The 10 Best Avril Lavigne Songs of All-Time
There is no doubting Avril Lavigne’s legacy in modern rock music. She was born in Belleville, Ontario, on September 27th, 1984 and has sold over 50 million records worldwide to date. Her father started teaching her how to play the guitar when she was only six years old, and she began writing songs at 15. Her first single, “Complicated,” was released in 2002 when she was only 17 years old. The song became a colossal hit for her and critics alike; it even received praise from other artists like Christina Aguilera who was impressed with her vocals and musical style. Her album, Let Go, sold millions upon its release, earning Avril many fans worldwide, who continue to support her through thick and thin. Below are the Top 10 Avril Lavigne songs.
10. Keep Holding On
“Keep Holding On” is a song about enduring the toughest of times and never giving up. It has an uplifting message that would make you want to keep holding on, no matter what life throws at you. Lavigne’s vocals are magnificent as always, with their comforting tone throughout each verse before building into her most potent high note near the end. The song appears as the last track on her third studio album,
9. I’m With You
“I’m With You” is a song with an adult-oriented sound that earned the singer two Grammy Awards nominations for her earnest work on this track. Alongside being nominated in mainstream pop and top 40 radio categories, it also won Best Pop Female Performance at the 54th Annual Grammy Awards Ceremony. During introductions, she also performed the song alongside Rihanna, who also sampled Avril’s vocals from the Let Go era, performing their hit Cheers (Drink To That).
8. Complicated
“Complicated,” is a catchy song with an upbeat pop-rock sound. The lyrics describe being in a relationship where the other person acts one way and another when they’re out of sight. This can be relatable to many people, more often than we would like to admit. There has been some controversy over who deserves credit as co-writer of this track. Despite Lavigne’s claims that she did most work on it (with her writing partners). Most people believe the claims only because their names were mentioned first during the presentation at Grammy Awards in 2010.
7. Nobody’s Home
“Nobody’s Home,” is the third single from Avril’s album, Under My Skin. It’s an alternative rock song that has a relatable message of not being able to help your friend when they need help most. We have all been there before. Her timing throughout this track never fails you with its various beat changes. It makes for one fantastic tune for anyone who needs some good advice on how best to handle those challenging situations at hand (especially since I’m sure nobody will know better than yourself).
6. My Happy Ending
The song is another one from Avril Lavigne’s famous album, Under My Skin, and it has an alternative rock sound with post-grunge elements mixed in for good measure. This tune tells how someone breaks up with their lover without fully realizing they are genuine or taking responsibility when things go south. It leads her to blame friends instead because she felt like they knew all along (even though he denied having any feelings toward anyone close). The lyrics make me think deeply nostalgic; we’ve been there before after ending a relationship ourselves while still feeling confused by what went wrong yet wanting desperately not to let those past mistakes dictate future decisions—but then reality smacks you right.
5. What the Hell
The song is fun to listen to because she got the chance for light-heartedness in her music with this track on Goodbye Lullaby. The upbeat song has a pop, punk, and synth sound. It’s quirky but straightforward at heart – just like Avril herself. It was written for Lavigne by Max Martin, who joins her on vocals for an exciting change of pace from what listeners hear from this artist. She kept the rock genre in this song by including guitar riffs and melodies. The track has quite a few elements that make it sound different from anything else she has released. You’ll hear the keyboards give off some exciting vibes while still being pleasant enough not to distract too much during other parts. Then there are those retro keyboard sounds mixed into the verses. They set up everything nicely before turning towards something more traditional, sounding at just about every chorus point. She belts out one rhyme cadence after another until finally coming into a full circle.
4. When You Are Gone
“When You’re Gone,” has a soft rock and pop sound with emotional lyrics. The orchestral instruments make up much of its theme. The piano-guitar star power combined lavishly on top vocals by Avril Lavigne herself. Despite having a soft voice, she soared vocally, just barely keeping pace enough against such gorgeous music. The song is about saying goodbye to someone Avril loves but wouldn’t confirm if it was written for her husband Deryck Whibley from Sum 41 when she originally recorded this track in 2003 – 2004.
3. Sk8er Boi
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIy3n2b7V9k
“Sk8er Boí” is the second single from Lavigne’s Let Go album. The song has a pop-punk, skate punk, and power-pop sound with an exciting theme about rejection. It revolves around one girl who doesn’t want to be friends anymore because her new friend likes Skaters more than regular society people. She becomes famous while he moves onto somebody else, which sounds like something right out of a movie, but this time, it’s not alright since skater boys aren’t allowed in most places these days. The song was met with critical acclaim, both for its creativity and humor. It received a Grammy Nomination in 2003 for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance at the 2003 edition of the awards show. The single reached number 10 on Billboard’s Hot 100 list while also charting well throughout Europe, including Australia, where it peaked at #2 posthumously behind Celine Dion’s “It Runs through My Family.”
2. Don’t Tell Me
Our number two song by Avril Lavigne has its message-inspired song from her hit album Under My Skin. The fabulous track has an alternative rock sound, and it’s about not letting a guy get into her pants but telling him no so he’ll leave her alone. It also carries some positive vibes for females who might find themselves in difficult situations like young love or sex, wanting nothing outside their relationships other than just companionship. The instrumentals were well done: although quiet at first like many songs on this list, the intro becomes more intense as soon as the soon plays.
1. Girlfriend
“Girlfriend” is a fun and optimistic song about her crush on a man with a girlfriend. The upbeat music sounds like Toni Basil’s “Mickey,” which gives it that extra edge of coolness to keep you rocking even when there’s love in your heart. “Girlfriend” is a catchy pop song about Lavigne’s love for her Girlfriend, referred to as “Greta.” The single received positive reviews from critics and was an international success. It topped charts in Australia, New Zealand, and Canada, where it reached number one on Billboard Hot 100. At the peak of its popularity, this track was listened to over 400 million times worldwide. The Girlfriend’s music video directed by indie filmmakers Joe Durkee & Ann Marie Fleming sees Avril performing three different alter egos with all four vying over the same guy.
