[Watch] Lily Allen - "Air Balloon" (Official Video)
I sat on writing this up until the official video came out for Lily Allen's latest single, "Air Balloon", because I was hoping it was going to provide some context, but can anyone out there please explain to me what the actual hell is going on here? Don't get me wrong, the song is insanely catchy, but in terms of depth, this couldn't be more of a polar opposite from her first single, "Hard Out Here". I love absolutely everything about this song until you actually pay attention to what she's singing about. One fo the things I've always appreciated about Allen's music was how quickly one is able to get on board with her. She's typically very straightfoward with what she has to say. However, when I receive the urge to put this song on, I feel uneasy throughout my moment of joyfilled pop bliss. It's like I'm being indoctrinated into some weird cult without my consent. The video (above) is an equally confusing joyride. She goes from aimlessly spinning and singing in a field with butterflies, to pawing on top of a cheetah, to floating around in space? Don't get me wrong, I would love to do all of these things, so maybe I'm just being jealous. I guess it's more that I feel left out because I thought I was on board with her willingness to make such a bold statement with her first single. With no announcement of an album release yet, though, I keep looking from "Hard Out Here", to "Air Ballon, and then to her other recent track on the Girls soundtrack, "L8 CMMR", wondering if she'll make it through this clear experimentational phase unscathed. She's definitely a different woman than she was when her sophmore album, It's Not Me, It's You was released in early 2009, so I'm giving her the benefit of the doubt. Anyway, for now, if you need me, I'll be over here "further researching" this song by playing it 10 times in a row.