Highlighting and culminating what I now realize is unofficially women's week here on the charts (as I truly didn't realize that all five songs this week were by female artists until I started writing this) British singer, songwriter, talk-show host, and socialite Lily Allen uses her charm, her native accent, and her sweet singing voice to contrastingly ironic effect in what is perhaps the cruelest song on this chart and one of the funniest kiss-offs in pop-music history. At first listen (at least to me), "Smile" seems like some innocuous ditty--pop-music pablum--elevator music. I thought it was catchy, I found Allen's voice charming, and I liked the pop-reggae beat...and I casuall dismissed it. Then, several months after the fact, I listened to the lyrics. Wow! Allen's vindictive with a witty streak, and her producers support that wit by offering that bright, breezy, easy-going electro-pop-reggae beat, which Allen uses to make the lyric sting. Her poison is so pretty here, that she could be Tuesday Weld.
BTW: Carrie Underwood and Lil' Tia? This is how you make a revenge record.
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