When I was a kid, Avril Lavigne was one of my idols. I had every CD the day it came out and knew every song by heart. You’d be lying to yourself if you said you didn’t love her as a kid, too. She was awesome!
And, while her music and main fan base was a tad older than us, we still found her music enjoyable. But, the older I get, the more I realize how mature her songs were for that time and how much I relate to them now as a young adult. She actually wrote about issues that happen all the time, issues of which were completely unaware at the age we were when her songs first came out.
Don’t believe me? Let’s go over the issues she covers.
I’m With You (2002)
If belting your heart out to this every time you hear it is wrong, I don’t want to be right. Basically, this song is about being stood up or being left by the person you thought was there for you and feeling uncomfortable about it. She’s desperate to get out of where she is and is looking for any excuse she can find to leave but is trapped. And if that isn’t relatable, then I don’t know what is.
Losing Grip (2002)
We just thought this was total teenage, rebellious angst. Actually, it’s about the moment you’ve given up on that boy and just said “screw it.” You held on for too long and now you have to lose your grip and let go. Think about the lyrics: “I was left to cry there, waiting outside there, grinning with a lost stare, that’s when I decided whhhyyyyy should I care?” She snapped. Then, her doubt and anger comes along with the feelings of him caring.
Don’t Tell Me (2004)
Although at the time it spoke to our mini, rebellious souls, this song was actually about the pressures of having sex and that she simply doesn’t want it. I mean, there are obvious parts of the song, such as the “Don’t think that your charm and the fact that your arm is now around my neck will get you in my pants…” lyric that make it clear that she really doesn’t want it. She also sings,“I’m gonna ask you to stop, thought I liked you a lot, but I’m really upset.” Yay for consensual sex, Avril, unintentionally teaching us to use it at a young age.
Nobody’s Home (2004)
If you’ve never seen the video, you wouldn’t necessarily understand what this song is about, but it’s written about youth homelessness. Basically, Avril Lavigne was inspired to write this song about a girl she knew who began living on the streets and used the song and video to raise awareness. We all know someone who’s had difficulty in life, so this song makes more sense to us as adults.
Complicated (2002)
This arguably could be the anthem of our childhood because it was so popular! But, when we were children, we didn’t realize how relatable this song is or how a relationship could be so complicated, and, well, she foreshadowed our future. “Complicated” is about finding an awesome guy, but out of nowhere, he changes into someone you don’t like and it’s affecting your relationship.
Basically, Avril called out all the f*ck boys before anyone else could and all the issues she sings about are relatable to us now more than ever. Isn’t it sad that dating patterns haven’t improved since the early 2000’s? But, it is pretty cool that we can listen to our old favourites and re-love them from a different perspective. Avril Lavigne will forever be the queen of breakup pop-punk music.
Featured Photo via Avril Lavigne’s Complicated
