"Naked in Manhattan" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Chappell Roan. It was released independently on February 18, 2022. It would later become the lead single from Roan's debut album The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, through Amusement Records and Island Records.[1] She wrote the song with Dan Nigro and Skyler Stonestreet, with Dan Nigro on production. It is a synth-pop song about having a crush on a girl for the first time, drawing comparisons with the feeling of New York City.[2]
Background
Following the commercially disappointing performance of Roan's previous single "Pink Pony Club" and being dropped by Atlantic Records for being unprofitable, Roan took a two year long break from music before returning with "Naked in Manhattan". The song's inspiration drew from her first time having a crush on a girl, who was from New York City. She said in an interview, "This song relates to having a crush on a girl or like a queer relationship at the beginning, because it's similar to the way that New York City makes me feel, which is like, excited and kind of like, wanderlust, and it's the same as a girl."[3] The song's lyrics feature cultural references to the film Mulholland Drive, the character Regina George from Mean Girls, and pop artist Lana Del Rey, whom Roan has expressed an admiration for.[4]
Critical reception
In a review for Earmilk, Emily Treadgold said "Naked In Manhattan" was a showcase of Chappell Roan's amazing ability to "perfectly capture those burgeoning feelings of young love through a queer lens."[5]
Madeline Kinnaird for NPR wrote that "Naked In Manhattan" has lyricism that is "tender" and "nostalgic". She commented on Roan's falsetto, calling it "floating" and that the instrumentation has "delicate, yearning synths".[6]
