The Grammy goes to….
Picture to Burn ("You're Gay" Version) by Taylor Swift!!!
Yay, Taylor! And good choice, Mikey.
In case you need a history lesson on Swift’s discography—before “Fearless (Taylor’s Version),” we had “Picture to Burn (You’re Gay Version)”.
The original version of the song, released in 2006, features the iconic lyrics:
“So go ahead and tell your friends that I’m obsessive and crazy / That’s fine. I’ll tell mine you’re gay.”
It was subsequently changed to read:
“So go ahead and tell your friends that I’m obsessive and crazy / That’s fine. you won’t mind if I say.”
Congrats on the Grammy, Taylor!
Mikey XCX (the award-giver) and Dom (the person writing these words right now) are both gay and problematic—so they’re allowed to celebrate this straight woman for using “gay” in the pejorative.
At the same time, we can celebrate Hilary Duff for iconically reminding America that “gay” shouldn’t be used as a pejorative. Two things can be true!
Want more music content?
Read (5 minutes): Check out Happy Medium Club Volume 8 for more Grammy predictions (and revisions).
Skim (2 minutes): If your job is boring and you need help focusing, here are some music/podcast recommendations to help get you through the workday. Crowd-sourced from HMC readers.
Watch (16 seconds): Taylor Swift was snubbed at the 2006 Grammys. We’re giving her the credit she’s due.
Happy Medium Club: Volume 8.5