This Day in Pop: 20 years ago, Avril Lavigne releases her legendary CULTURAL RESET debut single "Complicated"

[DignifiedLove]

20 years ago this week, Avril Lavigne releases her debut single "Complicated", credited for bringing female rock and guitar-driven pop back into the mainstream, and the world would never be the same. The song would launch the career of one of the most defining and influential female acts of the 2000s. 

At a time when Top 40 radio was figuring out the more adult-oriented pop sensibilities of teen queens such as Britney, Christina, Mandy and Jessica, a 17-year old Canadian by the name of Avril Lavigne made her way onto the airwaves serving as quite possibly the perfect antithesis and one of the biggest success stories from that year. Following the release of "Complicated", Lavigne's career would soon be blasted into the stratosphere spearheading by what the media would label as the 'Anti-Britney movement', offering up an anti-formulaic expectation of pop that would go on to inspire a generation of younger artists.

In an interview from 2011, Lavigne stated, "When you’re in the limelight, people judge you and everything you do sends a message out to your fans. I’ve never conformed to what people think a female pop star should be. I had my own look going on. The guy who signed me (LA Reid) knew I would never wear pink." Lavigne concludes, "I’ve grown out of the tomboy look now and happily wear heels, tight jeans and dresses."

"I could have never imagined the places this song would take me", Lavigne took to social media this week to celebrate.

"Complicated" peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100, going platinum and selling over 10 million copies worldwide. It also spent 16 weeks at the top slot on the Billboard Adult Top 40 chart. The song earned Lavigne two Grammy Award nominations: Song of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. She also received the award for Best New Artist in a Video at the MTV Video Music Awards in 2002.

(Peep Britney at 1:08 )

 

 

 

[rik]

Love his era so much

Enjoy 

[Adriannn]

 Timeless anthem 

 I can't believe I was just 10 when this song came out 

Avril and her music will always be a part of my teenage years and I'm so proud that this wonderful song was just the beginning.

 

Spoiler

I like 'I'm With You' better, though 

 

[Freakshow__]

ICONIC song. Love Avril. Stream her new album!!!!! 

[DignifiedLove]

16 minutes ago, Rik said:

Love his era so much

Enjoy 

The absolute PEAK of pop culture

Like seeing all these videos is making me sooo nostalgic. Complicated alone is so ingrained in my memory as a child. Kids these days do and will not understand the magnitude of what the culture used to be. 

[RadicalOptimism]

A phony 

[runoncoldfire]

I do love her new album

[DonMegaX]

Best thing to come out of the "anti-Britney" wave was Vanessa Carlton.

[rik]

1 hour ago, DonMegaX said:

Best thing to come out of the "anti-Britney" wave was Vanessa Carlton.

Tbh I was gonna say Michelle branch but Vanessa has the strongest catalogue both lyrically and sonically out of all 3 (Avril being the third) Vanessa also loves Britney so stream Love Is an Art!

 

[DonMegaX]

Michelle Branch is cool, but Vanessa has a cover of Paint It Black on her debut album, which was completely unexpected.

[MikeHunt]

Yes Avril! The girl who slût shamed Britney and called her a hôe for wearing a bra and dancing around, yet when Avril started flopping she turned up the sëx appeal, bleached her hair blonde and was in her bra and panties a few years later! A cultural reset!

 

i like Avril but I’m so sick of the “anti- pop girl” because they always sell out, give into modern fashion, who shows off their bodies and basically are hypocrites. There is nothing wrong with people exploring their ***ualities through their art but it’s self righteous girls like Avril, Lorde, Billie who talk sh t about sêxy pop girls and try to diminish those girls artistry just because they use their sëxuality, and those anti girls win awards but the public lose interest in them and give them 2-3 years later and they are selling sêx too. 

[Kletus]

The queen of sellouts and flop, Arvin is unmatched. She came for Britney then subsequently sold her soul and became EXACTLY what she "hated" by becoming a blonde s.ex bot when her ghost writers ran out. We know she didn't write those albums at 16, because look at her horrible lyrics these days. Arvin will be remembered as a short little gremlin, singing about teenage dreams at age 40 while Britney remains above the level of hatred this little low-functioning sellout is. Arvin can keep promoting her racist Hello Kitty songs and retire and disappear into her continued irrelevance, where she's been for decades.

[DonMegaX]

There was this backlash at the perceived "bubblegum pop*" that made it seen like there was a market for an "anti-Britney". The fact that it was widely called anti-Britney was very telling, but there was no coherent sound that was supposed to be. So you had Avril claiming to be punk, when no punk leaning listener would call her punk. It was blatant pop-punk. Michelle Branch and Vanessa Carlton were also swept up in the label, but that's because they were singer-songwriters who played an instrument. Because playing an instrument made you a real artist, not like those other girls. We really have a societal issue with pitting women against each other in the arts. The thing is though, I always separated those two because they weren't just a marketing ploy. Their labels used it to get them on, sure, but they never leaned into it.

It really feels like the music industry, once they realized they could not replicate Britney's success, they started to resent her.

[FraFromThe90's]

Under my skin is the album of my teen years togheter with In the zone.. but than I lost interest, she became a plastic Barbie with plastic songs.. I think she struggled with the idea of being labeled as the punk girl that couldn't wear hills but her "rebellion" was very childish and superficial...

[BritneyLVR]

The drama before Melissa took over 

I can’t wait to see her live soon! 

[overprotected_leo]

I actually started to like Avril more as a rock pop princess then like a tomboy, but both is okay for me 

Funny how at the end Avril and Britney even followed eachother and Avril even been on Piece of me show, but I think Britney unfollowed her after 

[MX3]

Let Go, Under my Skin and The Best Damn Thing dominated my adolescence. I also enjoyed goodbye lullaby a lot when it came out as well. 
 

her self titled and head above water were cringey and floptastic. 
 

im glad she went for something nostalgic, fun and cohesive this time. Her newest album is amazing. 

[Yasux34]

yes her mediocre career , then omg became a little more revealing with her skin over time herself. I dont like her ;)

[rik]

5 hours ago, Kletus said:

The queen of sellouts and flop, Arvin is unmatched.

[rik]

42 minutes ago, MX3 said:

Let Go, Under my Skin and The Best Damn Thing dominated my adolescence. I also enjoyed goodbye lullaby a lot when it came out as well. 
 

her self titled and head above water were cringey and floptastic. 
 

im glad she went for something nostalgic, fun and cohesive this time. Her newest album is amazing. 

Fr