Top 10 Avril Lavigne Songs

Avril Lavigne Songs

Our Top 10 Avril Lavigne songs list takes a look at the music of a pop, rock, punk rock and alternative rock singer/songwriter. Avril Lavigne is also a musician who plays multiple instruments. Avril Lavigne was born Avril Ramona Lavigne on September 27, 1984. When Avril Lavigne was 15, she shared the stage with singer Shania Twain after she won a radio contest. Avril Lavigne was so confident that she would become a famous singer she made sure to share her ambitions with Shania Twain. It turned out she was right, as we all well know. When Avril Lavigne was 16, she scored a recording contract with Arista Records worth more than $2 million.

Avril Lavigne’s debut album Let Go, came out in 2002. It was an immediate hit. It was the best-selling album of the 21st Century by someone from Canada. This album features the singles “Complicated,” “Sk8er Boi,” “I’m With You,” “Losing Grip,” and “Mobile.” The album sold over 16 million copies. Avril Lavigne was nominated for two Grammys for “Complicated.” “Complicated” was the single that had crossover appeal, while “Sk8er Boi” was primarily for pop/punk fans. Radio stations didn’t want to play “Sk8er Boi,” but the fans wanted to hear it.

Avril Lavigne released her second album, Under My Skin in 2004. It debuted at number one on the charts. She wrote most of the songs on the album. This was a personal album for her because she wrote it about her personal experiences. This album features the singles “Don’t Tell Me,” “My Happy Ending,” “Nobody’s Home,” “He Wasn’t” and “Fall to Pieces.” “My Happy Ending” was so successful that it helped the album return to the top of the charts for a few weeks. This is her fourth number-one single. The single also went platinum. The album sold over eight million copies.

Lavigne released her third album The Best Damn Thing in 2007. She changed her style for this album. This album was more pop/grunge music. She worked with different producers on this project. This album received positive reviews. It debuted at number one on the charts. The album features the singles “Girlfriend,” “When You’re Gone,” “Hot” and “The Best Damn Thing.” “Girlfriend” is her most successful single to date. This album sold over five million copies.

Avril Lavigne released her fourth album Goodbye Lullaby in 2011. This album was about her life experiences instead of her relationships. This album was more pop/rock friendly than her other work. Her label kept delaying the release of this album. The lead single is “What the Hell.” The other singles are “Smile” and “Wish You Were Here.” This is her first album that didn’t debut in the top three. It debuted at number four. The album sold over 394,000 copies.

Avril Lavigne released her fifth eponymous album in 2013. She wanted to have a more up-tempo pop sound as well as ballads on this project. Avril Lavigne also wanted to include punk rock music. The album debuted at number five on the charts. It was her fifth album to debut in the top five, but it was her lowest debuting album. The album features the singles “Here’s to Never Growing Up,” “Rock in Roll,” “Let Me Go,” “Hello Kitty” and “Give You What You Like.” This album sold over 200,000 copies worldwide. This was one of her least successful albums.

Avril Lavigne released her sixth album, Head Above Water, in 2019. This is a pop/rock album. This album was about her battle with Lyme disease. The album features the singles “Head Above Water,” “Tell Me It’s Over,” “Dumb Blonde,” and “I Fell in Love with the Devil.” The album debuted at number 13. This is her lowest debuting album. It went on to sell over 500,000 copies.

Avril Lavigne had a quick rise to stardom and was basically able to maintain her success throughout her career. She had a couple of stumbling blocks, but she still managed to find some success. She has a variety of impressive rock songs with different themes. There are a lot of good songs to choose for our Top 10 Avril Lavigne Songs list, but we will focus on the hit songs.

# 10 – What the Hell

The first song on our Top 10 Avril Lavigne Songs list is the perky anthem “What the Hell” from the introspective Goodbye Lullaby. This upbeat song has a pop, punk, synth pop sound. It is a fun song about her personal freedom. She didn’t do a lot of songs like this on this album so it was pleasant change. It gave her a chance to be sassy and have fun with a song. It’s light and quirky. It’s simply a verse, pre-chorus and chorus. It has a good dance beat so you can groove to it. As soon as you hear the retro keyboard riffs, the song takes off. She managed to keep the rock genre in the song by including the guitar in the chorus. Songwriter Max Martin co-wrote this song with Lavigne. It sounds like something Kelly Clarkson or Pink would sing. It was a great change of pace for Lavigne and it proves how much she has grown as an artist.

# 9 – Complicated

The next song on our Top 10 Avril Lavigne Songs list is the earworm “Complicated” from the fantastic Let Go. This catchy song has a pop rock sound. It is about being in a relationship with someone who acts one way with her and another way around other people. This song is relatable because people have been in this situation before. She was a teenager when she recorded this song, but it can appeal to adults as well. This song has some controversy. Lavigne was credited as a co-writer of the song, but there were questions about how much work she put into it. Her co-writers claimed they did the majority of the work and she just changed a few words.

Avril Lavigne said she wrote the majority of the song. Regardless of who wrote the song, it is still enjoyable. The guitar riffs are on point. This is a gem of a song and has an infectious chorus. Her vocals are pretty good. She sounds similar to Alanis Morissette. It’s hard to fathom that she was only a teenager when she recorded it. She sounds like a seasoned singer.

# 8 – Sk8er Boi

This oddly titled killer song is the second single from the classic Let Go album. This popular song has a pop punk, skate punk and power pop sound. It is about a girl who rejects a skaterboy because her friends didn’t like him. He becomes famous and moves on with another girl. The theme sounds as if it’s from a movie. Who would think that a song called “Sk8er Boi” would be catchy? The song has a bouncy pop rock sound. The guitars are high energy and makes you want to get a guitar and join in the fun. Lavigne was able to sing along with the loud guitar chords. She could have easily been drowned out by the loud music, but she was able to keep up with it. Her voice was strong and husky. This song will be stuck in your head long after it’s done.

# 7 – Keep Holding On

This memorable power ballad is featured on the soundtrack to the movie Eragon. It is also on the upbeat The Best Damn Thing album. This song has a pop rock sound. This haunting song is about love and loyalty. The strings and piano arrangements are touching and beautiful. It has a phenomenal melody to it. Lavigne’s vocals are magnificent. She soars early on in the song and continues to do it throughout. She holds notes without missing a beat. She didn’t wait until the end of the song to hold notes. She does it throughout the track. She sounds similar to Alanis Morissette. This song is from a movie, but she sings it as if it’s about her personally. She proved she could turn a rock song into a power ballad.

# 6 – Girlfriend

This simple and buoyant song is the lead single from the radio friendly The Best Damn Thing album. It has a pop punk power pop sound. This outstanding song has fun and upbeat music. It features heavy guitar riffs and hand claps. It sounds like “Mickey” by Toni Basil. Fans of rock and pop music will be very pleased with this beat because you can rock and dance to it at the same time. This song is about her having a crush on a man who has a girlfriend.

Here is some trivia about the song. Lavigne was drunk when she wrote this song. All this proves is that she can write a good song even when she is intoxicated. Lavigne was sued for plagiarism. The songwriters of The Rubinoos’ “I Want to Be Your Boyfriend” sued Lavigne for copyright infringement. Despite the controversy surrounding the song, it is a monster pleasure. The song has shout-along lyrics and power vocals. Lavigne did her thing in this song.

# 5 –When You’re Gone

This remarkable song is the second single from the anthemic The Best Damn Thing. This sensational ballad has a soft rock and pop rock sound. This emotional song is about saying goodbye to someone you love. She was married to singer Deryck Whibley from Sum 41 at the time when she wrote this song. She wouldn’t confirm if the song is about him. The orchestral music is perfect for the theme of this song. The piano and the guitar are the musical stars. Lavigne is soaring vocally, but her vocals aren’t strong enough to keep up with the music. The music gets really loud at a point, but she doesn’t project the way she should. She does get an A for effort because she tries, but she doesn’t quite pull it off the way she should have. If the music were a little softer, it would have complimented her voice better.

# 4 – Don’t Tell Me

The next song on our Top 10 Avril Lavigne Songs list is the message-inspired “Don’t Tell Me” from the impressive Under My Skin. This fabulous song has an alternative rock post-grunge sound. It is about not letting a guy get into her pants. It has a positive message to females. The song is basically telling women that it’s okay to say no to a guy wanting to have sex with them. It has a quiet beginning and builds up to an impressive chorus. This arrangement goes up and down like a roller coaster. The guitar riffs were on point. Unlike the previous entry, the music was better suited for her voice. It wasn’t too loud so she was able to keep up with the instrumentation. She was a teenager when she wrote the song so it is age-appropriate for her since teenage girls deal with the pressure of guys pressuring them to have sex before they are ready.

# 3 – Nobody’s Home

This exceptional song is the third single from the monster-hit album Under My Skin. This extravagant song has an alternative rock sound. This song is about her not being able to help a friend who is in trouble. She proved that she didn’t have to sing songs that are about heartbreak. It’s a relatable challenge that people face. Most of us have been in a position where we couldn’t help a friend. She has impeccable timing in this track. She is on time with all of the beat changes. The music is soft in the verses and then explodes during the chorus. She doesn’t miss a beat in the track. She channels her inner Alanis Morissette in the song. This song is perfect.

# 2 – I’m With You

This rock-inspired song is the third single from the widely successful Let Go album. This is a pop rock power ballad. This touching song is about someone needing help and wishing someone would reach out to them. This song has a deep message about someone reaching out for help. It is a song that will let you know that you’re not alone. The hypnotic music can put you in a trance. It is soft and soothing until she hits the chorus and the bridge. She pours her heart out after the bridge. Avril Lavigne vocally soars from the bridge until the end of the song. She does little runs that were impressive. She doesn’t do them often so it was a pleasant surprise. Her voice was able to sustain the runs she performed without her voice breaking. She does it in a higher pitch and ran the risk of her voice breaking, but she had control over her voice.

# 1 – My Happy Ending

The number one song on our Top 10 Avril Lavigne Songs list is the absolutely tremendous “My Happy Ending” from the popular Under My Skin album. This truly amazing song has a post grunge and alternative rock sound. This song is about someone breaking up with her. She is confused by the break up. She realized he wasn’t being genuine and blamed his friends for the break up. This song was a last minute addition to the album. This should have been the first pick. This song is too good to be a last minute decision. It turned out to be a good decision to add it because it’s outstanding.

The music is built around the drums and the phenomenal guitar chords. The song was originally supposed to have an acoustic guitar, but it was changed to give it a harder rock edge. This was an excellent decision because the music is out of this world. Her vocals are also out of this world. She is really passionate when she cries out that she isn’t getting her happy ending. She sings this as if she really did go through a bad break up. She vocally rises to the occasion. She does each line in time with the music. She has two lines run into the chorus and they blend perfectly. There aren’t enough good words to say about this song. It deserves to be number one on the list.

Avril Lavigne Songs

Photo: Breno Galtier, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Photo at top of page: Luuk Denekamp, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Updated November 7, 2023

Top 10 Avril Lavigne Songs article published on Classic RockHistory.com© 2023

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