At 26, Avril Lavigne has a new offering in the form of ‘What the Hell?’, her first single from her fourth studio release 'Goodbye Lullaby'. It’s become an accepted fact that Avril has moved on greatly from her debut 'Complicated', but you can’t deny the lyrics sound like that of a relatively hormonal teenager looking for a good time.
“You say that I’m messing with your head all ‘cause I was making out with your friend” is the opening line to what is apparently a more mature Avril, and it’s hard to sense that maturity from this song alone. She has already spoken out claiming the rest of her album will be “more personal” and that this is seemingly a one off track in terms of subject.
Some even suggest that you can sense a deeper message from the song by looking at her personal life and recent split, but with such an upbeat song it’s hard to envisage divorce as the underlying subject matter as you listen. “All I want is to mess around” / “All my life I’ve been good and now I’m like ‘What the hell?’” If anything, to look for some meaning, it comes across as more of a fresh start and new, fun approach to life.
What’s frustrating about this track is simple - it’s so damn catchy. It is a typical Avril Lavigne song of today – poppy, fun and will inevitably get stuck in your head within a few listens. In much likeness to 2007’s ‘Girlfriend’, this isn’t a revolutionary piece musically but it encompasses the pop-rock sound Avril has been creating over the years. It’s essentially designed to be a hit.
In theory, it should reflect the success of 'Girlfriend' – commercially thriving, undeniably catchy and a song that perfectly fits the ‘Avril Lavigne sound’ that she has progressed to. It is definitely a track to watch out for and one you’ll get sick of simply because you can’t get the annoyingly addictive pop beats out of your head.
It’s a far cry from the more rebellious ‘Sk8er Boi’ era, but definitely a song that reflects the older, more fun loving Avril Lavigne.
Some even suggest that you can sense a deeper message from the song by looking at her personal life and recent split, but with such an upbeat song it’s hard to envisage divorce as the underlying subject matter as you listen. “All I want is to mess around” / “All my life I’ve been good and now I’m like ‘What the hell?’” If anything, to look for some meaning, it comes across as more of a fresh start and new, fun approach to life. 
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