Not Fair

“Not Fair” was the third track from British singer Lily Allen and her 2009 album “It’s Not Me, It’s You”. The album complies a very wide range of sounds for different songs, with “Not Fair” taking inspiration from the bluegrass genre as well as country.

“Not Fair” was written by Lily Allen and Greg Kurstin, with Kurstin also in charge of production. The song details a male partner that Allen reluctantly describes as perfect, except for when it comes to intimacy. Allen describes the partner’s selfish sexual actions, claiming them to be “not fair” (hence where the namesake came from). The song was originally met with mixed criticism, with many music critics claiming that the track’s sound was too messy as well as disorganised.

The music video for “Not Fair” was released on Lily Allen’s YouTube channel was released on the 20th March 2009 and was directed by Melina Matsoukas. The video shows Allen on a stage set resembling a farm background, while a producer introduces her to the show. Allen is surrounded by farm animals and sings into an old microphone. As of late August 2020, the video has 83.8 million views and over 435 thousand likes.

Release Date: 19th February 2009

Songwriter/s: Lily Allen & Greg Kurstin

Producer: Greg Kurstin

Label: Regal

Music Video Release Date: 20th March 2009

Music Video Director: Melina Matsoukas

Chart Rankings, Certifications & Accolades: “Not Fair” charted at #3 in Australia, #6 in Austria, #15 and #12 on various charts in Belgium; #1 in the Czech Republic, #34 in Denmark, #12 in Germany, #3 in Ireland, #4 in Italy, #20 in New Zelaand, #26 in Sweden, #6 on Switzerland and #5 in the UK. “Not Fair” is certified Gold in Switzerland and Platinum in both Australia and the UK. In 2008, Triple J radio named the track at #8 on its list of the 100 hottest tracks of 2009.

The lyrics to “Not Fair” can be accessed here: LINK