22 (Lily Allen song)
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"22" is a song by British recording artist
Lily Allen Lily Rose Beatrice Allen (born 2 May 1985) is an English singer-songwriter and actress. She is the daughter of actor Keith Allen and film producer Alison Owen. Her music career began in 2005 when she made some of her vocal recordings public ...
from her second studio album, '' It's Not Me, It's You''. Written by Allen and
Greg Kurstin Gregory Allen Kurstin (born May 14, 1969) is an American record producer, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter. He has won nine Grammy Awards, including Producer of the Year, Non-Classical in 2017 and 2018, and written and produced four songs ...
, the song was released as the fourth international single of the album, but the third in the United Kingdom. It was released to the music market on 24 August 2009 by
Regal Recordings Regal Recordings is a British record label functioning as an imprint of Parlophone, Parlophone Records. Background Regal Records was a British record label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings ...
, though a different version called "22 (Vingt Deux)" was released in France. Contemporary critics were mixed in their reviews of the song, some complimenting the rousing sound and the lyrics, which hide her maturity. The single peaked inside the top twenty of the charts of the
UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
, in Ireland, the Netherlands and Australia, giving the singer her third consecutive top 20 hit in both countries. The accompanying
music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...
portrayed a self-reflection theme, Allen taking a view over her past-self in the mirror and realising her life was wasted on superficial matters. The song was performed live as part of Allen's 2009 concert tour. "22" appears on the international soundtrack to the Brazilian
soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...
''
Viver a Vida ''Viver a Vida'' (literally: Living Life, English title: ''Seize the Day'') is a Brazilian telenovela broadcast by Globo from September 14, 2009 to May 14, 2010. It is written by Manoel Carlos in collaboration with Ângela Chaves, Cláudia Lage, ...
''.


Background and composition

While describing the album, Allen said that "we decided to try and make bigger sounding, more ethereal songs, real songs". She chose "22" as a single from the album, and later declared that, lyrically, the song describes a near thirty-year-old woman realizing she's at the end of her prime. The singer commented on the song's meaning:
It's more about girls that haven't figured out what they want to do with themselves. Especially really pretty girls. They can rely on their looks to an extent: people will pay for their dinners and drinks and they don't really have to think. And then suddenly it hits them that they're not doing anything with their lives and it's too late. And, yes, it's about a specific person. Most of my songs start like that and then become more general.
Musically, the song is set in the
time signature The time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, or measure signature) is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats (pulses) are contained in each measure (bar), and which note va ...
of common time and in the key of
C minor C minor is a minor scale based on C, consisting of the pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. Its key signature consists of three flats. Its relative major is E major and its parallel major is C major. The C natural minor scale is: : Cha ...
, with a
metronome A metronome, from ancient Greek μέτρον (''métron'', "measure") and νομός (nomós, "custom", "melody") is a device that produces an audible click or other sound at a regular interval that can be set by the user, typically in beats pe ...
of 132
beats per minute Beat, beats or beating may refer to: Common uses * Patrol, or beat, a group of personnel assigned to monitor a specific area ** Beat (police), the territory that a police officer patrols ** Gay beat, an area frequented by gay men * Battery ...
. It has a basic sequence of A♭—E♭/G—Fm—G7—F7 as its
chord progression In a musical composition, a chord progression or harmonic progression (informally chord changes, used as a plural) is a succession of chords. Chord progressions are the foundation of harmony in Western musical tradition from the common practice ...
, while piano, synths and percussion are used for the background music, with occasional flourishes from harpsichord and organ. The single distributed in France includes a duet with French singer
Ours One Union of Regional Staff (OURS) was a trade union in the United Kingdom. The union was formed in early 2010 by the merger of the Derbyshire Group Staff Union and the Cheshire Group Staff Union. It organises former Derbyshire Building Soc ...
, called "22 (Vingt Deux)", which is also present on the ''
Paris Live Session ''Paris Live Session'' is an iTunes-only extended play by British singer Lily Allen released on 24 November 2009 by Regal Recordings Regal Recordings is a British record label functioning as an imprint of Parlophone, Parlophone Records. ...
''.


Critical reception

"22" received mixed reviews from music critics. Jody Rosen from ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
'' called the song "rousing" and single-worthy, while
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...
reviewer Stephen Thomas Erlewine states that Allen may feel more mature than her age and rather than directly suggest it, "puts it into the character sketch" of the song. Mayer Nissim of the Digital Spy awarded "22" three stars and wrote that the song projects the life of a "
Bridget Jones Bridget Rose Jones is a fictional character created by British writer Helen Fielding. Jones first appeared in Fielding's '' Bridget Jones's Diary'' column in ''The Independent'' in 1995, which did not carry any byline. Thus, it seemed to be an act ...
-type everywoman" and complimented the lyrics, but went on to say that Allen's "nursery rhyme melodies" are losing originality. Lucy Davies from the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
considered that if, in the singer's opinion, women who are single and approaching thirty are worthless to society, then she could be "an unreconstructed male in a young woman's body". Sal Cinquemani from '' Slant Magazine'' compared the song to Fiona Apple's ''
Extraordinary Machine ''Extraordinary Machine'' is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Fiona Apple, released by Epic Records in the United States on October 4, 2005. Produced by Jon Brion, it was expected to be released in 2003 but was delayed several t ...
'' album. A reviewer from
The Canadian Press The Canadian Press (CP; french: La Presse canadienne, ) is a Canadian national news agency headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. Established in 1917 as a vehicle for the time's Canadian newspapers to exchange news and information, The Canadian Pre ...
viewed the song as "nouveau-feminist ditty", which "swings on finger snaps and circus-sounding organ reminiscent of the Beatles' '' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band''".


Commercial performance

The single debuted at number 79 on the
UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
and peaked at number 14, giving Allen her eighth top 20 hit there. Similar success came in Ireland, where it peaked at number 12 and charted for 10 weeks, becoming her third top 20 hit from ''It's Not Me, It's You'' in that country, as well as in Australia, where it climbed to its highest position at number 12, and was certified gold by the
Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) is a trade association representing the Australian recording industry which was established in the 1970s by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing ...
for selling over 35,000 copies. In mainland Europe, the duet with Ours managed to peak at number 23 in France, while the original version had moderate success made it chart outside the top 40 in Belgium (Flanders) and Germany, and at number 34 in Belgium (Wallonia). For this, the single reached number 43 on '' Billboards
Eurochart Hot 100 Singles The European Hot 100 Singles was compiled by ''Billboard'' and ''Music & Media'' magazine from March 1984 until December 2010. The chart was based on national singles sales charts in 17 European countries: Austria, Belgium (two charts separately ...
. Later peaks include New Zealand at number 28, number 18 on the Dutch Top 40 and lower positions in Austria and Switzerland. The song managed to debut at number 4 in Scotland, but fell 10 places the next week, & 20 more the next.


Music video

The music video was shot in east London on 1 June 2009 and was directed by Jake Scott. The Daily Mirror reported that Allen was wearing a chocolate coloured dress, sporting her new short hairstyle and performing with twenty trained dancers. During filming, a source stated that, "Lily is in fantastic shape and was keen to show off her curves. As with most of her videos, there are quite a few surprises in store. Lily was keen to try different things and is never afraid to poke fun at herself". The video begins with Allen walking into a women's bathroom of a nightclub and joins other women in putting on make-up. While she sings the first verse, she stands out from the rest of the women, by seeming confused and having sloppy hair. As the refrain begins, she puts lipstick on and stares into the mirror, where her former, younger self is doing the same, in form of a reflection. Then, the 'younger' Allen carries forward with the song, as the 'older' one continues to put make-up on. During the second verse, the camera moves to the other persons in the bathroom, who are either vomiting or adjusting their clothes. As the chorus approaches again, all the women from the room gather around the mirror, with Allen in the centre, and join her in singing. The scene suddenly changes, seeing 'young' Allen alone in the same bathroom, this time with a man with whom she dances around the central sink unit, while the bridge to the song is coming to an end. She walks alone to the mirror, singing the final refrain, and sees the 'older' Allen in her reflection. Considering that she could be like that in the future, she leaves the real bathroom scene in disgust.


Track listing

* UK CD Single (Cardsleeve) # "22" — 3:05 # "Not Fair" (Far Too Loud Electro Radio Edit) — 3:20 * UK Promo Single 1 (Cardsleeve) # "22" — 3:09 # "22" (Instrumental) — 3:07 * French CD Single (Cardsleeve) # "22 (Vingt Deux)" (Duet With Ours) — 3:09 # "22" — 3:05 # "Not Fair" (Far Too Loud Electro Radio Edit) — 3:20 * UK Promo Single 2 (Standard Case) # "22" — 3:05 # "Not Fair" (Far Too Loud Electro Radio Edit) — 3:20 * 7" Limited Edition Picture Disc # "22" — 3:05 # "22" (
The Big Pink The Big Pink are an English electronic rock band from London, consisting of multi-instrumentalists Robertson "Robbie" Furze, Akiko Matsuura and Charlie Barker. Initially a duo, they signed to independent record label 4AD in 2009 and won the ...
Remix) — 5:07 * Digital EP # "22" — 3:08 # "22" (
The Big Pink The Big Pink are an English electronic rock band from London, consisting of multi-instrumentalists Robertson "Robbie" Furze, Akiko Matsuura and Charlie Barker. Initially a duo, they signed to independent record label 4AD in 2009 and won the ...
Remix) — 5:09 # "Not Fair" (Far Too Loud Electro Radio Edit) — 3:20 # "22" (Acoustic) — 3:04


Credits and personnel

*Lead
vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...
— Lily Allen *Written by — Lily Allen and
Greg Kurstin Gregory Allen Kurstin (born May 14, 1969) is an American record producer, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter. He has won nine Grammy Awards, including Producer of the Year, Non-Classical in 2017 and 2018, and written and produced four songs ...
*Produced by — Greg Kurstin *
Audio mixing Audio mixing is the process by which multiple sounds are combined into one or more channels. In the process, a source's volume level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated or enhanced. This practical, aesthetic ...
— Greg Kurstin *Recorded by, Keyboards, Bass, Guitar, Programmed by - Greg Kurstin *Art Direction, Commissioning - Dan Sanders


Charts and sales


Charts


End-of-year charts


Sales and certifications


References


External links


"22" lyrics
at Lily Allen's official website. {{DEFAULTSORT:22 (Song) 2009 singles Lily Allen songs Songs with feminist themes Songs written by Greg Kurstin Songs written by Lily Allen Song recordings produced by Greg Kurstin 2009 songs Music videos directed by Jake Scott (director)