Music Review: Avril Lavigne "What The Hell"

Avril Lavigne

What The Hell

Album: Goodbye Lullaby

Year: 2011

     Avril Lavigne is enjoying the single life in the breezy “What The Hell.”

       Summery guitars open the single, setting a whimsical tone. After ending a long-term relationship, Lavigne’s hooked up with a couple guys. The last guy she was with, (we’ll call him Guy #7). Guy #7 is confused and confronts her. He doesn’t know what’s going on. He thought they had something. Then he found out she kissed Guy #6, his best friend. She tells him that love isn’t for her anymore and playing the field is what she would rather do. (“You say that I'm messin' with your head /All 'cause I was making out with your friend/Love hurts whether it's right or wrong/I can't stop, 'cause I'm having too much fun.”)

            In the pre-chorus, Guy #7 tries to convince her that he won’t hurt her like her ex-boyfriend did. She tells him she needs to remember what it was like to have fun with a person and not worry about the drama of a relationship. (“You're on your knees, beggin' please "stay with me"/But honestly, I just need to be a little crazy.”)

           In the chorus, she says all her previous relationships have been long-term ones and she’s never really dated around. She figures now is her chance to experience it and doesn’t care what anyone thinks of her. No one is going to change her mind. (“All my life I've been good but now/I'm thinking “What the hell?”All I want is to mess around, and I don't really care about/If you love me, if you hate me/You can't save me, baby, baby/All my life I've been good but now whoa “What the hell?”/What, what, what, what the hell?”)

           Her ex-boyfriend has heard about her going from guy to guy. She tells him that she doesn’t need his approval. When they were going out, he wouldn’t check in with her or pay attention to what she liked. It helps her feel better to get out there than sitting in her room, crying about where it went wrong. (“So what if I go out on a million dates?/You never call or listen to me anyway/I'd rather rage than sit around and wait all day/Don't get me wrong, I just need some time to play.”)

                    The pre-chorus and chorus are sung again.
 

               In the bridge, Avril la la’s for about ten seconds or so. She adds she’s rather sleep with him than hear him talk about his feelings. (“La la la la la la la la whoa whoa/ La la la la la la la la whoa whoa/You say that I'm messing with your head/Boy, I like messing in your bed/Yeah, I am messing with your head/When I'm messing with you in bed.”)

        The chorus is sung again.

       Lavigne “la la’s” end the single.

     With her mellow, candid vocals, she expresses what she wants and states it’s on her own terms. She’s honest and gentle while explaining to to the guy she can’t be vulnerable right now. It’s a huge change from the defensiveness and arrogance which soured otherwise decent songs. She’s at her most likeable here.  

      The warm guitars, remiscient of 60s surfer rock, are frivolous and animated. It  slips into Backstreet’s-Back-Alright! territory in the bridge but it’s quick and hardly noticeable unless it’s after multiple close listens.  

  “What The Hell” charms with it’s devotion to complete, total fun.

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