Switched on Pop

Chappell Roan is giving country... and hair metal?

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Why was Chappell Roan's band dressed like an 80s hair metal act during her Grammy performance? The answer unlocks the surprising secret behind her #1 country hit "The Giver." This musical detective story connects glam rock aesthetics to modern country through an unexpected lineage involving AC/DC's producer, Shania Twain's revolution, and men who inadvertently dressed in drag. Between fiddle licks and gated reverb drums lies a brilliant subversion of country traditions that proves the genre has always been about musical drag while revealing what "rhinestone cowgirl" really means.


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Songs Discussed:

  • Chappell Roan – "The Giver"
  • Chappell Roan – "Pink Pony Club"
  • Big & Rich – "Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)"
  • Bon Jovi – "Living on a Prayer"
  • Guns N' Roses – "Sweet Child of Mine"
  • AC/DC – "Back in Black"
  • Def Leppard – "Pour Some Sugar on Me"
  • Nirvana – "About a Girl"
  • Bryan Adams – "Everything I Do (I Do It for You)"
  • Shania Twain – "Any Man of Mine"
  • Shania Twain – "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!"
  • Toby Keith feat. Willie Nelson – "Beer for My Horses"
  • Carrie Underwood – "Before He Cheats"
  • Trace Adkins – "Honky Tonk Badonkadonk"
  • Glen Campbell – "Rhinestone Cowboy"

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