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.
Who Do You Love
Lily Allen Lyrics
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You take her side
Clicks her fingers and
You arrive to see her cry
I've got two of my own kids
I'm a slave to my mortgage
I don't ask you for nothing
Will it always be like this?
And you're struggling to hide it
And I know you've decided
It's not each in your own way
I can tell but you won't say
Who do you love? Who do you love?
Who do you love? Who do you love?
Who do you love?
Who do you love? Who do you love?
Who do you love? Who do you love?
Who do you love?
Who do you love? Who do you love?
Who do you love? Who do you love?
Who do you love?
Who do you love? Who do you love? Who do you love?
Who do you love? Who do you love? Who do you really love?
And she reads like a textbook
I do things in other ways
Never did understand
And when she cries I walk away
She's has younger than my kids
You're a slave for her baggage
And I try but it wears thin
To be nice but I can't win
You're struggling to hide it
And I know you decided
It's not each in your own way
I can tell but you won't say
Who do you love? Who do you love?
Who do you love? Who do you love?
Who do you love?
Who do you love? Who do you love?
Who do you love? Who do you love?
Who do you love?
Who do you love? Who do you love?
Who do you love? Who do you love?
Who do you love?
Who do you love? Who do you love? Who do you love?
Who do you love? Who do you love? Who do you really love?
Mother, mother, mother
I'm in need of your attention
Can we hold a conversation
Where she goes without a mention?
If I make it look easy
You can blame my good intentions
Take a walk in my world
Take a walk in my world
Walk in my world
Who do you love? Who do you love?
Who do you love? Who do you love?
Who do you love?
Who do you love? Who do you love?
Who do you love? Who do you love?
Who do you love?
Who do you love? Who do you love?
Who do you love? Who do you love?
Who do you love?
Who do you love? Who do you love? Who do you love?
Who do you love? Who do you love? Who do you really love?
In Lily Allen's song "Who Do You Love," the singer addresses a partner who always takes the side of someone else, perhaps a former lover or friend. She notes that this person is always available to comfort the other woman, even when she is crying. Meanwhile, Allen has her own children and responsibilities, but doesn't ask for anything in return. She questions whether things will always be this way, highlighting the imbalance in the relationship.
The chorus repeatedly asks the question, "Who do you love?" This emphasizes the fact that the partner seems more invested in the other woman than in Allen herself. The singer senses that something is off and that her partner is struggling to hide feelings for the other woman, but won't admit it directly. The verses continue to describe the differences between the two women, with the other woman seeming to be more textbook and dependent, while Allen does things her own way.
In the bridge, Allen pleads with her partner to focus on her instead of the other woman. She expresses her desire for a conversation where the other woman isn't mentioned and highlights the fact that she has good intentions. Overall, the song is a reflection on the dynamics of a complicated relationship and the frustration that comes with feeling like the lesser priority.
Line by Line Meaning
You know it always feels like
You take her side
Clicks her fingers and
You arrive to see her cry
It seems like you always side with her, and when she snaps her fingers, you come running to see her cry.
I've got two of my own kids
I'm a slave to my mortgage
I don't ask you for nothing
Will it always be like this?
I have my own responsibilities, like taking care of my two children and dealing with my mortgage, and I never ask for help from you. Will this always be the case?
And you're struggling to hide it
And I know you've decided
It's not each in your own way
I can tell but you won't say
You're trying to hide something, and I know you've made a decision that affects both of us, but you won't reveal what it is.
Who do you love? Who do you love?
Who do you love? Who do you love?
Who do you love?
Who do you love? Who do you love?
Who do you love? Who do you love?
Who do you love?
Who do you love? Who do you love?
Who do you love? Who do you love?
Who do you love?
Who do you love? Who do you love? Who do you love?
Who do you love? Who do you love? Who do you really love?
Repeated chorus asking who the person really loves.
And she reads like a textbook
I do things in other ways
Never did understand
And when she cries I walk away
She follows all the rules and is too predictable for me. I operate differently and never quite understood her. When she cries, I can't deal with it and leave.
She's has younger than my kids
You're a slave for her baggage
And I try but it wears thin
To be nice but I can't win
She's younger than my children, and you're always serving her needs. I try to be cordial, but it gets old, and I can't seem to win.
Mother, mother, mother
I'm in need of your attention
Can we hold a conversation
Where she goes without a mention?
Asking for attention from their mother and requesting a conversation where the person they're talking about isn't mentioned.
If I make it look easy
You can blame my good intentions
Take a walk in my world
Take a walk in my world
Walk in my world
If I appear like I'm not bothered by this situation, it's because I have good intentions. If you want to understand where I'm coming from, you should try to see things from my perspective.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BENJAMIN JAMES HENRY JACK GARRETT, LILY ROSE BEATRICE ALLEN, DACOURY DAHI NATCHE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind