What the Hell
2011 single by Avril Lavigne
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"What the Hell" is a song by the Canadian singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne from her fourth studio album, Goodbye Lullaby (2011). Lavigne wrote the song with its producers, Max Martin and Shellback. RCA Records released it as the album's lead single on January 10, 2011. Backed by an instrumentation of guitars, keyboards, and hand-claps, the pop song has lyrics about personal freedom and self-expression.
| "What the Hell" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Avril Lavigne | ||||
| from the album Goodbye Lullaby | ||||
| B-side | "Alice" | |||
| Released | 10 January 2011 | |||
| Recorded | 2010 | |||
| Studio | Maratone, Stockholm | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:39 | |||
| Label | RCA | |||
| Songwriters | ||||
| Producers |
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| Avril Lavigne singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "What the Hell" on YouTube | ||||
Upon its release, "What the Hell" received positive reviews from music critics with many complimenting its catchiness and comparing it to her 2007 single "Girlfriend". The song was successful, reaching number one in Japan, the top five in Asia, the top ten in Europe, Australia, South America, Mexico, Canada, and the top 20 in the US and the UK.
An accompanying music video for the song was directed by Marcus Raboy and premiered on 23 January. "What the Hell" was performed by Lavigne on several television programs such as Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve, T4, The View, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Britain's Got Talent and the Much Music Video Awards. Additionally, she added the song to the setlist of the Black Star Tour (2011).
Background
"What the Hell" is written by Lavigne, Max Martin, and Shellback, while the latter two produced the song. It was recorded at Maratone Studios in Stockholm, Sweden. This is the second song these three have written together, the first one being Miranda Cosgrove's "Dancing Crazy". In November 2010, Lavigne announced via a blog on her official website that her fourth album, Goodbye Lullaby, had been completed for a year and cited her record company as the reason for the album's delays. She revealed in the blog that "What the Hell" would be the first single from the album.[1] The song was premiered on 31 December 2010 on Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve[2] during a pre-taped segment along with a performance of "Girlfriend".[3] Lavigne described "What the Hell" as "a really fun, upbeat party song, so it worked out really well to play it for the first time on New Year's Rockin' Eve."[4] The following day, "What the Hell" was available as a free download for 48 hours from Lavigne's official Facebook page.[5]
Composition
"What the Hell" has been described as a "bubblegum pop-punk",[6] synthpop,[7][8] and "new-wave rock" song.[9] The song has been compared to previous Lavigne's single, "Girlfriend" (2007). It is written in the verse–pre-chorus–chorus form. The track opens with its characteristically "retro keyboard riff" and hand-claps.[10] The inclusion of the keyboard has drawn comparisons to the garage rock genre and the band The Hives.[10][11] The song also features guitars during the chorus.[10] The song is performed in the key of A major[12] at a tempo of 150 beats per minute. Avril Lavigne's vocals span from F#3 to F#5.
Although Lavigne simply described the song as "a broad message about personal freedom",[1] critics have interpreted it in various ways. Gil Kaufman of MTV.com suggested that it is a "declaration of independence from a former teen star who is storming back onto the scene". Kaufman proposed Lavigne's public divorce from Sum 41 singer Deryck Whibley, along with friction between her and her record company, as possible themes.[10] Jody Rosen of Rolling Stone magazine called the song "an anthem about a good girl... staying out late, swapping boys and exacting psychological revenge."[11] Heather McDaid of Stereoboard.com was critical of the song's theme being about Whibley: "with such an upbeat song it's hard to envisage divorce as the underlying subject matter as you listen."[13] Holly Thomas of Frost Magazine suggested Lavigne was "starved of affection from the one she truly loves."[14] Lavigne described the song as "more reminiscent of some of my old pop rock stuff",[3] calling it her "most pop track on the record" and the least personal song from the album.[1]
Reception
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Blogcritics | (positive)[15] |
| Digital Spy |  [6] |
| Frost Magazine | (positive)[14] |
| Idolator | (positive)[16] |
| MTV | (positive)[10] |
| Rolling Stone |   [11] |
| Stereoboard.com | (mixed)[13] |
"What the Hell" has received positive reviews from music critics, who have noted similarities between "What the Hell" and Lavigne's previous single, "Girlfriend".[10][14] Gil Kaufman of MTV.com stated "What the Hell" has "rousing cheerleader energy" and an "infectious groove and peppy vibe".[10] Jody Rosen of Rolling Stone magazine said "the music is easily some of Avril's catchiest yet", describing it as "Avril in a nutshell".[11] Idolator described the song as a "guilty pleasure" and called it "the kind of track we only select after double-checking no one's eyeing our iPod."[16] Nick Levine of Digital Spy gave the song a perfect rating. He explained that Lavigne is "snottier than a tissue tossed in the bin down the flu clinic [but] what's more, she's pulling it off." Levine added that "What the Hell" was not "quite as undeniable" as "Girlfriend" but praised the chorus of the song.[6]
Heather McDaid of Stereoboard.com notes that it "isn't a revolutionary piece musically but it encompasses the pop-rock sound Avril has been creating over the years". McDaid goes on to say that it is "definitely a song that reflects the older, more fun loving Avril Lavigne."[13] Holly Thomas of Frost Magazine believed that the song lacked maturity and described it as "irritating", but she praised the song for its lyrics and theme.[14] Kirsten Coachman of Blogcritics simply said that people could easily relate to it.[15]
McDaid and Thomas all agreed that some might find the song annoying.[14][13] Jonathan Keefe from Slant Magazine was more positive: "Martin ensures that lead single "What the Hell" explodes into its chorus to great effect, making its slight refrain of "All my life I've been good/But now I'm thinking 'what the hell'" sound more massive than it probably should".[17] Andy Greenwald from Entertainment Weekly was almost neutral in his review, but admitted that the "Farfisa-fueled What the Hell [will] restore Avril to her rightful place ahead of Katy Perry and Ke$ha in the Sisterhood of the Negligible Pants".[18] Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic picked the track as one of the best of the album: "'What the Hell' approximates Avril's irrepressible brattiness only without seeming much fun at all".[19]
Accolades
| † | Indicates non-competitive categories |
| Award/Publisher | Year | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Billboard Japan Music Awards | 2011 | Hot 100 Airplay of the Year | Won | [20] |
| BMI London Awards | 2012 | Award-Winning Songs † | Won | [21] |
| BMI Pop Music Awards | 2012 | Won | [21] | |
| MuchMusic Video Awards | 2011 | International Video of the Year by a Canadian | Nominated | [22] [23] |
| UR Fave: Artist | Nominated |
Live performances
Lavigne performed the song live several times. The first performance was on the Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve on 31 December 2010/1 January 2011.[2] She performed it on Daybreak (UK) on 15 February 2011; on T4, BBC Radio 1, The View, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, at Walmart Soundcheck, and on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on 14 March 2011; and on Sunrise on 31 March 2011, and on the Canadian premiation Much Music Video Awards on 19 June.[24] On 1 June 2011, Lavigne performed the song on the fifth season of Britain's Got Talent as a medley with "Smile".
Music video
The music video is about a TV series, where famous supermodel-actress Daniela Nieves is lying in bed in her bra and panties with her actor husband Benjamin Walker.
Track listing
Credits and personnel
- Songwriting – Avril Lavigne, Max Martin, Shellback
- Production and recording – Max Martin, Shellback
- Engineering – Michael Ilbert
- Mixing – Serban Ghenea
- Mix engineer – John Hanes
- Assistant mix engineer – Tim Roberts
- Lead vocals and background vocals – Avril Lavigne
- Drums, guitar and bass – Shellback
- Keyboards – Max Martin
Credits adapted from What the Hell CD single liner notes.[28]
Charts
Weekly charts |
Year-end charts
|
Certifications and sales
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[74] | 2× Platinum | 140,000^ |
| Canada (Music Canada)[75] | 4× Platinum | 320,000‡ |
| Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[76] | Gold | 45,000‡ |
| Italy (FIMI)[77] | Gold | 15,000* |
| Japan (RIAJ)[78] Digital single |
2× Platinum | 500,000* |
| Mexico (AMPROFON)[79] | Gold | 30,000* |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[80] | Platinum | 15,000* |
| South Korea | — | 798,673[81] |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[82] | Platinum | 600,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA)[83] | 4× Platinum | 4,000,000‡ |
|
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
Release history
| Region | Date | Label | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| France[84] | 10 January 2011 | RCA Records | Digital download |
| Mexico | |||
| United States and Canada[85] | 11 January 2011 | ||
| United Kingdom[6] | 16 January 2011 | ||
| Japan[86] | 2 February 2011 | Sony Music Japan | CD single |
| Germany[87] | 25 February 2011 | RCA Records |