“Only a woman knows how to treat a woman right / she gets the job done,” Chappell Roan croons on her latest single, the country-pop “The Giver,” which dropped March 13.
“The Giver” is a progressive addition to the country music genre, juxtaposing the typically testosterone-fueled content of Nashville hits with unambiguous lyrics about gay relationships.
The song differs from Roan’s previous hits, like the mainstream pop sounds of “Good Luck Babe!” with its catchy drumline and synthetic chords. “The Giver,” instead, opts for fiddles, banjos, and strings, Roan practically urging listeners onto the dance floor for line dancing and two-step.
Surprisingly, Roan’s voice — always theatric and vibrant — suits the country style, with vocals backed by soulful harmonies.
The raunchy chorus — “So take it like a taker / cuz baby I’m a giver..ain’t no country boy quitter / I get the job done” — is backed by an acoustic guitar and fiddle, a bouncy backtrack to Roan’s flirty, confident lyrics. The song is upbeat, Roan daring us to disagree with her persuasive message that she can “get the job done” in regards to her romantic pursuits.
Roan, always bold, always blunt, sings, “ain’t no need to tell me / it’s just in my nature,” communicating that she understands a woman’s needs because she is a woman herself.
At first glance, Roan embracing country is unexpected, but it’s actually fitting given the singer’s Midwestern roots (Roan grew up in Willard, Mo.). In an interview with Amazon Music, the singer said, “I can’t call myself the ‘Midwest princess’ and not acknowledge country music.”
Roan further expressed, in an interview with Apple Music, that this isn’t her “crossover” into country music, but rather her paying homage to her roots.
Roan’s decision to write a song about lesbian relationship dynamics in the country genre is inspired. “The Giver” contrasts country’s usual conventional themes, which typically celebrate heteronormativity. (Nine out of ten of the top country songs all feature straight romances, for example). Roan explained to Apple Music that her goal was “to honor that part of myself, by making a country song where it’s like ‘yes, I’m gay’; that can still be [someone] who performs a country song.”
The song, which debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot Country Songs Chart March 24, is a masterful (and explicit) addition to Roan’s discography, and a perfect representation of the contrasting aspects of her roots (Midwestern nonconformist) and identity (artist, drag queen, pop star, queer icon, “giver”).
Roan adds a Midwestern touch to modern pop, aligning with her brand of being queer in places that are usually unwelcoming and once again trailblazing a path of support and love for queer people, no matter where they are.
