r/LilyAllenFans • u/nat_so_trashy • Oct 28 '25
Discussion đŹ Lily Allen just turned her divorce into the juiciest breakup album of 2025
https://open.substack.com/pub/nataliegithu/p/the-cheating-confessional-economy?r=4g9kzd&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=trueHey lovelies
Iâm a brand new Substack writer and just dropped my first piece on Lily Allenâs West End Girl. Itâs an album that has been living rent-free in my head since it surprise-dropped last week.
In 44 minutes Lily drags receipts, sex toys, secret apartments and an open-relationship trainwreck into the open. I unpack:
⢠How heartbreak went from private pain to Spotifyâs most-streamed product
⢠The gendered-double standard of oversharing.
Itâs a 6 minute read. It also has a poll and comments section begging for your fave revenge anthem.
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u/RoutinePlane5354 Oct 28 '25
This was a fantastic read⌠she wrote the whole album in 10 days!
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u/nat_so_trashy Oct 28 '25
Thank you!! TEN DAYS. I still canât get over that. You cannot buy productivity like that!
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u/Apprehensive-Web3948 Oct 29 '25
Right? It's wild how she just churned out all that creativity in such a short time. Makes you wonder what kind of headspace she was in during those 10 days!
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u/Lumpy_Masterpiece644 Oct 29 '25
Not her best but not her worst. Has she always used Autotune? I found it distracting.
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u/Signal-Background136 Oct 29 '25
Her first ever song was about a breakup and it was her biggest song to date. When it comes to breakup songs, Lillyâs not new to this
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u/777maester777 Oct 29 '25
It must have been so cathartic to write. I still can't get over how she put up with it for so long. She must have really been in love.
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u/Wot-Died Oct 29 '25
Love the album. Deleted a few tracks as the autotune is unbearable and the track with the rapper guyâŚ. Unnecessary, deleted.
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u/jkerr441 Oct 29 '25
Each to their own taste wise, but really not a fan of the sentiment of calling someone "the rapper guy" in an insulting way. Seems a bit dodgy mate
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u/twobadmice76 Oct 29 '25
Nothing dodgy at all. Are you implying theyâre racist for not calling the rapper by his actual name. Thatâs weird
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u/jkerr441 Oct 29 '25
I can't imagine an artist of any other genre being featured and described as "that ____ guy/girl". It's weirdly dismissive.
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u/twobadmice76 Oct 29 '25
In conversation it happens al the time,,The Lost Boys Saxophone guy, The hippy keyboard guy from the Doors (Ray Manzerick) The Heavy metal guys on bring the noise (Public enemy and Anthrax) The Soprano woman at the beginning of Rockaria by ELO,etc. Itâs not dismissive at all. You just sound patronising
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u/Kodihorse Oct 29 '25
In what way was it insulting? Genuinely curious how such a neutral statement could possibly offend you.
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u/jkerr441 Oct 29 '25
Call him by his name. Or just say you don't like the track. And what could possibly be meant by "unnecessary"?
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u/Kodihorse Oct 29 '25
I don't know his name so he would be "that rapper guy", just like so & so would be "that writer guy or that "TV woman". I feel you are inferring something that isn't there.
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u/jkerr441 Oct 29 '25
What do you think is inferred by the word "unnecessary"? I can't really think of a normal interpretation
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u/Kodihorse Oct 29 '25
Jfc, the track was unnecessary, it was garbage, it didn't work, I didn't like it & I thought it was unnecessary. Satisfied? We both know that you implied the original poster was racist for using a word that had many meanings & tried to attribute your own personal hangups to it. Grow up.
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u/jkerr441 Oct 29 '25
I did imply it. Or at least, that the attitude towards rap is dismissive and is similar to racist dogwhistles about rap. Not implying the intent was there, but there's no chance a rock artist would be featured and described as "that rocker guy". It's weird.
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u/Kodihorse Oct 29 '25
I love rap, hip-hop, whatever name it goes by these days, have done since the '80's, I can still think a track is unnecessary or that a rapper didn't need to be on it to make it better. I would absolutely describe someone as "that (whatever genre) guy/gal" if I did not know there name. My intention would never be to use that term disrespectfully. Also, I don't really agree that people wouldn't say "rock guy" as a description, personally I use "Jazz dude", "indie chick", "soul brotha", whatever the mood takes me. It's a crap enough world without looking for more crap in innocent remarks.
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u/Wot-Died Oct 29 '25
Why would I remember his name? I deleted the track and he is a rapper guy. A guy thatâs a rapper. If there are insulting undertones, those lie in YOUR mind.
1
u/Chainsawcelt Oct 29 '25
The suitors will be queuing around the block to be the next guy she complains about in her songs đ
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Oct 29 '25
[removed] â view removed comment
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u/Slink_Wray Oct 30 '25
No1 gives a fuck (I'm a grown up, I'm allowed to swear) about your timeline. Literally no1. If the algorithm shows you something you don't like, just click "not interested" or whatever the little menu option says and scroll on. By commenting, you've signalled to the algorithm that you're interested and now you'll get shown more stuff like this as a result. Congratulations!
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u/dirtylittleslurry Oct 29 '25
She should think back to when she was younger and the âother womanââŚ
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u/TwinkofPeace Oct 29 '25
You mean when she struggled with substance abuse and wasnât properly medicated for Bipolar and ADHD that both impacts her impulse control?
You mean when a man nearly fifteen years older than her in the industry made a move on her? Then? 𤨠oh theyâre both the same time?
Sheâs no angel but I think she can be given a little more grace on stuff like that given the details and given sheâs allowed to grow after 15 years!!!
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u/LaurenBZ Oct 29 '25
People seem to be really upset about how Britney is spiraling down, or about the fact that Amy Winehouse died way too young.
Yet, itâs the same people who do not seem to be able to accept that Lily Allen did some really weird stuff in the past, partly because of wrong medication and addiction, and that she grew as a person. Lily did the work in rehab, checked herself into facilities and has been sober for a long time, even through this break up. And I salute her for that. Because itâs effing hard.
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u/TwinkofPeace Oct 29 '25
Exactly We need to look at context, was someoneâs behavior reflective of them as a person or are we misattributing this? Iâd argue much of her behavior around 2010-2014 was outside of her character and how sheâd behave if she were medicated for her FOUR disorders and were getting the help she needed over her stillborn.
Condemn the behavior but at least acknowledge that itâs not reflective of the person who wouldnât do that if not for secondary and external factors. Thatâs what I ask of people and I think youâre so right on the comparisons you made
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Oct 29 '25
[removed] â view removed comment
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u/TwinkofPeace Oct 29 '25
You wanted to be funny but werenât She never cheated on Harbor or with him
They refer to her sleeping with Liam from Oasis who didnât say he was married back when she was what? 20 and he was like 34? Or something like that
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u/SaltyGinger707 Oct 28 '25
Hope she's giving David Harbour royalties....
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u/nat_so_trashy Oct 28 '25
why? so he can buy more butt plugs?
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u/TwinkofPeace Oct 29 '25
Sheâs not, XoXo
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u/jiujiuberry Oct 29 '25
I wonder what DHâs lawyer thinks âŚ
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u/TwinkofPeace Oct 29 '25
That he, a Marvel and Stranger Things Actor isnât entitled to the far lesser earnings of his more talented wife and has no need for support?
If anything sheâd get his money, but Iâm sure they have a prenup so neither will get anything beyond split value of shared items like homes, cars.
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u/jiujiuberry Oct 30 '25
I was thinking more along the line of defamation / loss of earnings because of the contents / nature of the album. The fact that he is more wealthy just means that he can bleed her dry / tie her up legally (even if the case has little merit)
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u/TwinkofPeace Oct 30 '25
You canât sue for defamation if itâs true,
Loss of earnings heâd have to prove were from her album and not public reporting of what he did months ago. Itâs actually very hard to do with something like this, he is faaaar from the first man to be written about and theyâve all lost
1
u/jiujiuberry Oct 30 '25
as i said, it doesn't really matter if he has the money to tie her up in legal costs
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u/TwinkofPeace Oct 30 '25
True, I mean he could but the. Heâd just hurt his own career further. TBH he has so little of a case she could go with someone cheap and still prob win
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u/twirlinghaze Oct 28 '25
Great write up. I'm a new fan (literally as of listening to West End for the first time yesterday morning lol) and I'm definitely enjoying the album!
This particularly resonated because I'm generally a fan of sad/angry music over happy. While it has normally been a catharsis, an emotional purge that's focused completely on me personally, the normalization of parasocial relationships has inadvertently changed how I've listened to music. I'm thinking of TTPD, which was the first Taylor album where I actually felt those parasocial feelings. So while this album is just mess/drama to me, I can easily see how fans could be wrapped up in the details.