Did you know… 11 years ago Lily Allen sampled which Eurovision song?

Last night, I was listening to my iTunes library on shuffle while working on a little editorial, which we published earlier today…. check it out, it’s interesting I promise! Anyway, at 1.03am, my shuffle selected Alfie by Lily Allen. Suddenly, those opening seconds sounded strangely familiar…

That famous opening melody

As the song begun, I immediately thought this sounds very similar to Sandie Shaw’s 1967 Eurovision winning song Puppet on a String. So much so, I thought the song was about to burst into the famous opening line “I… wonder if one day that you say that you care…”. But it didn’t. Instead, I was treated to “Oh… oh deary me…”, the opening line of Lily Allen’s Alfie. I presumed this was just a similarity that only I would pick on, with Eurovision songs constantly on the mind. Nevertheless, a bit of research was in order…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhLlXvkm65Y

Alfie Allen… now a well-known actor

Indeed, I immediately discovered that Alfie, which first appeared Alright, Still in 2006, does officially sample Puppet on a String! Lily’s song, written for her younger brother, was a moderate hit upon its single release in 2007. The song reached #15 in the UK charts while the official music video was nominated for several video awards. Lily went on to scale new heights of success internationally with her follow-up album It’s Not Me, It’s You in 2009.

In addition, Alfie Allen himself has become a well-known name in the field of acting. Indeed, he is probably most well-known for his portrayal of Theon Greyjoy in the long-running television adaptation of Game of Thrones. We wonder what he thought of this song!

Am I the last to know?

So there we are! Alfie had always been one of my favourite Lily Allen songs but I never made the Sandie Shaw connection until last night. Perhaps that was the reason why I’d like this Lily song so much, I just hadn’t known until now! In addition, recently Sandie Shaw was awarded an MBE for her services to music and charity, congratulations to her!

Were you aware of the connection between these two songs? Perhaps I’m just the last to know? Let me know in the comments below and via our social media pages @ESCXTRA!