Madeline (Lily Allen song)
| "Madeline" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Lily Allen | ||||
| from the album West End Girl | ||||
| Released | 31 October 2025 | |||
| Genre | Alternative pop | |||
| Length | 2:55 | |||
| Label | BMG | |||
| Songwriters |
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| Producers |
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| Lily Allen singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Madeline" on YouTube | ||||
"Madeline" is a song by English musician Lily Allen. The song was released as the first single from Allen's fifth studio album, West End Girl. The song peaked at No. 16 on the UK singles chart.[1] It is her first official single release since "Trigger Bang" in 2017.
Released as a single on Halloween, Allen dressed for the holiday as Madeline of the eponymous children's media series, following jokes comparing the character and the song's subject.
Composition
"Madeline" is a country-inspired song featuring flamenco-style guitar. In the track, Allen sings about confronting the woman her husband is having an affair with over text, specifically asking whether it is a purely sexual relationship or whether the pair have an emotional connection. The song follows on chronologically from the track "Tennis" on the album, during which Allen finds messages on her husband's phone to Madeline. Allen stated in interviews that Madeline is a fictional character who is a "construct of others".[2]
The song features elements of Neil Diamond's "Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon" (1967), namely the chord structure and sections of vocal melody.[3]
Promotion
Allen performed "Madeline" on an episode of the fifty-first season Saturday Night Live that was hosted by Josh O'Connor and aired on 13 December 2025. American actress Dakota Johnson joined Allen on stage, portraying the character of Madeline during the spoken word sections of the song. Allen also performed album track "Sleepwalking" during the episode.[4]
Credits and personnel
Credits adapted from Tidal.[5]
- Lily Allen – vocals, lyrics, composition, production
- Blue May – lyrics, composition, production, bass, drums, engineering, guitar, piano, programming
- Chrome Sparks – production, drums, engineering, guitar, programming, synthesizer
- Kito – production
- Micah Jasper – production, programming
- Seb Chew – production
- Chaz Eugene Carter – lyrics, composition
- Jeremy Malvin – lyrics, composition
- Violet Skies – lyrics, composition, additional production
- Leon Vynehall – additional production
- Alex Marshall – cello
- Jess cox – cello
- Klara Romac – cello
- Rhian Porter – cello
- Vicky Matthews – cello
- Amy Langley – conducting, strings arranger
- Ben Baptie – engineering
- Joe LaPorta – engineering
- Amy Standford – viola
- Jordan Bergmans – viola
- Polly Wiltshire – viola
- Sarah Chapman – viola
- Blaize Henry – violin
- Ellie Standford – violin
- Gita Langley – violin
- Glezni Roberts – violin
- Honor Watson – violin
- Jessie Murphy – violin
- Kotono Sato – violin
- Martin Lissola – violin
- Paloma Deike – violin
- Sarah Sexton – violin
- Stephanie Benedetti – violin
Charts
Weekly charts
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Monthly charts
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References
- ^ "Charts analysis: Golden returns to singles summit with Kpop Demon Hunters streaming on the rise". www.musicweek.com. Retrieved 2025-10-31.
- ^ Jones, Damian. "'Madeline' from new Lily Allen album comes forward after affair with David Harbour". NME. Retrieved 26 October 2025.
- ^ Brown, Helen. "Lily Allen's compelling new album is like eavesdropping on a gory divorce story". Yahoo. Retrieved 9 December 2025.
- ^ Welsh, Daniel. "Lily Allen Joined By Surprise A-List Guest For Madeline Performance On SNL". HuffPost UK. Retrieved 15 December 2025.
- ^ "Madeline / Lily Allen". Tidal. Retrieved 5 November 2025.
- ^ "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 10 November 2025". The ARIA Report. No. 1862. Australian Recording Industry Association. 10 November 2025. p. 4.
- ^ "Top Radio Hits Estonia Weekly Chart". TopHit. Retrieved 13 December 2025.
- ^ "Official Irish Singles Chart on 7/11/2025 – Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ^ "Hot 40 Singles". Recorded Music NZ. 31 October 2025. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
- ^ "Official Singles Chart on 7/11/2025 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ^ "Official Independent Singles Chart on 31/11/2025 – Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
- ^ "Top Radio Hits Estonia Monthly Chart: December 2025". TopHit. 24 December 2025. Retrieved 28 December 2025.