The Go-Go‘s filled their set on night one of Coachella with their brand of upbeat pop music, but in the performing of one of their best-loved songs, they also paid tribute to a performer of today. When the band played their classic “We Got the Beat,” as their final song of their set, the capped it off with a little bit of Chappell Roan‘s “Hot to Go.” Continue reading »
1980s pop icon and ageless meme Rick Astley is back in the news—not with yet another a performance of “Never Gonna Give You Up,” but his take on one of the big hits of the past few years. Astley took to YouTube to cover Chappell Roan’s “Pink Pony Club.” Captioning the performance with, “feeling in the pink today. I love this tune,” Astley performs an understated version, accompanying himself on guitar. (And then throwing on a pink cowboy hat for the finale.) Astley’s acoustic version doesn’t cover the same ground that the original does, but it does highlight the quality songwriting and storytelling contained therein.
Roan’s original version of the song was released two years ago and currently is at #8 on the Billboard Hot 100, its highest rank yet.
Chappell Roan took the stage at Elton John‘s 2025 Oscar viewing party, and, if performing there wasn’t scary enough, tackled one of John’s best-known hits. Roan covered John’s 1970 hit, “Your Song.” John’s original version of the song, released in October, 1970, was his first international hit record.
She introduced the song by saying it was the greatest song ever, and dedicated it to her parents, who were in attendance. Roan’s cover was part of a 45-minute set she performed at the party, which was a fundraiser for the Elton John AIDS Foundation. Continue reading »
It’s been a holiday tradition for over 10 years and yet again, Sondre Lerche has released his annual holiday cover.
As Lerche wrote with the release of this year’s cover, “we pick the huge hit we feel most compelled to cover at the end of each year, and record and mix it in one day.” The following day, the song is released. This year he decided to tackle Chappell Roan’s “Good Luck, Babe!”
“’Good Luck, Babe,’ is a punch in the gut for the way it calls out, not just the object of desire for not daring to live truthfully, but also society for making it so damn hard to be who you really are, and love who you really love,” Lerche added. He also added that he approached the song by asking, ‘what if “Good Luck, Babe” was arraigned by Ryuichi Sakamoto?’
Lerche’s version slows down Roan’s original version, allowing the listener to really hear the message the song imparts. And while you could argue that slowing down any song can add unwanted importance to sometimes banal lyrics, the closing repetition of “you’d have to stop the world just to stop the feeling,’ rings out after the song is finished.
Lerche’s first 10 years of covers were released on the 2023 album, Understudy. He suggested a follow-up compilation coming out in 2033.
Lerche has two performances schedule for 2025, both at the Oslo Opera next week. After that, Lerche says he is leaving his calendar clear. And as he ended his note, “I’m wishing you and yours love, compassing and music, always.”
One of the joys of TV specials by musicians is the duets that occur. One only need look to Bing Crosby and David Bowie’s version of “Little Drummer Boy to see how successful these duets might be. In Sabrina Carpenter’s new Netflix Christmas special, she is joined by fellow pop star Chappell Roan for a cover of Wham!’s “Last Christmas.” Keeping true to the aesthetic of both the special and Carpenter’s stage show, the two team up in a scene set late at night/early morning, while they sing the song karaoke style from a TV. The new version of the song plays up the sadness of the lyrics, with the more upbeat rhythm only coming in during the second verse. Continue reading »
Franz Ferdinand’s Alex Kapranos described Chappell Roan’s “Good Luck, Babe!” as “an amazing song by an amazing artist.” The group recently performed “Good Luck” at a Sofa Session on BBC Radio 2, hosted by Jo Whiley. “It’s funny,” Kapranos told Whiley, “you get some artists that have a moment, often it’s kind of divisive. Some people absolutely love them and some people hate them. But I’ve not come across anybody I know, none of my friends, nobody I know, who doesn’t like this artist. They’re just so good.” Continue reading »