Written and produced by Swift and Joel Little, "You Need to Calm Down" is a midtempo electropop and synth-pop song that is set over steady synth beats and has a refrain of ascending echoes.

The video contained several easter eggs, including changing the word "glad" to GLAAD, and highlighting "EA" letters as a reference to the Equality Act.

[9] The petition has attracted more than 500,000 signatures,[10] including from Democrats such as Cory Booker, Elizabeth Warren, Beto O'Rourke, and Kirsten Gillibrand.

[15] Dan Stubbs from NME called the song "withering in its measured response", concluding it was "an infectious, bite-size pop package".

[19] Time's Raisa Bruner wrote that the song is "bright, bubbly and unabashedly vying for earworm status", and that it is a "colorful clapback that works as a warning to homophobes, trolls and bullies".

[21] Justin Kirkland of Esquire wrote the song "misses the point of being an LGBTQ ally" by "equating online haters with the personal and societal struggle of LGBTQ+ people".

", "Old Town Road" by Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus blocked "You Need to Calm Down" from reaching the top spot on the chart.

The song became Swift's twenty-fourth top 10 hit, which is the fifth-most among female artists in the chart's history, behind Madonna (38), Rihanna (31), Mariah Carey (28) and Janet Jackson (27).

Swift awakens in her trailer, wearing a bathrobe over a swimsuit, with an embroidery containing the Cher quote "Mom, I am a Rich Man" hanging on a wall.

The camera then switches to other residents in the trailer park and their activities, including Mayfield dancing, Hart weightlifting a boombox and Cox watering her yard of plastic flamingoes and greeting Lockhart, who promptly faints.

In the next scene, Swift and other residents sun tan while ignoring the heckling protesters, followed by Porter walking down the middle of the two crowds wearing a dress.

A message at the end of the video urges viewers to sign Swift's Change.org petition for the United States Senate to pass the Equality Act.

[54] Craig Jenkins of Vulture wrote the song and video "has great intentions", but opened up Swift to accusations of queerbaiting and profiting from Pride Month.

[59] Dave Holmes from Esquire praised the celebrity cameos, but noted the "ugly and poorly-educated" look of the protesters and the "sexless" portrayal of gay life.

[61] Spencer Kornhaber from The Atlantic stated that "in real-life, Pride counterprotests feature yet-uglier slogans", and "writing off bigotry as negativity... isn't helpful".

[64] Actor Brian Jordan Alvarez praised the video in an interview with IndieWire, stating that he is "completely grateful anytime anyone, especially someone with a huge platform, expresses positivity, love, and support for the LGBTQ community.

It is also Swift's second victory for Video of the Year following "Bad Blood" in 2015, joining Beyoncé and Rihanna as the only female acts to win the category twice and the fourth artist overall.

[69] The song was nominated for Best Pop Solo Performance at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards, becoming her third nod in the category, following "Shake It Off" (2015) and "Blank Space" (2016).

[79] A message urging the viewers to sign the petition appears at the end of the "You Need to Calm Down" music video; it states: "Let's show our pride by demanding that, on a national level, our laws truly treat all of our citizens equally.

[80] As of April 12, 2020, the petition had over 704,000 signatures, including those from Democratic senators and presidential candidates like Elizabeth Warren, Amy Klobuchar, Ed Markey, Kirsten Gillibrand, Tim Kaine, Cory Brooker and Beto O'Rourke.

In response, GLAAD started a Facebook fundraiser for fans to support the advocacy work for Pride Month, with $1300 as a goal since 13 is Swift's lucky number.

[83] Anthony Ramos, Director of Talent Management at GLAAD, stated that Swift "is one of the world's biggest pop stars; the fact that she continues to use her platform and music to support the LGBTQ community and the Equality Act is a true sign of being an ally.

[82][84] Sarah Kate, the CEO and President of GLAAD, stated: "Taylor Swift continues to use her platform to speak out against discrimination and create a world where everyone can live the life they love.

In today's divisive political and cultural climate, we need more allies like Taylor, who send positive and uplifting messages to LGBTQ people everywhere".

Judd Deere, the White House deputy Press Secretary, stated that "the Trump administration absolutely opposes discrimination of any kind and supports the equal treatment of all; however, the House-passed bill in its current form is filled with poison pills that threaten to undermine parental and conscience rights".

[90] She also performed it at the 2019 MTV Video Music Awards along with "Lover"[91] and included the song in her setlist for BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge on September 2.

[94] While promoting Lover, Swift performed the song at the We Can Survive charity concert in Los Angeles on October 19,[95] at the Alibaba Singles' Day Gala in Shanghai, China on November 10,[96] at Capital FM's Jingle Bell Ball 2019 in London on December 8,[97] and at iHeartRadio Z100's Jingle Ball in New York City on December 13.

[102] In June 2021, as part of a project on human rights, students of Barking and Dagenham College made a video to "You Need to Calm Down" for Pride Month.

[103] The song was used in a commercial Swift narrated for the United States women's national soccer team competing at the 2020 Summer Olympics.