Chappell Roan: ‘The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess’

By Courtney VanAuken

If you aren’t already familiar with Chappell Roan, it’s only a matter of time before you start hearing about her. Chappell Roan is a quickly rising queer pop queen who is preparing to dominate and revitalize the pop genre. Her latest album “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess” dropped Sept. 22. For reasons I will never understand, it took me until January to discover Roan, and until February to listen to and fall in love with this album.

“The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess” is a pop album with 14 songs, all of which I find phenomenal. The album explores themes of ambition, desire, and reflection through the lens of the queer experience. All of these are extremely relevant to any college student or young adult. It’s difficult to ignore the applicability of the album. Roan has such a keen understanding of what she wanted to communicate and she hits it right on the mark. Pop is a genre that I tend to avoid, which is why I am so enthusiastic about this album. I am excited to finally venture back into the realm of pop music and to have such a great time doing so.

The album is unapologetically fun, feminine, and fresh. Oftentimes media directed towards women talks down to or belittles the very audience it hopes to profit off of, but Chappell Roan doesn’t commodify feelings of heartbreak and empowerment. She instead provides space for audiences to explore these experiences without generalizing them. Listening to this album reminds audiences how great it can be to be a girl.  

As with any album, there are standout tracks. The issue is that there aren’t necessarily a handful of songs that are leagues ahead of the others. I really enjoy all 14 songs. Instead of reviewing every single one, I will attempt to provide some thoughts that different tracks on the album brought up throughout my numerous listens while writing this. 

“Femininomenon”: 

Hear me out. This song has the lyric “Get it hot like Papa John” and goes so hard. I think the best way to describe this song is as a strut song. This song makes me strut across campus no matter what mood I am in. It’s such an earworm. But it’s a good song, so it’s a worm that I will let wriggle. 

“Red Wine Supernova”:

I just realized the title of “Red Wine Supernova” is comparable to that of Oasis’s song “Champagne Supernova.” Which song is better between the two? I couldn’t tell you. But what I can tell you is that in “Red Wine Supernova,” Roan perfectly encapsulates the giddy obsession and eagerness of what it’s like to have a crush. Oasis’s song “Champagne Supernova” does not do that. 

“After Midnight”:

Nothing good ever happens after midnight — that is, if you consider “nothing good” to be having a fantastic time. At this point during my first listen I began to realize that I was having a better-than-average listening experience. I thought it was all too good to be true. I (incorrectly) assumed that Roan had frontloaded all of her best tracks to the start of the album. I too love a little drama, Chappell Roan. 

“Coffee”:

Let me just say that I only know how to bring boys to two places: coffee shops and jazz bars. If this is true for you as well, you will appreciate this song. In this song, Roan drops the line, “But I’d rather feel something than nothing at all.” What a line! It’s never just coffee. I know this, while also knowing that I can count the dates I have gone on with one finger. (Coincidentally we drank lattes at a jazz show, so it was a bit of a two-for-one with this song.) This song differs from the first three tracks, as it is slower and allows Roan to tell more of a story, whereas in the initial tracks, she spends more time painting pictures for the listeners. 

“Casual”:

IS IT CASUAL NOW??? IS IT??? You know what I’m not going to be casual about? How great this song is. Chappell Roan just gets it. She gets it like no one else does.

“Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl”:

Do I go clubbing? No. Never in my life have I had the desire to go clubbing until I heard this song. It changes my chemical makeup as a person. This is the song that made me realize that Chappell Roan could convince me of anything. I could see this song serving a retail fashion store like Old Navy really well. You know a song is good when it could be used for a Fourth of July sale advertisement AND the dance floor. 

“HOT TO GO!”:

If I am listening to this song in the privacy of my dorm, I will 100 percent be doing the “HOT TO GO!” dance. Chappell Roan, I like this beat, and I will always dance along to this song whether or not I have two left feet and an inability to dance. 

“Pink Pony Club”:

“Pink Pony Club” is the 11 p.m. number of “The Rise and Fall of a Midwestern Princess.” It could be the best song on this album. 

“Naked in Manhattan”:

I personally have never been naked in Manhattan. That being said, I get it.  

“California”:

This song encapsulates the pull between ambition and a desire for the things we know to be true and constant. “California” is similar to “Pink Pony Club” in its discussion of what it means to sacrifice safety and security to pursue creation of art and indulgence in passion. Chappell Roan’s more vulnerable ballads like “California” make this album stand out amongst countless other music projects. 

Roan has a keen understanding of how to balance feelings of uncertainty with hope and excitement for what is to come.