Not Fair

I never understood why Lily Allen went with Not Fair as the second single off It’s Not Me, It’s You. Everyone’s At It had more momentum, and I Could Say was stronger. But she did, dressed entirely in country—cowboy boots, that hair—like she was auditioning for a honky-tonk.

The styling made no sense with the song, which was just her being crude about wanting someone who could actually satisfy her. No relationship drama, no clever setup, just a straight demand for good sex. The country visual felt like a joke I wasn’t catching, or maybe the joke was the mismatch itself.

She’d already proven she could be funny and rude on record. Not Fair was leaning further that way—the irreverence without apology, the crude angle played straight. The production stayed minimal, which let the joke land harder.

I’m not sure the single choice was right, but the attitude was exactly her. By the second album she’d committed to that position: irreverent, funny, refusing to soften anything for the audience. The country costume was just image machinery, but at least the song underneath was genuinely honest about what it wanted.