"The reason being?", I hear you ask. Well, it was an album that not only marked the beginning of Allen’s mainstream singing career, but that also marked a whole new era in British pop — ‘Brit-Brat Pop’.
Although not an official genre, ‘Brit-Brat Pop’ is the name this article is giving to 2000s British pop music that mixes the intent, ambition and sound of 90s Brit-Pop bands such as Blur and Pulp, with the sass, style and rebellious nature of 90s Ladettes such as Denise van Outen.
The way in which this materialises itself in 2000s pop is through semi-spoken, lullaby-esque lyric delivery, in a loud and proud British accent. These tracks also promote British landmarks and landscapes whilst embracing catchy melodies – think Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s ‘Murder On The Dancefloor’ meets Blur’s ‘Parklife’.
The entirety of ‘Alright, Still’ is just that. However, what stands out about Allen is that she is a rebellious wild child, who sings sarcastically about her love of partying in London town, at a time where pop was becoming annoyingly nice – especially in the charts.
If you think back to 2006, the original Britpop and Cool Britannia eras had been and gone. So, apart from the early work of Amy Winehouse, the popular music coming out of Britain was beginning to lose its shine. Girls Aloud were carrying dance-pop on their shoulders, Take That were providing much welcomed nostalgia and the winners (and some losers) of ‘The X Factor’ were the main British acts dominating the UK charts.
Now, in no way is this suggesting that this was necessarily bad music. However, the music coming out of the UK was just not having the same universal impact as it once was. That is until Lily Allen and ‘Alright, Still’ landed.
This album was bold, unapologetic and saw Allen loudly sport her West London dialect. An album full of lyrics that not only often rhymed but that were also badass in spirit. Take the album’s second track, ‘Knock 'Em Out’. This is a song all about a group of sassy young girls avoiding male attention on a typical noughties night out, ultimately threatening to "knock em out".
The main beauty of ‘Alright, Still’ though, is Allen’s ability to take the mundane realities of everyday life and turn them into significantly catchy pop records. Take ‘LDN’, which is all about the glamorous grime of her home city. Lyrics like “Sun is in the sky / oh why, oh why, would I want to be anywhere else” are hilariously sarcastic and again, deadpan.
'Alfie' is all about Allen’s annoyance at her younger brother’s messy, immature nature. ‘Cheryl Tweedy’ is about the pressures on young girls to look like typical pin-ups, using Cheryl as an example – despite this sparking an infamous feud between the pair.
‘Nan You’re a Window Shopper’ parodies 50 Cent’s ‘Window Shopper’, where Allen cheekily mocks her grandmother’s thrifty nature, shopping habits and the obsession she has with her bus pass and bingo halls.
That is what 'Brit-Brat Pop' is – music by sassy Brit girls who sport their natural dialect in a semi-spoken style. Sassy Brit girls who write about their bratty cat fights, chaotic daily lives and the humour found in the everyday.
Allen livened up British popular music and in doing so, created a whole new genre for herself, paving the way for a whole new generation of female artists.
For example, Kate Nash. She hit the mainstream a year after ‘Alright, Still’ with her hit single, ‘Foundations’. This sees Nash embrace her cockney dialect and use a semi-spoken vocal — just like Allen.
Perhaps the most obvious artist Allen paved the way for, though, is Charli XCX. ‘Brat’ was very much an era-defining album that was praised for its use of unapologetic dance beats, its vulgarity and XCX’s use of spoken word poetics. It became a cultural movement in its own right.
The similarities are so clear — they both promote a party girl lifestyle, stick close to the personal and embrace their imperfections just as much as their distinct British accents. Allen really was the first "Brat" of British pop.
Perhaps to a lesser extent, Allen’s influences can be traced into the work of so many British artists – such as Rita Ora, PinkPantheress and even up and coming indie girlbands such as Lime Garden. The 'Brit-Brat' party girl music that Allen pioneered has continued and will continue to dominate British pop.
‘Alright, Still’ might have turned 20, but its impact is still very much present in the charts today. Allen carved out her own style, a new era of British pop that paved the way for other female artists to be bold, unapologetically wild, and camp.
If I was Lily Allen, I wouldn’t wanna be anyone else!
Cory Gourley
Image: ‘Alright, Still’ Official Album Cover