• Voto:
Il segreto sta sempre nel trovare il giusto di punto di vista.
La ragazzina impertinente (ed anche parecchio sboccacciata), ma irresistibilmente simpatica, che ha scalato le chart inglesi ed ha sfornato il successo dell'estate? La scaltra promotrice di se stessa che dalla sua paginetta su MySpace è arrivata ad essere uno dei personaggi più cliccati (sigh) della rete? La figlia di papà con gli agganci giusti che a 21 anni ha già in tasca il suo bel contratto milionario con la major di turno? Oppure, volendo far tacere il clamore dei media (fanno più danni gli MTV Awards...) e provare a considerare la sostanza, un talento musicale ancora acerbo a cui però non difettano gli ascolti giusti, ne validi punti di riferimento? O addirittura, la vera ed unica rivelazione della scena inglese degli ultimi tempi, in grado di combinare un sorprendente (per la giovane età ) eclettismo musicale con una irriverente ironia, raccogliendo idealmente il testimone da personaggi dal calibro di The Street, al secolo Mike Skinner ?
Lily Allen a ben vedere è un po' di tutto questo, ma, in fondo, tutte queste definizioni sono quantomeno parziali e allora forse Lily Allen è semplicemente una che si è conquistata sul campo il diritto ad essere valutata al di fuori degli stereotipi e dei luoghi comuni (o peggio ancora dei pregiudizi). E se si prova a farlo si dovrà riconoscere che "Alright, Still", suo album d'esordio, supera abbondantemente la prova.
Ciò che sorprende di questo lavoro è la capacità di assimilare le influenze di pop, dub, reggae, ska, hip hop senza farsi sopraffare, conservando la freschezza di una un opera prima piacevolmente ingenua e per nulla pretenziosa. Lily Allen non è Frank Zappa o Beck Hansen, ma nemmeno ci prova. Mette sul piatto quel che ha da offrire e poi prendere o lasciare e amici come prima. Come spesso accade in questi casi il meglio sta altrove rispetto ai singoli da classifica, seppure l'orecchiabilissima "Smile", che ha fatto la gioia dei suoi discografici, suona, nella sua innocuità, comunque un po' diversa dalle cose che siamo abituati a sentire al numero 1 delle chart. Le si perdona volentieri che l'incipit ad effetto ("When you first left me I was wanting more / But you were fucking that girl next door") sa un po' di provocazione pensata a tavolino. Meglio, molto meglio, "Knock 'em out", nel miglior stile dell'hip hop "bianco" manifesto dell'orgoglio femminile (ma per nulla femminista) della Allen, ironico compendio di tecniche per rifilare il due di picche ("And no you can' t have my number, " Why?" Because I' ve lost my phone!").
Ancora meglio le contaminazioni tra dub e sonorità sixties di "Everything's just wonderful", geniale mix di stili idealmente lontanissimi nel tempo, oppure la personale rilettura del genere ska-reggae in "LDN" ancora una volta su testi graffianti ("A fella looking dapper, but he's sittin with a slapper / Then I see it' s a pimp and his crack whore") che stridono con le atmosfere spensierate della musica e della voce della Allen. Più avanti "Little things" è un ballata che riesce finalmente ad essere romantica, dopo tanta perfidia, ben supportata da una struttura R&B e da una bella base di piano. Il disco ha, inevitabilmente, dei punti deboli ed il fatto che siano piazzati quasi tutti verso la fine porta a terminare l'ascolto un po' interdetti. "Take what you Take" è un inutile pezzo convenzionalmente pop e "Alfie" è una filastrocca naif, che davvero non meritava di chiudere quest'album.
E' decisamente un peccato che il successo planetario di questa artista rischi di oscurarne le reali qualità, martellandoci le orecchie con il singolo (o i singoli) del momento finendo per anteporre il personaggio alla musica. Oltre il clamore e il marketing, rimane il semplice fatto che "Alright, Still" non è altro che un debutto di sorprendente qualità, la dimostrazione che le idee ed il talento si esprimono a prescindere delle forme più o meno colte che si scelgono per presentarsi al proprio pubblico.
Elenco tracce testi samples e video
01 Smile (03:17)
When you first left me I was wanting more
But you were fucking that girl next door,
What ya do that for? (What ya do that for?)
When you first left me I didn't know what to say
I've never been on my own that way, just sat by myself all day
I was so lost back then
But with a little help from my friends
I found a light in the tunnel at the end
Now you're calling me up on the phone
So you can have a little whine and a moan
And it's only because you're feeling alone
At first when I see you cry,
Yeah it makes me smile, yeah it makes me smile
At worst I feel bad for a while,
But then I just smile I go ahead and smile
Whenever you see me you say that
You want me back(Want be back)
And I tell you it don't mean jack,(It don't mean jack)
No it don't mean jack(No it don't mean jack)
I couldn't stop laughing,
No I just couldn't help myself
See you messed up my mental health
I was quite unwell
I was so lost back then
But with a little help from my friends
I found a light in the tunnel at the end
Now you're calling me up on the phone
So you can have a little whine and a moan
And it's only because you're feeling alone
At first when I see you cry,
Yeah it makes me smile, yeah it makes me smile
At worst I feel bad for a while,
But then I just smile I go ahead and smile
Lalala...
At first when I see you cry, (When I see you cry)
Yeah, it makes me smile(it makes me smile),
Yeah, it makes me smile(Yeah it makes me smile)
At worst I feel bad for a while, (I feel bad for a while)
But then I just smile (then I just smile)
I go ahead and smile(I go ahead and smile)
Lalala...
At first when I see you cry, (When I see you cry)
Yeah, it makes me smile(it makes me smile),
Yeah, it makes me smile(Yeah it makes me smile)
At worst I feel bad for a while, (I feel bad for a while)
But then I just smile (then I just smile)
I go ahead and smile(I go ahead and smile)
02 Knock 'em Out (02:54)
Alright so this is a song about anyone, it could be anyone.
You're just doing your own thing and someone comes out of the blue,
They're like,
"Alright,
What are ya saying?
Yeah can I take your digits?"
And you're like, "no not in a million years, you're nasty
please leave me alone."
Cut to the pub on a lad's night out,
Man at the bar cos it was his shout,
Clocks this bird and she looked OK,
She caught him looking and walked his way,
"Alright darlin', you gonna buy us a drink then?"
"Err no, but I was thinking about buying one for your friend..."
She's got no taste, hand on his waist, tries to pull away but her lips on his face,
"If you insist I'll have a white wine spritzer"
"Sorry love, but you ain't a pretty picture."
[Chorus]
You can't knock em out, you can't walk away,
Try desperately to think of the politest way to say,
Just get out my face, just leave me alone,
And no you can't have my number,
"Why?"
'Cause I lost my phone.
"Oh yeah, actually yeah um, I'm pregnant, um, yeah I'm having a baby in like 6 months so no, yeah, yeah..."
I recognise this guy's way of thinking,
As he walks over her face starts sinking,
She's like,
"Oh here we go..."
It's a routine check that she already knows,
She's thinking, "They're all the same."
"Yeah you alright baby? You look alright still, yeah what's your name?"
She looks in her bag, takes out a fag, tries to get away from the guy on a blag, can't find a light,
"Here, use mine."
"You see the thing is I just don't have the time."
[Chorus]
Go away now, let me go,
Are you stupid? Or just a little slow?
Go away now, I've made myself clear,
Nah, it's not gonna happen,
Not in a million years.
[Chorus x2]
"Actually I'm getting married next week."
"No, seriously."
"Nah I've gotta go; my house is on fire,
I've got, I've got herpes, err no, syphilis!"
03 LDN (03:11)
Riding through the city on my bike all day
'Cause the filth took away my license
It doesn't get me down and I feel O.K.
'Cause the sights that I'm seeing are priceless
Everything seems to look as it should
But I wonder what goes on behind doors
A fella looking dapper, but he's sitting with a slapper
Then I see it's a pimp and his crack whore
You might laugh, you might frown
Walking 'round London town
Sun is in the sky, oh why, oh why
Would I wanna be anywhere else?
Sun is in the sky, oh why, oh why
Would I wanna be anywhere else?
When you look with your eyes
Everything seems nice
But if you look twice
You can see it's all lies
There was a little old lady who was walking down the road
She was struggling with bags from Tesco
There were people from the city having lunch in the park
I believe that it's called al fresco
When a kid came along to offer a hand
But before she had time to accept it
Hits her over the head, doesn't care if she's dead
'Cause he's got all her jewellery and wallet
You might laugh, you might frown
Walking 'round London town
Sun is in the sky, oh why, oh why
Would I wanna be anywhere else?
Sun is in the sky, oh why, oh why
Would I wanna be anywhere else?
When you look with your eyes
Everything seems nice
But if you look twice
You can see it's all lies
Life, yeah that's city life, yeah that's city life, yeah that's city life
Life, yeah that's city life, yeah that's city life, yeah that's city life
Sun is in the sky, oh why, oh why
Would I wanna be anywhere else?
Sun is in the sky, oh why, oh why
Would I wanna be anywhere else?
Sun is in the sky, oh why, oh why
Would I wanna be anywhere else?
Sun is in the sky, oh why, oh why
Would I wanna be anywhere else?
When you look with your eyes
Everything seems nice
But if you look twice
You can see it's all lies
When you look with your eyes
Everything seems nice
But if you look twice
You can see it's all lies
04 Everything's Just Wonderful (03:29)
Do you think, everything, everyone, is going mental?
It seems to me that it's spiralling outta control and it's inevitable
Now don't you think
This time is yours, this time is mine?
It's temperamental
It seems to me, we're on all fours
Crawling on our knees
Someone help us please
Oh Jesus Christ almighty
Do I feel alright? No not slightly
I wanna get a flat I know I can afford it
It's just the bureaucrats who won't give me a mortgage
It's very funny cos I got your fuckin' money
And I'm never gonna get it just 'cause of my bad credit
Oh well I guess I mustn't grumble
I suppose that's just the way the cookie crumbles.
Oh yes, I'm fine
Everything's just wonderful
I'm having the time of my life
Don't you want something else?
Something new, than what we've got here
And don't you feel it's all the same,
Some sick game and it's not insincere?
I wish I could change the ways of the world
Make it a nice place
Until that day, I guess we stay
Doing what we do
Screwing who we screw
Why can't I sleep at night?
Don't say it's gonna be alright
I wanna be able to eat spaghetti bolognaise
And not feel bad about it for days and days and days
In the magazines they talk about weight loss
If I buy those jeans I can look like Kate Moss
Oh no it's not the life that I chose
But I guess that's the way that things go
Oh yes, I'm fine
Everything's just wonderful
I'm having the time of my life
Oh yes, I'm fine
Everything's just wonderful
I'm having the time of my life
Ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba [etc.]
Oh Jesus Christ almighty
Do I feel alright? No not slightly
I wanna get a flat I know I can afford it
It's just the bureaucrats that won't give me a mortgage
It's very funny cos I got your fuckin' money
And I'm never gonna get it just because of my bad credit
Oh well I guess I mustn't grumble
I suppose that's just the way the cookie crumbles
Well I guess it's just the way that things go
I suppose it's the way the cookie crumbles
Well I guess it's just the way that things go
I suppose that's the way the cookie crumbles
06 Friday Night (03:07)
Ooo ooo ooo ooo ooo ooo
Ooo ooo ooo ooo ooo ooo
Friday night, last orders at the pub
Get in the car and drive to the club
There's a massive crowd outside so we get into the queue
It's quarter past eleven now, we won't get in 'till quarter two
It's quarter two and we get to the front
Girl on a guest list dressed like a %!@#$
She asked security to check inside my shoes
You can play this game with me, but you know you're gonna lose
[Hook]
Looked me up and down
I don't make a sound
There's a lesson that I want you to learn
It's if you're gonna play with fire then you're gonna get burned
[Chorus]
Don't try and test me 'cos you'll get a reaction
Another drink and I'm ready for action
I don't know who you think you are
But making people scared won't get you very far
Ooo ooo ooo ooo ooo ooo ooo ooo
Ooo ooo
In the club, make our way to the bar
Good dancing love, but you should have worn a bra
Guy on the mic and he's making too much noise
There's these girls in the corner want attention from the boys
I see these girls and they're shouting through the crowd
Don't understand why they're being really loud
Make their way over to me and try to push me out the way
I push her back, she looks at me and says, "What you tryn'a say?"
Looked me up and down
I don't make a sound
There's a lesson that I want you to learn
It's if you're gonna play with fire then you're gonna get burned
Don't try and test me 'cos you'll get a reaction
Another drink and I'm ready for action
I don't know who you think you are
But making people scared won't get you very far
Don't try and test me 'cos you'll get a reaction
Another drink and I'm ready for action
I don't know who you think you are
But making people scared won't get you very far
07 Shame for You (04:06)
I've been thinking that you've crossed the line
If you disappear that will be just fine
'Cause you waste my time and waste my money
And you're not too cool and not so funny
Spreading your seed all over the town
Getting too greedy and messing around
Oh my gosh, you must be joking me
If you think that you'll be poking me
Don't take me on, no, no
Don't take me on, no, no
Don't take me on
Shattered the lie but you think I don't already know
Don't try to deny 'cause my fuse is ready to blow
It's your turn to learn, I think that you know where to go
It's a shame, shame, shame, shame for you
Please don't come around and knock on my door
'Cause I don't want to have to pick you up off the floor
When you ask if we can still be lovers
I'll have to introduce my brothers
I think that they could teach you a lesson or two
By the time they've finished you'll be black and blue
You'll be crying like a baby
A sea of tears, they'll call the navy in
Don't take me on, no, no
Don't take me on, no, no
Don't take me on
Shattered the lie but you think I don't already know
Don't try to deny 'cause my fuse is ready to blow
It's your turn to learn, I think that you know where to go
It's a shame, shame, shame, shame for you
Don't take me on, no, no
Don't take me on, no, no
Don't take me on
No no no no no no no
No no no no no no no
Don't take me on, no, no
Don't take me on, no, no
Don't take me on
Shattered the lie but you think I don't already know
Don't try to deny 'cause my fuse is ready to blow
It's your turn to learn, I think that you know where to go
It's a shame, shame, shame, shame for you
Shame, shame, shame, shame for you
...
08 Littlest Things (03:02)
Sometimes I find myself sittin' back and reminiscing
Especially when I have to watch other people kissing
And I remember when you started callin' me your Mrs
All the play fighting, all the flirtatious disses
I tell you sad stories about my childhood
I don't know why I trusted you but I knew that I could
We'd spend the whole weekend lying in our own dirt
I was just so happy in your boxers and your t-shirt
Dreams, dreams
Of when we had just started things
Dreams of you and me
'n it seems, it seems
That I can't shake those memories
I wonder if you have the same dreams too
The littlest things that take me there
I know it sounds lame but its so true
I know it's not right, but it seems unfair
That things are reminding me of you
Sometimes I wish we could just pretend
Even if for only one weekend
So come on, tell me, is this the end?
Drinkin' tea in bed
Watching DVDs
When I discovered all your dirty grotty magazines
You take me out shopping and all we'd buy is trainers
As if we ever needed anything to entertain us
The first time that you introduced me to your friends
And you could tell that I was nervous so you held my hand
When I was feeling down, you made that face you do
There's no one in the world who could replace you
Dreams, dreams
Of when we had just started things
Dreams of me and you
And it seems, it seems
That I can't shake those memories
I wonder if you feel the same way too
The littlest things that take me there
I know it sounds lame but its so true
I know it's not right, but it seems unfair
That things are reminding me of you
Sometimes I wish we could just pretend
Even if for only one weekend
So come on, tell me, is this the end?
10 Friend of Mine (03:58)
I don't want us to have a fight
But in the background I can hear you chatting shite
I hear it every night
And you think you're being really cool
And you've been doing it since we were both at school
Now who looks like a fool?
You're no friend of mine, girl
And I've known it for a while, girl
You're just a waste of time, girl
Why don't you have another line, girl?
Tell me, what did you expect?
Have you got no self-respect?
Reputation to protect?
Soon you'll be a nervous wreck
Tell me, what did you expect?
Have you got no self-respect?
Reputation to protect?
Soon you'll be a nervous wreck
What happened to the good old days?
I was kinda hoping this was all a stupid phase
Who are you anyway?
I know you've heard this all before
I know some people who are calling you a whore
Don't know you any more
You're no friend of mine, girl
And I've known it for a while, girl
You're just a waste of time, girl
Why don't you have another line, girl?
Tell me, what did you expect?
Have you got no self-respect?
Reputation to protect?
Soon you'll be a nervous wreck
Tell me, what did you expect?
Have you got no self-respect?
Reputation to protect?
Soon you'll be a nervous wreck
Tell me, what did you expect?
Have you got no self-respect?
Reputation to protect?
Soon you'll be a nervous wreck
Tell me, what did you expect?
Have you got no self-respect?
Reputation to protect?
Soon you'll be a nervous wreck
11 Alfie (02:45)
Oh deary me
My little brother's in his bedroom smoking weed
I tell him he should get up 'cos it's nearly half past three
He can't be bothered cos he's high on THC
I ask him very nicely if he'd like a cup of tea
I can't even see him 'cos his room is so smoky
Don't understand how one can watch so much TV
My baby brother Alfie how I wish that you could see
I only say it 'cos I care
So please can you stop pulling my hair?
Now, now there's no need to swear
Please don't despair my dear Mon frère
Oh Alfie get up it's a brand new day
I just can't sit back and watch you waste your life away
You need to get a job because the bills need to get paid
Get off your lazy arse, Alfie please use your brain
Surely there's some walls out there that you can go and spray
I'm feeling guiltier for leading you astray
Now how the hell do you ever expect that you'll get laid
When all you do is stay and play in your computer games?
I only say it 'cos I care
So please can you stop pulling my hair?
Now, now there's no need to swear
Please don't despair my dear Mon frère
Oh little brother please refrain from doing that
I'm tryin' to help you out so can you stop being a twat?
It's time that you and I sat down and had a little chat
And look me in the eyes take off that stupid fitted cap
I only say it 'cos I care
So please can you stop pulling my hair?
Now, now there's no need to swear
Please don't despair
Please don't despair
My mon frère
Carico i commenti... con calma
