{"id":1361,"date":"2025-04-16T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-04-16T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.imaginarygardens.org\/?p=1361"},"modified":"2025-04-15T12:40:12","modified_gmt":"2025-04-15T16:40:12","slug":"chappell-roans-the-giver-country-music","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.imaginarygardens.org\/index.php\/2025\/04\/16\/chappell-roans-the-giver-country-music\/","title":{"rendered":"Chappell Roan\u2019s \u201cThe Giver\u201d: Country Music at its Most Queer and Iconic"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
By Leyli Izadpanah, Writer<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
\"Chapple
Chappell Roan at The Vogue Theatre, November 10, 2022 | Jason Martin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Chappell Roan, winner of the 2025 Grammy for Best New Artist and producer of the highly acclaimed 2023 album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess<\/em>, has finally recently released her first country single, \u201cThe Giver,\u201d after debuting it in her performance on Saturday Night Live<\/em> late last year.<\/em>  <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her performance on SNL<\/em> debuting the track accumulated tons of excitement for her highly anticipated single, largely due to her signature style; taking the stage in a pink gingham halter top, matching shorts, and cowboy boots, Roan exuded a Dolly Parton-inspired charm with a farm girl drag twist. The set design complimented her campy aesthetic, transforming the stage into a whimsical country scene with trees, plants, animals, and more. There was a clever sign on stage right, featuring Tennessee, Santa Monica, and Manhattan; references to her hit songs, \u201cPink Pony Club\u201d and \u201cNaked in Manhattan.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Along with the visually stunning performance, Chappell\u2019s vocals and southern charm shined brightly as she pranced around singing the new single. My favorite part of the performance was her spoken word segment, when Roan confidently declared \u201cAll you country boys saying you know how to treat a woman right \/ Well only a woman knows how to treat a woman right.\u201d Not only does Roan claim she can treat a woman better than country boys, she might also know how to make better music than them too. Sadly these lines didn\u2019t make it into the studio version, leaving many fans disappointed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marking a significant departure from her previous pop tracks, the single ventures into the country music scene with authenticity and flair, and debuting at her highest position yet on Spotify\u2019s global chart. As an avid follower of Roan\u2019s musical journey, I find this track totally on brand and emblematic of her artistic versatility; not only is this track catchy, bold, and unapologetic, it\u2019s a Sapphic Country anthem that joins other queer Country artists in making history. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In E! News\u2019 exclusive clip of the March 14 episode of Today\u2019s Country Radio with Kelleigh Bannen<\/em> on Apple Music, Roan, a Missouri native, says that she grew up on Christian and country music and wouldn\u2019t be a \u201cMidwest Princess\u201d without acknowledging the country genre, wanting to write a song that was \u201ccampy and fun.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an interview on the Amazon Music Country Heat Weekly<\/em> podcast, Roan says,\u201cI can\u2019t call myself the Midwest princess and not acknowledge country music.\u201d Describing growing up around Country in an Instagram post, she says, \u201cI have such a special place in my heart for country music. I grew up listening to it every morning and afternoon on my school bus and had it swirling around me at bonfires, grocery stores and karaoke bars.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Roan\u2019s inspiration can be attributed to her extensive background with the country genre; as the 27-year-old explained in a post about the song ahead of its release, she thinks of the song less as a country crossover and more as an homage to the country music that helped inform her music taste while growing up in the Midwest. Roan also cited Big & Rich\u2019s \u201cSave a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)\u201d and Alan Jackson\u2019s \u201cChattahoochee\u201d as influences. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A good country song tells a story, and Roan proves she can do just that in this raunchy, \u201ccuntry\u201d (as fans have described it) hit. The song leans full tilt into the country sonics, packed with twangy banjo strums, fiddle flourishes, and a two step ready rhythm that would feel right at home blaring through a Nashville bar. It\u2019s like if Dolly Parton met Kacey Muskgraves at a drag show and they decided to make a song together. The instrumentals are rootsy, warm, and Southern, and her vocals, though undeniably her own, dance with a playful phrasing that tips its cowboy hat to the genre\u2019s storytelling tradition. The song starts with,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAin’t got antlers on my walls<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But I sure know mating calls<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From the stalls in the bars on a Friday night<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And other boys may need a map<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But I can close my eyes<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And have you wrapped around my fingers like that\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The imagery she uses is grounded and familiar in other country songs, but then she flips it to create something sensual and empowering. Roan keeps the cadence and rhyme schemes tight, like a country storyteller would, but she fills the frame with her own glittery, subversive voice. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The song continues, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c’Cause you ain’t got to tell me<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s just in my nature<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So take it like a taker<\/p>\n\n\n\n

‘Cause, baby, I’m a giver<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ain’t no need to hurry<\/p>\n\n\n\n

‘Cause, baby, I deliver<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ain’t no countryboy quitter<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I get the job done\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The chorus is undeniably catchy, adding a subtle dig at country boys and flipping traditional gender dynamics on their head. She uses clever wordplay that echoes country\u2019s fondness for innuendo, but here, Roan positions herself as the confident lead, a service top in cowboy boots. Roan reclaims country music with her flirtatious, assertive, and very self-aware persona. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a lesbian country anthem, \u201cThe Giver\u201d joins other queer country artists like Orville Peck, Lil Nas X, and Traci Chapman in making history for the queer community. The lively, unapologetic song has a queer twist featuring lyrics that challenge the traditional norms that are ever so present in Country music. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although Roan has said she\u2019s unsure of making more country music, I\u2019m very excited to see what\u2019s in store for us on her upcoming album. Roan also shared a few details about her upcoming album on social media, stating that it won\u2019t be entirely country, as she\u2019s focused on \u201cmaking songs that make me feel happy and fun.\u201d Additionally, she says, \u201cMay the classic country divas lead their genre, I\u2019m just here to twirl and do a little gay yodel for y\u2019all.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She also told Rolling Stone in September that, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have a Country song. We have a dance song. We have one that’s really 80s, and we have one that\u2019s acoustic, and we have one that\u2019s really organic, live band, 70s vibe. It\u2019s super weird.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether she makes an entire Country album, or keeps it simple with just this single, I think it\u2019s safe to say she nailed it. I\u2019m excited to see how she continues to blend diverse genres and musical styles to create a unique sound.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Leyli Izadpanah, Writer Chappell Roan, winner of the 2025 Grammy for Best New Artist and producer of the highly acclaimed 2023 album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1377,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,7],"tags":[],"series":[],"class_list":["post-1361","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts","category-lifestyle-social"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.imaginarygardens.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1361","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.imaginarygardens.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.imaginarygardens.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.imaginarygardens.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.imaginarygardens.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1361"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.imaginarygardens.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1361\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1419,"href":"https:\/\/www.imaginarygardens.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1361\/revisions\/1419"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.imaginarygardens.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1377"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.imaginarygardens.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1361"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.imaginarygardens.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1361"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.imaginarygardens.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1361"},{"taxonomy":"series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.imaginarygardens.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/series?post=1361"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}