Lily Allen burst onto the music scene with her album Alright, Still in 2006. The record had several hits on it including “Smile,” “LDN,” “Littlest Things,” and “Shame for You”/ “Alfie.” The last of which is written about her brother, actor Alfie Allen, who is currently starring on HBO’s Game of Thrones.
The celebrity siblings aren’t the only successful ones in their family. Allen was born to actor Keith Allen and producer Alison Owen, who divorced when she was four.
Allen garnered attention from the music community when she started posting songs to her MySpace in 2005 and had already generated a decent amount of buzz when she released her first album the next year. In 2008, she expanded her resume with the premiere of her talk show Lily Allen and Friends.
Over the years, with her catchy beats and witty lyrics, Allen has become a pop sensation. Since her debut album she has released two more: It’s Not Me, It’s You in 2009 and Sheezus, which just came out this past May.
Good news for Lily Allen fans! The singer is currently set to open for Miley Cyrus on her Bangerz tour this summer between August 1st and 10th.
Don’t fret, if you can’t make it to one of those few shows, you can always catch her on her own tour, which starts July 3rd in Cognac, France.
In honor of the announcement and the upcoming tour, TheCelebrityCafe.com is bringing you the top 10 Lily Allen songs. Have a favorite that didn’t make the list? Let us know in the comments.
image courtesy of INFphoto.com
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10. “Close Your Eyes”
Lily Allen’s confidence is undoubtedly one of the many draws to her music. And yet, there’s something appealing about the vulnerability in the “Close Your Eyes” lyrics; vulnerability does not equal weakness and that she’s sharing that part of herself with her fans is intimate.
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9. “As Long As I Got You”
Who ever thought Lily Allen would go a little bit country? The country twang blends surprisingly well with Allen’s pop style.
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8. “22”
Socially conscious Lily Allen is the best. Here she critiques society’s obsession with fleeting beauty and the pressure put on women to get married.
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7. “Friday Night”
This is without a doubt one of the most fun songs off Alright, Still. It’s another great example of how Allen is really a storyteller; she has you entranced from beginning to end while she tells the tale of a single night out.
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6. “Hard Out Here”
When the music video for this song first came out it sparked major controversy and a lot of legitimate critiques were offered. To be fair, the lyrics do offer a blatant critique of the sexism inherent in the music industry and society at large. Also, the beat is super catchy. We can argue over intent versus reception and consuming problematic media all we want, but hey, you can always listen to the song without watching the video.
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5. “F You”
Lily Allen is not one to take anything sitting down. It’s nice to see that she is not afraid to speak her mind even on controversial political topics.
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4. “Smile”
The contrast between her “La la la’s” and the lyric “At first when I see you cry, it makes me smile,” is golden.
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3. “Littlest Things ”
There is something so bitter-sweet about this one. It’s so simple yet it manages to perfectly capture the longing for what is lost; it’s always the little things that you miss the most.
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2. “The Fear”
Sometimes it’s just nice to know that even pop music stars have their fears and doubts about consumer culture.
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1. “LDN”
This song is a perfect encapsulation of what makes Lily Allen so great. It’s all about perception versus reality, which is Allen in a nutshell. She produces catchy pop tunes and if you listened to the music without the lyrics you’d think, “Oh, how sweet!” But the minute you really listen, you become aware that she is much deeper and darker than she seems at first glance.
Lily Allen - LDN from Ben Moulden on Vimeo.