SMILE - LILY ALLEN
Lily Allen topped the U.K. single charts last July with “Smile,” a song that sounds on the surface like a happy reggae-splashed ditty — but lyrically it’s about the guilty pleasure of seeing her cheating ex suffer (”When you left me, I was wanting more/But you were f***ing that girl next door/When I see you cry/It makes me smile”). Although her lyric has been cleaned up to “f-ing” for the radio version, the 21-year-old has an audacious rep as anything but a squeaky-clean pop star. Of course, it comes down to the song –and while reggae is a tough sell in the States, Capitol is building on enormous MySpace presence, along with support from MTV, “Saturday Night Live” and “Conan O’Brien.” Top 40 might start looking for a sound shake-up, and Allen’s hip template is certainly a contender.
