Chappell Roan – The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess

My introduction to Chappell Roan was a recent headline that she “slayed it” at New York’s Governors Ball Music Festival on June 9, 2024. I had no idea who she was. Then, my daughter texted me to ask if I was familiar with Roan. My daughter’s interest in Roan was that she was being elevated to a bigger stage at Bonnaroo (which she was attending). It became clear that Roan was a rising star. It was also clear that her small-town girl queer coming-of-age perspective really resonated with audiences. That motivated me to listen to The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess to witness the hype.

Upon first listening to the album, I heard Lady Gaga, Billie Eilish, TSwift, and Olivia Rodrigo in the production and performance. My knowledge of contemporary pop divas is limited, so I don’t know how original Roan is, but sonically, it sounds pretty derivative of those pop divas. That being said, this is a fun album, and based on what I have seen online, Roan is outstanding live. On repeated listening, what came out was how great it was lyrically and from a storytelling perspective. As a male cishet senior citizen, I am pretty clueless about LGBTQ+ coming-of-age. The more I listened, the more impressed I was by Roan’s stories, and I felt like I was getting an education. She wrapped her stories in a fun pop sheen, which made it even better – she is a legit pop star with a vision.

So, who is Chappell Roan? I am summarizing from Wikipedia: She is 26-year-old Kayleigh Rose Amstutz from a small town near Springfield, Missouri. Roan is not an overnight sensation. She signed a contract with Atlantic in 2015 and released some singles and an EP, but there was not enough traction, and she was dropped by Atlantic in 2020. She secured the faith of producer Dan Nigro – who is a big deal. He has produced and co-written songs for Sky Ferreira, Kylie Minogue, Caroline Polachek, Olivia Rodrigo, and Conan Gray. He won a Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album for producing Sour (Olivia Rodrigo breakout) in 2021. He signed Roan to his Island Records imprint Amusement. He co-wrote and produced this album. Over the last few years, Roan returned to the game with independent singles (that appear on this album). So, the point is she is not a rookie. The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess is her moment. Her post-album single, “Good Luck, Babe!” is her first big hit and is raising the profile of The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess (more about that new hit in the postscript below).

The album is a concept album of sorts, even though nine of the fourteen songs were released as singles between April 2020 and the September 2023 release of this album. At the very least, the album has a narrative arc. In an interview with Teen Vogue, she said:

“It is the storyline of a girl who moved from a small conservative town to a city and had an awakening of this world she never knew existed… Which includes queerness, which includes heartbreak, which includes falling in love, which includes the city and clubs, and it’s the world of Chappell Roan.”

The album opens with “Femininomenon,” a song about an online relationship gone sour and the female narrator’s frustration with men as lovers. Roam addressed the made-up word “femininomenon” in a Reddit thread:

“ummm no man could literally get me off (stilll the case ^e^) and my cowriter and i were just messing around and made up the word haha! it’s so weird“

Sonically, “Femininomenon” is a little too “High School Musical” for me. It is the weakest track on the album; it only goes up from here. Looking online, this song plays better live than on the recording.

“Red Wine Supernova” – I assume the title is a reference to the 1996 Oasis hit “Champagne Supernova” (which is one of those meaningless phrases that sound cool – per Noel Gallagher, the song’s writer, “It means different things when I’m in different moods”). After the frustration described in the last song, the narrator is having fun and more fulfillment in a lesbian relationship.

“After Midnight” is a goody-two-shoes having fun being a freak in the club. It has a wonderful disco groove.

“Coffee” is Billie Eilish-esque sonically. The song is about the wrong idea of getting together with an ex—even if it is just for coffee.

“Casual” is my favorite song on the album. It is a power ballad that perfectly describes two people in a relationship who are not on the same page: the man thinks it is “casual,” and the woman believes it is love. In the end, the woman figures it out:

“I hate to tell the truth, but I’m sorry dude you didn’t
I hate that I let this drag on so long, now I hate myself
I hate that I let this drag on so long, you can go to hell”

“Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl” is sonically pure Lady Gaga. After the last song, our heroine will not make the same mistake on the next dude (or a dude at all).

“HOT TO GO!” was the final single released about a month before the album’s release. It sounds like Olivia Rodrigo’s pop punk. It is Roan’s cheerleader fantasy.

“My Kink Is Karma” is a kiss-off to an ex and sounds like a Taylor Swift song.

“Picture You” – The melody reminds me of Radiohead’s “Creep.” Lyrically, the song’s narrator is masturbating in front of a mirror while fantasizing about a female love interest.

“Kaleidoscope” is another song with a Billie Eilish vibe. The song describes the complications of “just friends” becoming more (even without “crossing the line”). Roman uses a kaleidoscope as an analogy for this situation:

And love is a kaleidoscope
How it works, I’ll never know
And even all the change
It’s somehow all the same
Turn it to the left and right
Colors shinin’ in your eye
And even upside down
It’s beautiful somehow
It’s never just a shape alone
Love is a kaleidoscope

“Pink Pony Club” sounds like a Lady Gaga anthem. The song is inspired by West Hollywood’s iconic gay bar, The Abbey, which features male and female go-go dancers and regular drag shows. It is Roan’s queer anthem about a safe place to wave your freak flag. This was the first single in this album cycle and got her much attention – her biggest hit before the new album and “Good Luck, Babe!“

“Naked in Manhattan” captures the first moments of a new crush and, more specifically, the transition from heterosexual to homosexual relationships. The small-town girl is in the big city:

In New York, you can try things
An inch away from more than just friends

Per Genius.com, “California” was composed during the pandemic lockdown while Roan was quarantined in her hometown. She had returned to Missouri from California after her career had tanked (sacked by Atlantic and her indie single “Pink Pony Club” was underperforming). The story is from the perspective of our heroine failing in California and knowing it is time to hightail it home. The song has a sense of resilience vs depression. Spoiler Alert: our gal will make it despite this setback. I don’t fully appreciate the challenge of being queer in Rednecksville (although Roan has taught me a lot with this album), but “California” is the most profound and most revealing track on the album.

“Guilty Pleasure” sounds different from the rest of the album. It starts as a quiet acoustic ballad and then explodes into a disco/rock jam. It is catchy AF, and it shows off Roan’s pipes. Lyrically, this is the story of a hot relationship. I once was young and went to discos—this would have been a banger under the mirrorball.

Although this is a collection of singles, the song sequence is so brilliant that it has become a concept album. I have also buried the lede: Roan can sing! Well done, Chappell Roan!

Postscript: Roan released a new single (not on this album) this past spring, “Good Luck, Babe!” It is her first big hit. It was number 77 on the Billboard Hot 100 upon release and peaked at 16. More significantly, it is in the top 10 on Spotify.

Sonically, Roan sounds like she has found her sound (this was hinted at in “Guilty Pleasure”): epic pop rock. Lyrically, it is an intriguing breakup song: the narrator has been dumped because her lover can’t handle their queer relationship. The narrator is pissed – treating her lover’s abandonment for heterosexuality as infidelity. The song has a clever ending – it slowly deflates like a hot air balloon. Her voice is wonderfully dynamic – Gaga would be proud.

You have to have a hit if you want to be a star—with “Good Luck, Babe!” Chappell has a hit! In addition, she now has three of The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess songs on Spotify top 50 thanks to “Good Luck, Babe!” too.