Ranking the Songs from “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess”
Spoiler — omg, they are all amazing!
Definitely, a new supernova has exploded this summer. I assure you, Chappell Roan has already cemented a groundbreaking legacy, the likes of which can directly compare only to the greatest artists that have developed a pop career in post-World-War-II modernity. Madonna invented female pop stardom as we know it. Taylor Swift broke away from that to popularize a new type of songwriter domination. Chappell Roan’s career is causing a similar impact. It pushed us away from female goddesses that only supported LGBTs in the mainstream as allies. This is a direct LGBT goddess. And she’s not shining from the margins of pop culture: she is directly in the center. Yes, there have been great LGBT artists before her. But most that come to the general public’s mind are men. Freddie Mercury, Elton John, Sam Smith… Yes, there is Demi. Yes, there is Renee Rapp. Yes, there is Miley Cyrus, whose Hannah Montana persona is a direct influence in Roan’s style. But none of them are as singularly unique, culture-shifting, and queer-relatable as Chappell Roan. None of them have portrayed compulsory heterosexuality in their songs, or the struggle that comes from wanting to get away from your parents’ judgement and dance in a gay club, or the clarity that comes from realizing the opposite sex just doesn’t fit our vibes. And, may I add, in such a fun and refreshing way! The lyrics were much needed by the queer community, and the music is compelling. Chappell Roan might as well be on the path of becoming one of the most legendary pop artists of all time. And it is my honor to go ahead and rank the songs from her debut album. All the songs are amazing, might I add! So I hope I do the album justice.
14. Guilty Pleasure
I instantly feel bad ranking this song last, because Chappell has said in interviews that this is her favorite song on the record. But I personally don’t vibe with the “Ye-hay!” bridge and the synths in this song. I felt the compellling description of passionate attraction is best portrayed throughout the other catchy, uplifting songs on the album. Great vocal delivery though!
13. Casual
To be honest, this ranking does not include a bad song to me. Guilty Pleasure is the only one I do not vibe with. But I do admit, this ranking only goes from good to best. Even this second-last song, which I do not listen to that often, is essential and very important. It describes a very unique phenomenon that queer people often go through. Navigating the hookup, dating-app culture, and being so caught up with it, that sometimes, you wind up describing something very intimate and special as casual. Sometimes, we don’t open up ourselves to realizing how special, rare, and unique some interactions are while we date, and Chappell described that so beautifully, ’cause she gives a voice to many of us that have felt we cannot demand more while things remain casual. Chappell is here, telling us: we deserve better, hun, and we should openly talk about it.
12. Picture You
Same as Casual, I do not vibe as much with the production for this song. Yet, the lyrics are also astounding and compelling, and we do not see them much in pop music. They talk about the mystery online dating can cause, and how we can often idealize how a person is going to be before we get to meet them. I think, after living my early twenties during the COVID lockdown, this song is relatable to many of us, specially for the queer community, who often have to hide their dating life and end up quite idealizing people without spending time with them, out of craving for fully living their homosexuality and queerness. It truly is an important song.
11. California
If the album describes a rise and fall, this song for sure is the fall. Not because this is a bad song, but because it depicts failure: it depicts a dreamer who pursued her goals and they didn’t stick. In the lyrics, California is not a place — it is a medal, a prize, a craving that Chappell had not achieved when writing this song. It makes sense that the song is at the end of the album: it’s almost as if the previous songs reflect Chappell’s artistry, and this song describes what the cost of portraying it with no support or initial success was. I believe that, after that rise and fall, we are witnessing a rebirth. This song was about a phoenix on the ashes. But, right now, she’s burning back to life, and setting on a new kind of flight.
10. Naked In Manhattan
Released in 2022, this song was the first preview of how a post-Atlantic Chappell came to be. This song was a first example of how Chappell is capable to release banger after banger, anthem after anthem. And it is probably her most quintessentially American song. Dreaming about high school love in adult life, listening to Lana del Rey, watching Mean Girls, being queer — and naked — in New York, as most LGBT American legends have done so before. Two years ago — a whole lifetime ago to Chappell — , the tone for this new era was set. So glad that it has reached all of our ears. And souls.
9. Femininomenon
Originally the album’s title, this song is quite truly an interesting intro. It is a song on it’s own, but it has quite an interesting structure. It has a Dora-the-Explorer-like bridge, a chorus that flirts into the limits of the spoken-word genre, and an increasingly loud demand to PLAY THE F — BEAT. And it introduces one of the main themes in the album: a rejection towards expecting something from men and relying fully on female power. As it soars through the Billboard and Spotify charts, this is a new kind of teenage angst: a f— you to boy comformity and the anthem to not settle for anything less than the absolute best.
8. After Midnight
A perfect song for getting ready in the morning, or for prepping for a party that will last all night long, It also first introduces another one of the album’s themes: rebelling against what came before you. The starting line is “my mama said nothing good happens when it’s late and you’re dancing alone”. And then, the entire songs talks about why it’s good to think the opposite. It is the perfect song for a free spirit, one that doesn’t want to be tamed and just can’t be. It is what most people in this generation struggle to prove older people. And that is one of the reasons why I think all of us fell in love with this album.
7. Coffee
This song is yet another reason why we fell in love with Chappell Roan: her voice just reaches new heights and new emotions. It shows how devastating can be to fall for someone who you know is only going to be there temporarily. And the church choir outro is truly the pinnacle that shows how sad that situation can be. Once again, she talks about the queer experience in a dating-app age quite like no one had ever done before. For these kinds of songs, I can truly argue she’s the artist of this generation. May someone fight it, but I think it’s easy to rest my case.
6. Hot To Go!
To hear this live must be cathartic. I must admit the casual listener must think the song is a little childish. But I also believe that is precisely the charm of it: it instantly makes you excited for no reason. It gets you on the mood, it loosens your body, it raises your voice to chant: H-O-T-T-O-G-O. And the choreo is genius: easy, memorable, and perfect for tour. I believe the song will be a sign of the times, such as the Harlem Shake in 2013, or the Macarena in the 90s.
5. My Kink Is Karma
What a great revenge anthem. To be honest, Taylor Swift just wished to write songs like these. I mean, this song is the true underdog story: someone who was abandoned at their lowest and just came back, after hard work and determination, to show how great they are doing. And the prechorus is genius, it follows the title’s prompt so neatly. As Chappell’s mentions just how badly her exlover is doing, her voice rises more, as if she’s turned on by her ex’s flaws… as if they are her kink. The song is written brilliantly, and the music’s perfect for a summer sunset, which further adds up to the song’s sexy vibe. To be honest, the song deserves Casual’s streaming numbers, it’s just too good.
4. Red Wine Supernova
Another legacy-cementing song on this record that truly puts the album on a stratospherical level. After so many groundbreaking hits on this ranking, Chappell did it again with this lesbian anthem that I’m sure always turns any concert of hers on. Must be the most mindblowing experience to chant this chorus with thousands of people, honestly. And it’s title is also a sign of genius writing, how intense and joyful it feels to be attracted to someone of your same sex, just as passionate as having many cups of red wine. It is a fantastic song to blast to, and the fact that it is so popular only speaks to how universal and magical is the queer experience.
3. Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl
To be honest, this song is the perfect gay club banger. It is on the lines of Brat, and this song shows how badly Chappell needs to be on a remix! It’s got everything, the spoken word intro that drives anyone crazy whenever it’s played at a gay club, the anthemic chorus that makes anyone strip down their hair and shirts, and, of course, the iconic bridge that I’m sure many drag queens have performed by now. This song is an instant uplifter, and it is the sassiest effort on the album to achieve what Chappell wanted to achieve: to make the girls have fun!
Before I reveal the top contender, I need to make a huge shoutout to the Song of the Year, Good Luck Babe!, and the songs that didn’t make the album cut, but are still great songs, such as Love Me Anyway. Truly, what an artist are we all witnessing rise!
2. Kaleidoscope
This song is poetry. It shows another side of the queer experience that most artists never talk about: unrequited love. It’s piano keys string as the chilling feeling comes in: even though our prospect lover has shown otherwise, they will never love us as we want them to. It is heartbreaking, it is cathartically painful, and it shows us what true love is, because it makes us offer an unconditional friendship, as devastating as it is. This song encapsulates what love truly is in such an unconventional and innovative way. It brings the listener’s feelings to the top, and it is another reason why this album may be one of the best this decade will have to offer.
1. Pink Pony Club
This song is, truly, the essence of the album. I had never heard an artist resonate so much with some feeling many LGBTs out there go through. The rejection many feel from their families just because they want to have fun, put makeup on and dance until the sun rises. For more people than it’s mentioned, this is a deal breaker, it’s a reason to leave home for good and strain a familiar relationship permanently, even to date. And what Chappell chants in this song is a feeling many within the community fight and resist for — even against the law and against violence in some countries. This song is the ultimate hug to the LGBT community, and it’s not an ally voice singing. It is Chappell, a lesbian herself. The song is by us for us. And for that alone, this song and this album are a gift.