh, so you're saying TV better depicts it than the song?
No. Like, I can see it more in TV.
Like, I can recognize it. So I don't really know how to
describe it, but I so this does a pretty damn good job.
Yeah, if you just like, So what I picture in this, because it's
high school, is just a girl standing by a locker, staring at
her crush, just thinking, like trying to get, like wishing that
person would notice her and just feeling like you can't even see
me, but like, I want you. And if we were together, it'd be
so great. That's really what the lyric is
saying. It's all about the pining,
though. But we as a queer community are
always, always get the pining, especially in television because
we cover that a lot. How many television shows can
you think of where the queer couple is together right off the
bat? Yeah, yeah, that laugh versus We
have to wait two seasons at least for them to get together.
Is there a show that they're just they start to, I mean the L
Word, L Word with one couple. But so like what 20 years ago we
had this, so, like, you know, so relatable because this is the
content we get so much. OK.
Yeah, I. Can't, I can't think of anything
else. It's OK.
It doesn't matter. Let's move on.
So the next, next one is I think relatable, particularly in
America. Maybe this is America.
I love this song. I know you know this song.
So the next the next theme is overcoming small towns and
bullies. So a lot of like queer media
too. A lot of it touches on, you
know, queer people who are isolated in small towns where
they don't have a queer community.
And often when you're younger you get bullied by the hetros or
the closet cases performing as hetros.
And so she has many songs that are kind of about this not just
being bullied, but a positive note of just overcoming the
bully and getting the fuck out of there.
And so with that, we're going to just listen to the lyrics.
You've heard this song, so we don't have to play it, but it's
mean. You want to sing it, Caitlyn, do
it. Someday I'll be living in a big
old city and all you're ever going to be is mean.
Someday I'll be big enough so you can hit me and all you're
ever going to be is mean. Why you gotta be so mean?
That was such bad. Like the octave, the IT wasn't
the right key, but whatever. No, that was great.
And then we didn't have to play it off at Amazon.
So thank you, Caitlin. Everybody clap for Caitlin.
This song reminds me of Kurt and Glee because he was always
trying to get to New York and he was always bullied in school.
Yeah, exactly. I think it's such a.
I think it's something better, yeah.
And I think that that because I think that made its way into
media, because this is such a, this is a reality for many, many
queer people. And so it's a relatable theme
when it shows up. Yeah.
And I will say that Taylor Swift, whose concerts cause
earthquakes, definitely is big enough so nobody can touch her.
So she good for her. Oh my gosh, there's someone
trying to touch her. So many people.
You can probably build a town of people just protecting her.
Listen, I thought something in somebody on the Internet who's
like, listen, if aliens come come to Earth and they're like
trying to find the leader, they're going to think it's her
because so all the people that flock around her and the fact
that this bitch is causing earthquakes.
I hear more about Taylor Swift now instead of Beyoncé like when
I was younger. Does yours to be talked about?
I don't know much about Beyoncé. OK, Lynn, we'll educate you off
Mike. All right.
Anything else you'd like to say? Comment about the queer theme of
overcoming small towns of bullies.
I mean, not not the theme, but I like the music video.
Little Joey's in it. Yeah.
Nice. I will say that overcoming
bullies is something from heart stopper that we're.
Yeah, another one would be Charlie.
I still keep getting them confused.
Charlie. Nick.
Charlie. Nick is Nick.
Is the puppy dog Nick? Charlie No Charlie.
There's a whole episode called Bully.
Sucking at this, I still can't figure out who's who.
Charlie has black hair and Nick has golden retriever hair.
Charlie is getting bullied in the beginning.
Yeah, exactly. So it's a theme that shows up
especially with like. Nick and Nelly.
That's how I remember it, Yeah. Nick and Nelly.
It's a scene that comes up a lot in earlier queer media, and
particularly with, like, gay men, because, like, the bullying
is a reality. How many people out there have
been bullied? I was bullied.
Like, who hasn't been bullied? So particularly when you're
different, you know, I feel like this is an unfortunate,
universalish experience for a lot of queer people.
So especially if you're isolated, I mean, for being
different. That was part of me when I was
trying to figure my shit out. Like, yeah, this happens to a
lot of people. I mean, when you're different,
you're easy target. And especially in a small town
where you definitely don't fit in, yeah, so like this.
This song I feel like is very relatable to a lot of queer
people that have been through that.
I like that song. I love that song.
All right. And the last one I want to talk
about, I want to talk about is internalizing, like negativity
about yourself, like your authentic self.
And so I could write a thesis about the antihero song from
Midnight's, because it's a friend of mine who I wanted to
get on the podcast, like, analyze this from a queer lens,
and it reads very much like a queer person internalizing their
own homophobia. That's being forced onto them by
friends, family, the world to the point where you can just
like if there's self hatred there.
And so I wanted to play so. So everybody knows if you want
to sing this part like everybody knows the famous like bridge I
guess or chorus, which is it's me.
Hi, I'm the problem. It's me.
Do you want to sing it? Caitlyn, do you know this?
Part I I can sing the whole thing.
I think do it. It's me.
Hi, I'm the problem. It's me at tea time.
Everybody agrees. I'll stare directly at the sun,
but never in the mirror. It must be exhausting, always
rooting for the antihero, something that was terrible at
the end. But Taylor would be proud.
In the mirror. It must be exhausting or rooting
for the antihero. Something like that.
No, that is it. We're going to listen to a piece
of it that really drives home the point of like the
negativity. Because there's a part where
she's singing that it's me high and you can hear the exhaustion.
Yeah, in her voice from her, essentially having to tell
herself I'm the problem, I'm the problem over and over and over
again, when in reality it's like, you're not the problem.
Your authentic self is beautiful.
It's freeing just to be your authentic self.
And by the end of the song, her tone changes where she's, like,
accepted who she is and she's like, it's me.
I guess I'm the problem. Whatever, I'm owning who I am,
And if you have a problem with it, fuck you.
And that's basically the whole the course of the song.
It's such a great song. To me.
It's more like the millennial experience.
I think that might be the lens she's coming at for real.
But you can put a queer lens on it.
And it almost sounds like dealing with internalized
homophobia, which unfortunately I think is a reality for a lot
of people. So I want to play the part where
she is just, you can hear the exhaustion where it's like
having to suppress yourself is like really weighing on her.
So give me just a second. I saw a tech talk where she was
singing it on the tour. And I saw her actually performed
that part. And I was like, oh, OK.
I understood it more once I saw her sing it because, like, she
actually performed it. How it's supposed to be taken.
Yeah, it hit me immediately, this song.
First of all I just her lyrics are just so ungodly beautiful
when she says like, what was it? The graveyard, my my depression
works the graveyard shift. Like that line is just such
beautiful words. I think it's a.
Very relatable song. Yeah.
Because I know I have an issue with thinking I'm always the
issue with everything exactly, exactly, but just like and just
the fact that it keeps you up at night, works the graveyard shift
like just her lyrics are just so fucking good.
Like for. All right.
I just want to skip to the the part, but unfortunately what
we're using is not helpful, it's.
Me. Hi, I'm the problem.
It's me. It's me.
Hi, I'm the problem. It's me.
Hi. Everybody agrees.
Everybody agrees, OK, so I want to stop it there.
And like, you just can hear the way it's just weighing on her so
much. And like the way she, like says
everybody agrees like so monotone and flat.
It's almost like that's the port where she's like tired of
telling herself this, you know? Yeah, sorry, I was really
distracted by the song. All right, But like, what do you
make of that section? I mean, just that is just so
exhausting. I'm confused by the word
antihero. So the hero is somebody you root
for. An antihero isn't so.
She's the antihero, correct? Like, no.
So the whole point of the song is that nobody's rooting for
her. They're telling her there's
something wrong with her. She is the problem.
That antihero, somebody who
triumphs despite what other people want.
So this song is her basically, like in that section I played,
where it's like her convincing herself what everybody else is
telling her. Like, at tea time, everybody
agrees I'm the problem in like, polite society, I'm the problem.
And she's telling herself that over and over and over again.
And in that section, you just hear it weighing on her where
she's like, she's trying to convince herself, yeah, I'm the
problem, I'm the problem, I'm the problem.
Like she's getting more and more exhausted at with every line
because, like, she's not the problem.
They're the fucking problem. Which is why I love when it
transitions out of that. She's it's the cheeriest line
ever. So like, the next line is it's
me. So at the end she like owns it
and she's like, fuck it, I guess I'm the problem.
I'm just going to live my life and just be me.
That's where it, like the tone, changes so dramatically.
I saw. Are we talking about Taylor
herself or just like this song? Just the themes in her music.
But I mean, if you want to talk about something about her, as
long as it's not a Gaylor thing, that's fine.
No, it's just she was talking about how every time somebody
didn't like something, she changed and she kept changing.
And now I think she's to the point where she really doesn't
want to. And I really like that.
This song is basically telling that, and it's really showing
people that don't be afraid to be yourself because really, it's
too exhausting to worry and you'll be a lot happier.
Yeah, and you nailed it. That's exactly what this song is
about. And I just, I love the way she
sings it. So with so much emotion that you
can hear all of that just in that teeny tiny little section,
I just. Absolutely adore this thing.
It's so powerful. And I think, you know, it's it's
relatable to to a lot of different people.
But I think in the queer context of people who have to deal with
internalized homophobia and being told you're different,
you're unnatural, like, and having to just keep, you know,
convincing yourself yet, Yep, I'm the problem.
It's it's me. I'm the problem.
Yeah, when you're like trying to
figure out and I know from me when I was like shit, I think
I'm gay. And like, I just kept thinking
that it was a problem and that and it's exhausting like trying
to like not accept it. And then once you do accept it,
it is kind of like the end of that song and it feels a lot
easier and. It's freeing.
Like, that's why I love that transition where it's just like.
Very bottom, very low sounding like exhausted.
And then the minute you just like say fuck it, that's who I
am. I guess I'm a problem for you.
And just like there's it's freeing, it's liberating.
And that's what I feel like Coming into your queerness and
finding accepting and loving who you are is just, it feels like
that, you know? It really does.
Yeah, so I I love that song. I think it's about many.
It's relatable in many contexts and just here I think.
For for queer people, there's something definitely to resonate
with the good thing I love about her music.
Is that what? Were you saying Caitlyn?
Her music is able to be like sorry.
People can find themselves in her music no matter what their
background is, because they're specific to her, but they're
also so general that we can see queer themes in them and relate
them to ourselves. But someone else who's
completely different will also see themselves in their story in
that. And I think antihero is
definitely. I think that might be the most
relatable out of any song that she has.
I completely agree and I I think when you get past her, like her
younger, her, her lyrics and what she's singing about, oh
definitely evolves as she gets older.
And so this song came from. An album she released very
recently in her 30s where she's been through fame, she's lived,
has more life experience beyond having a crush on somebody in
high school and like pining for them like the last theme and the
last song Invisible that came from her like first album.
Here We are, the last album and it's about more complex like
life experience type of issue. That, like you said, is
universal. And I mean, clearly she has a
universal appeal because she has fans, so many fans all over the
freaking world from so many different backgrounds like
you're saying. So there's something resonating
beyond, like, yeah, I know what love is.
Like this song for me, like you said, I agree.
I think this is the pinnacle of just like this is relatable no
matter who you are. Yeah, yeah.
And I really like Taylor Swift. I love Taylor Swift.
I love her newer lyrics a lot. As I get older, like, I like
that. Like we're the same age.
Like as she gets older and her lyrics are about more like I've
lived life kind of topics like this.
I'm like, yes, I relate to this too.
So there's a lot there's a lot to love with Taylor Swift.
But to bring it on home, unless you had more to say about
antihero, I can talk about antihero all day.
Just that song. It's just it's.
I just, I have no words for it. Sometimes it's just so moving.
I just think we need to get to the slide because.
We're gonna get to the most explicitly queer song that she's
released from the Lover album called You Need to Calm Down.
And for those listening slash watching on YouTube.
I'm just gonna read out the queerest lyrics and then we're
gonna end this and go watch the music video cuz I'm pretty sure
you've never seen it, Caitlyn. Hell no I haven't.
All right, fantastic. So here are the songs of the
lyrics that I picked out that are just This is an explicitly
queer song, so why are you mad when you could be glad and glad
to spell GLAAD like the organization?
It's actually spelled like that. These are the straight up
lyrics. Yeah, yes, that's just really
explicit. It's very explicit.
And then the anthem from lyrics from this Are Cachade never made
anybody less gay. So it's basically about like
trolls on the Internet hating on queer people.
And they're like, whatever you're doing is not going to
make anybody like gay people are going to exist no matter what
you do. And so you just need to calm
down because you're being too loud with your bigotry.
And that's really what the song is about and the music video.
There's a lot to unpack, but I'm pretty sure if she just wrangled
up every queer person that lived in LA, including lesbian Jesus,
and had them in the music video. So of course she got lesbian.
Lesbian Lesbian Jesus has opened for her before.
Like, good for lesbian Jesus. I know, good old Haley.
So we're going to watch the music video because it's it's
it's just one of the queerest things just ever.
I'm excited to see it. All right.
Are you ready, Caitlin? We'll watch it, then you can
tell me what you think and then we'll close this episode out.
Okay. All right.
Let me just switch a mask for you.
My gosh, that's. Amazing.
Yeah. And this is when she also so the
end of that video is like, hey, she was kind of like she was
never political like ever. Because you know, she was a cunt
started in country. And they're like, you can never
say anything, you can never be controversial, blah, blah, blah.
This was the first time she ever did anything that was like,
quote UN quote controversial. And so this was at the time, I
think when it was pandemic time. So this was before in the United
States, the Joe Biden versus Donald Trump election.
And she endorsed Joe Biden. And she started here and was
like, hey, the country's fucked up.
So that the message at the end of that video that's from her
site is like, hey, we need to change America, like, sign this
petition kind of thing. And so with the power and
influence that she has, that was huge.
And people criticize her for not doing enough, which is all kinds
of valid. But the fact that she, like,
kind of went against her management was like, no, I'm
going to start doing stuff like this.
I'm fucking 30. The stakes are too high.
I'm making. I'm going to.
Endorse somebody like was big. And so to make this and then
make it explicitly like a political thing was a big move
for her and something she'd never done previously.
I really liked it. I I would go live there too.
I know it looks like the dream place to live.
Like it's kind of seems like gay Barbies.
Honestly, if there was a it started here.
Maybe Greta Gergwig is like there's something here.
Let's make this very reminiscent of it, actually.
But yeah, so that one's pretty gay because of the lyrics.
Like, outwardly gay. Yeah.
Aren't you glad? Oh, Taylor Swift.
Thank you. I didn't even know that that
song was. I like heard parts of it, but I
haven't heard the whole thing, the music.
Video makes it. Especially when she's wearing
the bisexual flying colors and we're like, girl.
What are you doing? But it's very fun.
It's very colorful, like the whole shot and the message
overall is good. Like, isn't it exhausting just
hating other people and when it's it's ineffective because
people are going to be who they're going to be.
So this is another one that kind of ties into the whole like
bullying stuff like and this is specifically about a group of
people being. Bullied and rising above it is
the whole like message. Yeah, so I I think I going
through her lyrics. I respect her even more first.
I mean, I could never write a song because that just, it just
blows my mind how people can just like figure out a melody
and like write stuff to it. I just, I don't get it.
So I I love her. I wrote my own lyrics to one of
her songs for biology class to get extra credit.
That's not relevant. But she's helping people.
Learn well you weren't a fan of Taylor Swift, maybe.
Hopefully this convinced you to at least check out antihero.
At minimum, should we hydrate for Lesbian Jesus?
Yeah, I would hydrate all the water on the planet for Taylor
Swift and and lesbian Jesus who was in that last music video we
watched. I love it.
Well, I mean on her actual scale.
I will give her a ton. Yeah, which is the highest I've
ever given something. Wow, Caitlin's first time we're
making history here. Well, I hope you guys enjoyed
that. Go check out some Taylor Swift
if we haven't convinced you. And if there's another artist
you would like us to spontaneously talk about in
terms of. Queerness.
Queer lyrics That does music? Please let us know because we've
never dabbled explicitly into musical artists, so let us know
and we'll keep keep this party going.
So until next time I drate for lesbian Jesus and get up all
over the place. Bye.
And with that, we've been big gay energy.
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