Album Cover Analysis

Lily Allen is an English recording artist who is known for her pop, alternative style music. I have analysed her debut album cover for ‘Alright, Still’ as a starting point for how British artists portray their music in their album covers. Lily Allen’s album cover is the perfect example in demonstrating the incorporation of a British theme into her album cover. This album was released in 2006 by Regal Recordings. The track listing for this album include, ‘Smile’, Knock ‘Em Out’,LDN’, Everything’s Just Wonderful’, ‘Not Big’, ‘Friday Night’, ‘Shame For You’, ‘Littlest Things’, ‘Take What You Take’, Friend of Mine’ and ‘Alfie’. The means of British culture is demonstrated in her songs on this album and especially in her song ‘LDN’ which discusses the topic of London town. The themes of the songs on her album are therefore conveyed on her album cover. 'Alright, Still’ features her in the centre of the composition surrounded by a number of animated graphics and icons related to the British culture. Firstly Lily Allen, in the centre of the composition is riding a Raleigh Chopper. The bike became a unique British icon representing youth which is indeed what Lily Allen represents as an artist. It is important to note that by Lily Allen appearing on a Raleigh Chopper conveys her youth but also her as a part of the British culture. Furthermore Lily Allen is dressed in very casual 'everyday' wear and her style is very much urban with her 'quiffed' black her which therefore makes her more relatable to the British culture and her audience. Her style also represents the style of the time but also her style as an artist which therefore makes her appear more relatable as she is not putting on a fake persona for the album cover and is remaining how she is normally conveyed. In addition she is wearing only gold Jewellery, including large earrings and a long chain necklace. The gold jewellery could have the connotations of authority and therefore emphasises that she is the star providing the great music for the British culture. The pink tights that dangle out of the black cab window is striking to the image despite this being only a small icon on the album cover. It appears that the legs belong to a prostitute who can be interpreted as the slight corrupt behaviour which happens in the British culture and specifically in London. Another British icon that is shown on the CD cover is the British Lion which is perched on top of some speakers. The lion is a popular symbol representing Great Britain and therefore draws the relationship between British culture and Music and in particular her music. Furthermore the significance of the Lion sitting on top of the speakers represents Lily Allen’s music as important to the British culture and also a part of it. All of the icons on Lily Allen’s debut album cover for ‘Alright, Still’ convey the British culture and therefore emphasise her as a popular British recording artist. Finally, the album cover includes writing of her name and the album cover title. The writing is in block capitals and I have interpreted the writing as graffiti like therefore demonstrating another part or even a problem in the British culture which therefore further continues the main theme of her album cover, the British culture.