He Wasn't There

This torch song pastiche features emotional lyrics about Lily Allen's actor father, Keith Allen. Lily's parents broke up when she was four, and here she forgives her dad for not being around for most of her childhood. The Smile singer told The Sunday Telegraph that she remembers "the day that Dad left, and us all saying good-bye to him in the hall of our flat in Bloomsbury. I just remember there being a thing of 'does that mean Dad's never going to be around?' She was reassured otherwise. "Then of course Dad did go, and didn't come back for a while." However the song praises their adult relationship. Lily explained to The Sun January 30, 2009: "With my dad, we have made a go of our relationship, after years of pain. But we're there now, we're in a good place."

For more on Keith Allen on Songfacts, check out "World In Motion," "Jerusalem" and "Country House."