Good Luck, Babe!

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."^[5] 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 in September 2023.^[6][7] Amusement Records and Island Records released the single through streaming and digital download.^[8]

Roan wrote the song with Justin Tranter and Dan Nigro, stating that she "was just wanting to write a big anthemic pop song," and that it "was a bitch to write."^[9] Lyrically, the song speaks about compulsory heterosexuality, with Roan describing a relationship with a woman who tries to deny her romantic feelings for Roan and for women in general.^[9][10]

An accompanying lyric video for "Good Luck, Babe!" was released on April 5, 2024, along with the song's official release.^[11]

"Good Luck, Babe!" received widespread acclaim upon release, with many declaring it a breakthrough hit. Critics were particularly enthused about Roan's powerful vocal showcase, observing that it was symbolic of her concurrent ascent in popularity — a reckoning of an artist with a formidable future in music.^[12][13]

Sydney Brasil of Exclaim! opined that the song was "a more realized version of her baroque pop vision, both airy and devastating in its delivery.”^[14] Stephen Daw from Billboard praised the symbiotic relationship 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".^[12]

Commentators drew comparisons of Chappell Roan to the likes of prominent musicians of the 1980s, such as Kate Bush, Wham!, and Cyndi Lauper.^[15] Shaad D'Souza of The New York Times posited that the song resonates old fashioned depths further beyond just a 1980s pop veneer, highlighting some theatrical element to how Roan delivers her narrative lyrics "with vocal trills and almighty wails" that is reminiscent of Liza Minnelli.^[16]

Speaking for NPR, Sheldon Pearce crowned the track as his top pick for pop song of the year, meriting its profound lyrics, "'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".^[17] Mary Kate Carr of The A.V. Club shared the same zeal for the songwriting, "Her lyrics are even more precise [than her debut album] and brimming with righteous anger".^[18] The bridge is a frequent focal point in discussions of the song’s craft, leaving many impressed with its bite and vivid storytelling.^[19] Jason P Frank of Vulture lamented that the quality it boasts makes a strong case against the current trend of artists omitting a bridge to shorten tracks, in endeavors for TikTok success.^[20]

"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. The song has so far peaked at number 10 on the chart dated July 13, 2024.^[24] On the UK Singles Chart, the song has so far peaked at number 4, becoming Roan's first top-10 and first top-5 hit on the chart.

Upon landing on Billboard's Hot 100 chart, the publication noted that this event not only calls to celebrate a breakthrough for Roan's career, but also for a wider movement of young LGBT pop artists as it demonstrates possibilities to be fruitful without compromising overt themes of queerness in their music.^[15]

Other observers expanded on this, discerning how the few chart-topping "queer anthems" are merely imbued with subtext as they blur the lines between heterosexual and homosexual relationships. Skewing the lyrics this way might ensure the universality needed for wider audiences to relate, but does so at the expense of fully exploring the unique complexities of LGBTQ stories. Roan's rejection of this marketable approach with the unadulterated "Good Luck, Babe!" was applauded as many felt it spoke to her authenticity as an artist; and that hopefully her boldness paying off would inspire the future landscape of pop.^[25]

Juliana Tanner of The Michigan Daily echoed such optimism, commending Roan for not leaving any room for ambiguity in her homosexuality, despite facing cynicism in the past. Tanner was also relieved to see the song reaching mainstream heights as a welcomed departure from the scarce sapphic anthems in the charts that typically fetishize lesbian sexuality for male audiences. ^[26]

Poignantly, the song being received outside of queer communities has suggested to some a socially progressive shift in the way audiences consume music. Rather than seeking lyrics that the listener can wholly relate to, they are potentially more open than ever to premises that reflect a varied human experience and empathizing with them instead.^[25]

Roan added "Good Luck, Babe!" to the set list of the Midwest Princess Tour, debuting it at her first Coachella set in April 2024.^[27] Her first televised performance of the song was in June 2024, when she appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.^[28]

In June 2024, Sabrina Carpenter covered "Good Luck, Babe!" as part of a set for BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge; Carpenter had previously shared that she was a big fan of the song.^[29] The song has also been covered by Girl In Red, Peach PRC, and Wallows.