Now also published in The Sampler.
Early this morning, Lily Allen announced 5 May as the release date of her new album Sheezus, quickly followed by the release of a video for her new single “Our Time”.
Ever since Mean Girls made its theatrical debut, there has been much talk about Girl World and Lily Allen has not been quiet in the discussion. From early MySpace demo “Cheryl Tweedy” to “Friday Night” to “22” and finally the unnecessarily controversial and often misunderstood video for “Hard Out Here”, Lily has exposed the difficulties young women face today with honesty and cheek. New single “Our Time” takes a less pessimistic approach. It celebrates the independence and mischief women enjoy together on a night out. Not to mention the title sounds like a presidential campaign slogan.
The four friends Lily portrays in the video show the extensive appeal of smart pop music and Lily herself: funny, cute, edgy, naughty, and endearing all at once. Female camaraderie plays out before the viewer as the Lilys buzz around London in a black cab, dancing, smoking, laughing, and drinking. Many repostings of the song popped up on YouTube within an hour but Lily clearly released the song with the video for a reason: it enhances and illustrates the song’s meaning. Unlike many recent pop videos which are pure shock value PR stunts, the video captures the fun and carefree nature of a girls’ night. Lily brings new meaning to a cliché when she sings: “We’re gonna party like it’s nobody’s business.” As independent individuals, nothing women do is anybody’s business – including when they’re partying. The video ends with a hilarious pay off. No spoilers but if you have not been that girl, then you’ve not lived.
Despite what the feminists on Tumblr might think, Lily is exactly the woman girls need in pop music right now. The world can only benefit from young women contemplating: What would Sheezus do?
Sheezus is now available to pre-order on iTunes, Amazon MP3, and Lily’s Official Store. All orders come with an instant download of “Our Time”.
Lily will appear on the first Michael McIntyre Chat Show tonight on BBC1 at 10:35pm.
Melodie Akers 