“It's a song with enough twists and quirks to make it stand out from the pop landscape”: A music professor breaks down Chappell Roan’s Good Luck, Babe!

Chappell roan.

All of spring 202, my students were talking about Chappell Roan, and then the Spotify algorithm got everyone else talking about her, too. This is not an article about Chappell Roan’s stage persona or life story, remarkable though they may be, but her breakthrough hit, which is up for three awards at this weekend's Grammys.

If you are new to her music, her Tiny Desk appearance is a good starting point. Rather than talk about the broader phenomenon, though, I am instead going to walk you through Roan’s breakout hit, Good Luck, Babe! (I am not just excited to be writing this; the exclamation point is in the song title.)