Lily Allen’s new album shows the pain behind the ‘cool girl’ myth – that’s why women are obsessed with it | Gaby Hinsliff

The singer’s lyrics about an open marriage gone sour resonate with many women her age. They’re sick of pretending to be fine with relationships that are notLily Allen was always an enviably cool girl.When she first burst on to the music scene nearly two decades ago at 21, it was with a breezy, don’t-care London swagger. Her songs concealed big, painful feelings under flippant, deadpan lyrics and deceptively sweet melodies, which made them easier to swallow. Even this summer, when she talked on her thrillingly unfiltered podcast Miss Me? about having lost count of exactly how many abortions she’d had, she sang the words to the tune of Frank Sinatra’s My Way.Gaby Hinsliff is a Guardian columnistDo you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...

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