Chappell Roan made music history with the debut of her lesbian country song “The Giver” on “SNL” Saturday night. The song broke the norms of country music, highlighting intimate queer relationships, and many LGBTQ+ country artists, like Roan, have challenged similar heteronormative standards in their music in the past.

Roan’s new song is his first time going country and he did it in a big way.

Fiddles endorsed the “HOT TO GO!” singer while talking about satisfying his female lovers better than any man: “Take it as a taker, ’cause baby, I’m a giver/No need to help me, ’cause baby, I give/No need to help me.” Country boy who quits / I do the work.”

On the bridge, Roan shouted at the audience. “All you country boys say you know how to treat a woman, right?” she said. “Well, only a woman knows how to treat a woman right!”

Since Saturday night, Roan’s debut has caused quite a stir. The choice to premiere the song on “Saturday Night Live” is notable; The first episode of the season attracted a massive audience of over 5 million viewers.

Many consider “The Giver” a queer country anthem.

Now, all eyes are on Roan and queerness in country music.

And while Roan’s performance was completely unique with his special style, there are many artists who have highlighted LGBTQ+ relationships and discussed queer intimacy in their country songs before.

Let’s talk about queerness in country music.

Queer in Country Music: The Artists Bringing LGBTQ+ Relationships to the Forefront

Many consider singer Patrick Haggerty, leader of the band Lavender Country, to be the first openly gay country singer.

The band’s ’73 album made history with songs like “Lavender Country,” “Back in the Closet Again” and “Come Out Singing,” among others.

Haggerty died in 2022 at age 78 due to complications from a stroke.

Since then, other artists continue to make history with their opening and their music.

These artists include Ty Herndon, Brandy Clark, Brandi Carlile, Chely Wright, TJ Osborne, Brooke Eden, Orville Peck, Allison Russell, Cody Belew, Adeem The Artist, Chris Housman, Lil Nas X, Fancy Hagood, Trixie Mattel, Lily Rose , Steve Grand, Katie Pruitt and many more who continue to represent queerness in country music and make the 5 million queer people in the South feel seen.

These are some of the songs that “The Giver” joins as a queer country anthem.

‘Follow Your Arrow’ by Kacey Musgraves, written with Brandy Clark, Shane McAnally

Musgraves’ 2013 song “Follow Your Arrow” was the 2014 CMA Song of the Year.

The song, which Musgraves wrote with queer artist Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally, a notable gay singer and songwriter, has become a pro-LGBTQ+ anthem. Many believe that a decade ago, the song began breaking down barriers in country music.

In the song, Musgraves encourages her listeners to embrace being themselves: “So, make a lot of noise / Kiss a lot of boys / Or kiss a lot of girls, if that’s something you like / When the straight and narrow becomes a little too straight / Roll a joint or don’t.”

“Just follow your arrow where it points, yeah,” he sings. “Follow your arrow wherever it points.”

‘All-American Boy’ by Steve Grand

Singer-songwriter and model Steve Grand released his song “All-American Boy” in 2013, a queer anthem about wanting to be with a man at a Fourth of July party.

He sings, “Be my American boy tonight / Where every day is the 4th of July / It’s okay, it’s okay / And we can keep it up until the morning light.”

‘The Joke’ by Brandi Carlile, written with Dave Cobb, Phil and Tim Hanseroth

Queer country and Americana icon Brandi Carlile has written several LGBTQ+ anthems, including the tender love song “I Belong To You,” the somber piano ballad “Party Of One,” and her uplifting 2021 song “You And Me On The Rock, “a celebration of building your life with a lover.

But Carlile’s 2018 song “The Joke” has become one of her most respected anthems for all marginalized people, a song in which Carlile sings to those who are “underrepresented, unloved, or illegal.” . she said to NPR.

In the song, which was nominated for Song and Record of the Year at the 2019 Grammy Awards, Carlile targets younger boys and girls.

“Let them laugh while they can / Let them spin, let them scatter with the wind,” he sings. “I’ve been to the movies, I’ve seen how it ends / And the joke is on them.”

‘Old Town Road’ by Lil Nas

Lil Nas

Lil Nas

The song even won two Grammy Awards at the 2020 ceremony.

Further: Lil Nas X performs at the Municipal Auditorium

And although the song itself is not about gay relationships, but rather about the paths to success, wealth and fortune, the song once again showed listeners that queer artists can achieve these goals and dominate the charts. .

‘Younger Me’ by the Osborne Brothers

The Osborne Brothers’ 2021 song “Younger Me” has become a moving anthem for the queer male community.

In the song’s music video, singer TJ Osborne, who came out as gay that same year, sits in front of the Tennessee State Capitol building and sings a powerful message to his younger self about coming out.

He sings: “Younger me / Hanging out but not quite fitting in / I didn’t know that being different / It really wouldn’t be the end / Younger me.”

‘I Have No Choice’ by Brooke Eden

Country artist Brooke Eden released her song “Got No Choice” in May 2021 after coming out as queer earlier the same year. In the song’s praised music video, Eden sings to his then-real-life girlfriend, Hilary Hoover, who is now his wife.

In the catchy country-pop song, Eden sings, “I hear gossip from my neighbors / We don’t fit the bill / From the bars to the church crowd / We’re the talk of the whole town.”

In the chorus, she warbles, “Yo, I have no choice but to love you / I have no choice but to love you.”

Tyler Childers’ ‘In Your Love’, Silas House Music Video Story

Tyler Childers’ July 2023 song “In Your Love” made waves after its music video featured a gay love story. Many LGBTQ+ activists and artists have praised the video and song as an important moment for queer inclusion.

The song, which appeared on Childers’ most recent album, “Rustin’ In The Rain,” shows a devoted, loyal kind of love: “I’ll wait for you / Until the sun turns to ashes / And bows to the moon / “I’ll wait for you.”

Further: Tyler Childers’ New Video ‘In Your Love’ Is Acclaimed for Showcasing Gay Love in Rural America

Although Childers is not unusual, told NPR that he wanted to create a music video that told a gay love story. because his cousin, who is like an older brother to him, is gay. So Childers enlisted the help of his friend and Kentucky Poet Laureate at the time, queer writer Silas House, who wrote the song’s video.

The music video “In Your Love” depicts the story of two men in Appalachia in the 1950s who fall in love while working together in a coal mine. After facing attacks from co-workers, they move to the countryside and build a farm together, remaining devoted to each other until the end.

The video stars two gay actors, Colton Haynes and James Scully.

‘Cowboys Often Love Each Other in Secret’ sung by Orville Peck and Willie Nelson, written by Ned Sublette

This year, Willie Nelson revisited the old song “Cowboys Are Often Secretly Fond Of Each Other,” along with Orville Peck, a gay country artist known for “Midnight Ride,” “Dead of Night” and “Roses Are Falling.”

The Gay Cowboy Song was originally written in 1981 by Latin country musician Ned Sublette and covered by Nelson in 2006, becoming an important gay country music cover.

“Cowboys often secretly love each other / What did you think all those saddles and boots were about?” they sing in the 2024 collaboration.

“There are a lot of cowboys who don’t understand how they feel about their brother / And inside every woman, there is a cowboy who would love to come out of the closet.”

These eight songs are just the tip of the iceberg for the queer country community, a community that grew with at least one song last weekend.

Chappell Roan’s “The Giver” exists in good company, uniting themes that continue to amplify the experiences of the More than 7.6% of Americans identify as LGBTQ+.

Audrey Gibbs is a music reporter for The Tennessean. You can contact her at [email protected].

This article originally appeared in Nashville Tennessean: Chappell Roan’s lesbian country song and more queer anthems