Before we get into it, we have to pre-warn you that Chappell Roan’s The Subway will emotionally mug you on the Central Line, but she has officially made the saddest tube ride of your life into high art. Her new single The Subway dropped last week, and it’s way too relatable (in a good way). If you’ve ever cried after catching your ex’s scent in public (been there, left the room), then this one’s for you.
The track’s a heartbreak ballad dressed up in a dreamy production and surreal visuals, but underneath the Rapunzel curls is something extremely real: the brutal experience of missing someone who’s already moved on, while you’re still looking for their face in strangers on the Piccadilly line or, in Chappel’s case, the New York subway.
From the opening lines – “I saw your green hair. Beauty mark next to your mouth. There on the subway. I nearly had a breakdown” – You already know you’re in for an emotional derailment.
Before we drop the music vid below, let’s just say: what really counts here is that The Subway doesn’t hide behind coded lyrics. Hearing a woman openly sing about another woman, using “she” in a major pop release, is a huge win for the queers. Sure, it’s not the first time, but it’s worth remembering how far we’ve come from when our only “relatable” queer songs were straight girls kissing girls for fun (I Kissed a Girl, 2008). We took what we could get back then because that’s all society would swallow, and to be fair, I Kissed a Girl is still a banger now – wouldn’t want to take that away. But Chappell Roan doesn’t water anything down. No metaphors. It’s her reality, and many of ours. Is this real visibility? 100% – thanks, Chappell.
The Subway Music Video
The music video for The Subway was shot on location in New York and directed by Amber Grace Johnson, filmed all on 35mm. It’s surreal, and it absolutely leans into the emotional mess of the track. Watch The Subway music video below.
Enjoy it, but don’t let it spin you out for too long, we don’t want you drunk texting your ex at 2am, m’kaaaaay?
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Nonchalant x
This article was written by one of our creative team writers here at Nonchalant Magazine.
