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Lily Allen is well and truly back after a couple of years out doing a chat show and shit (or should that be a shit chat show). While she may not have cut it as a TV presenter, in my humble opinion, she’s once again proving she’s a very talented singer and songwriter.
Her new song, the first to be released from the forthcoming album, It’s Not Me, It’s You, is a terrific slice of pop called The Fear. And as usual, Allen isn’t content with merely following the herd and has instead turned the idea of celebrity culture on its head.
Music video and review after the cut.
The Fear is a gorgeous slice of pop punctuated by Lily’s trademark out of the blue swearing. But the swearing fits, being used sparingly to get the real meaning of the song across.
On first listen you may end up thinking this song is Allen talking about how she’d like to be, what she wants to have etc, but a few more listens reveals The Fear to be a piss take on the whole idea of celebrity culture, WAGs, and people who are rich and famous for no real reason.
Lily uses pop culture references well, such as “I look at the sun and I look in the mirror” which are talking about the newspapers rather than the actual sun and mirror. Hopefully, these British references won’t affect Allen’s popularity outside of the UK.
The video fits the song perfectly, which is all I ever really ask of a music video. It begins by showing Allen in a caravan before her dream world kicks in where she lives in a mansion and has butlers running around after her.
The Fear is a great first single to promote the album, showing how Allen has grown as a songwriter and changed her style enough to not be accused of taking the easy route and rehashing the first album.
Song: 8/10
Video: 8/10
[Photo Source: Amazon.co.uk]
