"Girlfriend" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Avril Lavigne | ||||
from the album The Best Damn Thing | ||||
B-side | "Alone" | |||
Released | February 27, 2007 | |||
Recorded | 2006 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 3:37 | |||
Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) |
| |||
Producer(s) | ||||
Avril Lavigne singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Music video | ||||
"Girlfriend" on YouTube |
"Girlfriend" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne. The song was written by Lavigne and Dr. Luke; the latter is also the producer. "Girlfriend" was released as the lead single from her third studio album, The Best Damn Thing (2007) on February 27, 2007 by Columbia and RCA Records. [1] Lyrically, the song revolves around its protagonist having a crush on someone who is in a relationship, proclaiming she should be his girlfriend.
"Girlfriend" received generally positive reviews from music critics, who complimented its catchiness. The song was a worldwide success, peaking at the top spot of the charts in eight countries, including Australia, New Zealand, Canada and was Lavigne's first number-one song in the United States, reaching the top of the Billboard Hot 100 and Mainstream Top 40. It additionally charted in the top ten of most other countries. The song's accompanying music video, directed by The Malloys, sees Lavigne portraying three alter-egos, with all of them fighting over the same guy. In June 2007, the song's official remix, featuring American rapper Lil Mama, was released. Lavigne performed the song a number of times, including at the 2007 MuchMusic Video Awards, the 2007 Teen Choice Awards, and the 2008 Juno Awards.
The song's success made it a mainstay of pop music in the late 2000s. "Girlfriend" was certified multi-platinum in Australia and the United States. It was among the top-selling songs of 2007, with over 7.3 million worldwide sales. In 2008, the song became the most viewed video on YouTube, and was the first video on the site to reach 100 million views. Rolling Stone ranked the song number thirty-five on their "Top 100 Songs of 2007" list. Several versions of the song were released with the chorus sung in multiple languages. In 2010, the song was named the ninety-fourth most successful song on the Hot 100 in the 2000s decade. AllMusic highlighted the song as one of the most significant pop punk songs of all time. [2] The song also received several awards, including Most Addictive Track at the MTV Europe Music Awards, Song of the Year at Los Premios MTV Latinoamérica, Choice Music: Single at Teen Choice Awards, the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Song and was nominated for Single of the Year at the Juno Awards.
Following the release of her second studio album, Under My Skin (2004), Lavigne wanted to record more "fun and upbeat" music. [3] "Girlfriend" was written by Lavigne and Lukasz "Dr. Luke" Gottwald, with Dr. Luke also producing the track. The song was written while Lavigne was intoxicated, with Lavigne commenting that the chorus only took two minutes to write. [4] Lavigne was initially hesitant to release "Girlfriend" as the lead single from The Best Damn Thing, referring to the song's conception as "just a joke." [5] The song was not based on a personal experience, with Lavigne opting to write about general topics to appeal to a wider audience. In December 2006, Lavigne announced the song as the lead single from her then-upcoming album:
Hey guys! I keep getting asked about my record and what it is called [...] so I wanted to give u guys all the info directly [...] I'm calling the record The Best Dam Thing, and the first single is called "Girlfriend", the single comes out February and the record in April. I promise you guys will love this record, it is my favorite one!!! And I can't wait! It is really fast, fun, young, bratty, aggressive, confident, cocky in a playful way [...] all the good stuff. [6]
In an effort to appeal to non-English markets, Lavigne recorded the song's chorus in seven different languages, including Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, German, Japanese, and Mandarin. [7] Lavigne spent hours studying these different languages in order to ensure a correct pronunciation with her various deliveries. A Hindi version of the song was recorded twice, although it was scrapped due to issues with the diction and meter when converting the song's chorus from its Western rhythms to Hindi. [8] "Girlfriend" is a moderately fast pop punk, [9] [10] [11] and power pop [11] song. According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Alfred Publishing, the song is written in the key of D major [12] and is set in time signature of common time with a tempo of 164 beats per minute. [13] Lavigne's vocal range spans two octaves, from A3 to D5. [13] Lyrically, the song is about wanting to steal someone's boyfriend. [4] PopMatters compared the song with "Mickey" by Tony Basil. [14]
On July 2, 2007, the Rubinoos frontman Tommy Dunbar and songwriter James Gangwer filed a lawsuit for infringement of copyright against Lavigne, Dr. Luke, RCA Records, and Apple. [15] Dunbar and Gangwer alleged that "Girlfriend" plagiarized the Rubinoos' 1979 single "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend". [16] Lavigne denied these accusations and noted the common usage of the lyrics employed in both songs; she cited the Rolling Stones' "Get Off of My Cloud" and the Ramones' "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend" as songs with similar lyrics. [15] Dr. Luke claimed that neither he nor Lavigne had heard of the Rubinoos prior to the lawsuit and that he would be willing to take a polygraph if doing so would help to disprove Dunbar's claims. [17] Lavigne's manager, Terry McBride, similarly refuted the allegations, referring to Dunbar and Gangwer's claims as baseless. [18]
Both Dunbar and McBride consulted musicologists to prepare reports on the similarities and dissimilarities between the songs. Dunbar's musicologist reported that there was an "unusually high degree of similarity" between the songs while McBride's musicologist reported that they do not share any significant lyrical or melodic content. [17] While McBride contended that the songs were dissimilar, he acknowledged that Lavigne would be willing to settle the case to avoid expensive legal proceedings. [18] In January 2008, Dunbar and Gangwer's attorney, Nicholas Carlin, confirmed that a confidential settlement had been reached between the two parties, but refused to comment further. [19] However, Dunbar and Gangwer later released a joint statement on January 15, 2008 in which they claimed to "completely exonerate" Lavigne and Dr. Luke from any wrongdoing. [20] Following the settlement, Lavigne commented: "Well, [Dunbar and Gangwer] didn't win. But that happens all the time in the music business. I am not the first artist nor will I be the last to go through this." [21]
Christian Hoard of Rolling Stone called it a "hypercatchy, giant-sounding 'Hey Mickey' tribute", and commented that the song is one of the album's "monster pleasures". [22] Chris Willman of Entertainment Weekly noted the popularity of the song, referring to Lavigne as an "alpha female out to steal a stud from a meek rival who’s 'like, so whatever'". [23] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic highlighted the song as a 'track pick' in a review of the album, The Best Damn Thing. [24] He praised the album for opening with "Girlfriend", describing the song as a "bright bubblegum blast". [24] Jon Pareles of The New York Times also highlighted "Girlfriend" as the best song off of The Best Damn Thing, commenting that it used "cleverly manipulated echoes and attacks to sound as if Ms. Lavigne were charging in from all directions". [25] Jody Rosen of Slate referred to "Girlfriend" as "brash and catchy", praising the song's "shout-along vocals, power chords, [and] hand claps amplified to sound like an army on the march". [26]
According to Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine, the song employs "a catchy, cheerleader stomp a la Tony Basil's 'Mickey'", although Lavigne's "attempts at sounding irreverent ... just wind up sounding juvenile". [27] Laura Snapes of The Guardian also compared "Girlfriend" to "Mickey", referring to the song as a "deadpan cheerleader banger". Also from The Guardian, Alex Macpherson labeled the song as "brilliantly addictive". [28] Tim O'Neil of PopMatters felt that the chorus of the song "blatantly rips the hook from Toni Basil's 'Mickey'", although he also stated that the song has a "torturous propensity to get stuck in your head". [29] Joan Anderman of The Boston Globe praised the catchy hook of "Girlfriend", commenting that "It sounds great -- fizzy and snotty and unbelievable catchy". [30] MuchMusic attributed the success of the song to the mix of various genres, stating: "[Lavigne] can succeed in punk, rock and pop with her bubblegum anthem 'Girlfriend'". [31] At the Juno Awards of 2008, "Girlfriend" garnered Lavigne a nomination in the Single of the Year category. The song also garnered Lavigne two wins at the 2008 Japan Gold Disc Awards in the Mastertone of the Year and Single Track of the Year (Mobile) categories. The song was ranked at number 35 on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 Best Songs of 2007. [32] MTV Asia ranked the song as the 77th top song of 2007, while MTV Latin America listed "Girlfriend" as the number one song of 2007. [33] Billboard ranked the song as the twelfth best song of 2007.
Because of digital download sales in excess of 122,000, the song debuted at number five on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, becoming her fifth and last top ten hit. [34] Afterwards it became Lavigne's first song to reach number one on the Hot 100, in the issue dated May 5, 2007; her previous highest peak on the chart was with 2002's "Complicated", which reached number two. [35] It remained in the top ten for 18 weeks, which was two more than the year-end number-one single of 2007, Irreplaceable. [36] It became the last number one hit on that chart by a Canadian female artist until 2012's "Call Me Maybe" by Carly Rae Jepsen. In Canada, the song debuted at number 1. As of September 2015, "Girlfriend" has sold 3.8 million copies in the United States. [37]
In Japan, the song has been certified Million for more than 1,000,000 sales through ringtones and 3× Platinum for 750,000 sales. Thus, the song has sold more than 3,000,000 copies there making it the best-selling single by a western female artist of all time on Japan.[ citation needed ] "Girlfriend" debuted on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart at number three. The following week it reached number-one, and it remained at the top for six non-consecutive weeks, equalling Lavigne's previous number-one single on the ARIA Charts, "Complicated". After three weeks on the charts, it was certified gold by ARIA, then platinum after seven weeks for sales in excess of 70,000 copies. [38] It was then certified double platinum, with sales in excess of 140,000. In 2008, it was certified quadruple platinum for sales of 280,000. [39] On the UK Singles Chart, "Girlfriend" peaked at number two, surpassing "Complicated" as Lavigne's highest-peaking single on the chart. The song ended 2007 as the years 20th biggest-selling single in the UK and spent 28 weeks inside the chart and is Lavigne's biggest hit in the UK to date. [40] It became the best selling song of 2007 worldwide with around five million copies outside the US. To date, "Girlfriend" has sold over 10 million copies worldwide.
The music video was directed by The Malloys and filmed at Golf N' Stuff in Norwalk, California. They praised the video for "sounding different than most female artist at the time and for its very punk rock-pop feel, something she does better than anybody." [41]
The music video features two women both played by Lavigne: one with glasses and red hair, and one with a rebellious persona and black hair. The video portrays both of them fighting over the redheaded woman's boyfriend (played by American model Bryan McMullin). The video's storyline is interwoven with shots of Lavigne with pink-streaked blonde hair performing with her band. The video also featured this Lavigne and her friends dancing in a restroom. Eventually the man develops feelings for the black-haired woman and they enter a relationship. The redhead attempts to break them up but is thwarted and falls into a portable toilet. The blonde-haired Lavigne seen throughout the video then takes the man into a bathroom stall, pumping her arm in victory.
Lavigne's boyfriend in the video dresses similarly to the "rocker" Lavigne in the video. The video features Lavigne's previous guitarist Evan Taubenfeld, and Lavigne's brother Matt on bass. [42]
Lil Mama and Lavigne shot a video for the remix of "Girlfriend", which was directed by R. Malcolm Jones. [43]
On July 18, 2008, "Girlfriend" became the most viewed video at that time on YouTube [44] and in August of that year, surpassed 100 million views, becoming the first YouTube video to reach that milestone. CSS's "Music Is My Hot Hot Sex" had allegedly reached that milestone a couple months before, but was removed due to accusations that the views had been fraudulent. [45] [46] In July, Lavigne's manager Terry McBride claimed that the singer was owed $2 million in revenue from YouTube. [47]
The fansite AvrilBandaids allegedly artificially inflated views on the YouTube video. [48] It circulated a weblink that, when opened, was supposed to automatically reload the YouTube video of "Girlfriend" every fifteen seconds. Fans were encouraged to leave the link open on their computer, and even open up multiple instances to inflate viewcounts. [49] In November 2009, RCA Records removed the video of the song from YouTube, by which time it had received around 130 million views. [50] A new upload of the music video uploaded on October 3, 2009 is now officially hosted on Lavigne's official channel on YouTube, with over 650 million views and nearly 4 million likes as of February 2024. [51]
The song is featured on the soundtrack to the video game Burnout Dominator in four different languages which includes Japanese, Spanish, Mandarin and English. [52] The song is also featured in Burnout Paradise which only includes the English Version. [53]
The BBC Chart Show published two reviews, one negative and one positive, to represent polarized attitudes towards the video. [54]
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (June 2022) |
Lavigne performed the song on Saturday Night Live on April 14, 2007. She also performed on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on June 15, 2007. [79]
Lavigne performed the song for the MuchMusic Video Awards on June 17, 2007 [80] and also performed it for the Teen Choice Awards on August 26, 2007. [81] For the charity fundraiser event Fashion Rocks, she performed the song again on September 6, 2007. [82] She also performed the song for the Premios MTV Latinoamérica on October 18, 2007. [83]
"Girlfriend" was on the setlist for all of Lavigne's tours since its release, including The Best Damn Tour (2008), the Black Star Tour (2011-2012), the Avril Lavigne Tour (2013-2014), the Head Above Water Tour (2019), the Love Sux Tour (2022-2023), and the Greatest Hits Tour (2024).
Lavigne performed "Girlfriend" at the Orange Lounge in Toronto on August 23, 2007, [84] for the AOL Sessions on May 24, 2011, [85] and more recently with Travis Barker for SiriusXM + Pandora's Small Stage Series concert in February 2022. [86]
|
|
1 A code was included on the CD to download the ringtone online.
Credits and personnel are adapted from The Best Damn Thing album liner notes. [93]
Weekly charts | Year-end charts
Decade-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA) [149] | 4× Platinum | 280,000^ |
Austria (IFPI Austria) [150] | Gold | 15,000* |
Belgium (BEA) [151] | Gold | 25,000* |
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil) [152] | Platinum | 60,000* |
Canada (Music Canada) [153] | 4× Platinum | 320,000‡ |
Canada (Music Canada) [154] Ringtone | 2× Platinum | 80,000* |
Germany (BVMI) [155] | Gold | 150,000‡ |
Italy | — | 25,000 [156] |
Japan (RIAJ) [157] | 3× Platinum | 750,000^ |
Japan (RIAJ) [158] Ringtone | Million | 1,000,000* |
Japan (RIAJ) [159] Download | 2× Platinum | 500,000* |
Japan (RIAJ) [160] PC download | Gold | 100,000* |
New Zealand (RMNZ) [161] | Platinum | 30,000‡ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [162] | Platinum | 600,000‡ |
United States (RIAA) [163] | 7× Platinum | 7,000,000‡ |
United States (RIAA) [164] Mastertone | Platinum | 1,000,000* |
Summaries | ||
Worldwide | — | 7,300,000 [137] |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Date | Format | Label | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
United States | March 20, 2007 | Contemporary hit radio | RCA | [165] |
Japan | March 21, 2007 | CD single | Sony | [113] |
Germany | March 30, 2007 | [166] | ||
United Kingdom | April 2, 2007 | [167] |
"Complicated" is the debut single by Canadian singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne from her debut album, Let Go (2002). It was released on 11 March 2002 by Arista Records. Lavigne and production team the Matrix are credited as writers. Production on the song was helmed by the Matrix. According to Lavigne, the song is about being honest with oneself rather than "putting on a face".
"I'm with You" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne from her debut studio album Let Go (2002). It was released to radio as the third single from the album on November 18, 2002, by Arista Records. The song was written by Lavigne and the production team the Matrix, who solely helmed its production. According to Lavigne, the song was inspired by feelings of loneliness she experienced over being single.
"Sk8er Boi" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne, released as the second single from her debut album, Let Go (2002). It was written by Lavigne and the Matrix, and produced by the Matrix. The song, which combines power pop and pop-punk elements, lyrically tells a story told from the singer's viewpoint about her rocker boyfriend and a girl he knew in high school who rejected him because he was a skateboarder and she did ballet.
"Don't Tell Me" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne from her second studio album, Under My Skin (2004). "Don't Tell Me" was written by Lavigne and Evan Taubenfeld, while it was produced by Butch Walker. The song has been noted as having a "grungy sound". "Don't Tell Me" was released on March 15, 2004, by Arista Records as the lead single from Under My Skin and peaked at number 22 on the US Billboard Hot 100 that same year. In an AOL Radio listener's poll, "Don't Tell Me" was voted Lavigne's ninth-best song.
"My Happy Ending" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne, written by herself and Butch Walker for her second studio album, Under My Skin (2004). Structurally, the song is written in 4/4 style and has a repeated hook in both the chorus and in the intro and outro.
"Nobody's Home" is the third single released from Canadian singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne's second studio album, Under My Skin (2004). The track was written by Lavigne and former Evanescence guitarist Ben Moody, who also plays guitar on the song. "Nobody's Home", produced by Don Gilmore, is generally slower-paced than Lavigne's previous singles from Under My Skin.
Canadian singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne has released seven studio albums, nine extended plays (EPs), 33 singles, and 40 music videos, and she has appeared on several movie soundtracks and charity albums. With worldwide sales of 50 million albums and 50 million singles, Lavigne is ranked as the third top-selling Canadian female artist in history. Billboard listed her as the eighth best-selling Canadian artists of the Nielsen Music Canada era. According to Recording Industry Association of America, Lavigne has sold 28.07 million albums and singles in the United States.
The Best Damn Thing is the third studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne. It was firstly released in Europe on April 13, 2007, then worldwide on 17 April 2007 by RCA Records. as her second studio album on the label. The album represents a musical departure from her previous studio album Under My Skin (2004), which incorporated more elements of post-grunge. The Best Damn Thing is seen by critics as Lavigne's most commercial effort. The album was noted as her first effort to feature a wide range of producers, including Matt Beckley, Rob Cavallo, Dr. Luke and Lavigne herself, who was credited as the executive producer.
"When You're Gone" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne from her third studio album, The Best Damn Thing (2007). It was released as the second single from the album on 19 June 2007, by RCA Records. Lavigne co-wrote the song with Butch Walker, whilst production was solely helmed by Walker. According to Lavigne, the song is about saying goodbye to and missing a person that one cares about.
"Hot" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne and the third single from her third studio album, The Best Damn Thing (2007). The song was written by Lavigne and Evan Taubenfeld, and produced by Lukasz "Dr. Luke" Gottwald. A pop rock ballad, the song talks about Lavigne's feelings about a boyfriend, who makes her "hot". The song received positive reviews from music critics, who praised its "old-style" vibe and its anthemic nature.
"The Best Damn Thing" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne, taken from her third studio album of the same name (2007). The song was released as the fourth and final single from the album only in some European countries and in Brazil during June 2008. The song was written by Lavigne and Butch Walker, and was produced by Walker. The song is a pop punk track about female self-confidence, containing a spell out of her name, in the style of an American football cheer, with each letter spelling out a different way in which a girlfriend deserves to be treated.
"Alice" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne from the Alice in Wonderland film soundtrack Almost Alice (2010). It was released to radio as the lead single from the soundtrack on 27 January 2010, by Buena Vista Records. The song was solely written by Lavigne, whilst production was helmed by Butch Walker. An extended version of the song was featured as a hidden track on Lavigne's fourth studio album Goodbye Lullaby (2011). According to Lavigne, she is a big fan of the story of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and she was greatly inspired by the 2010 film's imagery when she wrote the song.
Goodbye Lullaby is the fourth studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne. It was released worldwide on March 2, 2011, through RCA Records. Recording sessions for the album began in November 2008 and continued over a period of nearly two years, concluding in October 2010. Goodbye Lullaby is a primarily a pop rock album and is considered a more introspective record from Lavigne in comparison to her previous material, consisting mainly of stripped down instruments such as the piano and acoustic guitar. Lavigne assumed an integral role in the album's production and co-wrote every original track on Goodbye Lullaby, as well as collaborating with several producers including Max Martin, Shellback, Butch Walker, and her ex-husband Deryck Whibley. Goodbye Lullaby is Lavigne's third and final studio album with RCA, following The Best Damn Thing (2007) and Under My Skin (2004).
"Smile" is a song by Canadian recording artist Avril Lavigne from her fourth studio album Goodbye Lullaby (2011). It was co-written by Lavigne, Max Martin and Shellback and produced by Martin and Shellback. "Smile" was released on 11 April 2011 by RCA Records as the second single from the album to Australian radio stations and then on 17 May the song was released to US contemporary hit radio. Upon its release, the song received critical acclaim from music critics, who described the track as a "sassy and catchy pop song". It has charted inside the top-thirty on the Australian, Japanese and New Zealand charts, in addition to being certified by the recording industry associations of Australia and the United States. A music video directed by Shane Drake was filmed in April 2011 and released on 20 May. By November 2014, the music video had reached 100 million views on Vevo.
"What the Hell" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne from her fourth studio album, Goodbye Lullaby (2011). It was released on 10 January 2011 by RCA Records as the lead single from the album. The song was produced by Max Martin and Shellback, who co-wrote the song with Lavigne. According to Lavigne, she wrote the song as her "personal message for freedom".
"Here's to Never Growing Up" is a song recorded by Canadian singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne for her self-titled fifth studio album in 2013. The song was written by Lavigne, David Hodges, Chad Kroeger, Jacob Kasher, and its producer Martin Johnson. It was released as the lead single from the album on April 9, 2013, by Epic Records. "Here's to Never Growing Up" is a midtempo pop rock song that talks about a "celebration of being forever young" and features a reference to English alternative rock band Radiohead.
"Rock n Roll" is a song by Canadian recording artist Avril Lavigne. It was released as the second single from her self-titled fifth studio album by Sony Music Entertainment on August 23, 2013. The song was written by Lavigne, David Hodges, Chad Kroeger, Jacob Kasher Hindlin, Rickard B. Göransson and Peter Svensson and was produced by Peter Svensson.
"Head Above Water" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne from her sixth studio album of the same name (2019). It was written by Lavigne and Travis Clark of We the Kings alongside its producer Stephan Moccio. It was released as the lead single from the album on September 19, 2018, by BMG Rights Management. It is Lavigne's first single since "Fly", released in April 2015. Commercially, the song peaked at number 64 on the US Billboard Hot 100, and entered the charts of 24 other countries and regions. In August 2019, a new version featuring vocals from We the Kings' Travis Clark was released.
"Love It When You Hate Me" is a song by Canadian singer Avril Lavigne featuring American singer Blackbear. It was released on January 14, 2022, through Elektra Records as the second single from Lavigne's seventh studio album, Love Sux (2022).
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)....up-tempo pop-punk anthems like "I Can Do Better", "The Best Damn Thing", and "Girlfriend"....
....she's returned to music with an utterly infectious pop-punk single. 'Girlfriend' sounds like....
....and features the typical 80' pop-punk influence and power pop of her earlier songs....
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)