Her first mainstream single, "Smile", reached number one on the UK Singles Chart in July 2006. Her debut record, Alright, Still, was well received, selling over 2.6 million copies worldwide and brought Allen a nomination at the Grammy Awards, BRIT Awards and MTV Video Music Awards. She began hosting her own talk-show, Lily Allen and Friends, on BBC Three.
Her second studio album, It's Not Me, It's You, saw a genre shift, having more of an electropop feel, rather than the ska and reggae influences of the first one. The album debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart and the Australian ARIA Charts and was well received by critics, noting the singer's musical evolution and maturity. It spawned the hit singles "The Fear" and "Fuck You", popular mostly in Europe. Allen and Amy Winehouse have been credited with starting a process that led to the media-proclaimed "year of the women" in 2009 that saw five female artists making music of "experimentalism and fearlessness" nominated for the Mercury Prize. lilly allen is the sickest to ever do it.
Chinese
Lily Allen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I wonder how long it will take me to get home
I wait for an hour or so at the carousel
I have a cigarette to pass the time
Cause the traffic's hell
I don't want anything more
Than to see your face when you open the door
And we'll get a Chinese and watch TV
Tomorrow we'll take the dog for a walk
And in the afternoon then maybe we'll talk
I'll be exhausted so I'll probably sleep
And we'll get a Chinese and watch TV
You wipe the tears from my eye
And you say that all that it takes is a phone call
I cry at the thought of being alone and then
I wonder how long it will take til I'm home again
I don't want anything more
Than to see your face when you open the door
You'll make me beans on toast and a nice cup of tea
And we'll get a Chinese and watch TV
Tomorrow we'll take the dog for a walk
And in the afternoon then maybe we'll talk
I'll be exhausted so I'll probably sleep
And we'll get a Chinese and watch TV
I know it doesn't seem so fair
But I'll send you a postcard when I get there
I don't want anything more
Than to see your face when you open the door
You'll make me beans on toast and a nice cup of tea
And we'll get a Chinese and watch TV
Tomorrow we'll take the dog for a walk
And in the afternoon then maybe we'll talk
I'll be exhausted so I'll probably sleep
And we'll get a Chinese and watch TV
In the song "Chinese" by Lily Allen, the lyrics depict a longing for home and the comfort of being with loved ones. The song opens with the singer looking down from a plane and wondering how long it will take to get home. She waits at the carousel in the airport and smokes a cigarette to pass the time due to the traffic. She yearns to see her loved one and have some comfort food. She imagines being greeted with beans on toast and a nice cup of tea followed by getting Chinese food and watching TV. She talks about being exhausted after taking the dog for a walk and having a conversation, so they may take a nap and then have Chinese food again while watching TV.
The chorus repeats that she desires nothing more than to be with her loved one, eat comfort food, and watch TV together. The second verse talks about how her loved one assures her that they are just a phone call away if she needs any support, and she cries at the thought of being alone. She thinks about how long it will take her to return home again. The final chorus talks about how it's not fair that she has to leave but that she will send a postcard from her destination.
The song is an ode to the simple pleasures of life and the comfort of being with loved ones. It evokes feelings of homesickness and the desire for the simple things in life. The song's soothing melody and Lily Allen's voice add to the nostalgia the song evokes.
Line by Line Meaning
I see you from the sky
The singer is on a plane and looking forward to seeing their significant other.
And I wonder how long it will take me to get home
The singer is longing to be home and with their significant other.
I wait for an hour or so at the carousel
The singer is waiting for their baggage.
I have a cigarette to pass the time
The artist is smoking a cigarette to kill time.
Cause the traffic's hell
The artist is frustrated with the traffic.
You wipe the tears from my eye
The significant other comforts the singer when they are upset.
And you say that all that it takes is a phone call
The significant other tells the singer that they can always call for comfort.
I cry at the thought of being alone and then
The artist gets emotional at the idea of being without their significant other.
I know it doesn't seem so fair
The artist acknowledges the unfairness of the situation that keeps them apart.
But I'll send you a postcard when I get there
The artist will try to keep in touch while they are away.
I don't want anything more
The singer only wants to be with their significant other.
Than to see your face when you open the door
The artist is excited to see their significant other's face when they greet them.
You'll make me beans on toast and a nice cup of tea
The significant other will make the singer's favorite food and drink for them.
And we'll get a Chinese and watch TV
The singer and their significant other will spend time together and enjoy each other's company.
Tomorrow we'll take the dog for a walk
The singer and their significant other will enjoy a walk with their dog.
And in the afternoon then maybe we'll talk
The artist and their significant other will have time to catch up and talk about life.
I'll be exhausted so I'll probably sleep
The artist may be tired and need to rest.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: LILY ALLEN, GREGORY KURSTIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@golddragon1222
I see you from the sky
And I wonder how long it will take me to get home
I wait for an hour or so at the carousel
I have a cigarette to pass the time
Cause the traffic's hell
I don't want anything more
Than to see your face when you open the door
You'll make me beans on toast and a nice cup of tea
And we'll get a Chinese and watch TV
Tomorrow we'll take the dog for a walk
And in the afternoon then maybe we'll talk
I'll be exhausted so I'll probably sleep
And we'll get a Chinese and watch TV
You wipe the tears from my eye
And you say that all that it takes is a phone call
I cry at the thought of being alone and then
I wonder how long it will take til I'm home again
I don't want anything more
Than to see your face when you open the door
You'll make me beans on toast and a nice cup of tea
And we'll get a Chinese and watch TV
Tomorrow we'll take the dog for a walk
And in the afternoon then maybe we'll talk
I'll be exhausted so I'll probably sleep
And we'll get a Chinese and watch TV
I know it doesn't seem so fair
But I'll send you a postcard when I get there
I don't want anything more
Than to see your face when you open the door
You'll make me beans on toast and a nice cup of tea
And we'll get a Chinese and watch TV
Tomorrow we'll take the dog for a walk
And in the afternoon then maybe we'll talk
I'll be exhausted so I'll probably sleep
And we'll get a Chinese and watch TV
@thearchiveofmylife
2009
No.1 ALBUM:
Lily Allen - It’s Not Me, It’s You
Album at number one and single at number one from Lily when I hit 37 years.
I’d seen Lily perform at the Diana concert a couple of years before. She connected more with my daughter who was almost 12 at the time of that performance.
But there was more of a maturity and also playfulness in Lily’s songs for this second effort.
I loved “The Fear” and found “It’s Not Fair” hilarious.
I never bought this album so, again, it’s a first listen to the album tracks and some of the later released singles.
I’ve picked this one as that was the mindset I was starting to get into in this year.
My daughter (approaching 14) was now at an age that, when she visited, she wanted to see friends rather than hang out with Dad.
I wanted to do the normal stuff with someone. I missed some company, so this year I started on another journey looking for a relationship, and not knowing where it would lead me.
It was a real ‘Careful what you wish for’ moment.
I’d find out by the end of the year that it would take me quite far indeed.
So on one day, I walked out of my flat, crossed the road, boarded a bus which took me to a plane, with a girl, which took us to the other side of the world, her place, where I found she wasn’t the one after all. Still, spending a week with an expat from Essex in her flat in Singapore made me see a part of the world I never would otherwise have seen. And I felt happy once I’d left and came back on a plane which I had almost to myself.
It was good to be back home again with a feeling that I could do anything if I set my mind to it.
And I was free again to be me.
But for a while there, it was definitely the maddest five minutes I’ve had in my life so far.
#mymusicalroadto50
@justaspoonfulofgreen
I was at her concert in Berlin, and she said this song is about how when she was ill as a teenager, she would go back home and her mother would take care of her, and they would watch movies and eat chinese food. And how comfortable that was. I think you feel it through her voice and the sounds. :)
@jeffjeffords4073
Awesome
@animalfinatic9366
yes you can :')
@mirrinshields3011
my sister used to sing this for me before she passed away, miss her..always brings me back to her
@abbyinman9501
:(
@jrdn48
❤
@anxity8985
Awwww R.I.P
@rocioincera1
Oh! So sorry! I lost muy little sis too! She died in my arms :( such a nostalgia!
@zzzmzzz4466
😢❤️
@potatofridges
Every time I listen to Lily's songs after a long time I cry my eyes out. I can barely see my screen rn lmao