On Nov. 2, pop star Chappell Roan made her “Saturday Night Live” debut as the musical guest and performed a brand new track, a lesbian country song called “The Giver.”
Roan, known for songs “HOT TO GO!” and “Good Luck, Babe!” appeared on “SNL” on a huge night — the episode was hosted by comedian John Mulaney and featured a special cameo from Vice President Kamala Harris.
Before premiering her new song, Roan hit the stage dressed like the Bride of Frankenstein to sing the 2020 track “Pink Pony Club,” which also appears on her 2023 album “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess.”
The hit was a crowd-pleaser that had the audience in Studio 8H singing along.
Chappell Roan goes country on ‘SNL’
Then, Roan returned to the stage in a countrified outfit with a pink and white print, blue bows, and cowgirl boots to match. Roan’s band and backup singers even sported some country western looks too.
The queer pop star launched into her new country track, complete with vibrant fiddle and a boot-stomping upbeat tempo. But this country song is a little different than the typical; the catchy, highly sapphic song is already deemed by many to be a queer country anthem.
Roan opened the tune, singing, “Ain’t got antlers on the walls / But I sure know mating calls / The stalls in the bars on a Friday night / I know the boys may need a map / But I can close my eyes / And have you wrapped around my fingers like that.”
Roan strutted around, shook her hips, twirled, belted and dropped to her knees as cartoon bears and other animals played on the screen behind her.
On her super sensual chorus, Roan belted: “Take it like a taker, ’cause baby I’m a giver / Ain’t no need to help me, ’cause baby I deliver / Ain’t no country boy quitter / I get the job done.”
She shouted at the audience during the bridge, saying, “All you country boys saying you know how to treat a woman right? / Well, only a woman knows how to treat a woman right!”
And just like that Chappell Roan’s country era has begun.
And for her first country track, baby, she delivered.
Audrey Gibbs is a music journalist at The Tennessean. You can reach her at agibbs@tennessean.com.
