Switched on Pop
Vultures podcast all about the making and meaning of popular music.
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This was published on August 15, 2024.At the2025 Grammy Awards, Chappell Roan won Best New Artist.
Its little wonder thatRoan herself is strugglingwith the enormity of that sudden superstardom.
Good Luck, Babe!
6 on Hot 100)
Nate Sloan:Good Luck, Babe!
Its ironic and detached, yet sung with so much passion.
The lyrics are hyperspecific and imagistic, and they roll off the tongue effortlessly.
Theyre perfectly matched to the melody in a way they sound like normal speech.
I love how short this pre-chorus is only four measures!
Now, shes at F# and D a full octave up.
Thats not easy to do, and it sounds so clear.
Charlie Harding:The performance also mirrors the directionality of the music.
Hes been collaborating with Roan since 2020 and is co-songwriter and producer of Good Luck, Babe!
Hes masterful at not drawing attention to himself.
There arent a lot of musical choices that make you go,Oh, wow!
What was that sound?His production is so subtle and effective.
Listen to how the voices the instances of good luck, babe overlap on the chorus:
C.H.
You only really notice it when it suddenly drops out in the second verse:
N.S.
Hot to Go!
Theres a lyrical density to Roans songs that rewards repeat listenings.
Meanwhile, the harmony is nefariously simple.
:Just two chords oscillating back and forth.
:The one and the four.
The tonic and the subdominant.
It kind of gives you that nostalgic simplicity that you crave.
I dont want the world but Ill take this cityWho can blame a girl?
Call me hot, not pretty.
Thats not the point.
The lyrics continue this theme of one-sided affection, of yearning unrequited, of explicit sexuality.
It is so relatable, and she makes it so fun.
Hurry up, its getting cold.
Red Wine Supernova (No.
:The song titles across this album are works of art unto themselves.
Feminomenon, Red Wine Supernova, Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl.
Theres a specificity to them that is immediately apprehensible and draws you into their world.
Another thing that draws you into the world of this song is the way thateverythingdrops out for the chorus.
Lets pick it up now!
I think the power of this chorus is also intensified by some very deliberate rhyme schemes in the verse.
Shes been laying the groundwork for this chorus.
:Except, is it?
I feel like thats the puzzle of this song.
Is this fulfillment or is it a dream of fulfillment?
Its so perfectly Chappell Roan.
Pink Pony Club (No.
:This is a perfect song to end on because in many ways, its Roans origin story.
This was the first collaboration between Roan and Nigro, back in 2020.
Even though Roan seems like this kind of overnight success story, its not that at all.
Its been a slow grind to the top.
I remember last year, she performed at a student music festival at USC.
One of my students told me about it; they were so excited: Chappell Roan is coming!
I was like, Who?
Fast-forward a year and here we are.
These are themes that continue to unwind in the songs were hearing that are more contemporary.
But shes been doing this for years.
Before Pink Pony Club and this collaboration with Nigro, this is not how Roan sounded.
:Youre right, though thats not to say its a bad song.
I think its quite powerful in a lot of ways.
But its not distinctive in the manner of her current music.
Its her performing an established style.
C.H.:Exactly.
Shes performing pop rather than being a pop star.
Shes created an exquisite formula for success but its bigger than that.
That makes these songs about unabashed yearning and queer desire not just personal stories.
Theyre political ones as well, and theyre so effective because of their unbridled power.
That, and theyre just so much fun.
