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Good Luck, Babe!

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"Good Luck, Babe!"
Single by Chappell Roan
B-side"Read & Make Out (Demo)"
ReleasedApril 5, 2024 (2024-04-05)
GenreSynth-pop[1][2]
Length3:38
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Dan Nigro
Chappell Roan singles chronology
"Hot to Go!"
(2023) 		"Good Luck, Babe!"
(2024)
Music video
"Good Luck, Babe!" on YouTube

"Good Luck, Babe!" is a song by American singer-songwriter Chappell Roan. It was released as a single on April 5, 2024, through Amusement Records and Island Records. She wrote the song along with Justin Tranter and Dan Nigro, with the latter producing it. The song speaks about compulsory heterosexuality, describing a woman trying to deny her romantic feelings for Roan and women in general.[3][4]

Praised by Billboard as a "well-deserved breakthrough", "Good Luck, Babe!" became Roan's breakout song and a sleeper hit, steadily rising the charts following various live performances including Coachella and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in June 2024. With the track, Roan earned her fastest song to hit 100 million streams on Spotify. "Good Luck, Babe!" has currently reached number one in Ireland and peaked within the top five in Australia and the UK, and top ten in New Zealand and on the US Billboard Hot 100. The song received critical acclaim from music critics and has been included on several mid-year rankings for best pop song.

Background

[edit]

In April 2024, Roan sent an email to fans stating that her new single "Good Luck, Babe!" would be released on April 5, 2024, writing that the song is "about wishing good luck to someone who is denying fate."[5] She added that it would be the "first song of the next chapter," following the release of her debut studio album The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess in September 2023.[6][7] Amusement Records and Island Records released the single through streaming and digital download.[8]

Writing and composition

[edit]

Roan wrote the song with Justin Tranter and Dan Nigro, stating that she "was just wanting to write a big anthemic pop song," and that it "was a bitch to write."[9] Lyrically, the song speaks about compulsory heterosexuality, with Roan describing a relationship with a woman who tries to deny her romantic feelings for Roan and for women in general.[9][10]

Lyric video

[edit]

An accompanying lyric video for "Good Luck, Babe!" was released on April 5, 2024, along with the song's official release.[11]

Critical reception

[edit]

"Good Luck, Babe!" received acclaim upon release,[12][13] with many declaring it a breakthrough hit. Critics were particularly enthused about Roan's powerful vocal showcase, observing that it was symbolic of her concurrent ascent in popularity—a reckoning of an artist with a formidable future in music.[14][15]

Sydney Brasil of Exclaim! opined that the song was "a more realized version of her baroque pop vision, both airy and devastating in its delivery.”[16] Stephen Daw from Billboard praised the symbiotic relationship of Nigro's production with Roan's vocal performance, writing, "The maximalist production—featuring chunky '80s synths and a multi-piece string section—fuels Roan's octave-jumping voice... As frustration, flirtation and self-confidence ooze from every syllable of Roan's impeccable delivery, it's no wonder why audiences are clamoring for more of the superstar's exceptional artistry".[14]

Commentators drew comparisons of Chappell Roan to the likes of prominent musicians of the 1980s, such as Kate Bush, Wham!, and Cyndi Lauper.[17] Shaad D'Souza of The New York Times posited that the song resonates old fashioned depths further beyond just a 1980s pop veneer, highlighting some theatrical element to how Roan delivers her narrative lyrics "with vocal trills and almighty wails" that is reminiscent of Liza Minnelli.[18]

Speaking for NPR, Sheldon Pearce crowned the track as his top pick for pop song of the year, meriting its profound lyrics, "'You'd have to stop the world just to stop the feeling' is such a monumental read that feels like a gut punch. It's the kind of direct emotional attack that you can't escape even as a bystander".[19] Mary Kate Carr of The A.V. Club shared the same zeal for the songwriting, "Her lyrics are even more precise [than her debut album] and brimming with righteous anger".[20] The bridge is a frequent focal point in discussions of the song’s craft, leaving many impressed with its bite and vivid storytelling.[21] Jason P Frank of Vulture lamented that the quality it boasts makes a strong case against the current trend of artists omitting a bridge to shorten tracks, in endeavors for TikTok success.[22]

Critics' mid-year rankings of "Good Luck, Babe!”
Publication List Rank Ref.
Billboard The 50 Best Songs of 2024 (So Far) 3 [14]
Consequence 100 Best Songs of 2024 (So Far) 7 [23]
Los Angeles Times The 24 best songs of 2024 so far N/A [24]
The New York Times The 40 Best Songs of 2024 (So Far) N/A [25]
Rolling Stone The Best Songs of 2024 So Far N/A [15]
NPR The best songs of 2024 (so far) N/A [19]
The A.V. Club 25 Best Songs of 2024 (So Far) N/A [20]

Commercial performance

[edit]

"Good Luck, Babe!" debuted at number 77 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the week ending April 20, 2024, becoming Roan's first entry on the chart and became a sleeper hit. The song has so far peaked at number eight on the chart dated August 10, 2024.[26] On the UK Singles Chart, the song has so far peaked at number two, becoming Roan's first top ten and top three single on the chart. It also reached the top spot on Ireland, and peaked within the top ten on multiple countries including New Zealand, Australia and Singapore.

"Good Luck, Babe!" was certified Gold by the RIAA on May 29, 2024.[27] It also received Gold certification on Canada and UK.

Impact

[edit]

Upon landing on Billboard's Hot 100 chart, the publication noted that this event not only calls to celebrate a breakthrough for Roan's career, but also for a wider movement of young LGBT pop artists as it demonstrates possibilities to be fruitful without compromising overt LGBT themes in their music.[17]

Other observers expanded on this, discerning how the few chart-topping "queer anthems" are merely imbued with subtext as they blur the lines between heterosexual and homosexual relationships. Skewing the lyrics this way might ensure the universality needed for wider audiences to relate, but does so at the expense of fully exploring the unique complexities of LGBT stories. Roan's rejection of this marketable approach with the unadulterated "Good Luck, Babe!" was applauded as many felt it spoke to her authenticity as an artist; and that hopefully her boldness paying off would inspire the future landscape of pop.[28]

Juliana Tanner of The Michigan Daily echoed such optimism, commending Roan for not leaving any room for ambiguity in her homosexuality, despite facing cynicism in the past. Tanner was also relieved to see the song reaching mainstream heights as a welcomed departure from the scarce sapphic anthems in the charts that typically fetishize lesbian sexuality for male audiences. [29]

Poignantly, the song being received well outside of the LGBT community has suggested to some a socially progressive shift in the way audiences consume music. Rather than seeking lyrics that the listener can wholly relate to, they are potentially more open than ever to premises that reflect a varied human experience and empathizing with them instead.[28]

Live performances

[edit]

Roan added "Good Luck, Babe!" to the set list of the Midwest Princess Tour, debuting it at her first Coachella set in April 2024.[30] Her first televised performance of the song was in June 2024, when she appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.[31]

Cover versions

[edit]

In June 2024, Sabrina Carpenter covered "Good Luck, Babe!" as part of a set for BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge; Carpenter had previously shared that she was a big fan of the song.[32] The song has also been covered by various artists including Girl in Red, Jonas Brothers, Peach PRC, Freya Ridings and Wallows.

Charts

[edit]

Certifications

[edit]
Certifications and sales for "Good Luck, Babe!"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[71] Gold 40,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ)[72] Platinum 30,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[73] Gold 400,000‡
United States (RIAA)[74] Gold 500,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

[edit]
Release dates and format(s) for "Good Luck, Babe!"
Region Date Format(s) Label Ref.
Various April 5, 2024
[8]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Daw, Stephen (April 5, 2024). "Queer Jams of the Week: New Music From Kehlani, Chappell Roan, Omar Apollo & More". Billboard. Archived from the original on April 16, 2024. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
  2. ^ Rolling Stone Staff (June 11, 2023). "The Best Songs of 2024 So Far". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on June 22, 2024. Retrieved June 23, 2024. Good Luck, Babe!" is a big, bold pop anthem that makes it clear Roan won't deny fate.
  3. ^ Spanos, Brittany (April 5, 2024). "Chappell Roan Won't Tempt Fate on New Single 'Good Luck, Babe!'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on April 16, 2024. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
  4. ^ Cramer, Jude (April 9, 2024). "The writer of this gay anthem has a heartwarming message for queer folks". INTO. Archived from the original on April 16, 2024. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
  5. ^ Blistein, Jon (April 3, 2024). "Chappell Roan Lectured at Harvard and Bid Farewell to Olivia Rodrigo's 'Guts' Tour". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on June 9, 2024. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
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  7. ^ McCarthy, Lauren (April 4, 2024). "Chappell Roan steals the show". Nylon. Archived from the original on April 16, 2024. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
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