Chappell Roan Releases Long Anticipated Song "The Subway"
by Kelsie Barlow | August 20th, 2025
On August 1st, fans were delighted when Chappell Roan released The Subway. Roan first debuted this song live at the 2024 Governor’s Ball, and videos quickly began to gain virality. It became apparent that fans loved this unreleased song, and it has continued to be listened to through grainy videos of her performing it live throughout the year until now. The studio recording of The Subway has an atmospheric charm that makes it easy to listen to on repeat. The first second or two of the song start with the sound of a subway passing by before the ’80s reminiscent guitar riff kicks in. The stylization of her vocals reminds me of The Cranberries, and adds to the yearning nature of the song. Fans were most notably excited for the bridge of the song where Chappell switches between belting “She’s got a way” and “She got away”, and she delivered. These clever lyrics are sung with force, yet hold a reflective type of longing that encapsulates what it’s like to dream of what could’ve been.
The song release was accompanied by a music video that featured Chappell in a long-haired wig, chasing after a lost lover in an overwhelming and equally long green wig. The video follows her trying to catch up with this green-haired girl on the streets of New York, on the subway, hopping out of a taxi, and more. The theatrical nature of the video aids in the telling of the story, and how “it’s not over til it’s over.” At the end of the video, the subway turns from a mundane form of transportation into a party scene filled with dancers and drag queens. The scene cuts from that and alternates between Chappell singing in a trash tornado, crying in a fountain, and climbing a stalk of green hair. I’m obsessed with how imaginative the imagery is while also conveying a story that many sapphic women have lived through themselves.
This year, we have been lucky enough to get The Subway and The Giver by Chappell Roan, but there has been no word on when a full-length album could be coming out. As a huge Chappell fan myself, I look forward to seeing what else she has up her sleeve, no matter how far in the future that may or may not be. Recently, Chappell announced that she will be doing a pop-up tour in North America. Based on recent festival performances such as Primavera Sound, the Visions of Damsels and Other Dangerous Things tour promises to be bold, captivating, and a performance to remember. The tour will be stopping in New York, Kansas City, and Pasadena between 9/20 -10/11. Between the fantastical themes in her live shows and the experimentation with sound/ genre in her new releases, I can confidently say that I’m on the edge of my seat waiting to see where Chappell Roan goes with her vision from here.
