"The Subway" by Chappell Roan // 7" vinyl + "I Hate It Here" bonus track

"The Subway" is deeply heartfelt and unflinchingly honest as Chappell Roan recalls the kind of specific, intimate details of a love that got away. All of the memories still linger, almost as if she's haunted by them. The long‑awaited official release feels like such a major moment in her career. It's truly the best song she has released thus far with so much emotion packed into every single lyric.

After its live debut at The Governor's Ball in New York City in June 2024 where she performed it, of course, dressed as The Statue of Liberty in a taxi‑patterned dress, the song quickly went on to become a beloved fan favorite.

Even though Chappell debuted it in summer 2024, the official release didn't arrive until summer 2025, after nearly a full year of performing it at festivals and shows around the world. At the time of its debut, she performed it without any plan for an official release and hadn't even recorded the song yet. The studio version, which she worked on with her frequent collaborator Dan Nigro, took quite a while to fully perfect, especially as she was still unsure whether she wanted it to be her next single.

"I don't know if it's going to be the next single, I wanted to sing it because it was within the New York theme - and I love a theme," Chappell said in an interview with Elle Brasil in 2024. "I thought it would be fun to include it in the set, but I don't have a plan yet, because I'm writing the new album when it's possible. I don't have time to compose on tour. I think they are two opposite models of work, I feel like it's a similar vibe from the time I was a barista and nanny at the same time. It's impossible to reconcile."

"I’ve been banging my head against the wall with 'The Subway,'" Chappell added in a 2025 interview with iHeartRadio's Los Culturistas podcast. "...Some songs just work live, certain things work live, and they don't work in the studio." She continued, "For 'The Subway', it's just going to feel different, and different doesn't always mean worse...You just have to really take yourself out of it and be like, 'This is different and that’s okay.'"

She performed the song countless times around the world, and finally being able to hear the studio version after following its evolution for so long feels incredibly special. Watching the timeline of its journey and the small changes she made from those early performances to what the song ultimately became was so cool to see play out in real time. It is evident that performance by performance she was slowly shaping the song into the version that she wanted to preserve forever. Chappell has been very open about how long it took her to get the studio version right and it is evident how much care and attention to detail she and Dan Nigro took to make this song come to fruition in the way it has. It captures so much of the magic and passion that made those early live renditions so unforgettable, while also immortalizing the emotions that drove her to write the song in the first place.

"I saw your green hair, beauty mark next to your mouth there on the subway, I nearly had a breakdown," Chappell sings in the opening lines. "The Subway" is ultimately a portrait of a star‑crossed love that has continued to linger long after it ended. She remembers the small traits she had, describing how she sees her in faces in the crowd or smells her perfume in public and is instantly transported back to a version of herself that no longer exists.

The storytelling is so vivid, as all of the memories and emotions are overflowing within every single lyric. The specific memories she sings about cling to her present day in a very real way, laid out with such striking honesty. On this song, Chappell is unafraid to show how someone can shape you and leave an indelible mark, even if the relationship is over that person is forever a part of you in some small way. "I see your shadow, I see it even with the lights off, I made a promise if in four months, this feeling ain't gone, well, fuck this city, I'm moving to Saskatchewan," she sings in the second verse.

A truly gut-wrenching moment comes in the chorus, where every single emotion reaches the forefront in one of the most confessional moments of "The Subway". "It's never over, 'til I don't look for you on the staircase or wish you thought that we were still soulmates," she sings in the chorus. "I'm still counting down all of the days, 'til you're just another girl on the subway".

The powerful outro, carried by Chappell's incredible, soaring vocals, is a huge part of why this song instantly became a classic in her catalog. "She's got a way, she's got a way and she got, she got away, she got away, she got away," she sings in the final verse. The interplay between the phrases "she's got away" and "she's got a way" is such a clever form of writing and captures the very specific feelings she was grappling with at the time when reflecting back on the one that got away.

Alongside the song's official release, Chappell also released a stunning 7" vinyl single for "The Subway" sold exclusively on her website. It is pressed on a molten metallic copper vinyl and is absolutely one of the prettiest singles I own. I love the photos used on the front and back covers, as well as the center labels on both sides of the vinyl. It all captures the aesthetic of the song so perfectly and is such a unique pressing. It also subtly fits with The Statue of Liberty theme of the song's original performance, which is another example of her thoughtfully curated art direction with the physical release, tying into the earliest iteration of the song.

The song's official release was also accompanied by one of the best music videos she has ever made, and the photos used throughout this vinyl come directly from it. The storytelling is stunning and brings the emotions of the song and the heart of New York that runs through it to life in such a vivid, cinematic way. The photos featured throughout this vinyl release originate from the song's video shoot, as well.

The symbolism of feeling liberated and free after cutting off all her long hair especially reminds me of one of my favorite Frida Kahlo paintings. Whether intentional or not, there is something about it that echoes the emotions behind Frida's "Self Portrait with Cropped Hair". The themes that drove Frida to create that piece in 1940 - like loss of love and the self-transformation that comes after - feel intricately linked to the emotions and message of "The Subway". It adds another layer of meaning to the visuals, deepening the connection between the song, the video, and the artwork included in this release.

This is also a very special pressing because it features a demo of an unreleased song titled "I Hate It Here", which is only available on this format. She posted the audio to SoundCloud back in 2023, after originally sharing a snippet in 2021 on TikTok. Chappell has similarly included demos of new songs on her recent vinyl releases of "Good Luck Babe!" and "The Giver" as well. That adds even more reason to owning the physical version of the song, especially as these songs are not currently connected to any full-length project and may not be depending on the timing of her eventual sophomore album.

Much like the exclusive track titled "Read and Make Out" on the "Good Luck Babe!" vinyl, "I Hate It Here" has quickly become one of my favorite songs she has ever written. The two even feel slightly connected, especially with the lyric "I hate it here, but you make it better" on "Read and Make Out," which echoes the same sense of longing. "I Hate It Here" is a slower, more stripped‑back track, and the rawness of her performance is really what makes it so connective. There is a vulnerability in the way she delivers this song that is so confessional. One lyric that stands out is, "I'm tryna find gasoline to burn my thoughts and the American dream," which is such a striking image.

This is also one of only two pressings ever sold that includes "The Subway" song on a physical format, the other being a limited release for 2025 Record Store Day, which included "The Giver" on Side B. I opted for her webstore variant instead since I already have "The Giver" on vinyl and this included a song not available anywhere else. I love collecting Chappell's music on vinyl, especially her singles, and this is among my very favorites ever. These songs could be a glimpse into what her eventual sophomore album may sound like, or it may simply reflect a period of experimentation, where she's trying out different sounds and following whatever feels creatively honest in the moment. There's something exciting about this era of her career and her ability to have full freedom to say whatever she wants to say, without the pressure of fitting into a larger project just yet.