Um, How Is It Only 10 Days Since 'West End Girl'?!
Lily Allen got more done in 10 days than most of us do in a year. And now we live in a West End World.
Last week, I wrote an ersatz review/analysis of Lily Allen's West End Girl, and I must say, the gravitational interaction between the Sun, Moon, and Earth that incited the viral tidal wave that ensued in the days to follow was a gag for us all to behold.
The sheer velocity of its impact provides solid evidence that we’re out here living life at 2X speed. And all it took was making a genuinely great, unabashedly honest, melodically salient record (and dropping it just before the Stranger Things premiere of her ex/adversary).
I mean, it’s only been 10 days since it first hit our eardrums, and it’s already etched into the annals of pop culture history.
The endless flurry of hot takes written by everyone in every publication imaginable! The in-depth play-by-play lyrical analysis! The Architectural Digest traffic! The admission of the real Madeline! The flurry of memes! The endless barrage of genius Halloween costumes, with Lily herself as the kid book version of Madeline!
Someone should be watching those pink vape sale numbers and closely, I might add.
It was as if Lily stood atop a skyscraper and held up a spire for the zeitgeist to kiss with a spark, anointing her with enough “It Girl” electricity to ignite a multi-pronged cultural discourse that should be studied for years to come.
Given the fact that Allen hasn’t had a record out since 2018, or had a record that charted in the States since 2009, it is decidedly rare that female artists in their 40s without pre-existing industry momentum get to nosedive into our collective consciousness so spectacularly. We have to applaud how she’s made up for lost time, and then some.
Taking an indirect cue from reality TV, pop women like Lily and T. Swift (the master of melodic trash talk catharsis) are Real Housewifing the hell out of their lyrics, enticing us to stream with songs so blatantly confessional, we can’t help but race right out and grab a mug for the piping hot tea. With ‘West End Girl,’ listeners needed no aid in deciphering thinly veiled lyrics to draw their own conclusions about the narrative. It was all laid bare in plain sight, much like a Real Housewives footage replay.
Best of all, this strategy has translated into streams, growing from 4M streams upon release and growing to 8M streams within just a week, gaining remarkable traction. She gained 335,933 new Spotify monthly listeners on 10/28 alone.
It’s not as if hugely problematic digital streaming behemoths like Spotify are known for compensating their artists fairly. According to Billboard, she’s said her feet pix on OnlyFans sell more than her streams. “Imagine being an artist and having nearly 8 million monthly listeners on Spotify but earning more money from having 1000 people subscribe to pictures of your feet,” she once wrote, adding. “Don’t hate the player, hate the game.”
It’s kind of got to suck to be David Harbour right now. If you haven’t yet heard, it’s come to pass that Stranger Things co-star Millie Bobbie Brown reportedly just accused him of harassment and bullying on set. Ey yi yi.
Anyway, many cheers to Lily for demonstrating to us how art made of the muck of real life will ascend over lazy, formulaic pop and scummy AI-generated bullshit every time.
SNL Resurrects with Miles Teller
What a relief. Just as I expressed that I was losing hope in SNL, a decent episode came to pass. It kicked off with the most New York-centric cold open about the upcoming Mayoral election. It was chock full of jokes only natives will fully get, but was executed well enough for everyone to make inferences, connect the dots, and get on board for the chuckle. The Mayoral election in NYC and the Gubernatorial election in New Jersey are a really big deal, so please throw some peaceful, orange-free thoughts our way.
It just goes to show, when things really start to sag, Kenan can be called upon to do some heavy lifting. Ramy Youssef as Zohran Mamdani was a hilarious choice—Kareem from Subway Takes even got a name check. Brandi Carlile, whose soulful vibrato never fails to give me the goosies, performed a few new tunes very blatantly influenced by U2 and Springsteen.
Finally, I’m FCKNG with writing for a new platform called Provoked, and I wrote this piece about how Rocky Horror was a big part of Gen X self-discovery. I acknowledge how problematic it’s become through today’s lens while honoring what it meant through yesterday’s. Take a peek if you feel so inclined.
As we dive into another week that is sure to feel like a month, stay strong, my lovelies. And stay tuned for a candid, rollicking Burning Q’s interview later this week with the prolifically wonderful writer, my pal Mike Albo. Paid subscribers get all the juicy tidbits!
Until then, à bientôt, my sweet hoes!
xx
MF
It also sucks for ex-hubby that Stranger Things is finally coming back and the only thing journalists want to know from him is, "Why...?" LOL
I’ve heard too many stories exactly like Allen’s lately! This album speaks/sings midlife female truth to patriarchy. And it has a narrative arc! Honestly I love it so much and am in awe of how she hit this zeitgeist right on its ugly head.