Chappell Roan - 'The Subway'
An equally refreshing and heartbreaking take on 1980s dream-pop.
Since debuting it at 2024’s Governors Ball, “The Subway” has become a fan favorite and a staple of Roan’s live shows. After months of anticipation, the wait is finally over, and it feels incredibly rewarding. The studio version is incredible, capturing both tenderness and high emotions.
The accompanying music video, directed by Amber Grace Johnson, takes those emotions and amplifies them into a campy, surreal cinematic experience set in New York City, and, of course, its subway. Roan appears entirely covered in her iconic red hair, cascading from a fire escape in a Rapunzel-like display before pursuing a mysterious figure represented only by an equally voluminous green wig, symbolizing her lost lover. It’s one of the best music videos released this year and a career highlight for Roan both visually and sonically.
“The Subway” is a stripped-down dream-pop ballad produced by Dan Nigro, combining punchy, nostalgic instrumentation with deeply vulnerable lyrics. Roan’s voice is impressive, carrying all the energy and emotion of running into a past lover and the familiar weight of heartbreak, echoed in lines like: “I’m still counting down all of the days / ’Til you’re just another girl on the subway.”
What makes “The Subway” feel so distinctly Roanian is its unabashed emotional theatricality and unapologetic queerness, wrapped in camp and glam. It plays on longing and identity, chasing a girl represented solely by a wig and wearing heartbreak like a costume that tangles you up in public. It’s an authentic, refreshing, and fully queer take on a universal scenario.
The song is reminiscent of 1980s dream pop and bands such as The Cranberries, Cocteau Twins, and The Sundays. In the already famous bridge, which plays on the phrases “She got away / She’s got a way,” you can hear the inspiration of Elizabeth Fraser and Dolores O’Riordan, without overwhelming the track, which still sounds uniquely Roan.
“The Subway” perfectly closes an era for Chappell, as she prepares to write and record her next album. She recently told Vogue that the new album “doesn’t exist yet” and “it’s probably gonna take at least five years.” Nevertheless, if this song, along with recent singles like “Good Luck Babe” and “The Giver”, is any indication of what’s to come, we can expect another masterpiece from Roan, known for blending intimate storytelling with cinematic visuals, humor, and her lesbian identity.
Ultimately, “The Subway” is more than just a track. With fans already connecting with it for months, it feels like a multisensory heartbreak journey in which Chappell Roan isn’t just narrating pain, she’s feeling it, performing it, and riding it all the way home.
Words by Marcos Sanoja
