New York, NY - Chappell Roan has had quite the year so far. From getting the entire United States to learn how to spell H-O-T-T-O-G-O with their arms, à la YMCA, to drawing record-breaking crowds at festivals like Lollapalooza and Gov Ball, many are astonished by the Midwestern Princess's meteoric rise to stardom—seemingly happening so suddenly.
Chappell Roan (born Kayleigh Rose Amstutz) has, in fact, been working on the "Chappell Roan project" for nearly a decade. Given that Roan is only 26 years old, that’s pretty remarkable, to say the least. Impressive. Inspiring. Admirable. Noteworthy. Historic. Empowering..
.. Sorry, I just couldn’t stop thinking of words to describe it!
If you aren’t quite aware of Roan as an artist yet, you might already know her recent chart-topper, Good Luck, Babe! The song, you may have noticed, includes the unmistakable lyric, “You can kiss a hundred boys in bars” as Roan is listing off the reasons for the downfall of a relationship with a former lover. Let's break that down. If someone is kissing boys at the bar and that someone happens to be a woman, it’s pretty clear Roan is singing about a woman (she was). And if, by some chance, Roan was singing about a guy, that guy would be kissing boys at bars. No matter how you slice it, there’s simply no room for a heterosexual interpretation.
Good Luck, Babe! has exploded in popularity, resonating with listeners far and wide. But here’s where I issue a challenge to the lovers of this song: Don’t change the lyrics to fit your identity. Embrace the track as it is—an honest reflection of queer life, with all its complexities and heartaches. This isn’t just a synth-soaked pop anthem that would make 80's songwriters green with envy; it’s a narrative of a relationship that faltered because the girl wouldn’t commit. Plain and simple. Because queer people also deal with shitty relationships! It’s raw, it’s real, and it’s unapologetic.
So next time you're belting out to the chart-topper in your car, at a party, or in your bedroom, remember that you're singing a song that stands proudly in its queerness. Embrace it, own it, and let the lyrics flow as Chappell Roan intended—a true-to-life portrayal of queer relationships in all their messy, beautiful reality.
Chappell Roan (born Kayleigh Rose Amstutz) has, in fact, been working on the "Chappell Roan project" for nearly a decade. Given that Roan is only 26 years old, that’s pretty remarkable, to say the least. Impressive. Inspiring. Admirable. Noteworthy. Historic. Empowering..
.. Sorry, I just couldn’t stop thinking of words to describe it!
If you aren’t quite aware of Roan as an artist yet, you might already know her recent chart-topper, Good Luck, Babe! The song, you may have noticed, includes the unmistakable lyric, “You can kiss a hundred boys in bars” as Roan is listing off the reasons for the downfall of a relationship with a former lover. Let's break that down. If someone is kissing boys at the bar and that someone happens to be a woman, it’s pretty clear Roan is singing about a woman (she was). And if, by some chance, Roan was singing about a guy, that guy would be kissing boys at bars. No matter how you slice it, there’s simply no room for a heterosexual interpretation.
Good Luck, Babe! has exploded in popularity, resonating with listeners far and wide. But here’s where I issue a challenge to the lovers of this song: Don’t change the lyrics to fit your identity. Embrace the track as it is—an honest reflection of queer life, with all its complexities and heartaches. This isn’t just a synth-soaked pop anthem that would make 80's songwriters green with envy; it’s a narrative of a relationship that faltered because the girl wouldn’t commit. Plain and simple. Because queer people also deal with shitty relationships! It’s raw, it’s real, and it’s unapologetic.
So next time you're belting out to the chart-topper in your car, at a party, or in your bedroom, remember that you're singing a song that stands proudly in its queerness. Embrace it, own it, and let the lyrics flow as Chappell Roan intended—a true-to-life portrayal of queer relationships in all their messy, beautiful reality.
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