Hard Out Here by Lily Allen track review

It's got everybody talking. Some people have called it a stroke of genius and some have called it moronic. Whatever your opinion is, you can't deny that Lily Allen has come back with a bang. This recent comeback single is a satirical song that basically pokes fun at recent pop artists who have released very sexualized  songs, for example: Robin Thicke, Rihanna, Miley Cyrus etc. In a way the song is sort of trying to say that you can't really be a female artist that sells lots of records unless you take your clothes off. Some people may say that this is a bit of an exaggeration, however, some people genuinely believe that this is what's going on in the music industry right now.

Lily Allen mocks Robin Thicke in this new comeback single

Lily Allen certainly is defiantly making an in your face statement on this track and this should be admired. All of the best artists have challenged society and people's opinions during their careers. Some of these artists include: John Lennon, Bob Marley and Rage Against the Machine.

Anyway now on to the track! The song starts out with some quirky off beat piano chords in the verse amongst other things such as a strong rhythm section and "Oooo ooo" backing vocals. Then suddenly, the piece goes all club dance during the pre chorus. There's a soft synth with rising electronic handclaps and then everything cuts out as Lily Allen declares "It's hard out here for a bitch". Auto tuned vocals are used to fantastic effect in the chorus, they seem to suggest that Lily Allen is further mocking recent pop artists seeing as a lot of them use enhanced vocals.

 Lyrically, the song is full of references to how women are perceived in this modern 21st century that is full of social media madness and size zero models. Examples include: "You should probably lose some weight cause we can't see your bones" and "If I told you about my sex life, you'd call me a slut". Some lines are also full of genuine hilarity (in a good way) such as "Have you thought about your butt? Who's gonna tear it in two?" and "Don't need to shake my ass for you cause I've got a brain". Satirical lyrics at there finest.

Overall this track is bold and not afraid. It's controversial, edgy and it has certainly got a lot of people debating. Satirical songs like this that cause a stir are very rare and you probably won't be able find many others. "Hard Out Here" truly is a diamond in the rough. The song being the diamond and the rough being sexualized pop stars. A very interesting track and what's even more interesting is to see where Lily Allen will go from here. Will she continue to start debates or will she take a seat at the back?

OVERALL RATING: 8/10