What the Hell
| What the Hell | |
|---|---|
| Avril Lavigne | |
| publication | January 11, 2011 |
| length | 3:39 |
| Genre (s) | Pop rock |
| Author (s) | Avril Lavigne , Max Martin , Shellback |
| album | Goodbye Lullaby |
What the Hell is a song by the Canadian singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne . It was written by Lavigne, Max Martin and Shellback and produced by Max Martin. It is the first single from the album Goodbye Lullaby . The single was released on January 11, 2011 in the United States and Canada . It was published in Germany on February 25, 2011 .
Background and publication
In November 2010 Lavigne announced on their official website that work on their fourth album, Goodbye Lullaby , had ended a few days ago. Avril Lavigne also announced that What the Hell will be released as the first single. What the Hell premiered on December 31, 2010 on Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin 'Eve with Ryan Seacrest , before which it played her number one hit Girlfriend . Lavigne describes What the Hell as: "a happy, upbeat party song". The day after its premiere, What the Hell was available for free download on Lavigne's Facebook page for 48 hours . On January 11, 2011 What the Hell was released as the first single from the album in the USA and Canada.
Composition and content
What the Hell is a " retro - Keyboard - reef " opens, in the background you can hear clapping hands. The keyboard melody in the intro of the song has been compared to Garage Rock and the band The Hives . In the chorus the melody is accompanied by guitars . What the Hell is a faster up-tempo song with 144 beats per minute .
Avril Lavigne described the content of the song as "a broad message about personal freedom". Music critics interpreted the content of the song in various ways; MTV.com's Gil Kaufman described the song's content as follows: "It's a former teen star's declaration of independence charging back on stage." Kaufman put into the room that may Lavigne song in their separation from Sum 41 - singer Deryck Whibley and the problems with their record company thematizing. Rolling Stone magazine's Jody Rosen described What the Hell as "a praises of a nice girl who comes home late, has boyfriend after boyfriend, and demands spiritual vengeance." About.com's Bill Lamb also said the song was acting from Lavigne and Whibley's separation, however, wrote that the content of the song leaves enough space for other interpretations, which adds to the appeal of the piece. Stereoboard.com's Heather McDaid doubted the song was about Lavigne's relationship with Whibley, as it was hard to imagine a divorce being the fundamental theme for such an upbeat song. Frost Magazine's Holly Thomas wrote that Lavigne "hungered for the affection of the one she really loved."
Lavigne himself described the song as "more reminiscent of my old pop-rock songs" and described it on the one hand as the "most poppy" and on the other hand the "least personal piece of the album".
criticism
The reviews of What the Hell were rather positive, but critics pointed out similarities to Lavigne's previous single Girlfriend . MTV.com's Gil Kaufman stated that What the Hell has "an infectious cheerleading energy" and an "infectious groove ." Jody Rosen from Rolling Stone magazine gave the song 3.5 out of 5 stars and said it was the song with Lavigne's catchiest melody to date ”. Nick Levine of Digital Spy gave What the Hell 5 out of 5 stars and said Lavigne was "snottier than a tissue in the trash can at a flu clinic," but managed it convincingly. Levine went on to say that What the Hell was not quite as indisputable as Girlfriend , but praised the piece's chorus. About.com's Bill Lamb praised the song, saying, “ What the Hell is enlivened by a quintessentially irresistible tune from Max Martin and, in a similar way to her number one hit Girlfriend , makes you sing along, If you want or not. Heather McDaid of Stereoboard.com stated, " What the Hell is not a musical revolution, but it fits within the framework of the pop-rock sound that Avril has developed over the years." Kirsten Coachman from Blogcritics simply stated that people can easily empathize with What the Hell .
Music video
The music video starts in Avril Lavigne's bedroom, she and her boyfriend are in bed together. Her friend is played by Spencer Hill. Avril then wakes up and goes in front of a mirror , where she uses two perfumes from the brands Black Star and Forbidden Rose. Then Lavigne leaves the bedroom and then her house. She runs out into the street and steals a taxi . After a while, her boyfriend followed her on a bike and shortly before a collision, Avril Lavigne exited the taxi. Lavigne then plays basketball at Sixth Street Viaduct Square, her boyfriend is still following her. Later, the singer runs into a shop and hides from her boyfriend in the warehouse. Lavigne's mother, Judy Lavigne, made a cameo in the music video . At the end of the music video, Lavigne plays the song with her band on stage. The final scene of the video shows Lavigne and her boyfriend lying in bed together again.
The behind-the-scenes clip for What the Hell shows how the music video was shot in 3D . The premiere took place on January 23, 2011 on the British channel 4Music.
Charts
On January 19, 2011, What the Hell debuted at number 13 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 6 on Billboard Hot Digital Songs with over 163,000 units sold in the first week. Five weeks later, What the Hell reached number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100. In Canada , What the Hell debuted at number 8 on the Canadian Hot 100 . On January 23, 2011 What the Hell debuted at number 29 in the UK singles chart and reached number 27 four weeks later.
| Charts | Top ranking | Weeks |
|---|---|---|
| Chart placements | ||
 Germany (GfK)
|
21st (10 weeks) | 10 |
 Canada (MC)
|
4th (19 weeks) | 19th |
 Austria (Ö3)
|
10 (10 weeks) | 10 |
 Switzerland (IFPI)
|
18th (11 weeks) | 11 |
 United States (Billboard)
|
11 (20 weeks) | 20th |
 United Kingdom (OCC)
|
16 (13 weeks) | 13 |
Contributors
The following people contributed to the creation of the song What the Hell :
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|
Publications
| country | date | Label | format |
|---|---|---|---|
| France | January 10, 2011 | RCA Records | Download |
| Mexico | |||
| United States | January 11, 2011 | ||
| United Kingdom | January 16, 2011 | ||
| Japan | February 2, 2011 | Sony Music Japan | CD |
| Germany | February 25, 2011 | RCA Records |
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Amazon.com: What The Hell: Avril Lavigne: MP3 Downloads . In: Amazon.com . Archived from the original on January 6, 2011. Retrieved on December 17, 2010.
- ↑ a b What the Hell - Single: Avril Lavigne . In: Amazon.de . Retrieved January 20, 2011.
- ^ A b c Anthony Jones: Avril Lavigne To Release New Single "What The Hell" . In: ' All Headline News' , November 10, 2010. Archived from the original on November 10, 2010. Retrieved on November 10, 2010.
- ↑ James Lipshutz: Avril Lavigne to Release 'Goodbye Lullaby' Album in March . In: Billboard , December 7, 2010. Retrieved December 8, 2010.
- ↑ Leah Greenblatt: Avril Lavigne talks about her new album, (sort of) working with Rihanna, and where she'll be New Years Eve: An EW Q&A . In: Entertainment Weekly . December 27, 2010. Archived from the original on December 27, 2010. Retrieved on December 27, 2010.
- ↑ a b Stacy Jenel Smith: Avril Lavigne 'Anxious to Get Out There Again' . In: PopEater . December 30, 2010. Archived from the original on December 31, 2010. Retrieved January 3, 2011.
- ^ Amy Sciarretto: Avril Lavigne to Offer Free Download of "What the Hell" on New Year's Day . In: ARTISTdirect . December 28, 2010. Archived from the original on January 2, 2011. Retrieved January 2, 2011.
- ↑ a b c d e f Gil Kaufman: Avril Lavigne Says 'What The Hell' With Infectious New Single . In: MTV . January 3, 2011. Archived from the original on January 9, 2011. Retrieved on January 9, 2011.
- ↑ a b c Jody Rosen: Avril Lavigne "What the Hell" . In: Rolling Stone . December 29, 2010. Archived from the original on January 9, 2011. Retrieved on January 9, 2011.
- ↑ a b c Bill Lamb: Avril Lavigne - "What the Hell" . In: About.com . Archived from the original on January 13, 2011. Retrieved January 13, 2011.
- ^ A b Heather McDaid: Avril Lavigne - What The Hell (Single Review) . In: Stereoboard.com . January 13, 2011. Archived from the original on January 13, 2011. Retrieved on January 13, 2011.
- ↑ a b Holly Thomas: We love: Avril Lavigne's 'What The Hell' . In: Frost Magazine . January 13, 2011. Archived from the original on January 14, 2011. Retrieved on January 14, 2011.
- ↑ a b Nick Levine: Avril Lavigne: 'What The Hell' . In: Digital Spy . Archived from the original on January 12, 2011. Retrieved January 12, 2011.
- ↑ Kirsten Coachman: Music Review: Avril Lavigne - “What The Hell” . In: Blogcritics . January 14, 2011. Archived from the original on January 14, 2011. Retrieved on January 14, 2011.
- ↑ Leah Collins: Preview Avril Lavigne's New 3-D Video . In: can . January 10, 2011. Archived from the original on January 15, 2011. Retrieved on January 15, 2011.
- ^ Gary Trust: Britney Spears' 'Hold It Against Me' Debuts Atop Hot 100 . In: Billboard . January 19, 2001. Retrieved January 19, 2011.
- ↑ bbc.co.uk
- ↑ a b c d e f Chart sources: DE AT CH UK CA
- ↑ Goodby Lullaby CD booklet. Universal Records .
- ↑ The Hell: Avril Lavigne: Amazon.fr: MP3 Downloads . In: Amazon.fr . Archived from the original on January 9, 2011. Retrieved January 9, 2011.
- ↑ What the Hell - Single: Avril Lavigne . In: CDJapan.co.jp . Retrieved January 20, 2011.