22 (song)
Encyclopedia
"22" is a song by British recording artist Lily Allen
from her second studio album, It's Not Me, It's You. Written by Allen and Greg Kurstin
, the song was released as the fourth international single of the album, but the third in the United Kingdom, after it was decided not to promote "Fuck You
" there. It was released to the music market on 24 August 2009 by Regal 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. However, others considered them to be rather sexist. The single peaked inside the top twenty of the charts of the UK Singles Chart
, in Ireland, the Netherlands and Australia, giving the singer her third consecutive top twenty hit in both countries. The accompanying music video
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" also appears on the international soundtrack to the Brazilian soap opera
Viver a Vida
.
Musically, the song is set in the time signature
of common time and in the key of C minor
, with a metronome
of 132 beats per minute. It has a basic sequence of A♭—E♭/G—Fm—G7—F7 as its chord progression
, as the piano and guitar are used for the background music.
The single distributed in France includes a duet with French singer Ours, called "22 (Vingt Deux)", which is also present on the Paris Live Session
.
called the song "rousing" and single-worthy, while Allmusic reviewer Stephen Thomas Erlewine states that Allen feel more mature than her age and does not directly suggest it, but "puts it into the character sketch" of the song. Mayer Nissim of Digital Spy
awarded "22" three stars and wrote that the song projects the life of a "Bridget Jones
-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
considered that if, in the singer's opinion, women which 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
album. A reviewer from The Canadian Press 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
".
and has a peaked at fourteen, giving Allen her eighth top twenty there. Similar success came in Ireland, where it peaked at twelve and charted for ten weeks, becoming her third top twenty hit from It's Not Me It's You in that country, as well as in Australia, where it climbed to its highest position, twelve, and was certified gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association
for selling over 35,000 copies. In mainland Europe, the duet with Ours managed position twenty-three in France, while the original version had moderate success made it chart outside the top forty in Belgium (Flanders) and Germany, and at thirty-four in Belgium (Wallonia). For this, the single reached forty-three on Billboard
s Eurochart Hot 100 Singles
. Later peaks include New Zealand at twenty-eight, eighteen on the Dutch Top 40
and lower positions in Austria and Switzerland.
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 starts off with Allen walking in the 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 people, 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: "It's sad, but it's true / How society says her life is already over". 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.
|-
!Chart (2009)
!Position
|-
|UK Singles Chart
| style="text-align:center;"|171
|-
|-
! Country
! Certification
! Sales
|-
| Australia
| Gold
| 35,000+
|-
|}
Lily Allen
Lily Rose Beatrice Cooper , better known as Lily Allen, is an English recording artist and fashion designer. She is the daughter of actor and musician Keith Allen and film producer Alison Owen. In her teenage years, her musical tastes evolved from glam rock to alternative...
from her second studio album, It's Not Me, It's You. Written by Allen and Greg Kurstin
Greg Kurstin
Gregory Allen "Greg" Kurstin is an award-winning American songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. In 2009 Kurstin received a Grammy Award nomination for Producer of the Year. That same year he won three Ivor Novello awards for his work with Lily Allen, including Songwriters of the Year for "The Fear"...
, the song was released as the fourth international single of the album, but the third in the United Kingdom, after it was decided not to promote "Fuck You
Fuck You (Lily Allen song)
"Fuck You" is a song by English singer Lily Allen from her second album It's Not Me, It's You...
" there. It was released to the music market on 24 August 2009 by Regal Recordings
Regal Recordings
Regal Recordings is a British record label functioning as an imprint of Parlophone.-Background:Regal Records was a British record label founded in 1914 as a subsidiary of the UK branch of Columbia Records known as Columbia Graphophone Company...
, 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. However, others considered them to be rather sexist. The single peaked inside the top twenty of the charts of the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
, in Ireland, the Netherlands and Australia, giving the singer her third consecutive top twenty hit in both countries. The accompanying music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
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
Lily Allen concert tour (2009)
The It's Not Me, It's You World Tour is the second concert tour by English singer-songwriter Lily Allen in support her second studio album, It's Not Me, It's You...
. "22" also appears on the international soundtrack to the Brazilian soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
Viver a Vida
Viver a Vida
Viver a Vida is a Brazilian telenovela , broadcast by Rede Globo at 9 P.M. It is written by Manoel Carlos in collaboration with Ângela Chaves, Cláudia Lage, Daisy Chaves, Juliana Perez and Maria Carolina. The telenovela is directed by Teresa Lamprey, Frederico Mayrink, Luciano Sabino, Leonardo...
.
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
Time signature
The time signature is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats are in each measure and which note value constitutes one beat....
of common time and in the key of C minor
C minor
C minor is a minor scale based on C, consisting of the pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. The harmonic minor raises the B to B. Changes needed for the melodic and harmonic versions of the scale are written in with naturals and accidentals as necessary.Its key signature consists of three flats...
, with a metronome
Metronome
A metronome is any device that produces regular, metrical ticks — settable in beats per minute. These ticks represent a fixed, regular aural pulse; some metronomes also include synchronized visual motion...
of 132 beats per minute. It has a basic sequence of A♭—E♭/G—Fm—G7—F7 as its chord progression
Chord progression
A chord progression is a series of musical chords, or chord changes that "aims for a definite goal" of establishing a tonality founded on a key, root or tonic chord. In other words, the succession of root relationships...
, as the piano and guitar are used for the background music.
The single distributed in France includes a duet with French singer Ours, called "22 (Vingt Deux)", which is also present on the Paris Live Session
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.-Tracklist:...
.
Critical reception
"22" was met with mixed reviews; Jody Rosen from Rolling StoneRolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
called the song "rousing" and single-worthy, while Allmusic reviewer Stephen Thomas Erlewine states that Allen feel more mature than her age and does not directly suggest it, but "puts it into the character sketch" of the song. Mayer Nissim of Digital Spy
Digital Spy
Digital Spy is a British entertainment and media news website. According to Alexa Internet traffic statistics, as of February 2011, Digital Spy is the 93rd most popular website in the United Kingdom, with an overall Alexa ranking of 2,088....
awarded "22" three stars and wrote that the song projects the life of a "Bridget Jones
Bridget Jones
Bridget Jones is a franchise based on the fictional character with the same name. English writer Helen Fielding started her Bridget Jones's Diary column in The Independent in 1995, chronicling the life of Bridget Jones as a thirtysomething single woman in London as she tries to make sense of life...
-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
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
considered that if, in the singer's opinion, women which 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
Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine is an online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York Film Festival.- History :...
compared the song to Fiona Apple
Fiona Apple
Fiona Apple McAfee Maggart is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. Apple met international acclaim for her 1996 debut album, Tidal, which was a critical and commercial success...
's Extraordinary Machine
Extraordinary Machine
Extraordinary Machine is the third 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 times by the record label without explanation, leading to...
album. A reviewer from The Canadian Press viewed the song as "nouveau-feminist ditty", which "swings on finger snaps and circus-sounding organ reminiscent of the Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is the eighth studio album by the English rock band The Beatles, released on 1 June 1967 on the Parlophone label and produced by George Martin...
".
Commercial performance
The single debuted at seventy-nine on the UK Singles ChartUK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
and has a peaked at fourteen, giving Allen her eighth top twenty there. Similar success came in Ireland, where it peaked at twelve and charted for ten weeks, becoming her third top twenty hit from It's Not Me It's You in that country, as well as in Australia, where it climbed to its highest position, twelve, and was certified gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association
Australian Recording Industry Association
The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956...
for selling over 35,000 copies. In mainland Europe, the duet with Ours managed position twenty-three in France, while the original version had moderate success made it chart outside the top forty in Belgium (Flanders) and Germany, and at thirty-four in Belgium (Wallonia). For this, the single reached forty-three on Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
s Eurochart Hot 100 Singles
Eurochart Hot 100 Singles
The European Hot 100 Singles has been compiled by Billboard and Music & Media magazine since March, 1984. The chart is based on national singles sales charts in 15 European countries: Austria, Belgium , Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden,...
. Later peaks include New Zealand at twenty-eight, eighteen on the Dutch Top 40
Dutch Top 40
The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting...
and lower positions in Austria and Switzerland.
Music video
The music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
was shot in east London on 1 June 2009 and was directed by Jake Scott
Jake Scott (director)
Jake Scott is a British film director who works primarily in the field of music videos. Most of his works were produced under the Ridley Scott Associates banner or RSA's music video subdivision Black Dog Films...
. 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 starts off with Allen walking in the 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 people, by seeming confused and having sloppy hair. As the refrain
Refrain
A refrain is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse; the "chorus" of a song...
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: "It's sad, but it's true / How society says her life is already over". 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
- "22" — 3:05
- "Not Fair" (Far Too Loud Electro Radio Edit) — 3:20
- UK Promo Single
- "22" — 3:05
- "22" (Instrumental) — 3:05
- French CD Single
- "22 (Vingt Deux)" (Duet With Ours) — 3:06
- "22" — 3:05
- "Not Fair" (Far Too Loud Electro Radio Edit) — 3:20
- 7" Limited Edition Picture Disc
- "22" — 3:05
- "22" (The Big PinkThe Big PinkThe Big Pink is an English electro-rock duo comprising multi-instrumentalists Robbie Furze and Milo Cordell. The duo signed to the 4AD label in 2009, and won the prestigious NME Philip Hall Radar Award for best new act...
Remix) — 5:07
- Digital EP
- "22" — 3:08
- "22" (The Big PinkThe Big PinkThe Big Pink is an English electro-rock duo comprising multi-instrumentalists Robbie Furze and Milo Cordell. The duo signed to the 4AD label in 2009, and won the prestigious NME Philip Hall Radar Award for best new act...
Remix) — 5:09 - "Not Fair" (Far Too Loud Electro Radio Edit) — 3:20
- "22" (Acoustic) — 3:04
Credits and personnel
- Lead vocals — Lily Allen
- Written by — Lily Allen and Greg KurstinGreg KurstinGregory Allen "Greg" Kurstin is an award-winning American songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. In 2009 Kurstin received a Grammy Award nomination for Producer of the Year. That same year he won three Ivor Novello awards for his work with Lily Allen, including Songwriters of the Year for "The Fear"...
- Produced by — Greg Kurstin
- Audio mixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
— Greg Kurstin - Recorded by, Keyboards, Bass, Guitar, Programmed by - Greg Kurstin
- Art Direction, Commissioning - Dan Sanders
Charts
| Chart (2009/2010) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
12 |
| Austrian Singles Chart | 54 |
| Belgian Singles Chart Ultratop 50 Ultratop 50 singles, often just Ultratop 50, is the weekly chart of fifty best-selling singles in Flanders, Belgium, and is produced and published by the Ultratop organization. The chart has existed since March 31, 1995... (Flanders) |
43 |
| Belgian Singles Chart Ultratop 40 Ultratop 40 singles, often just Ultratop 40, is the weekly chart of best-selling singles in Wallonia and Brussels Capital Region, the french-speaking parts of Belgium. Its equivalent covering the Flanders region is Ultratop 50. Both charts are produced and published by the Ultratop organization... (Wallonia) |
34 |
| Dutch Top 40 Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting... |
18 |
| Eurochart Hot 100 Singles Eurochart Hot 100 Singles The European Hot 100 Singles has been compiled by Billboard and Music & Media magazine since March, 1984. The chart is based on national singles sales charts in 15 European countries: Austria, Belgium , Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden,... |
43 |
| French Singles Chart Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry... |
23 |
| German Singles Chart Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
85 |
| Irish Singles Chart Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured... |
12 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... |
28 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 71 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
14 |
End-of-year charts
{|class="wikitable sortable"|-
!Chart (2009)
!Position
|-
|UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
| style="text-align:center;"|171
|-
Sales and certifications
{| class="wikitable" border="1"|-
! Country
! Certification
! Sales
|-
| Australia
Australian Recording Industry Association
The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956...
| Gold
| 35,000+
|-
|}
External links
- "22" lyrics at Lily Allen's official website.
- "22" music video on YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
.