Single Review: Hard Out Here - Lily Allen

Lily Allen has made a highly anticipated come back with new single Hard Out Here. Just days beforehand saw her cover Keane’s Somewhere Only We Know. Allen unveiled the new song online recently without any previous build up or broadcast. Often portrayed as ‘gobby’ in the media, she has spoken out through music about the hottest issues on women in pop. With everything up in the air we all knew we weren’t going to end 2013 without allowing her to have her say. Hard Out Here is exciting, infectious and gives the audience exactly what they want to hear.

Allen’s return has arrived completely at the right time. Recently the media have focused on news covering objectification of women in the music industry and almost anything to do with Miley Cyrus’ latest antics. Allen uses irony not only in the use of lyrics but by adding a touch of auto-tune to compliment the word ‘Bitch’. Lyrics include lines such as, ‘’If I told you ‘bout my sex life you’d call me a slut but when boys be talkin’ ‘bout their bitches no one’s making a fuss.’’ Hard out Here has resulted in having one of the catchiest hooks of the year.

The song is saturated with feminist views about women having control and authority in the music industry, plus how women deal with pressure in a male dominated society. Allen covers topics about women’s roles, expectancies and how they have become viewed as the norm in culture. With this she adds lyrics, ‘’you’re not a size six and you’re not good looking. Well you better be rich, or be real good at cookin’.’’

Lately the video for the song has become a major discussion. Allen uses visuals and sarcasm to mock the recent issue. However she does it skilfully by replicating things you see in videos such as Robin Thicke’s Blurred Lines. His video recently received criticism stating it is offensive and sexist to women. At one point in the video, balloons are formed to read ‘Thicke has a big dick.’ Allen takes this idea as her own but replaces it with the words ‘Lily Allen has a baggy pussy.’ The background shows scantily clad dancers ‘twerking’ in time to the beat. it supports the concepts that some women in the industry are encouraged to be seen as appealing sex symbols but then get nothing except degraded for it. Issues aside Hard Out Here is none other than a welcome return from an artist that, in 2009 confirmed she was quitting music.