Day 58: Lily Allen – West End Girl
Album cover courtesy of BMG
Great news, everyone: after a seven year hiatus, Lily Allen is back! Well, it’s great news for everyone who is not Lily Allen, because the inspiration behind the new album is the breakdown of her marriage with The Dad From Stranger Things, known to some as David Harbour. But the silver lining to the personal crisis is that we have a comeback album from Lily Allen, and that’s not nothing.
Lily Allen feels like an artist who doesn’t really need an introduction, but that might be because I’m in the UK. She was one of the defining indie pop artists of the early 2000s over here, with massive releases like Alright, Still and It's Not Me, It's You. She’s known for her autobiographical and diaristic songwriting and skills in crafting a solid pop song that blends influences from different genres. Her style of songwriting has impacted the current crop of pop girlies, with artists like PinkPantheress and Olivia Rodrigo citing her as an influence.
Lots to be learned from the album, as the lyrics describe what went down and how she felt about it with in unflinching detail. Primarily, my takeaway is that David Harbour doesn’t seem like a smart man. “If you’re going to be with other women, then please be discreet and only bang them in hotel rooms and for money” doesn’t exactly seem like hard rules to follow.
Also, who did he think he married? She’s a talented musician known for writing acerbic and cutting lyrics about her personal life. If he didn’t stop himself from cheating because it’s not very nice to betray someone who loves and trusts you, a smart person could have thought “she’ll write a record about this and it’ll win awards and I’ll be haunted by this forever.” Sucks to be David Harbour, but considering that it’s a problem that he could have avoided simply by sticking it into a prostitute instead, I’m struggling to muster up sympathy.
Isn’t it sort of the dream to alchemise the pain from betrayal into very good art, all the while telling the world that your ex is a shitbag? Because while listening to the album it does become abundantly clear that David Harbour is a shitbag, but it still doesn’t feel like a mean-spirited and hateful revenge album. It’s more just from the point of view of Lily Allen and how it felt to be betrayed in that way. Songs like “Tennis” and “Pussy Palace” manage to be both funny and emotionally pretty devastating, which is a testament to her songwriting. “Madeline” and “4chan Stan” are probably my favourites of the bunch.
It's incredibly personal and honest, but it doesn’t really feel uncomfortable to listen to, it’s just #relatable. Haven’t we all had an open relationship with a man who then started dating other women even though the rules were that if he’s going to bang someone, at least be a little bit cool about it? No? Well, anyway. Whack him, Lily.
It must have been cathartic to her to make, but it’s also cathartic to listen to. A solid 8.5/10. If you’re going to get screwed over by your crappy partner, the best way to make lemonade out of it seems to be making a banger of an album. Ladies of the world, take note.