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At the time of writing I believe it's number one in the charts. A kind of backwards love song, a 21st century antidote to all the mush we were served up in the 70s and 80s.

Lily sings about a failed relationship, how the split really rocked her, how her friends helped her see the light at the end of the tunnel. The song has an overall dark upbeatness about it. It's not about finding a new love or anything 'nice', it's about how she feels good seeing her ex-partner crying now because he regrets his decision to dump her. It's schardenfreude, he screwed up, she's at least partially over him now, and it's quite beautiful.

There's a line in it that jumps out at me. Referring to when she sees him again looking unhappy, she sings:

I couldn't stop laughing
no I just couldn't help myself
see you messed up my mental health
I was quite unwell

And there we have it. The UK's number one pop song slips the words 'mental health' into its lyrics for all to hear on the radio. There has been a bit of a coming-of-age in understanding or appreciating mental wellbeing these past few years and I love seeing that phrase in Lily's song. It gets to the nub.

In 1982 Dionne Warwick sang: "Why did you have to be a heartbreaker" in a touching but overly dramatic fashion. But she - and thousands of others like her - referred to her heart being the thing that was hurt whereas in 2006 Lily is hammering home the reality that relationships ending and the associated anguish start in your head and can make you sick.

When Dionne says heart she really means head anyway. It's a kind of weird romanticising of hurt from split-ups, spurned women and 'that man who will never be mine'. Bleck. Relationships ending can be the cause of a spiral into longer term depression.

What's romantic about not getting up for several days, calling in to work sick, ignoring friends on the phone, not bothering to shower and sitting their playing through every last word you said or your ex said, anyway? Lily's real life approach makes all those old soul singers look kind of dippy as far as I'm concerned.

In the song, Lily gets her revenge. But it's not a great revenge because she's still hurting. And that's real too.

• You can listen to Lily Allen's 'Smile' on