#naked in manhattan is a cultural reset

[goodluckb4be]

the fact that my very awkwardly straight childhood best friend introduced me to chappell roan is so funny to me

[groovesnjams]

“Naked in Manhattan” by Chappell Roan

DV:

One of my group chats recently debated whether Mean Girls qualified as a “cultural reset”, a status that as an avowed hater I desperately wish it didn’t have. But I will admit that no one’s out here writing songs about how they have crushes on any/all the protagonists of John Tucker Must Die, even if true connoisseurs (me) think they should be. Regina George remains an icon to my dismay; I may not like it but she’s as potent a signifier as Lana Del Rey. Both women, fictional in their own ways, sit alongside Mulholland Drive and a whole lot of previously-repressed emotion in “Naked in Manhattan,” lending a lived-in specificity to Chappell Roan’s already overdetermined lyric about taking the first steps into a queer relationship. Because for a song whose hook is literally just “Touch me baby/ Naked in Manhattan” on repeat, Roan crams a ton of backstory, allusion, and reference points into the verses. Her approach effectively shifts the song’s climax from that hook into lyrics like “In New York, you can try things” or - especially - the pre-chorus’s “Could go to hell but we'll probably be fine," a rallying cry in its own right no matter what city you’re in. It’s counter-intuitive, but then so is still watching Mean Girls in the year 2022.

MG:

They say there’s a vibe shift underway -- more on that later, probably much later -- and pop culture is shifting into that ‘06-’10 space with the resurgence of hipsterism and indie dance. Chappell Roan reminds me of a couple other signifiers from the era -- Gossip Girl and petulant brattiness. I don’t love New York City (like, at all) but everyone loves the cipher of this mecca of art and population where you can melt into the constant explosion of life as a way to finally stand out, to succeed. It’s a fantasy, one that thrives in the minds of very young adults, one that suits “Naked in Manhattan” as much as it flatters my own memories. Though the titular line is concerned with removing the frippery, it doesn’t undermine the song’s overall infatuation with dress up. Like Blair and Serena, Roan is all coiffure and tulle, stumbling into her first big grown up moments. But like Blair and Serena, and me, and probably everyone who was ever 21, Roan isn’t ready to act the part. The best part of “Naked in Manhattan” is the pleading “touch me! touch me! touch me! touch me!” that betrays all the finesse and confidence of the argument laid out in the song’s verses. Have fun with my youth, Chappell Roan.