Alfie (Lily Allen song)

"Alfie" is a song by British recording artist Lily Allen from her debut studio album, Alright, Still. Written by Allen and Greg Kurstin, the song was released as the fourth and final single from the album, on 5 March 2007, by Regal Recordings. In the United Kingdom, it was marketed as a double A-side single, along with "Shame for You". While the melody incorporates a sample of Sandie Shaw's "Puppet on a String", the lyrics directly describe Allen's real life younger brother, Alfie Owen-Allen, criticizing him for his lazy behaviour.

Contemporary critics gave the song mixed reviews, some complimenting the production, while others considered it fell flat as the album's last song. The single peaked inside the top twenty of the charts in New Zealand and on the UK Singles Chart, where it became her third single to do so. The accompanying music video portrayed Allen's brother as a puppet while the storyline follows the lyrical meaning of the song. The song was performed live by Allen during her 2007 concert tour, as part of the encore.

Background

Musically, the song is set in common time and has a metronome of 120 beats per minute. While it is played in the key of C major and has backing piano and guitar sounds, "Alfie" also uses a sample from Sandie Shaw's 1967 Eurovision Song Contest winning song "Puppet on a String"....
Read More