My #1 pick for the alternate universe Song of the Summer is Chappell Roan’s ‘The Subway.’ Roan’s ‘Good Luck, Babe!‘ was in a tight race with Sabrina Carpenter’s ‘Espresso’ as my personal pick for last year’s top summer song, and this year she claims the title.
Roan has been performing ‘The Subway’ live for more than a year but resisted releasing a recorded version at first because she had other singles on the runway and later because she thought it wouldn’t live up to the concert experience. She finally relented and dropped a studio recording on July 31.
The song was an instant hit, debuting at #1 in the UK and #3 in the U.S. (making it her highest-charting single in the States). It was also a fast smash on TikTok, where its passionate outro scored many creators’ content.
Maybe a heartbreak anthem isn’t obvious Song of the Summer material, but ‘The Subway’s shimmering pop sound and singalong coda make it the sort of special song that should be blasting out of everybody’s car windows (or blasting into their AirPods).
I saw your green hair, beauty mark next to your mouth
There, on the subway, I nearly had a breakdown
A few weeks later, somebody wore your perfume
It almost killed me, I had to leave the room
[Chorus]
It’s just another day and it’s not over (Ah)
‘Til it’s over, it’s never over
It’s just another day and it’s not over (Ah)
‘Til it’s over, it’s never over
[Post-Chorus]
‘Til I don’t look for you on the staircase
Or wish you thought that we were still soulmates
But I’m still counting down all of the days
‘Til you’re just another girl on the subway
[Verse 2]
Made you the villain, evil for just moving on
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
[Chorus]
It’s just another day and it’s not over (Ah)
‘Til it’s over, oh, ’til it’s over
It’s just another day and it’s not over (Ah)
‘Til it’s over, it’s never over
[Post-Chorus]
‘Til I can break routine during foreplay
And trust myself that I won’t say your name
But I’m still counting down all of the days
‘Til you’re just another girl on the subway
[Outro]
She’s got, she’s got a way
She’s got a way, she’s got a way
And she got, she got away
She got away, she got away
And she’s got, she’s got a way
She’s got a way, she’s got a way
And she got, she got away
She got away, she got away
(She’s got, she’s got a way
She’s got a way, she’s got a way)
She’s got a way (She got, she got away
She got away, she got away)
She’s got, she’s got a way
She’s got a way, she’s got a way
And she got, she got away
She got away, she got away
Meet Me In Montauk 
The Chappell Roan song clearly deserving of Song of the Summer consideration is “Pink Pony Club,” which I actually heard everywhere for months.
Great choice – I think my personal #1 pick would be Role Model’s “Sally, When the Wine Runs Out,” but this is one of Chappell’s finest (and that’s saying something!)
My other personal heartbreak anthem SOTS is Conan Gray’s “Vodka Cranberry.” If anyone wants to stay in the vibe 🙂
The Role Model track is a great call. I think of it as more of an early year release, but it’s certainly still getting played a lot in my house. And it has a great summer vibe.
I’ll be sure to check out ‘Vodka Cranberry.’
I agree This is easy to listen to