"It's Not Me, It's You" is the second studio album by English singer Lily Allen. It was released on February 4, 2009, by Regal Recordings and Parlophone. The album was produced and co-written by Greg Kurstin, who previously worked with Allen on her first album, "Alright, Still" (2006). This album has a different sound compared to its predecessor, which featured ska and reggae. Instead, it includes electropop and jazz elements.

When it was released, critics gave the album positive reviews, praising Allen's honest and direct lyrics and calling the album "wonderful." The album was commercially successful, reaching number one on the charts in the United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada. It was certified triple platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) and sold 1,070,340 copies in the UK alone. It was also certified four times platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for selling over 280,000 copies in Australia. Worldwide, the album has sold more than two million copies.

The lead single, "The Fear," reached number one on the UK Singles Chart and stayed there for four weeks. Other singles from the album include "Not Fair," "Fuck You," "22," and "Who'd Have Known," all of which reached the top five in the UK. The song "Back to the Start" was released as a limited-edition seven-inch vinyl for Record Store Day. To promote the album, Allen appeared on television programs such as Jimmy Kimmel Live! and The Ellen DeGeneres Show. She also toured globally with the "It's Not Me, It's You World Tour," visiting Europe, North America, Asia, Oceania, and South America.

Background

Allen became famous through her Myspace account, where she began sharing sample songs in 2005. Her rising popularity led to a deal with Regal Recordings. Her first single, "Smile," was released in 2006 and reached the top of the UK Singles Chart for two weeks. Her first studio album, Alright, Still (2006), was released soon after. The album sold many copies, earning a triple platinum certification from the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) and a gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The album was considered for Best Alternative Music Album at the 50th Grammy Awards. Later songs, including "LDN," "Littlest Things," and "Alfie," had moderate success on the charts, with "LDN" reaching number six on the UK Singles Chart.

After Alright, Still was released, Allen's parent record company, EMI, was bought by Terra Firma. She also changed her management company from Empire Artist Management to Twenty-First Artists, though her main team stayed the same. Because her record company asked her to, Allen tried to create a new album with many writers and producers but was not successful. She eventually returned to Greg Kurstin, who had written three songs for Alright, Still.

Recording

In April 2008, Allen shared that she would be changing her musical style for her next record. That same month, she uploaded two sample songs to her Myspace page and planned to release a mixtape to show fans what her new sound would be like. A year later, in the April 2009 issue of Teen Vogue, she described the album’s sound as "quite fun" and included many different music styles, such as country, jazz, and electronic. She added, "I wanted to create music that people could dance to and make live performances more exciting for both me and the audience." Allen explained, "We aimed to make bigger, more dreamy-sounding songs. I wanted to work with one person from the start to create a unified collection of music. I hope this album shows how I have grown as a person."

Most of the album was recorded at Eagle Rock Studios in Los Angeles with producer Greg Kurstin, who is part of the band The Bird and the Bee. Allen said about the songwriting process, "Greg creates the chord progressions, and I sing along and add lyrics. Once the basic song is made, we decide how to develop it further." She co-wrote the album’s songs with Kurstin, who also played piano. This was different from her earlier work, where she wrote lyrics after the music was already completed. In May 2008, Allen told The Sunday Mirror that the album was nearly finished. She said, "I have worked very hard. My next album is almost done. I am taking a two-week break before starting a large promotional tour." In August 2008, Allen said the delay in the album’s release was due to her record company, EMI. On September 15, she announced through her Myspace blog that the album would be released on February 9, 2009.

Release

In July 2008, the album's working title was confirmed as Stuck on the Naughty Step. On October 7 at the BMI Awards, Allen announced the title had changed to It's Not Me, It's You because she "lived with [the original title] for too long" and became tired of it. On October 29, Allen announced the album would be released in the United States on February 10, 2009. The track listings were also announced. She described the album's sound as larger and more ethereal. She noted she had grown as a person and believed the album would show integrity. Before the album's release, Allen posted several demos on her Myspace page. The first two were "I Could Say" and "I Don't Know" in April 2008. The second song was later retitled and released as the album's lead single, "The Fear." Based on these early demos, Digital Spy described her new artistic direction as more mature, reflective, and electronic.

A third demo, with the titles "Guess Who Batman" and later "Get with the Brogram," was posted in June 2008. It was finally released as "GWB." Although the working titles shared initials with George W. Bush, Allen wrote that "this song is not a direct attack at anyone. It was originally written about the BNP in the UK, but I felt this issue has become relevant everywhere. We are the youth; we can make coolness for our future. It's up to us. Go green and hate hate." The song was retitled "Fuck You" for the album version.

A fourth song, "Who'd of Known," was posted on Myspace. Allen noted the song had been recorded for the album but would not be included due to legal issues, as the chorus was musically similar to the Take That song "Shine." Later, Take That allowed Allen to include the song on the album, now titled "Who'd Have Known." In October 2008, Allen posted another song titled "Everyone's At It," which was later announced as the album's lead single. However, "The Fear" was chosen instead.

Promotion

Allen promoted her album globally. While on Scott Mills' BBC Radio 1 show, Allen discussed her challenges with the paparazzi and first performed "The Fear" live. Other live performances of the song included Sound on BBC 2 with Nick Grimshaw and Annie Mac, Friday Night with Jonathan Ross, the Orange Unsigned Act, and The Sunday Night Project. In February 2009, Allen appeared on The Today Show with Matt Lauer, where she performed "The Fear" after an interview. That same month, she appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. While singing, DeGeneres gave away free copies of Allen's album, It's Not Me, It's You, to the audience. Allen and DeGeneres later performed a version of Britney Spears' "Womanizer." Allen included "The Fear" in the setlist for her It's Not Me, It's You World Tour, where it was part of the encore. "The Fear" was also performed at the 2010 Brit Awards as the opening song. Allen wore a black corset dress and appeared on a rocket lifted into the air. She was later joined onstage by paratroopers in pink military camouflage and women with Silver Cross prams. Allen performed "The Fear" and "Fuck You" in France on Le Grand Journal de Canal+ and sang "The Fear" on NRJ Radio.

Allen performed "The Fear" and "Not Fair" at Sessions@AOL. She traveled to Australia to promote the album, appearing on the talk show Rove Live, where she performed "The Fear," "Not Fair," and "22." She also performed these songs on Triple J radio. Allen sang "The Fear" on So You Think You Can Dance Australia and performed "The Fear" on Japan's Music Station. She performed "Not Fair" on the UK TV show T4 and was interviewed about the album on The One Show. Allen performed songs from the album and older hits at Radio 1's Big Weekend and at the London nightclub G-A-Y. To further promote the album, Allen toured internationally as part of the It's Not Me, It's You World Tour from 2009 to 2010.

Singles

Allen shared on her official website that "The Fear" was chosen as the lead single. The song first played on radio during The Scott Mills Show on December 1, 2008. The official music video for the song was shown on Channel 4 on December 4, 2008, but it was shared online before the official release date and uploaded to YouTube two hours earlier. The song was officially released on December 8, 2008, and reached the top of the UK Singles Chart for four weeks in a row, becoming Allen's second number-one single in the UK.

The song "Not Fair" was released digitally on March 20, 2009, and as a CD single on May 16, 2009. Before the album's release, DJ Ken Bruce played a shortened version of the song on BBC Radio 2, removing a specific line. The single reached number five on the UK Singles Chart.

The song "Fuck You" was released as the album's third single on May 19, 2009. It was available on the Australian iTunes store on April 22, 2009, in a version that was different from the one on "The Fear" EP and the regular album. The track reached number nine on the Czech Airplay Chart in late December 2008 under the name "Guess Who Batman." It also received airplay on Australian radio stations Nova and Triple J and reached number 90 on the 2008 Triple J Hottest 100 countdown. The song later reached number 23 on the ARIA Singles Chart in Australia and became Allen's third chart entry on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, peaking at number 68.

The song "22" was released as the album's fourth official single on July 14, 2009. On May 31, 2009, Allen announced on her Twitter page that "22" would be the next single after sharing that the music video would be filmed the following day. The video was released on July 11, 2009.

The song "Who'd Have Known" was released as the fifth and final official single (fourth in the United Kingdom) from the album on November 23, 2009. In the United States, it was released on November 13, 2009.

The song "Back to the Start" was released on seven-inch vinyl exclusively for Record Store Day on April 17, 2010, in a limited run of 1,000 copies. The song was sent to radio stations in Australia in late 2009 and reached number 21 on the Australian Airplay Chart in early 2010.

Critical reception

The album It's Not Me, It's You received mostly positive reviews from music critics. On Metacritic, a website that averages scores from major publications, the album earned an average rating of 71 out of 100, based on 32 reviews. Garry Mulholland of The Observer gave the album a perfect score of 5 out of 5, calling it a "wonderful record" and noting that it is "a pop album brave enough to reflect the current era." James Skinner of Drowned in Sound also praised the album, saying that when Lily Allen is performing at her best, she is "the (im)perfect pop star for our times." Clash magazine concluded that Allen "returns triumphantly" and "stays true to what she knows best," adding that she has "enough personal stories to create many more albums." Mikael Wood of Billboard noted that the album is "not as serious as it might seem," thanks to Allen's "sharp lyrics" and the "clever production work" by Greg Kurstin. He also highlighted the track "Him" as an "irresistible tune."

Neil McCormick of The Daily Telegraph praised Allen's more personal songs, saying that when she writes about her own life, her "growing confidence and creativity shine through." He specifically called the song "Who'd Have Known" a "tender portrayal of friendship turning into love," with lyrics that are "meaningful" and a vocal performance that "feels warm and genuine." McCormick also called the lead single "superb," describing it as an "ironic comment on celebrity life" with a "modern, energetic sound."

Charles A. Hohman of PopMatters gave a mixed review, saying that Allen is "enthralling" when she is "irritating," but that her voice is "limited" in some songs. He noted that some tracks "feel like they belong on a previous album" and that she "stumbles" when trying new ideas. However, he praised her lyrics and melodies, calling her more of a "comedian than a deep thinker." Allison Franks of Consequence of Sound wrote that Allen is known for her "upbeat, humorous songs" and that she "tried something new" on this album.

Commercial performance

The album It's Not Me, It's You reached number one on the UK Albums Chart, selling 112,568 copies in its first week. It received a quadruple platinum certification from the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) on November 24, 2023. By June 2018, it had sold 1,070,340 copies in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the album debuted at number five on the Billboard 200, with 70,000 copies sold in its first week. As of November 2013, it had sold 353,000 copies in the US. In Canada, the album reached number one on the Canadian Albums Chart, selling 8,500 units in its first week. It received a gold certification from the Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA) on February 18, 2010, after selling 40,000 units.

In Australia, the album entered the ARIA Albums Chart at number one and remained at the top for three separate weeks. It received a four-time platinum certification from ARIA for selling more than 280,000 copies. In France, the album debuted at number 11 on the French Albums Chart, with 5,953 copies sold. By December 2009, the album had sold over two million copies worldwide.

Track listing

All songs are written by Lily Allen and Greg Kurstin, except for some. Most songs are produced by Kurstin, except for some.

• The song "Who'd Have Known" includes a part of the song "Shine" by Take That.

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of It's Not Me, It's You.

• Lily Allen – sang on all songs; played glockenspiel on track 6
• Greg Kurstin – helped create the music, record it, play keyboards, guitars, bass, and use electronic tools for all songs; mixed tracks 2–6 and 8–12
• Mark "Spike" Stent – mixed tracks 1 and 7
• Matty Green – helped with mixing on track 1
• Joel Avenden – provided extra help with sound engineering on track 7
• Geoff Pesche – handled final sound adjustments
• Serge Leblon – took photographs
• Alex Cowper – designed the artwork
• Dan Sanders – designed the artwork and hired artists for it
• Andy Hillman – designed the set