Chappell Roan Ties Her Own Best Record With The Smash That Almost Never Was

Forbes

a day ago

After years of struggling in the music industry, Chappell Roan finally scored her breakout hit more than a year ago with "Good Luck, Babe!" The tune served as a standalone smash, as she had already released her debut album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess – which didn't feature her first smash, somewhat oddly – and the two took off together.
"Good Luck, Babe!" became a massive commercial win all around the world. In the United States, its success was bolstered largely by quick and sustained adoption at pop radio. While "Good Luck, Babe!" may have started her run, Roan's single that almost never was has proved to be an even greater success in many respects.
As of this frame, "Pink Pony Club" by Roan has spent 29 weeks on the Pop Airplay chart. The cut is now tied with "Good Luck, Babe!" as the singer-songwriter's longest-running success on Billboard's list of the most popular tunes at top 40 pop stations across the U.S.
"Pink Pony Club" and "Good Luck, Babe!" are tied with 29 weeks on the Pop Airplay chart apiece, but that likely won't be the case for very long. When Billboard refreshes its rankings in a few days, "Pink Pony Club" will almost certainly score a thirtieth frame on the list, as it's still performing very well.
At the moment, it appears at No. 10, down from No. 8. Since the Pop Airplay roster features 40 spots, it seems unlikely that "Pink Pony Club" will fall away for weeks — if not months — and Roan is almost surely headed for a new longest-running smash.
"Pink Pony Club" took a very, very long time to become a pop radio staple. The track was originally released in 2020, before many people knew who Roan was. Even after it was featured on The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, it was not initially selected as a favorite by the public, as the masses instead preferred several other tunes from the project.
It wasn't until Roan performed the song during the 2025 Grammy Awards that it shot to prominence. Just weeks after the show, "Pink Pony Club" reached No. 1 on the Pop Airplay tally, joining "Good Luck, Babe!" as her only champions.
It went on to rule for three weeks, while "Good Luck, Babe!" only held on for a single turn. Now, it's proved to be not just a high-rising smash, but a long-standing one as well.