Chappell Roan is giving country... and hair metal?

Why was Chappell Roan's band dressed like an 80s hair metal act during her Grammy performance? The answer unlocks the surprising secret behind her #1 country hit "The Giver." This musical detective story connects glam rock aesthetics to modern country through an unexpected lineage involving AC/DC's producer, Shania Twain's revolution, and men who inadvertently dressed in drag. Between fiddle licks and gated reverb drums lies a brilliant subversion of country traditions that proves the genre has always been about musical drag while revealing what "rhinestone cowgirl" really means.

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Songs Discussed:

• Chappell Roan – "The Giver"
• Chappell Roan – "Pink Pony Club"
• Big & Rich – "Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)"
• Bon Jovi – "Living on a Prayer"
• Guns N' Roses – "Sweet Child of Mine"
• AC/DC – "Back in Black"
• Def Leppard – "Pour Some Sugar on Me"
• Nirvana – "About a Girl"
• Bryan Adams – "Everything I Do (I Do It for You)"
• Shania Twain – "Any Man of Mine"
• Shania Twain – "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!"
• Toby Keith feat. Willie Nelson – "Beer for My Horses"
• Carrie Underwood – "Before He Cheats"
• Trace Adkins – "Honky Tonk Badonkadonk"
• Glen Campbell – "Rhinestone Cowboy"

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