J.Lo Won’t Rest Until “Let’s Get Loud” Is a Civil Rights Anthem
She took time away from gushing about Ben Affleck to support this important cause
When you think of all the great music that has scored the most contentious moments in America’s history, what are you thinking of? Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come” probably comes to mind; maybe Nina Simone’s “To Be Young, Gifted and Black;” Bob Dylan’s “Blowin’ In the Wind” is certainly up there. If Jennifer Lopez has her way, “Let’s Get Loud” will join these ranks any day now.
Lopez is on the cover of Vogue this month, focusing for the most part on how in love she is with Ben Affleck. She’s shooting a sc-fi action thriller, but to her it’s a love story. She changed her legal name to Jennifer Affleck because it “still carries tradition and romance” for her. She thinks Jennifer Garner is a great co-parent. You get the picture.
However, if you zoom in, you’ll notice that this profile is also another stepping stone in her years-long crusade to turn her 1999 dance hit “Let’s Get Loud” into some kind of civil rights bop.
“I want all the little girls in the world to get loud. Get loud! Say it when it’s wrong. Don’t be afraid,” the Monster-in-Law star told the magazine. So, “Let’s Get Loud” is a feminist anthem meant to empower young girls, but could it also be more?
In 2020, when Lopez performed at the Super Bowl halftime show alongside Shakira, she sang “Let’s Get Loud.” This time, she was joined by a chorus of children, some of whom sat in glowing orbs that were meant to invoke the cages in which migrant children were being detained. According to her, the NFL wanted to cut that part of the show, but she held her ground.
“It was really sad because it didn’t need to be political,” Lopez told Vogue. “It was about being a good person, loving your neighbor, all the things that people say they stand for but then they don’t practice because somebody’s not the same as them or somebody has a different sexual orientation or gender identity or a different race.”
Okay, so in addition to feminism, “Let’s Get Loud” is also an ode to immigration rights, LGBTQ rights, racial justice, and, if I’m understanding the imagery correctly, perhaps Puerto Rican statehood. But it doesn’t have to be political.
Last, but not least, “Let’s Get Loud” is also about… patriotism? Or maybe just being anti-Trump. When Lopez sang “America the Beautiful” at Joe Biden’s inauguration in 2021, she slipped a little “LGL” in there, solidifying its status as a song about rights. Which rights? Well, that’s not important, and I’ve lost count.
Towards the end of “Let’s Get Loud,” Lopez sings, “Life is meant to be big fun, you're not hurting anyone.” It’s an inspiring message to any marginalized community. If you’re suffering under the weight of a system that was built to oppress you, do not forget that life is meant to be big fun. Inspiring!
