Lily Allen released her new album West End Girl on Friday, featuring lyrics inspired by her marriage breakdown with estranged husband David Harbour.
The musician described the songs as “autofiction” in a Tuesday interview with Perfect Magazine. This genre combines autobiography and fiction.
“I’ve tried to document my life in a new city and the events that led me to where I am in my life now. At the same time, I’ve used shared experiences as the basis for songs which try to delve into why we humans behave as we do, so the record is a mixture of fact and fiction.”
Allen clarified that some songs are written “in character” and “could be considered autofiction.”
Marriage Troubles Surface in Multiple Tracks
The title track “West End Girl” features a man doubting Allen’s talent when she’s offered a theater role.
“Pussy Palace” describes discovering a partner’s secret activities. Allen, 40, sings about finding a West Village apartment that was supposed to be a dojo but was actually used for affairs.
“Sex toys, butt plugs, lube inside / Hundreds of Trojans, you’re so fucking broken / How’d I get caught up in your double life?”
She questions whether this person is a “sex addict.”
The track “Madeline” mirrors Dolly Parton’s “Jolene.” Allen’s character confronts a woman she believes her partner is involved with.
“How long has it been going on? Is it just sex or is there emotion? / He told me it would stay in hotel rooms, never be out in the open.”
She continues: “We had an arrangement / Be discreet and don’t be blatant / There had to be payment / It had to be with strangers / But you’re not a stranger, Madeline.”
Open Marriage Revelations
“Dallas Major” addresses feeling trapped in an unwanted open marriage.
“Yes, I’m here for validation and I probably should explain / How my marriage has been open since my husband went astray.”
In “Sleepwalking,” Allen details hurt from extramarital activities: “Course I’m angry, course I’m hurt / Looking back at it’s so absurd.”
She adds: “Who said romance isn’t dead? Been no romance since we wed.”
“Tennis” reveals discovering texts with “Madeline” and becoming suspicious. “I can’t get my head round how you’ve been playing tennis / If it was just sex, I wouldn’t be jealous.”
Additional Relationship Details
“4chan Stan” addresses apparent infidelity directly.
“I think you’re sinking, you’re protecting a lie / And you don’t want her thinking that you’d cheat on your wife.”
“Nonmonogamummy” laments what the relationship could have been: “I changed my immigration status for you to treat me like a stranger.”
“Just Enough” questions whether a partner got someone pregnant: “Did you get someone pregnant? Someone who isn’t me?”
The album closer “Fruityloop” serves as a final goodbye: “It is what it is, you’re a mess, I’m a bitch / Wish I could fix all your shit, but all your s—‘s yours to fix.”
Artist Explains Creative Process
Allen opened up about her marriage’s impact on the album in a Friday interview with British Vogue.
“There are things that are on the record that I experienced within my marriage, but that’s not to say that it’s all gospel. It is inspired by what went on in the relationship.”
She revealed attending a treatment facility following her marriage breakdown.
David Harbour’s representatives did not respond to requests for comment.
Separation Timeline
Multiple sources confirmed to PEOPLE in February that Harbour, 50, and Allen separated after four years of marriage.
The couple first connected in 2019. They married in Las Vegas in September 2020.
A source told PEOPLE that Allen was “devastated and not in a good place” following the split. The separation has “been very hard for her and her girls.”
Allen shares daughters Marnie Rose, 12, and Ethel Mary, 13, with ex-husband Sam Cooper.
West End Girl is available now.
