 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
It's Not Me, It's You
- By Lily Allen
- Genre: Pop
Common Sense Media says
Excellent singer-songwriter delves into mature topics.
Parents say
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this album is full of smart observations that most young people, particularly girls, will identify with. However, Allen covers some mature topics, especially when it comes to sex. She talks about one-night stands, selfish lovers, and using men for sex.
What's the story?
After making a public blogging plea for fans to buy her album in the hopes of making it to the top of the charts, Lily Allen has achieved her goal. Her second album, IT'S NOT ME, IT'S YOU reached number one in both the US and UK. The album is a collection of a dozen tracks that takes listeners on a slightly serious trip through Allen's musings about love, politics, shopping, religion, and everything in between.
Is it any good?
With lines like "...I'm not a saint, but I'm not a sinner, now everything is cool as long as I'm getting thinner," Lily Allen's clever, irreverent writing takes center stage with her sophomore CD. An appealing mix of edge and vulnerability makes the Brit singer-songwriter sing like that chatty girlfriend who you can always count on for an outlandish remark. "Not Fair" for example, shows what happens when bad sex happens to a good relationship, while "Who'd Have Known," captures the magic of budding love without being overly sweet: "Who'd have known? When you flash up on my phone...There's just the right amount of awkward."
Although most of the songs relate well to the real world, they might be too much for tweens and teens just beginning to come to terms with their own sexuality. The content is more appropriate for college-aged listeners who will probably be able to pick up on the satirical tone and won't take Allen's coy, sometimes controversial ideas to heart.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about how Lily Allen differs from other female pop singers like Britney Spears or Lady GaGa. How does Allen discuss topics of sexuality differently than other pop divas? Do you think Allen rebels against certain pop music conventions or do you think she fits in with what's expected of female singers?
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AGE
Perfection
Although "Not Fair" is super innapropriate, the other songs are great. She really talks about what is happening truthfully, and not singing about tons of relationships and stuff. "22" is about how society glorifies women in their early 20s (Paris Hilton), and "F You" may be a little overdone with the F-bomb, but she is hating on people who hate on others for their sexual orientation or race, so she is telling them off in a good way. "Everyone's at It" says that we can't stop the flow of drugs unless people admit they are on them. Sex is overly sung about on "Not Fair" and "F You" is explicit in terms of language, but Lily is one of the few singers who sings about things in the world and really is fantastic!
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AGE
Lily Allen brings back her talent again
After the hit album "Alright, Still" her new album has a much more fresh taste. It is more mature in not just topics but in vulgarity. Lily Allen is still the bad mouth that made her stand out. The album definitely has some stand out tracks such as "F*** you" and "The fear". I would highly recommend this album if you like Lily Allen's previous work or if you are in the mood for a good album. While the album has explicit content you can purchase it clean. How bad is the content? Mrs. Allen drops the f bomb a total of 14 times (12 were uttered in F*** you), 1 scatological term and 1 mild obscenity. In the song "Not fair" she makes 7 sexual references. For sexual content, Not fair talks about the shame of not having an affair. For violence Allen makes about 2 violent references in The Fear.
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AGE
Clean Versions are Fine For 13+
I am 13 and I listen to Lily Allen songs but the only way my mom lets me listen is if they are the Clean version. I agree with Common Sense, 16+ if they listen to the explicit version but most songs like Littlest Things (which is perfectly clean), Smile, and The Fear are fine. I find Alfie very catchy but it mentions drugs and smoking a lot so that one is a bit iffy. But otherwise, if you listen to the clean versions of her songs it's fine for 13+!!
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AGE
A clever and witty album.
I love this album, she is quite an interesting song writer. She forms a glamour and then shatters it in her music, it usually starts off light and almost calm and then it shatters and goes deep down to the bone.
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AGE
I absolutley love lily allen. she is my favorite artist. she writes her own songs, she speaks her mind, and isnt fake. she is amazing
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AGE
Great album if you're mature enough for it.
This album is awesome! It has great messages about dissing racists and drugs and Allen's a good role model. The only thing, though, is that she loves cussing, particularly the words f--k and sh-t (f--k siad for dramatic effect many times on the song "F--k You") and theres some strong sexual content on Not Fair ("You never made me come", "I spent ages giving head"). That's why I highly reccomend the clean version so that everyone can listen to this great album!
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AGE
Fantastic album, better then the first. Obviously, language is an issue (eg. F--K YOU) and the content is also inappropriate, but she harnesses this to create a catchy tune that has you singing along to her outrageous lyrics. What drives me insane is where music stations change the lyrics to censor out the swear words (eg. F--K YOU). The whole song is inappropriate, so why bother?!
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| Artist: | Lily Allen |
| Release date: | February 9, 2009 |
| Label: | Capitol |
| Genre: | Pop |
| Parental advisory: | Yes |
| Edited version available: | Yes |
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