This may sound super strange, but every time I am going through something terrible, Chappell Roan swoops in and drops a single, and all of a sudden my life takes a turn for the better. It could be that my brain takes in her voice as straight dopamine, but these singles will be oddly specific to my life. It’s just a constant occurrence, and lucky for me, last Friday she dropped one that pulled me right out of my funk: the remix of “expectations” with Olivia Rodrigo. This article is a little me exposé, so tread lightly.
2024, we have “Good Luck, Babe”. First of all, the anthem of that summer. Went platinum in my friends’ and my cars on every drive through our small town before we were shipped off to college. But this single dropped RIGHT after my first breakup, which, in all honesty, I was not that torn up about. However, the situationship that followed was just terrible, and that’s when this song came into play. All of a sudden, these lyrics were speaking to my soul as I contemplated whether begging someone to stay was worth it.
In 2025, we have “The Subway”. This single dropped DAYS after my breakup. And get this: my ex was the ONLY person I knew in my small town, and it was the middle of summer. So I felt like, wait, why am I here, surrounded everywhere by memories of what just was. This was also like the heartbreak of the century for me at the time, so I needed something to rejuvenate me. That’s when I realized I might actually be the one who got away. Which I am. And then, all of a sudden, I felt eons better, and it felt like I was being spoken to from the perspective of the other side of my breakup. Also, moving to Saskatchewan was like moving back to Queens for me that year. Which felt like nothing but freedom, love you forever 2025 fall semester.Â
2026 was not as instantaneous. But if anything, it found me when I needed it a little bit more. When I was self-isolating, “expectations” was all of a sudden just there. The morning this dropped, I was in a rancid mood, but then, all of a sudden, I wrote an entire album review in an hour, even though I’d been in writer’s block for 2 months. Now we all say “thank you, Chappell” together. Shameless plug: read my The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess on WSJU writes now! But this song also really is like affirmations for me. Because spoiler: I went through yet another breakup this year too. I know what you’re thinking: am I allergic to being single? Answer: I don’t think so! I mean, it’s been two months strong, the longest I’ve gone since 2023, so I have to take the small wins. But anywho. This song is about raising your expectations and actually expecting better; it’s the perfect way to match my- just broke up with my ex, who is the same ex from 2025 life right now!
I really owe Chappell my left lung and right hand for the way she has pulled me out of every pit and revived me. I do think it’s unbelievable that my whole mood for the past week has been great because one single was dropped when I had been in a weird sad mood for the past three weeks, so maybe some self-reflection is well overdue. But I will get that done on my solo trip to Berlin this weekend, which you guys will be hearing plenty about on next week’s episode of Amanda in Paris- well, I guess Amanda in Berlin.Â