What is “Pink Pony Club” by Chappell Roan about?
On a literal level, “Pink Pony Club” is about dancing at a gay bar. In the song, Chappell sings about her desire to break free from her hometown and move to Los Angeles, where she “heard that there’s a special place / Where boys and girls can be queens every single day.” The special place in question is the Pink Pony Club, a fictional gay club inspired by West Hollywood’s iconic gay nightlife and drag scene. In the narrative of the song, Chappell knows that her dream of dancing at the Pink Pony Club won’t make her mother proud, but she casts these fears aside. “Oh mama, I’m just having fun / On the stage in my heels / it’s where I belong / down at the Pink Pony Club,” she sings on the chorus. After she makes the big move to Los Angeles, Chappell seems to have no regrets: “Black lights and a mirrored disco ball / Every night’s another reason why I left it all.” She holds no animosity for her mom or her hometown, though. On the bridge, she sings, “Don’t think I’ve left you all behind / Still love you and Tennessee / You’re always on my mind.”
Symbolically, the “Pink Pony Club” represents a safe space for LGBTQ people. Within the narrative of the song, the Pink Pony Club is an actual place, but in a figurative sense, it can also represent a loving and accepting community for queer people to be their authentic selves. As a result, the song has come to be considered an LGBTQ pride anthem, as well as a celebration of queer freedom, joy, and self-discovery.
What inspired “Pink Pony Club?”
“Pink Pony Club” was inspired by a night out at a gay club in LA. “I went to a gay bar called The Abbey in West Hollywood and was completely changed by the entire experience. I was enthralled by the go-go dancers and thought about how amazing it would be to be one, so I wrote a song about it,” Chappell explained in an interview with The Daily Shuffle. The night was transformative for Chappell, who had a hard time being herself in the conservative Missouri community she grew up in. “All of a sudden, I realized I could truly be any way I wanted to be, and no one would bat an eye…I just felt like I belonged there, and that really changed my life,” she told Headliner Magazine.
The Viral Success of “Pink Pony Club”
After going viral on TikTok in 2024, the track gained massive popularity. First released in 2020, the song became a “sleeper hit” when it slowly but surely gained popularity as Chappell herself began to rise in fame in the following years. By mid-2024, “Pink Pony Club” had gone viral on TikTok, with 68.2 thousand videos using the sound. The song is now sitting at over 176 million streams on Spotify, and on August 24, 2024, it reached its peak position of #26 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. With this kind of popularity and cultural impact, “Pink Pony Club” is well on its way to taking its place among other iconic LGBTQ pride anthems, such as Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way” and Diana Ross’s “I’m Coming Out.”
“Pink Pony Club” Full Lyrics
“Pink Pony Club” by Chappell Roan I know you wanted me to stayBut I can't ignore the crazy visions of me in LAAnd I heard that there's a special placeWhere boys and girls can all be queens every single dayI'm having wicked dreamsOf leaving TennesseeHear Santa MonicaI swear it's calling meWon't make my mama proudIt's gonna cause a sceneShe sees her baby girlI know she's gonna screamGod, what have you done?You're a pink pony girlAnd you dance at the clubOh mama, I'm just having funOn the stage in my heelsIt's where I belong down at thePink Pony ClubI'm gonna keep on dancing at thePink Pony ClubI'm gonna keep on dancing down inWest HollywoodI'm gonna keep on dancing at thePink Pony Club, Pink Pony ClubI'm up and jaws are on the floorLovers in the bathroom and a line outside the doorBlack lights and a mirrored disco ballEvery night's another reason why I left it allI thank my wicked dreamsA year from TennesseeOh, Santa MonicaYou've been too good to meWon't make my mama proudIt's gonna cause a sceneShe sees her baby girlI know she's gonna screamGod, what have you done?You're a pink pony girlAnd you dance at the clubOh mama, I'm just having funOn the stage in my heelsIt's where I belong down at thePink Pony ClubI'm gonna keep on dancing at thePink Pony ClubI'm gonna keep on dancing down inWest HollywoodI'm gonna keep on dancing at thePink Pony Club, Pink Pony ClubDon't think I've left you all behindStill love you and TennesseeYou're always on my mindAnd mama, every SaturdayI can hear your southern drawl a thousand miles away, sayingGod, what have you doneYou're a pink pony girlAnd you dance at the clubOh mama, I'm just having funOn the stage in my heelsIt's where I belong down at thePink Pony ClubI'm gonna keep on dancing at thePink Pony ClubI'm gonna keep on dancing down inWest HollywoodI'm gonna keep on dancing at thePink Pony Club, Pink Pony ClubI'm gonna keep on dancingI'm gonna keep on dancing
Other Music to Check Out if You Like “Pink Pony Club”
“Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl” by Chappell Roan If you like “Pink Pony Club” but haven’t checked out much of Chappell Roan’s other music, you may like “Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl.” Like “Pink Pony Club,” the song is all about being unapologetically yourself as an LGBTQ person. “I’m done with all these hyper mega bummer boys like you / Oh yeah, I need / A super graphic ultra modern girl like me,” sings Chappell on the chorus. The bridge of “Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl” also recalls the image of Chappell dancing on the bar at the Pink Pony Club: “Get up off your feet, get up on that bar / Walk that walk from Tokyo to New York.”
“Make Me Feel” by Janelle Monáe If you’re looking for another song that’s all about queer joy and celebration, Janelle Monáe’s “Make Me Feel” definitely fits the bill. The track has an infectious funk to it, reminiscent of Prince’s “Kiss.” In the music video, which Monáe shared on the same day the song was released, Monáe has both a male and a female love interest, which led fans to declare the song a “bisexual anthem.”
“I Know a Place” by MUNA Like “Pink Pony Club,” “I Know a Place” is about creating safe spaces for LGBTQ people to be who they truly are. Katie Gavin, the lead singer of MUNA, explained that the band began to write “I Know a Place” in 2015, following the Supreme Court decision that made gay marriage legal nationwide. As they wrote, however, they couldn’t help but think about the fact that the battle for safety and equality for queer people was far from over. “With ‘I Know a Place,’ we chose to imagine a place where none of us would need to be afraid. In honor of Pride and the rich LGBTQ history of turning bars and ballrooms into safe havens, the space we imagined was a dance club,” Gavin wrote for Time Magazine. This message definitely lines up with the message of “Pink Pony Club,” so if you’re looking for a tune with a similar vibe, “I Know a Place” could be the song for you!
“Closer” by Tegan and Sara “Pink Pony Club” isn’t just an LGBTQ anthem, it’s also a song you can let loose and dance to. If you’re looking for another track that checks both of these boxes, look no further than “Closer” by Tegan and Sara. Since its release in 2012, “Closer” has been beloved by lesbians and the LGBTQ community as a whole. It’s upbeat, euphoric, and incredibly fun to listen to, just like “Pink Pony Club.”
Fun Facts about Chappell Roan
Chappell Roan is a stage name. The name is an homage to her late grandfather, Dennis K. Chappell, and his favorite song, “The Strawberry Roan” by Curley Fletcher. Chappell also adopted a campy, larger-than-life stage persona to go along with the name, inspired by her love of drag culture.
She actually did grow up in the Midwest. With her debut album being called The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, many people have wondered whether Chapell is actually a midwesterner. The answer to this question is yes! Chappell grew up in Willard, Missouri. She eventually moved to Los Angeles in 2018 to pursue music.
Chappell’s music career started almost 10 years ago. Chappell signed her first record deal with Atlantic Records in 2015 when she was just 17 years old. When she was dropped from Atlantic Records in 2020, she considered giving up on music altogether, but thankfully decided to keep pushing and releasing songs independently. She eventually found a new home at her producer Dan Nigro’s label and released The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess in September of 2023. In the following months, Chappell’s music gained viral success on social media, leading to an explosion in her popularity. Now, she’s on her way to becoming a bonafide pop star, proving that—sometimes—good things truly do take time!
She’s opened for Olivia Rodrigo and sang backup vocals on her songs. Chappell opened for Olivia Rodrigo on her 2024 Guts tour, and she also provided background vocals for Olivia’s songs “Lacy,” “Obsessed,” and “Can’t Catch Me Now.”
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