Alfie

Album: Alright, Still (2007)
Charted: 15
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Songfacts®:

  • This samples Sandie Shaw's 1960s UK hit "Puppet On A String."
  • This song is a sweetly protective tribute to Lily's younger brother Alfie Owen-Allen in which she tries to persuade him to emerge from his room and stop wasting his life away. She complains that he is spending too much time stuck in his room smoking weed, watching television and playing computer games. It all worked out for Alfie: In 2011, he landed the role of Theon Greyjoy in Game Of Thrones.
  • This was released as a Double A-sided single with "Shame On You."
  • In the video Allen made for this song her brother is played by a Chuckie doll type animation. The real Alfie Allen is an entirely different character from the one portrayed therein; he is a dramatic actor; in January 2008 it was announced that he was to take over the lead in the stage play Equus. On January 15, 2008 he appeared on BBC TV's morning news program where he treated the song with good humor, but there is certainly some sibling rivalry going on here. Earlier he was quoted on his sister in the press saying she was lazy and always had people running around after her. At the time she was pregnant, but he added: "She's at home in bed and everyone is running around after her. Mind you, you have to look after Lily even if she isn't pregnant." >>
    Suggestion credit:
    Alexander Baron - London, England
  • The song's promo was directed by Sarah Chatfield, who wanted do to a Tom and Jerry-like video where the human character is cut off at the waist. Allen was not going to be part of it originally, but she loved Chatfield's idea so much that she did end up appearing in the clip. Chatfield told The Independent March 12, 2010: "A big director once told me you should listen to what a track sounds like – that's the key to the magic idea – and the track sounded to me like a Hanna-Barbera cartoon. I based it on the woman in Tom and Jerry, where you only see her feet."
  • Asked in a 2018 Guardian interview if Alfie resents the way his sister portrayed him in the song, Lily Allen replied: "Er, yes [laughs]. If I wasn't bound by the contract, I could talk about it. There's a family contract that I've agreed to that means I literally can't talk about it."
  • So what does Alfie Allen think of the song? The Game Of Thrones actor told The Guardian that though he enjoyed listening to the tune, he felt it wasn't an accurate portrayal of him and asked that it not be released as a single.

    "When Lily wrote the song, I was in Canada teaching kids how to snowboard. I was getting a snowboarding qualification. I went on Myspace and listened to it, and I was… entertained. It's a song about love, isn't it? She was missing her little bro!

    She was on the rise. She was killing it. I was like: as long as it helps your creative juices flow, then go for it. I just remember asking for it not to be a single – but then obviously record labels don't give a s--t what family members think, do they? So that was that."

Comments: 5

  • Benton Fraser from Toronto, OnHilarious song. I've only heard the radio edited version though. Something tells me a lot of Lily's songs are going to be profanity laced.
  • Theresa from Murfreesboro, TnThe video is hilarious - I wonder how her bro feels about this song?
  • Makaladawn from Gold River, NsI frikkin love this song and i love the puppet...hes my idel!!!!!! and if you dont like it you can suck this dick..---> qp
  • Heather from San Jose, CaThis song is fine, but i really think she has better songs other than this one.
  • Dave from Cardiff, WalesI've just listened to the "Alright Still" album for the first time, this is certainly one of the better songs on the album, like the use of the Puppet on a String sample, goes really well with the song
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