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The Fear (song)
Encyclopedia
"The Fear" 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 lead single
of the album. Initially, "Everyone's At It" was announced to be the first single; however, it was ultimately decided on "The Fear" to be released on 26 January 2009 by Regal Recordings
, while the demo leaked onto the internet in April 2008. The song incorporates electropop music as the lyrics tackle the problems with celebrity lifestyles and include metaphors for recognized British newspapers, as well as sarcasm.
Contemporary critics complimented the song and its theme of materialism
, although some called it a cliché and an understatement for Allen's past media controversies. The single peaked inside the top twenty of the charts of some European countries and Australia, while staying on the summit of the charts in Allen's native United Kingdom
for four consecutive weeks. It is also the singer's second chart entry in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100
.
The accompanying music video portrayed a fantasy theme, with Allen dancing with giant packed gifts and balloons. It was shot at Wrest Park in Bedfordshire, England and also featured dancers dressed as butlers; the locations were initially in a caravan in a park, and then in a giant colourful mansion, surrounded by contrasting grey clouds. The song was performed live for the first time via The Scott Mills Show on BBC Radio 1
and during Allen's 2009 concert tour
. "The Fear" was awarded with Best Track prize at the 2009 Q Awards
, and also won Allen two Ivor Novello Awards
in 2010, for best song musically and lyrically, and most performed work.
account, along with another song, "I Could Say", in April 2008. The singer declared about the inspiration for the song:
Musically, Allen adopts a more mature electropop groove for the song, which has been described to have "a pulsing, sleekly modern electro dance backing", while coming through a "flood of soft synths" and being "eminently danceable and slightly trancey". It is set in common time
and in the key of F major
and has a metronome
of 136 beats per minute. Allen's voice spans from D flat to B flat. Lyrically, the song is a rant about materialism "sung in the voice of a would-be starlet", and tackles societal consumerism and overnight-fame-hunting. It also makes reference, through the line "I'll look at the sun and I'll look in the mirror", at the daily British tabloid newspapers The Sun
and The Mirror, which often report on Allen.
The synthesiser parts were written by Greg Kurstin using Apple's Logic Studio, using its built-in instruments.
commented on the song, saying it "packs another lyrical punch", while complimenting Allen's vocals. The BBC
interpreted the song, in which Allen " apologises for her avarice, confidently blaming the system", but also complimented the "exquisite" production. Neil McCormick from The Daily Telegraph
suggested that the song confirms that the singer's "pithy observational skills and sweet musicality" remain intact, as she has been a bit bruised by her encounter with 21st century fame. Clash
reporter Natasha Arico concluded that "The Fear" is somewhat trite, though "sickeningly catchy and dance friendly", while Rolling Stone magazine criticised the song for being a "cliché" delivered by Allen "with sneer". James Montgomery of MTV
gave a good review, saying it's a relatively scathing indictment of today's glossy, "celeb-ified culture". Ryan Dombal from Pitchfork Media
described the song to have a "part admission, part brag, part apocalyptic vision" and suggested that "for almost any other artist, the lines would be barbed, sarcastic, and, ultimately, uppity and bland indictments. But not for the loudmouth [Allen]".
Other reviews were also positive; Sal Cinquemani form Slant Magazine
suggested that "The Fear" is proof of the pop singer's self-awareness, but, given her own personal tabloid history, the song possesses a trail of irony: "I'll look at The Sun and I'll look in The Mirror/I'm on the right track, yeah, we're onto a winner." Leah Greenblatt of Entertainment Weekly
liked the song, in which Allen makes fun of her own material-girl ID and went on to say that it is in fact "a tale of two Lilys: the naughty postadolescent in the rearview mirror, and the fully realized female coming around the bend." Chris Buckle from The Skinny gave "The Fear" three stars, commenting that it "is a potent reminder that she’s more than just gobby gossip-fodder", but also disliked a few lyrics, which "in particular [are] a clumsy attempt to inject politics amongst the celeb-woe naval-gazing", while About.com
praised the song for being a "pop masterpiece", Allen's "witty intelligent lyrics" and compared it to Pink
's "Stupid Girls
".
In January 2011 Allen supported a suggestion by the Bishop of Sheffield
that people could listen to the song as part of a lenten Bible study course.
's "Just Dance" from the summit of the chart. Gaga commented on this, saying "I'm very familiar with Lily's music and good job Lily for knocking me off. There always deserves to be a female on top and I don't want to be the only one to do it. I think generally that pop music is making an enormous comeback and I'm actually very pleased with Lily Allen's new record as it's decidedly pop". The song managed to remain on top for four weeks, throughout the whole of February, until it was dethroned by Kelly Clarkson
's "My Life Would Suck Without You
" on 1 March. It thus earned Allen's second UK chart-topper, since her debut single, "Smile
", went to the first position in 2006. On the single's third week stay at number one, its parent album, It's Not Me, It's You topped the UK Albums Chart
, having a chart double, to which Allen said: "It's great being at the top of both charts, especially in the same week as the Brit Awards
are once again celebrating the best of British music." It shared similar success in Australia, where it peaked at number three and stayed eight consecutive weeks in the top ten, and was certified Platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association
. In Ireland, "The Fear" entered at thirty-nine, making a slow rise to number five, where it remained for one week after descending the chart.
The song became a success in Europe, having entered the top twenty of most of its countries, which resulted in a peak of three on the European Hot 100. Also, in New Zealand, Allen scored her fourth top forty with the song placing itself at a peak of fourteen.
In North America, "The Fear" shared moderate success, charting at number eighty on the Billboard Hot 100
, making it Allen's only second entry in the U.S. Despite low positions in the main chart, the single managed to become the singer's first Hot Dance Club Play
number-one single, topping it for one week. In Canada, it debuted at fifty seven in late 2008, afterwards leaving the chart for seven weeks; it returned in 2009, peaking at 33. It was certified Gold by the Canadian Recording Industry Association
for shipments of over 20,000 copies.
The music video
was principally at shot at Wrest Park in Bedfordshire, England and directed by Nez. It premiered in the UK via Channel 4
on 4 December 2008. It starts off with Allen singing from a caravan window, while a clothes line on the right has underwear and a teddybear hanging from it. As she exits, her clothes are revealed to be a smock dress with a big bow and high heels; upon returning through the caravan door, the interior changes to that of a luxurious mansion, in reality an English country estate. The chorus starts and she walks down the hall, surrounded by butlers, all making synchronized moves and starting a choreography with Allen. Afterwards, she climbes the stairs and the camera cuts to the next scene, where she is sitting down in front of the mirror in an extravagant bedroom, with dresses, lamps, toys and cupcakes. The scene changes once again, with Allen walking into a room with giant, brightly coloured presents. They suddenly stand up, having two human legs, and begin to spin around, with the singer joining them. After descending the stairs and walking through the same hall she entered, she exits the estate, and the video takes down a darker, more serious tone, while the verse "Forget about guns and forget ammunition/'Cause I'm killing them all on my own little mission/Now I’m not a saint but I’m not a sinner/Now everything is cool as long as I’m getting thinner" is sung. The euphoric visual effects appear once again soon after, as the chorus takes place. Allen walks down the estate stairs, being surrounded by dancing balloons, hopping butlers and coloured fog. The camera zooms out showing the estate tied in a giant ribbon, but also grey, melancholic clouds, which contrast the cheerful party from before. Allen stated that she hoped the music video would convey parts of the song's sarcasm.
The video reportedly cost £
50,000. During the shoot, the video was documented by MTV
; in the interview, Allen declared:
show hosted by Scott Mills
, Allen talked about her struggles with the paparazzi and also premiered the song by performing it live. Other live performances of the song include the Sound
on BBC 2 with Nick Grimshaw
and Annie Mac
, Friday Night
with Jonathan Ross
, the Orange unsignedAct
, and The Sunday Night Project
.
In February 2009, she was invited at The Today Show with Matt Lauer
, where she performed the song after an interview. The same month, she made an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show
, and while she was singing, DeGeneres freely dispensed copies of It's Not Me, It's You to the audience. Afterwards, both Allen and DeGeneres made a rendition of the song "Womanizer
" by American singer Britney Spears
.
Allen included the song on her 2009 concert tour
setlist, as part of the encore. "The Fear" was also performed at the 2010 BRIT Awards
, as the opening song. Allen arrived on stage sitting on a rocket hoisted in the air, while wearing a black corset dress. She was later joined on stage by paratroopers dressed in pink military camouflage and women with Silver Cross prams.
, and, also, an instrumental version is used as accompanying music by Match of the Day 2
during the review segment showing the goals. "The Fear" was parodied by the character playing Kevin Rudd
on the TV show Double Take
, in which the lyrics are alterated to deal with the voting campaign for Prime Minister
in Australia.
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 lead single
Lead single
A lead single is usually the first single released by a musician or a band before the release of its home album.During the era of the grammophone record, all music arrived in the marketplace as what is now termed a single, one potential hit song backed by an additional song of generally less...
of the album. Initially, "Everyone's At It" was announced to be the first single; however, it was ultimately decided on "The Fear" to be released on 26 January 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...
, while the demo leaked onto the internet in April 2008. The song incorporates electropop music as the lyrics tackle the problems with celebrity lifestyles and include metaphors for recognized British newspapers, as well as sarcasm.
Contemporary critics complimented the song and its theme of materialism
Materialism
In philosophy, the theory of materialism holds that the only thing that exists is matter; that all things are composed of material and all phenomena are the result of material interactions. In other words, matter is the only substance...
, although some called it a cliché and an understatement for Allen's past media controversies. The single peaked inside the top twenty of the charts of some European countries and Australia, while staying on the summit of the charts in Allen's native United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
for four consecutive weeks. It is also the singer's second chart entry in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
.
The accompanying music video portrayed a fantasy theme, with Allen dancing with giant packed gifts and balloons. It was shot at Wrest Park in Bedfordshire, England and also featured dancers dressed as butlers; the locations were initially in a caravan in a park, and then in a giant colourful mansion, surrounded by contrasting grey clouds. The song was performed live for the first time via The Scott Mills Show on BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
and during 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...
. "The Fear" was awarded with Best Track prize at the 2009 Q Awards
Q Awards
The Q Awards are the UK's annual music awards run by the music magazine Q. Since they began in 1990, the Q Awards have become one of Britain's biggest and best publicised music awards, helped in no small part by the often boisterous behavior of the celebrities who attend the event...
, and also won Allen two Ivor Novello Awards
Ivor Novello Awards
The Ivor Novello Awards, named after the Cardiff born entertainer Ivor Novello, are awards for songwriting and composing. They are presented annually in London by the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors and were first introduced in 1955.Nicknamed The Ivors, the awards take place...
in 2010, for best song musically and lyrically, and most performed work.
Background and composition
Initially, the song "Everyone's At It" was announced to be released as the lead single from the album, but it was ultimately decided on "The Fear". While discussing It's Not Me, It's You, Allen stated that her intention was to make "bigger sounding, more ethereal songs, real songs. [...] I think I've grown up a bit as a person and I hope it reflects that." She released a demo version of the song, which was then called "I Don't Know", onto her MySpaceMySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
account, along with another song, "I Could Say", in April 2008. The singer declared about the inspiration for the song:
[I'll] tell you where the inspiration for it came from. I was walking down this street, in this village in the middle of the countryside in the U.K., and there was this little girl who must have been eight or nine, walking down the street with her mum in, like, high-waisted hot pants and a little crop top. And I just thought, 'That's not really right.' And I could tell she was the kind of girl that would be trying out for Pop Idol in five years time, and wants to be famous when she grows up. And there's definitely the whole culture of that where I come from, and it's not necessarily a culture that I think is particularly healthy. But at the same time, I'm very aware that I am a part of that culture — but it's not something that I feel particularly comfortable with.
Musically, Allen adopts a more mature electropop groove for the song, which has been described to have "a pulsing, sleekly modern electro dance backing", while coming through a "flood of soft synths" and being "eminently danceable and slightly trancey". It is set in common time
Common Time
"Common Time" is a science fiction short story written by James Blish. It first appeared in the August 1953 issue of Science Fiction Quarterly and has been reprinted several times: in the 1959 short-story collection Galactic Cluster; in The Testament of Andros ; in The Penguin Science Fiction...
and in the key of F major
F major
F major is a musical major scale based on F, consisting of the pitches F, G, A, B, C, D, and E. Its key signature has one flat . It is by far the oldest key signature with an accidental, predating the others by hundreds of years...
and has 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 136 beats per minute. Allen's voice spans from D flat to B flat. Lyrically, the song is a rant about materialism "sung in the voice of a would-be starlet", and tackles societal consumerism and overnight-fame-hunting. It also makes reference, through the line "I'll look at the sun and I'll look in the mirror", at the daily British tabloid newspapers The Sun
The Sun (newspaper)
The Sun is a daily national tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom and owned by News Corporation. Sister editions are published in Glasgow and Dublin...
and The Mirror, which often report on Allen.
The synthesiser parts were written by Greg Kurstin using Apple's Logic Studio, using its built-in instruments.
Critical reception
Michael Menachem from BillboardBillboard (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...
commented on the song, saying it "packs another lyrical punch", while complimenting Allen's vocals. 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...
interpreted the song, in which Allen " apologises for her avarice, confidently blaming the system", but also complimented the "exquisite" production. Neil McCormick from The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
suggested that the song confirms that the singer's "pithy observational skills and sweet musicality" remain intact, as she has been a bit bruised by her encounter with 21st century fame. Clash
Clash (magazine)
Clash is a popular music and fashion magazine based in the United Kingdom. Its magazine title is published 12 times a year. It has a circulation of around 40,000....
reporter Natasha Arico concluded that "The Fear" is somewhat trite, though "sickeningly catchy and dance friendly", while Rolling Stone magazine criticised the song for being a "cliché" delivered by Allen "with sneer". James Montgomery of MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
gave a good review, saying it's a relatively scathing indictment of today's glossy, "celeb-ified culture". Ryan Dombal from Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
described the song to have a "part admission, part brag, part apocalyptic vision" and suggested that "for almost any other artist, the lines would be barbed, sarcastic, and, ultimately, uppity and bland indictments. But not for the loudmouth [Allen]".
Other reviews were also positive; Sal Cinquemani form 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 :...
suggested that "The Fear" is proof of the pop singer's self-awareness, but, given her own personal tabloid history, the song possesses a trail of irony: "I'll look at The Sun and I'll look in The Mirror/I'm on the right track, yeah, we're onto a winner." Leah Greenblatt of Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
liked the song, in which Allen makes fun of her own material-girl ID and went on to say that it is in fact "a tale of two Lilys: the naughty postadolescent in the rearview mirror, and the fully realized female coming around the bend." Chris Buckle from The Skinny gave "The Fear" three stars, commenting that it "is a potent reminder that she’s more than just gobby gossip-fodder", but also disliked a few lyrics, which "in particular [are] a clumsy attempt to inject politics amongst the celeb-woe naval-gazing", while About.com
About.com
About.com is an online source for original information and advice. It is written in English, and is aimed primarily at North Americans. It is owned by The New York Times Company....
praised the song for being a "pop masterpiece", Allen's "witty intelligent lyrics" and compared it to Pink
Pink (singer)
Alecia Beth Moore , better known by her stage name Pink , is an American singer-songwriter, musician and actress....
's "Stupid Girls
Stupid Girls
"Stupid Girls" is a song by American artist Pink, released as the first single from her 2006 album, I'm Not Dead. The song was written by Billy Mann, Pink, Niklas Olovson and Robin Mortensen Lynch and produced by Billy Mann and MachoPsycho.-Reception:...
".
In January 2011 Allen supported a suggestion by the Bishop of Sheffield
Bishop of Sheffield
The Bishop of Sheffield is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Sheffield in the Province of York.The title was first created as a suffragan see in the Diocese of York in 1901. The only suffragan bishop of Sheffield assisted the Archbishop of York in overseeing the diocese...
that people could listen to the song as part of a lenten Bible study course.
Commercial performance
In the United Kingdom, "The Fear" debuted on the charts at 168, and a week later, on 1 February 2009, the song climbed 167 places to reach number one, thwarting Lady GagaLady GaGa
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta , better known by her stage name Lady Gaga, is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, she primarily studied at the Convent of the Sacred Heart and briefly attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts before withdrawing to...
's "Just Dance" from the summit of the chart. Gaga commented on this, saying "I'm very familiar with Lily's music and good job Lily for knocking me off. There always deserves to be a female on top and I don't want to be the only one to do it. I think generally that pop music is making an enormous comeback and I'm actually very pleased with Lily Allen's new record as it's decidedly pop". The song managed to remain on top for four weeks, throughout the whole of February, until it was dethroned by Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Brianne Clarkson is an American pop rock singer-songwriter and actress. Clarkson came into prominence after becoming the winner of the inaugural season of the television series American Idol in 2002 and would later become the runner-up in the television special World Idol in 2003.In 2003,...
's "My Life Would Suck Without You
My Life Would Suck Without You
"My Life Would Suck Without You" is a song performed by American pop rock singer-songwriter Kelly Clarkson. It is the first single from her fourth studio album, All I Ever Wanted. Dr. Luke and Max Martin, writers of her hit "Since U Been Gone", co-produced and co-wrote the song. Claude Kelly also...
" on 1 March. It thus earned Allen's second UK chart-topper, since her debut single, "Smile
Smile (Lily Allen song)
"Smile" is a song by British recording artist Lily Allen from her debut studio album, Alright, Still. It was written by Allen, Iyiola Babalola and Darren Lewis in 2004, while sampling The Soul Brothers' "Free Soul". The song was released as the lead mainstream single of the album in March 2006...
", went to the first position in 2006. On the single's third week stay at number one, its parent album, It's Not Me, It's You topped the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
, having a chart double, to which Allen said: "It's great being at the top of both charts, especially in the same week as the Brit Awards
Brit Awards
The Brit Awards are the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain" or "Britannia", but subsequently became a backronym for British Record Industry Trust...
are once again celebrating the best of British music." It shared similar success in Australia, where it peaked at number three and stayed eight consecutive weeks in the top ten, and was certified Platinum 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...
. In Ireland, "The Fear" entered at thirty-nine, making a slow rise to number five, where it remained for one week after descending the chart.
The song became a success in Europe, having entered the top twenty of most of its countries, which resulted in a peak of three on the European Hot 100. Also, in New Zealand, Allen scored her fourth top forty with the song placing itself at a peak of fourteen.
In North America, "The Fear" shared moderate success, charting at number eighty on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, making it Allen's only second entry in the U.S. Despite low positions in the main chart, the single managed to become the singer's first Hot Dance Club Play
Hot Dance Club Play
The Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs...
number-one single, topping it for one week. In Canada, it debuted at fifty seven in late 2008, afterwards leaving the chart for seven weeks; it returned in 2009, peaking at 33. It was certified Gold by the Canadian Recording Industry Association
Canadian Recording Industry Association
Music Canada is a Toronto-based, non-profit trade organization that was founded 9 April 1963 to represent the interests of companies that record, artists, manufacture, production, promotion and distribution of music in Canada...
for shipments of over 20,000 copies.
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...
was principally at shot at Wrest Park in Bedfordshire, England and directed by Nez. It premiered in the UK via Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
on 4 December 2008. It starts off with Allen singing from a caravan window, while a clothes line on the right has underwear and a teddybear hanging from it. As she exits, her clothes are revealed to be a smock dress with a big bow and high heels; upon returning through the caravan door, the interior changes to that of a luxurious mansion, in reality an English country estate. The chorus starts and she walks down the hall, surrounded by butlers, all making synchronized moves and starting a choreography with Allen. Afterwards, she climbes the stairs and the camera cuts to the next scene, where she is sitting down in front of the mirror in an extravagant bedroom, with dresses, lamps, toys and cupcakes. The scene changes once again, with Allen walking into a room with giant, brightly coloured presents. They suddenly stand up, having two human legs, and begin to spin around, with the singer joining them. After descending the stairs and walking through the same hall she entered, she exits the estate, and the video takes down a darker, more serious tone, while the verse "Forget about guns and forget ammunition/'Cause I'm killing them all on my own little mission/Now I’m not a saint but I’m not a sinner/Now everything is cool as long as I’m getting thinner" is sung. The euphoric visual effects appear once again soon after, as the chorus takes place. Allen walks down the estate stairs, being surrounded by dancing balloons, hopping butlers and coloured fog. The camera zooms out showing the estate tied in a giant ribbon, but also grey, melancholic clouds, which contrast the cheerful party from before. Allen stated that she hoped the music video would convey parts of the song's sarcasm.
The video reportedly cost £
Pound sign
The pound sign is the symbol for the pound sterling—the currency of the United Kingdom . The same symbol is used for similarly named currencies in some other countries and territories, such as the Irish pound, Gibraltar pound, Australian pound and the Italian lira...
50,000. During the shoot, the video was documented by MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
; in the interview, Allen declared:
I wanted to do a dance routine, even though I'm not really doing a dance routine, other people are doing it, but I'm part of it. I think people are quite used to girls in this industry really being able to move in front of the camera, but I'm just rubbish at that kind of thing.
I find it quite nerve-racking performing, actually. Because when you write songs, you don't really think about performing in a video. I think it's quite fun. Lots of colour and dancing, and it's about doing something that's in keeping with the song, actually.
Live performances
While being invited to the BBCBBC
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...
show hosted by Scott Mills
Scott Mills
Scott Robert Mills is a British radio DJ, television presenter and occasional actor, best known for presenting The Scott Mills Show on BBC Radio 1...
, Allen talked about her struggles with the paparazzi and also premiered the song by performing it live. Other live performances of the song include the Sound
Sound (BBC TV series)
Sound was a weekly music, entertainment and chat show that broadcasted on BBC2 as part of the BBC Switch teen strand. It was presented by BBC Radio 1 DJs Annie Mac and Nick Grimshaw....
on BBC 2 with Nick Grimshaw
Nick Grimshaw
Nicholas Peter "Nick" Grimshaw is a British television and radio presenter. Commonly known as 'Grimmy', he has presented shows for Channel 4, E4, BBC One, BBC Two and Channel 4 youth strand T4...
and Annie Mac
Annie Mac
Annie Mac is an Irish DJ and television presenter who hosts an eponymous electronic dance music show on BBC Radio 1 in the United Kingdom which airs at 7:00 pm on Friday evenings as well as a Sunday evening show alongside co-presenter Nick Grimshaw.-Personal life:Annie Mac was born in Dublin,...
, Friday Night
Friday Night with Jonathan Ross
Friday Night with Jonathan Ross was a British comedy chat show presented by Jonathan Ross. It was first broadcast on BBC One on 2 November 2001. The programme featured Ross's take on current topics of conversation, guest interviews and live music from both a guest music group and the house band...
with Jonathan Ross
Jonathan Ross
Jonathan Ross may refer to:* Jonathan Ross , English television and radio personality* Jonathan Ross , United States Senator, Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court* Jonathon Ross , former Australian rules footballer...
, the Orange unsignedAct
Orange unsignedAct
Orange UnsignedAct is a Channel Four talent competition, with bands and artists competing for a recording contract with Universal Music, a £60,000 advance, a single released after the series, an album deal and a multi-media marketing campaign...
, and The Sunday Night Project
The Sunday Night Project
The Sunday Night Project was a British comedy-variety show by Princess Productions that first aired on Channel 4 in February 2005 under the title The Friday Night Project...
.
In February 2009, she was invited at The Today Show with Matt Lauer
Matt Lauer
Matthew Todd "Matt" Lauer . is an American television journalist best known as the host of NBC's The Today Show since 1997. He was previously a news anchor in New York and a local talk-show host in Boston, Philadelphia, Providence and Richmond...
, where she performed the song after an interview. The same month, she made an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
The Ellen DeGeneres Show, often shortened to Ellen, is an American television talk show hosted by comedian/actress Ellen DeGeneres. Debuting on September 8, 2003, it is produced by Telepictures and airs in syndication, including stations owned by NBC Universal. For its first five seasons, the show...
, and while she was singing, DeGeneres freely dispensed copies of It's Not Me, It's You to the audience. Afterwards, both Allen and DeGeneres made a rendition of the song "Womanizer
Womanizer (song)
"Womanizer" is a song by American recording artist Britney Spears from her sixth studio album, Circus. It was released on September 26, 2008 by Jive Records as the lead single of the album. Produced and co-written by Nikesha Briscoe and Rafael Akinyemi of The Outsyders, the song had to be...
" by American singer Britney Spears
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...
.
Allen included the song on her 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...
setlist, as part of the encore. "The Fear" was also performed at the 2010 BRIT Awards
2010 BRIT Awards
The 2010 BRIT Awards took place on Tuesday 16 February 2010. It was the 30th edition of the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. The awards ceremony was held at Earls Court Exhibition Centre in London. The ceremony was broadcast live on ITV1, hosted by Peter Kay with Fearne...
, as the opening song. Allen arrived on stage sitting on a rocket hoisted in the air, while wearing a black corset dress. She was later joined on stage by paratroopers dressed in pink military camouflage and women with Silver Cross prams.
Media appearances
The song was featured in the fourth episode of series three of the TV drama SkinsSkins (TV series)
Skins is a BAFTA award-winning British teen drama that follows a group of teenagers in Bristol, South West England, through the two years of college. The controversial plot line explores issues such as dysfunctional families, mental illness , adolescent sexuality, substance abuse and death...
, and, also, an instrumental version is used as accompanying music by Match of the Day 2
Match of the Day 2
Match of the Day 2 is a football highlights programme shown on BBC Two in the United Kingdom...
during the review segment showing the goals. "The Fear" was parodied by the character playing Kevin Rudd
Kevin Rudd
Kevin Michael Rudd is an Australian politician who was the 26th Prime Minister of Australia from 2007 to 2010. He has been Minister for Foreign Affairs since 2010...
on the TV show Double Take
Double Take (TV series)
Double Take is an Australian sketch comedy series which premiered on the Seven Network on 23 July 2009. The first series of the show ended in 24 September 2009.-Cast:* Paul McCarthy* Helen Dallimore* Amanda Bishop* Darren Weller* Robin Goldsworthy...
, in which the lyrics are alterated to deal with the voting campaign for Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Australia
The Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia is the highest minister of the Crown, leader of the Cabinet and Head of Her Majesty's Australian Government, holding office on commission from the Governor-General of Australia. The office of Prime Minister is, in practice, the most powerful...
in Australia.
Track listing
- UK CD1
- "The Fear" — 3:26
- "Fag Hag" — 2:57
- UK CD2
- "The Fear" — 3:26
- "The Fear" (StoneBridge Radio Edit) — 3:26
- "The Fear" (Wideboys Prime Time Radio Edit) — 3:56
- "The Fear" (Dresden & Johnston Radio Edit) — 3:35
- 7" Limited Edition Picture Disc
- "The Fear" — 3:26
- "Kabul Shit" — 3:45
- Digital Download
- "The Fear" — 3:26
- "The Fear" (Fearless Mix) - 5:18
- "The Fear" (Runnin' Mix) - 4:03
- "Fag Hag" — 2:57
- "Kabul Shit" — 3:45
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
- Assistant engineerEngineerAn engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
– Alex Dromgode - 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 - MasteredMaster recordingA multitrack recording master tape, disk or computer files on which productions are developed for later mixing, is known as the multi-track master, while the tape, disk or computer files holding a mix is called a mixed master.It is standard practice to make a copy of a master recording, known as...
by Geoff Pesche - Other management — Todd Interland
Charts
| Chart (2009) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian ARIA 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... |
3 |
| Austrian Singles Chart Ö3 Austria Top 40 Ö3 Austria Top 40 is the name of the official Austrian singles chart, as well as the radio show which presents it, aired Fridays on Hitradio Ö3. The show presents the Austrian singles, ringtones and downloads chart. It premiered on 26 November 1968 as Disc Parade and was presented by Ernst Grissemann... |
20 |
| 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) |
6 |
| 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) |
5 |
| Canadian Hot 100 Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007... |
33 |
| Danish Singles Chart Tracklisten Tracklisten is a Danish top 40 record chart that is presented every Thursday midnight at .The weekly Danish Singles Chart also known as Track Top-40 combines the 40 best selling tracks from legal music downloads and the sales of music singles on either CD or vinyl... |
20 |
| 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... |
29 |
| European Hot 100 | 3 |
| Finnish Singles Chart | 14 |
| French Singles Chart | 15 |
| 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... |
12 |
| Hungarian Airplay Chart Mahasz Mahasz is the Hungarian music industry association, founded in 1992. Mahasz hands out the Hungarian Music Awards and maintains the music charts for Hungary.... |
12 |
| 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... |
5 |
| Japan Hot 100 Japan Hot 100 The Japan Hot 100 is a music singles chart in Japan. It is compiled by Billboard and Hanshin Contents Link ever since February 2008. The chart is updated every Wednesday at billboard-japan.com and every Thursday at billboard.com .... |
9 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 14 |
| Swedish Singles Chart Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association .... |
30 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 14 |
| 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 ... |
1 |
| U.S. 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... Hot 100 |
80 |
| U.S. Billboard Pop 100 Pop 100 The Pop 100 was a songs chart that debuted in February 2005 and was released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States until its discontinuation in 2009... |
39 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play Hot Dance Club Play The Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs... |
1 |
Sales and certifications
| 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... |
Platinum | 70,000+ |
| Canada Canadian Recording Industry Association Music Canada is a Toronto-based, non-profit trade organization that was founded 9 April 1963 to represent the interests of companies that record, artists, manufacture, production, promotion and distribution of music in Canada... |
Gold | 20,000+ |
Year-end charts
| Chart | 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... |
22 |
| Hungarian Singles Chart | 50 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 75 |
| UK Singles Chart | 14 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play | 4 |
External links
- "The Fear" lyrics MTVMTVMTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....