THE QUEERS AND TAYLOR: ‘I WANT HER MIDNIGHTS’ LISTENING PARTY EDITION
Taylor Swift’s new album “Midnights” has made quite the splash. In the spirit of how gay this album is, Goldspot Brewing Company hosted a listening party on Monday night. It was a great look into both the queerness of Taylor’s music, and the divide between her fans.
Taylor’s fans, nicknamed “Swifties”, are well-known for their dedication and insightfulness. If there is something to find, they will find it, and if you know Taylor, there is always something to find. In recent years, Swifties have made their home on Tiktok, sharing their theories with the world. It was there that “Gaylor” blossomed and made itself known.
Long story short, “Gaylor” is the theory that Taylor Swift is gay, of which I am a strong believer.
With the release of Midnights, there was much anticipation and anxiety for the album to be gay, so the queer Swifties had to get together to discuss.
The night started with beer and adorable snacks inspired by Midnights. When the songs began, the discussions surprised me. As a queer Swiftie, I assumed that most people would have similar opinions to mine, but boy was I wrong. Every few songs, they stopped the music to let people discuss and rate the songs. Much to my surprise, the songs on the bottom of my list were at the top of most others’ lists.
The discussions were lengthy and in depth, ranging from melody and sound to vibe and lyrics. Songs from past albums were also discussed because many of the new songs are obviously connected to old ones. I will provide my personal rankings below, as I don’t have proof of anyone else’s rankings (and I also don’t agree with them).
I’ve only ranked the original 13 tracks on Midnights, and it’s always possible that these rankings will one day change.
Question
Snow on the Beach
Maroon
Sweet Nothing
Mastermind
You’re on Your Own Kid
Labyrinth
Lavender Haze
Bejeweled
Karma
Midnight Rain
Vigilante Shit
Anti-Hero
What I love about Swifties, though, is how diverse they are. There is no cookie-cutter mold of a Taylor fan that makes us all the same. Everyone is SO different, and, therefore, so is our taste in songs. That’s what’s so fun about the community, and what makes it so much like the queer community. Everyone has their own way of expressing themselves, and though it infuriated me quite a bit in this case, everyone has their own opinions.
I will say, however, that these queer Swifties have the true heart of Taylor at the forefront of all their thoughts and feelings. There was laughter, there were tears, and of course, they knew all of the words already.
After listening to all of the songs and discussing, there was a bracket to decide the best song on the album. This is where I lost my mind, but alas, it’s not all about me.
The bracket was decided by screams, so whichever song got the loudest screams moved on to the next round. “Question…?” is arguably the gayest song, and it was obliterated in the first round, much to my dismay. “Maroon” ended the night on top, however, and that restored my faith in the queer Swifties of this city. A friend later stated, “A straight person never could have written Maroon,” so I have decided to give my queer Swiftie fam the benefit of the doubt.
The night swiftly ended with Karaoke, as every good night does. There was also a photo booth and a cute dog, it really was a great night!
I will leave you with some Gaylor tweets about Midnights, and you can decide whose side you’re on.
You may have missed this suspenseful event, but you should check out other events coming up at Goldspot Brewing Company. They are always having inclusive and unique events and are open to ideas. The listening party was an idea brought to them by a third party, so anyone can be the hero! But really, Goldspot is the gayest and maybe even the most fun brewery in town. Even if it leaves you reeling from controversy, it’ll be fun!
