Chappell Roan’s Newest Song Is the Hot Lesbian Country Anthem We’ve All Been Waiting For
"The Giver" puts the cunt in cuntry.
By Edie Carey
As the two-time host of country/folk/bluegrass-themed WOBC show Cowboy Hour, I’m no stranger to country music. I would go so far as to say it is my favorite musical genre. So obviously I was over the moon when I heard that Chappell Roan was releasing a country song. As I’m writing this review, “The Giver” came out just under two hours ago, and it’s safe to say that at least for me, the song has already justified its place in the canon of iconic queer anthems.
No genre is devoid of lesbians, and country is particularly blessed with artists like k.d. lang, Brandi Carlile, the Indigo Girls, and Tracy Chapman, just to name a few. But my searches for a hardcore country lesbian song have come up short, until now. “The Giver” is everything I’ve always wanted out of a country tune, and yet it still exceeds expectations. The track is upbeat, filled with a classic country vibe pulled together by the fiddle and banjo tracks. Chappell sings euphemistically about queer sexuality while riffing off of the classic tropes of mainstream country songs and American culture—pickup trucks, strip malls, bar-hopping.
But “The Giver” is not just a cheap and cliche reproduction of your average heterosexual country song; Chappell elevates the blueprint by emphasizing her desire to please a partner and the value she places on women’s sexual pleasure. Chappell sings that she “ain't no country boy quitter,” repeating throughout the song “I get the job done” — which also is underscored by male background singers vocalizing, “she gets the job done.” My favorite lyrics are probably “Good luck finding a man who has the means / To rhinestone cowgirl all night long.”
To hear the Midwest Princess singing both beautifully and passionately about lesbian sexuality set to a country beat brings me so much joy. It’s been clear for a while that Chappell is going to be a prevailing tour-de-force in pop music, but “The Giver” cements her ability to toy with and defy genres and stereotypes, all while celebrating queerness.