Lyrically Speaking: What on earth are Wet Leg talking about in ‘Chaise Longue’?
Despite what TikTok might tell you, these days it is harder than ever to become an ‘instant star’. Wet Leg know this more than most. Prior to forming the band, Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers had several bites at the cherry, but when they finally found their niche with their new slippery limbed guise, they burst into the industry with all the subtlety of a police officer’s knock. Now, they’ve been crowned Ivor Novello’s songwriters of the year for their efforts.
And yet, that same songwriting had my uncle Mick wondering what on earth they were talking about, especially when it comes to their trademark tune, ‘Chaise Longue’. Is it simply an endless slew of sexual innuendos? A mere fun assortment of venereal waffle? Or is there some sort of coded point to their acerbic erotic allusions?
In short, no. “It doesn’t really mean anything,” Chambers asserts. In a way, that is a stern point in itself. Nobody is perusing Rolling Stones lyrics saying, ‘Yeah, but aside from fucking women, what does Mick Jagger mean by all this’. So, what we have with ‘Chaise Longue’ is a sexual coming-of-age tale about a woman who went to university and discovered her penchant for procreation. Now, she happily slumbers on a ‘Chaise Longue’, undoubtedly the sexiest of all upholstered furniture, and proudly cracks wise about her carnal cravings.
It is a liberated jaunt into fucking on furniture and not fearing the damnation of your parents, a literal emblem of the patriarchy. Alas, this message is twisted by a sense of quirkiness and that not only highlights the singularity of the band but also proves to be a sign of these weird times. The modus operandi of many post-punk songwriters these days is to be mental. Weird far-flung ideas are constantly being conflated in modern music, and you don’t have to look far to figure out why.
In fact, you only have to look as far as either your pocket or the very object you are currently holding. Social media feeds and groups are essentially a collated assortment of everything and anything under the sun. We are bombarded by a maddening barrage of everything and the wild repetition to lyrics here alongside strange excursions from the theme are an illustration of this whether intended or not.
With our phones providing a constant weird whirlwind, it is hardly surprising that many modern alternative songs can flit about thematically from one line to the next these days. Like a Pinterest board of sex, sexy furniture, the sexual side of feminism, and Mean Girls sex references, Wet Leg managed to create a comic chronicle with ‘Chaise Longue’ that shot them to stardom in sultry, singular style, even if it is also, frankly, quite grating.
As they’ve said in the past, “I think there’s more authenticity if you’re having fun.” They certainly delivered on that promise with this catchy hit.
