"Good Luck, Babe!" is a song by the American singer-songwriter

Chappell Roan Kayleigh Rose Amstutz (born February 19, 1998), known professionally as Chappell Roan ( ), is an American singer and songwriter. She is known for her Camp (style), camp and drag queen–influenced aesthetic. Her debut EP, ''School Nights'' (201 ...

, released as a

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

on April 5, 2024, through Amusement Records and

Island Records Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in Jamaica by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in 1959, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, another ...

. Roan wrote the song with

Justin Tranter Justin Drew Tranter (born June 16, 1980) is an American songwriter, singer, and activist. Tranter has written songs for artists such as Britney Spears, Gwen Stefani, Linkin Park, Kelly Clarkson, Sara Bareilles, Selena Gomez, Justin Bieber, DNCE, ...

and Dan Nigro, who produced it. A 1980s-influenced

power ballad A sentimental ballad is an emotional style of music that often deals with romantic and intimate relationships, and to a lesser extent, loneliness, death, war, drug abuse, politics and religion, usually in a poignant but solemn manner. Balla ...

, "Good Luck, Babe!" incorporates

synth-pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a music genre that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s b ...

, new wave, and

dance Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

, with elements of

baroque pop Baroque pop (sometimes called baroque rock) is a fusion genre that combines rock music with particular elements of classical music. It emerged in the mid-1960s as artists pursued a majestic, orchestral sound and is identifiable for its appropria ...

and

soft rock Soft rock (also known as light rock or mellow rock) is a form of rock music that originated in the late 1960s in the United States and the United Kingdom which smoothed over the edges of singer-songwriter and pop rock, relying on simple, mel ...

. Its maximalist production consists of pulsing

synthesizers A synthesizer (also synthesiser or synth) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and ...

and a

string section The string section of an orchestra is composed of bowed instruments belonging to the violin family. It normally consists of first and second violins, violas, cellos, and double basses. It is the most numerous group in the standard orchestra. In ...

. Its lyrics vengefully address a

queer ''Queer'' is an umbrella term for people who are non-heterosexual or non- cisgender. Originally meaning or , ''queer'' came to be used pejoratively against LGBTQ people in the late 19th century. From the late 1980s, queer activists began to ...

woman who denies her romantic feelings for Roan in order to enter a compulsory heterosexual relationship. Music critics acclaimed Roan's vocals, the production, and the storytelling lyrics. Many publications included "Good Luck, Babe!" in their rankings of the best songs of 2024; ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

'', ''The Guardian'', and ''Rolling Stone'' placed it at number one on their lists. The single became Roan's breakout song and a

sleeper hit In the entertainment industry, a sleeper hit refers to a film, television series, music release, video game or other entertainment product that was initially unsuccessful on release, but eventually became a surprise success. A sleeper hit may have ...

; it peaked at number four on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart. It also reached number one on charts in Ireland and Poland, and reached the top five in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Singapore, and the UK. It has been

certified Certification is part of testing, inspection and certification and the provision by an independent body of written assurance (a certificate) that the product, service or system in question meets specific requirements. It is the formal attestatio ...

platinum in Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Greece, New Zealand, Portugal, Poland, the UK, and the US. Roan performed "Good Luck, Babe!" at

Coachella Coachella (officially called the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and sometimes known as Coachella Festival) is an annual music festival, music and arts festival held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Coachella Valle ...

, ''

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon ''The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by actor and comedian Jimmy Fallon that airs on NBC. The show premiered on February 17, 2014, and is produced by Broadway Video and Universal Television. It i ...

'', and the

2024 MTV Video Music Awards The 2024 MTV Video Music Awards were held at the UBS Arena in Elmont, New York, on September 11, 2024. The ceremony was originally scheduled to take place on September 10, 2024, but was rescheduled to a day later to avoid conflicts with the pr ...

, where it was nominated for

Song of Summer ''Song of Summer'' is a 1968 black-and-white television episode co-written, produced, and directed by Ken Russell for the BBC's '' Omnibus'' series which was first broadcast on 15 September 1968. It portrays the final six years of Frederick De ...

. The song was nominated for Best Song at the

2024 MTV Europe Music Awards The 2024 MTV Europe Music Awards were held on 10 November 2024 at the Co-op Live in Manchester, United Kingdom. This marks the seventh time the award show is being held in the United Kingdom. British singer Rita Ora hosted the show for a third ...

; and for Song of the Year,

Record of the Year The Grammy Award for Record of the Year is presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without re ...

, and

Best Pop Solo Performance The Grammy Award for Best Pop Solo Performance is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. According to the 54th Grammy Awards description guides, the Best Pop S ...

at the

67th Annual Grammy Awards The 67th Annual Grammy Awards honored the best recordings, compositions, and artists from September 16, 2023, to August 30, 2024, as chosen by the members of the Recording Academy, on February 2, 2025. In its 22nd year at Crypto.com Arena in L ...

in 2025. It won the Brit Award for International Song at the

Brit Awards 2025 The Brit Awards 2025 was the 45th edition of the Brit Awards ceremony presented by British Phonographic Industry (BPI) to recognize the best in British and international music of 2024. The ceremony took place on Saturday 1 March 2025 at The O2 Ar ...

and topped the

Triple J Hottest 100, 2024 The 2024 Triple J Hottest 100 was broadcast on 25 January 2025. It was the 32nd annual countdown of the most popular songs of the year, as voted by listeners of Australian youth radio station Triple J. Two days later, on 27 January, the station ...

Release

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." 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 ''The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess'' is the debut studio album by the American singer-songwriter Chappell Roan, released on September 22, 2023, by Amusement Records, an imprint of Island Records. It was met with widespread acclaim and pra ...

'' in September 2023. Amusement Records and

released the single through streaming and digital download on April 5, 2024. An accompanying

lyric video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to promote the sale of m ...

for "Good Luck, Babe!" was released on that day. Inspired by early

Internet culture Internet culture refers to culture developed and maintained among frequent and active users of the Internet (also known as netizens) who primarily communicate with one another as members of online communities; that is, a culture whose influence ...

imagery, the video includes extensive use of the

Comic Sans Comic Sans MS is a sans-serif typeface created and designed by Vincent Connare and released by Microsoft Corporation in 1994. Designed as a non-connecting script, the typeface draws inspiration from comic book lettering, to emulate the informal ...

typeface. The song was later released as a limited-edition

7-inch vinyl In music, a single is a type of release of a song recording of fewer tracks than an album ( LP), typically one or two tracks. A single can be released for sale to the public in a variety of physical or digital formats. Singles may be standal ...

on June 28, 2024. Roan has expressed reluctance to make a music video, citing burnout and exhaustion from continuous touring and recording new material.

Writing and composition

Roan wrote "Good Luck, Babe!" with

and Dan Nigro, stating that she "was just wanting to write a big anthemic pop song", and that it "was a bitch to write". The song originated in November 2022, during the making of ''The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess'', as a "scratch idea" titled "Good Luck, Jane!", consisting of just a verse and a chorus. Roan and Nigro recorded a demo of the song, but Nigro said that it "felt like it wasn't right" at the time. The two revisited the song a few months later and adjusted the chorus so that Roan sang some of the words in full voice. Nigro said that Roan wrote the bridge herself "in like two minutes". Lyrically, the song speaks about

compulsory heterosexuality Compulsory heterosexuality, often shortened to comphet, is the theory that heterosexuality is assumed and enforced upon people by a patriarchal, allonormative, and heteronormative society. The term was popularized by Adrienne Rich in her 1980 ...

, with Roan describing a relationship with a woman who tries to deny her romantic feelings for Roan and women in general. Musically, "Good Luck, Babe!" has been described as a

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...

, new wave, and

with elements of

and

, and '80s new wave synths. The song is composed in the key of

D major D major is a major scale based on D (musical note), D, consisting of the pitches D, E (musical note), E, F♯ (musical note), F, G (musical note), G, A (musical note), A, B (musical note), B, and C♯ (musical note), C. Its key signature has two S ...

and has a shifting

tempo In musical terminology, tempo (Italian for 'time'; plural 'tempos', or from the Italian plural), measured in beats per minute, is the speed or pace of a given musical composition, composition, and is often also an indication of the composition ...

centered around 117 beats per minute. Roan's vocal range spans from the low note A₃ to the high note of F♯₅.

Critical reception

"Good Luck, Babe!" received acclaim upon release, with many declaring it Roan's breakthrough hit. Critics were particularly enthused by Roan's powerful vocal showcase, observing that it was symbolic of her concurrent ascent in popularity. Sydney Brasil of ''

Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly ''Exclaim!'' print magazine publishes seven ...

'' opined that the song was "a more realized version of her

vision, both airy and devastating in its delivery". Stephen Daw from ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' praised the combination 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". Several commentators drew comparisons of Chappell Roan to the likes of prominent musicians of the 1980s, such as

Kate Bush Catherine Bush (born 30 July 1958) is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, and dancer. Bush began writing songs at age 11. She was signed to EMI Records after David Gilmour of Pink Floyd helped produce a demo tape. In 1978, at the ...

Wham! Wham! were an English pop duo formed in Bushey in 1981 consisting of George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley. They were one of the most successful pop acts during the 1980s, selling more than 30 million certified records worldwide from 1982 to ...

, and

Cyndi Lauper Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper ( ; born June 22, 1953) is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Known for her distinctive image, featuring a variety of hair colors and eccentric clothing, and for her powerful four-octave vocal range;Jerome, ...

. Shaad D'Souza of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' compared Roan's vocals to those of singer

Liza Minnelli Liza May Minnelli ( ; born March 12, 1946) is an American actress, singer, and dancer. Known for her commanding stage presence and powerful alto singing voice, Minnelli has received numerous accolades including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, ...

, positing that the song highlights a theatrical element to how she delivers her narrative lyrics. Speaking for

NPR National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...

, Sheldon Pearce chose the track as the best pop song of the year, writing of the refrain: "'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". Mary Kate Carr of ''

The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was created in ...

'' similarly praised the songwriting as an improvement from her debut album and "brimming with righteous anger". Other critics praised the vivid storytelling of the

bridge A bridge is a structure built to Span (engineering), span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or railway) without blocking the path underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, whi ...

; Jason P. Frank of ''

Vulture A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to Nort ...

'' praised it as a strong case against a current trend of artists omitting a bridge to shorten tracks. ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

'' named it one of the best songs of the first half of the 2020s. The song made it to number one on Australian radio station

Triple J Triple J is an Australian government-funded national radio station founded in 1975 as a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). It aims to appeal to young listeners of alternative music, and plays far more Australian conten ...

Hottest 100 The Triple J Hottest 100 is an annual music poll presented by the publicly-funded Australian youth radio station Triple J. Members of the public are invited to vote for their favourite Music of Australia, Australian and alternative music of th ...

countdown for 2024.

Commercial performance

"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 a

. It reached number four on the chart dated September 28, 2024. It was certified

quadruple platinum Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...

in the US on January 22, 2025, for sales exceeding four million units. It also reached number one on ''

''s

Pop Airplay Pop Airplay (also called Mainstream Top 40, Pop Songs, and Top 40/ CHR) is a 40-song music chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' Magazine that ranks the most popular songs of pop music being played on a panel of Top 40 radio stations in the U ...

chart and nine on the

Adult Pop Airplay The Adult Pop Airplay (formerly known as Adult Pop Songs and Adult Top 40) chart is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and ranks "the most popular adult top 40 as based on radio airplay detections measured by Nielsen Broadcast Data System ...

chart. On November 29, 2024, it became Roan's first song to reach one billion streams on

Spotify Spotify (; ) is a List of companies of Sweden, Swedish Music streaming service, audio streaming and media service provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. , it is one of the largest providers of music streaming services ...

, which Roan described as "cuckoo loco" on social media. "Good Luck, Babe!" topped the singles chart in Ireland and reached number two on the UK singles chart, becoming Roan's highest-charting single. It reached the top ten in Singapore (#4), Australia (#5), New Zealand (#7), Canada (#8), Iceland (10), and on the Global 200 (#10). It was certified four-times platinum in Canada, double platinum in New Zealand, Poland, and the UK, platinum in Greece, and Portugal, and gold in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain.

Impact

Upon charting on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, Hannah Jocelyn, writing for the publication, posited that the song's overt

LGBTQ LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, Gay men, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning (sexuality and gender), questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, Asexuality, asexual, ...

themes represented a breakthrough for not just Roan's career, but also a wider movement of young LGBTQ pop artists. Natalie Sofia agreed, arguing that chart-topping "queer anthems" are imbued with subtext, blurring the lines between

homosexual Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between people of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" exc ...

and

heterosexual Heterosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between people of the opposite sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, heterosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions ...

relationships at the expense of LGBTQ themes. She argued that Roan's inclusion of such themes spoke to her authenticity as an artist. Juliana Tanner of ''

The Michigan Daily ''The Michigan Daily'', also known as "''The Daily''", is the independent student newspaper of the University of Michigan published in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Established on September 29, 1890, the newspaper is financially and editorially independe ...

'' echoed such optimism, commending Roan for not leaving any room for ambiguity in her homosexuality despite facing cynicism in the past, and avoiding fetishization of lesbian relationships for male audiences.

Live performances and cover versions

Roan debuted "Good Luck, Babe!" at SOMA San Diego on February 22, 2024, and a few months later it was added to the set list of the Midwest Princess Tour, performing it at her first

set in April 2024. Her first televised performance of the song was in June 2024, when she appeared on ''

''. On September 11, Roan performed the song at the

. The

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

-themed costuming and production design attracted considerable praise. In June 2024,

Sabrina Carpenter Sabrina Annlynn Carpenter (born May 11, 1999) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She first gained prominence starring on the Disney Channel series ''Girl Meets World'' (2014–2017). She signed with the Disney Music Group, Disney ...

covered "Good Luck, Babe!" as part of a set for

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...

Live Lounge The Live Lounge is a segment on the British radio stations BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 1Xtra. It was originally hosted by Simon Mayo, and later by Jo Whiley on her weekday mid-morning, and later weekend lunchtime radio shows, then by Fearne Cott ...

; Carpenter had previously shared that she was a fan of the song. Her version charted at number 75 on the UK Video Streaming Chart for the week of July 4, 2024. After sharing an admiration for Roan's music,

Kelly Clarkson Kelly Brianne (born Kelly Brianne Clarkson, April 24, 1982), known professionally as Kelly Clarkson, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. Rising to fame after winning the American Idol season 1, first season of ''Ameri ...

and

Miranda Lambert Miranda Leigh Lambert (born November 10, 1983) is an American country music, country singer. Born in Longview, Texas, she started out in early 2001 when she released her self-titled debut album independently. In 2003, she finished in third place ...

performed a duet cover version of "Good Luck, Babe!" on ''

The Kelly Clarkson Show ''The Kelly Clarkson Show'' is an American daytime television variety talk show hosted by Kelly Clarkson. It is produced and distributed by NBCUniversal Syndication Studios and features Clarkson interviewing celebrities and segments about "ev ...

'' in September 2024. "Good Luck, Babe!" has also been covered by various acts including Muna, Franz Ferdinand, the

Jonas Brothers The Jonas Brothers () are an American pop rock band formed in 2005 comprising brothers Kevin Jonas, Joe Jonas, and Nick Jonas. Raised in Wyckoff, New Jersey, the Jonas Brothers moved to Little Falls, New Jersey, in 2005, where they wrote thei ...

Cxloe Chloe Papandrea (born 23 September 1994), known professionally as Cxloe (stylized in all caps), is an Australian singer-songwriter from Sydney, New South Wales. Cxloe's debut single "Tough Love" was released in 2017, and her debut extended play ...

Girl in Red Marie Ulven Ringheim (born 16 February 1999) known professionally as girl in red (stylised in all lowercase), is a Norwegian singer-songwriter and record producer. Her first EPs ''Chapter 1'' (2018) and ''Chapter 2'' (2019) were recorded in her ...

Sondre Lerche Sondre Lerche (; born 5 September 1982) is a Norwegian singer, songwriter, musician and actor. His discography includes ten studio albums and multiple EPs. Early life Growing up in a suburb of Bergen, Lerche was heavily influenced by 1980s pop. ...

, the cast of

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: * Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States * ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda ** ''Hamilton'' (al ...

, and

Postmodern Jukebox Postmodern Jukebox (PMJ), also known as Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox, is a rotating musical collective founded by New York-based pianist Scott Bradlee in 2011. Postmodern Jukebox is known for reworking popular modern music into different vi ...

. In December 2024, Filipino singer

Sarah Geronimo Sarah Asher Tua Geronimo-Guidicelli ( ; born July 25, 1988) is a Filipino singer and actress. List of awards and nominations received by Sarah Geronimo, Her accolades include a Billboard Women in Music, ''Billboard'' Women in Music Award, an ...

covered the song on the Philippine variety program ''

ASAP ASAP usually stands for " as soon as possible". ASAP may also refer to: Arts and media Music Performers * ASAP (band), a hard rock band fronted by Adrian Smith * ASAP Mob, a recording group from Harlem, New York ** ASAP Ferg (born 1988), Americ ...

'', altering the lyrics to make them

heteronormative Heteronormativity is the definition of heterosexuality as the normative human sexuality. It assumes the gender binary (i.e., that there are only two distinct, opposite genders) and that sexual and marital relations are most fitting between peo ...

. The lyric changes went viral, with many Filipinos criticizing the perceived erasure and "censorship" of the song's lesbian themes, exacerbated by the fact that Roan is openly a lesbian.

Accolades

Charts

Weekly charts

Monthly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{Triple J Hottest 100 winners 2024 singles 2024 songs Chappell Roan songs Island Records singles Songs written by Chappell Roan Songs written by Dan Nigro Songs written by Justin Tranter Lesbian-related songs Irish Singles Chart number-one singles Number-one singles in Latvia Number-one singles in Poland Synth-pop ballads American soft rock songs Baroque pop songs Song recordings produced by Dan Nigro Rock ballads New wave ballads American new wave songs

Release

Writing and composition

Critical reception

Commercial performance

Impact

Live performances and cover versions

Accolades

Charts

Weekly charts

Monthly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

See also

References