by Cain Ting
In Chappell Roan’s performance of her hit song “Pink Pony Club” at the 67th Grammy Awards, the timestamp of 3:10 to 3:28 is the most replayed part of the video. It showcases the crowd singing the lyrics of “Pink Pony Club” in perfect harmony and passion. When I heard those united voices, my heart couldn’t help but melt in absolute joy and I felt so seen as a queer person.
“Pink Pony Club” is my favourite Chappell Roan song because of its presentation of what a queer safe space feels like. Chappell mentioned in an interview she did with The Daily Shuffle that her inspiration behind the song was her visit to a gay club in West Hollywood and this experience she claimed “completely changed” her. “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” the singer stated.
The lyrics of “Pink Pony Club” does emulate that enthralled feeling Chappell felt when she visited the club. For example, “Won’t make my mama proud, it’s gonna cause a scene” suggests Chappell’s decision to go to a gay club would be an act of defiance. At the same time, she doesn’t regret her decision as she has found a place where she can keep dancing and freely express her queerness.
Another lyric that I personally enjoy from the song is when Chappell claims the Pink Pony Club to be “Where boys and girls can all be queens every single day”. This lyric gave me an odd sense of comfort in knowing that there are people who are like me existing in their own self-created space to express themselves without the fear of being judged. As a queer person who grew up in a country that looks down upon LGBTQ+ people and someone always ends up being the only queer person among family and friends, I do find myself in situations where I suppress my queerness in attempts to “fit in” but I only end up hurting who I really am on the inside.
This is why “Pink Pony Club” is such a liberating song to me. Every listen I give to this song or even singing it out loud to myself is my form of self-expression and to take pride in my queerness. It also serves as a reminder that there are spaces and communities out there that are opened to individuals like me. There is importance in safe spaces for individuals who do not fit into the norm and it is beautiful to see how much queer joy can be found in it.
Therefore, being a member of Chappell Roan’s Pink Pony Club has given me my own space to feel more accepting of my queer identity.