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Girlfriend (Avril Lavigne song)
Encyclopedia
"Girlfriend" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne
. The song was written by Lavigne with her producer Dr. Luke
for Lavigne's third studio album, The Best Damn Thing
(2007). "Girlfriend" was released as the lead single
from The Best Damn Thing on 27 February 2007. Lyrically, the song revolves around its protagonist having a crush on someone who is in a relationship, proclaiming she should be his girlfriend. The song has been noted to have similarities to Toni Basil
's 1982 single "Mickey
", and The Rubinoos
' 1979 single "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend". The songwriters of "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend" sued Lavigne and Dr. Luke for copyright infringement; the suit was later settled.
"Girlfriend" received generally positive reviews from music critics, who complimented its catchiness. The song was a worldwide success, peaking at the top spot of the charts in eight countries, including Canada, the United States, and Australia. It additionally charted in the top ten of most other countries. The song's accompanying music video, directed by The Malloys
sees Lavigne portraying three alter-egos, with all of them fighting over the same guy. In June 2007, the song's official remix, featuring American rapper Lil Mama
was released. Lavigne performed the song a number of times, including at the 2007 MuchMusic Video Awards
, the 2007 Teen Choice Awards
, and the 2008 Juno Awards.
The song's success made it a mainstay of pop music in the late 2000s. "Girlfriend" was certified multi-platinum in Australia and the United States. It was the top-selling song of 2007, with over 7.3 million worldwide sales. In 2008, the song became the most viewed video on YouTube, and was the first video on the site to reach 100 million views. Rolling Stone
ranked the song number thirty-seven on their list of "Top 100 Songs of 2007" list. Several versions of the song were released with the chorus sung in multiple languages. In 2010, the song was named the ninety-fourth most successful song on the Hot 100 in the 2000s decade.
, power pop
, and pop
song at 152 beats per minute, performed in the key of D major
. Lavigne's vocal range spans from A3 to D5.
The chorus was written before the verses and was described by Lavigne to be written using "rocky chords". Gottwald then came up with a beat for the song and Lavigne immediately loved it. Lavigne has stated that "Girlfriend" was quite a different song for her.
The song's chorus was recorded in seven different languages other than English.
list of the 100 Best Songs of 2007. This song was also #77 on MTV Asia list of Top 100 Hits of 2007. Also was listed as the number 1 hit of 2007 according to MTV Latin America. "Girlfriend" also won the Best Song of the Year at the 2008 Kids' Choice Awards
. It beat "Big Girls Don't Cry
", "Don't Matter
", and "Beautiful Girls
".
Reviewers have noted similarities between Girlfriend and other songs. One similarity is to The Rubinoos
' 1979
single "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend", in which they sing "Hey hey, you you, I wanna be your boyfriend" similar to "Hey hey, you you, I could be your girlfriend" in "Girlfriend". The song can be heard on the Rubinoos' MySpace
page. Similarities have also been noted to Toni Basil
's "Mickey
".
Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic highlighted the song as a 'track pick' in a review of the album, The Best Damn Thing. He complimented the album for opening with Girlfriend, describing the song as a "bright bubblegum blast". Focusing on Girlfriend in a review for The Best Damn Thing, Chris Willman of Entertainment Weekly
said "If the girls of Heathers
formed a Runaways
tribute band, it would sound exactly like this". Alex Macpherson of The Guardian
newspaper labelled Girlfriend as "brilliantly addictive". Jon Pareles of The New York Times
called Girlfriend the best song off the album and stated it used "cleverly manipulated echoes and attacks to sound as if Ms. Lavigne were charging in from all directions". Sal Cinquemani of Slant
magazine was more negative on the song and states that Lavigne can't "pull off the pink pumps or punky pout with any kind of believability".
sales in excess of 122,000, the song debuted at number five on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100
chart, the highest debut of her career. Afterwards it became Lavigne's first (and as of 2011, only) song to reach number one on the Hot 100, in the issue dated May 5, 2007; her previous highest peak on the chart was with 2002
's "Complicated", which reached number two. It remained in the top ten for eighteen weeks, and has since been downloaded over 3 million times.In Canada, the song debuted at number 1.
"Girlfriend" debuted on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart
at number three. The following week it reached number-one, and it remained at the top for six non-consecutive weeks, equaling Lavigne's previous number-one single on the ARIA Charts, "Complicated". After three weeks on the charts, it was certified gold by ARIA
, then platinum after seven weeks for sales in excess of 70,000 copies. It was then certified double platinum, sales in excess of 140,000. In 2008, it was certified quadruple platinum for sales of 280,000.
On the UK Singles Chart
, "Girlfriend" peaked at number two, surpassing "Complicated" as Lavigne's highest peaking single on the chart. The song ended 2007 as the years 20th biggest-selling single in the UK and spent 27 weeks inside the chart and is Lavigne's biggest hit in the UK to date.
It won the Award for "Canción del Año" (Song of the Year) in "Los Premios MTV Latinoamérica 2007
" (The Latin American MTV Awards) and was nominated for "Monster Single" in the MTV Video Music Awards 2007. It won Most Addictive Track (Single of the Year) at the MTV Europe Music Awards
' song "Get off of My Cloud
". McBride said he hired a musicologist to compare the songs. According to McBride the musicologist reported that the songs were totally dissimilar, even a different meter
. Prominent music critics such as Stephen Thomas Erlewine
of Allmusic have publicly said that the chorus is a "total lift" from the Rubinoos' song. In July 2007 McBride said that Lavigne had no plans to settle the case, but would consider the costs of defending the case against those of settling. In January 2008, the lawsuit was settled, and Gangwer and Dunbar released a statement saying that the similarities between the songs were based on "certain common and widely used lyrics" and that they "completely exonerate Avril and Luke from any wrongdoing of any kind in connection with the claims made by us in our lawsuit."
was directed by The Malloys
and filmed at Golf N' Stuff in Norwalk, California
.
The next scene shows the couple eating together, where Lavigne sees them, throws the food away and kisses the red-haired girl's boyfriend. It is nighttime when the next scene was shown. This scene takes place in a miniature golf
course where the couple are playing, and the red-haired girl cheerfully wins.
Unfortunately for her, Lavigne and her friends are also present at the scene. As soon as she and her friends see them, Lavigne hits her in the head with a golf ball, and the red-haired girl splashes down below and into the water. Her boyfriend tries to grab her hand but misses. Finally, the last scene shows the man waiting for Lavigne. As she comes toward him, they soon hold hands together, and the red-haired girl sees them and tries to seize Lavigne (at the same time trying to get her boyfriend back). But Lavigne ducks down and the man moves sideways as soon as the red-haired girl charges towards Lavigne. She then tumbles all the way down and falls into a Porta Potty ahead, where she gives a look of desperation towards the camera, showing that she has failed to win back her boyfriend. Lavigne then finally wins the youth's affections. The video ends when she takes her new boyfriend into a bathroom stall and slightly opens the door after a moment and pumps her arm in victory. Lavigne's boyfriend in the video is played by American model Bryan McMullin and dresses similarly to the "rocker" Lavigne in the video. The video features Lavigne's previous guitarist Evan Taubenfeld
, and Lavigne's brother Matt on bass
.
and in August of that year, surpassed 100 million views becoming the first YouTube video to reach that milestone. The YouTube video of the song was accused of having an exaggerated number of views due to the use of a web link posted by AvrilBandAids, a fansite
devoted to Avril Lavigne. Clicking on the link would automatically reload the YouTube video of Girlfriend every fifteen seconds.
Fans of Avril Lavigne were encouraged to: "Keep this page open while you browse the internet, study for exams, or even sleep. For extra viewing power, open up two or more browser windows at this page!" It is expected that Avril's YouTube video views have earned in excess of $2 million (U.S). In November 2009, RCA Records
removed the video of the song from YouTube, by which time it had received around 130 million views. The official video is now hosted by Vevo
, a premium music video service owned by Google
and Sony
.
The song is featured on the soundtrack to the video game Burnout Dominator in four different languages which includes Japanese, Spanish, Mandarin and English. The song is also featured in Burnout Paradise
which only includes the English Version.
and Lavigne shot a video for the remix of "Girlfriend", which was directed by R. Malcolm Jones.
Japan CD single
Junkie XL remix digital download
Dr. Luke remix edition [iTunes only]
Ringle
edition
1 A code was included on the CD to download the ringtone online.
American band Zebrahead
released "Girlfriend" as the first single of their new album Panty Raid
, which was released on 4 November 2009, in Japan and 8 December in the rest of the world. The album is noticed to only have cover versions of women's famous pop
songs of the past two decades. It runs 3:05 and is fast-paced, thanks to Ali
rap sing style. It was peaked in the Hot Modern Rock Tracks in the first week in the #84 place.
The music video of the song was released in mid October and is a parody
of the original "Girlfriend" video, with Ali
playing the "Bad Avril" and Matty
playing the good one. It resembles numerous situations that occur in the original video, but with a more comic sense into the video.
Avril Lavigne
Avril Ramona Lavigne is a Canadian singer-songwriter. She was born in Belleville, Ontario, but spent most of her youth in the small town of Napanee. By the age of 15, she had appeared on stage with Shania Twain; by 16, she had signed a two-album recording contract with Arista Records worth more...
. The song was written by Lavigne with her producer Dr. Luke
Dr. Luke
Lukasz Gottwald , better known as Dr. Luke, is an American songwriter, record producer, and remixer. Luke performed with the Saturday Night Live Band for ten seasons until 2007. He has co-written and co-produced a string of commercially successful songs...
for Lavigne's third studio album, The Best Damn Thing
The Best Damn Thing
The Best Damn Thing is the third studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne. It was released on April 13, 2007 through RCA Records. According to the IFPI, The Best Damn Thing was the fourth top-selling album worldwide and Sony BMG's top-selling album of 2007. The album was certified...
(2007). "Girlfriend" was released as the lead single
Lead single
A lead single is usually the first single released by a musician or a band before the release of its home album.During the era of the grammophone record, all music arrived in the marketplace as what is now termed a single, one potential hit song backed by an additional song of generally less...
from The Best Damn Thing on 27 February 2007. Lyrically, the song revolves around its protagonist having a crush on someone who is in a relationship, proclaiming she should be his girlfriend. The song has been noted to have similarities to Toni Basil
Toni Basil
Antonia Christina Basilotta , better known by her stage name Toni Basil, is an American singer-songwriter, actress, filmmaker, film director, choreographer, and dancer, best known for her multi-million-selling worldwide #1 hit "Mickey" from 1982.-Early life:Basil was born Antonia Christina...
's 1982 single "Mickey
Mickey (song)
"Mickey" is a 1982 U.S. new wave song recorded by singer and choreographer Toni Basil. Written by Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn as "Kitty", it was first recorded by UK popular music group Racey during 1979...
", and The Rubinoos
The Rubinoos
The Rubinoos are an American power pop band that formed in 1970 in Berkeley, California. They are perhaps best known for their singles "I Think We're Alone Now" , "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend" , and for the theme song to the 1984 film Revenge of the Nerds...
' 1979 single "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend". The songwriters of "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend" sued Lavigne and Dr. Luke for copyright infringement; the suit was later settled.
"Girlfriend" received generally positive reviews from music critics, who complimented its catchiness. The song was a worldwide success, peaking at the top spot of the charts in eight countries, including Canada, the United States, and Australia. It additionally charted in the top ten of most other countries. The song's accompanying music video, directed by The Malloys
The Malloys
The Malloys is the working name of music video and film directors and brothers Emmett Malloy and Brendan Malloy. They are signed to HSI Productions.- Videography :*"Holiday" by Vampire Weekend...
sees Lavigne portraying three alter-egos, with all of them fighting over the same guy. In June 2007, the song's official remix, featuring American rapper Lil Mama
Lil Mama
Niatia Jessica Kirkland professionally known as Lil Mama, is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, musician, and dancer.-Early life:...
was released. Lavigne performed the song a number of times, including at the 2007 MuchMusic Video Awards
MuchMusic Video Awards
The MuchMusic Video Awards are annual awards presented by the Canadian music video channel MuchMusic to honour the year's best music videos....
, the 2007 Teen Choice Awards
Teen Choice Awards
The Teen Choice Awards, are an annual awards show that air on the Fox cable channel, that honor the year's biggest biggest achievements in music, movies, sports, television, fashion and more, voted by teen viewers aged 14 through 17. Winners receive an authentic full size surfboard designed with...
, and the 2008 Juno Awards.
The song's success made it a mainstay of pop music in the late 2000s. "Girlfriend" was certified multi-platinum in Australia and the United States. It was the top-selling song of 2007, with over 7.3 million worldwide sales. In 2008, the song became the most viewed video on YouTube, and was the first video on the site to reach 100 million views. Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
ranked the song number thirty-seven on their list of "Top 100 Songs of 2007" list. Several versions of the song were released with the chorus sung in multiple languages. In 2010, the song was named the ninety-fourth most successful song on the Hot 100 in the 2000s decade.
Background and composition
"Girlfriend" was written by Avril Lavigne and Lukasz "Dr. Luke" Gottwald, who also produced the song. "Girlfriend" is a moderately fast pop punkPop punk
Pop punk is a fusion music genre that combines elements of punk rock with pop music, to varying degrees. Allmusic describes the genre as a strand of alternative rock, which typically merges pop melodies with speedy punk tempos, chord changes and loud guitars...
, power pop
Power pop
Power pop is a popular musical genre that draws its inspiration from 1960s British and American pop and rock music. It typically incorporates a combination of musical devices such as strong melodies, crisp vocal harmonies, economical arrangements, and prominent guitar riffs. Instrumental solos are...
, and pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
song at 152 beats per minute, performed in the key of D major
D major
D major is a major scale based on D, consisting of the pitches D, E, F, G, A, B, and C. Its key signature consists of two sharps. Its relative minor is B minor and its parallel minor is D minor....
. Lavigne's vocal range spans from A3 to D5.
The chorus was written before the verses and was described by Lavigne to be written using "rocky chords". Gottwald then came up with a beat for the song and Lavigne immediately loved it. Lavigne has stated that "Girlfriend" was quite a different song for her.
The song's chorus was recorded in seven different languages other than English.
Critical reception
"Girlfriend" received mostly positive reviews from contemporary music critics. The song was #35 on Rolling StoneRolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
list of the 100 Best Songs of 2007. This song was also #77 on MTV Asia list of Top 100 Hits of 2007. Also was listed as the number 1 hit of 2007 according to MTV Latin America. "Girlfriend" also won the Best Song of the Year at the 2008 Kids' Choice Awards
2008 Kids' Choice Awards
The 21st annual Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards were held at the Pauley Pavilion, Los Angeles, California on March 29, 2008. The show was the first live-action/animated Kids Choice Awards show. The event was hosted by Jack Black. Voting began March 3 on Nick.com and Nicktropolis. A "Bring on the...
. It beat "Big Girls Don't Cry
Big Girls Don't Cry (Fergie song)
"Big Girls Don't Cry" is a song written by Fergie and Toby Gad for pop singer Fergie's debut solo album The Dutchess . The song was released as the album's fourth single in 2007 and topped the charts in several countries, most notably in Australia , and in...
", "Don't Matter
Don't Matter
"Don't Matter" is a Reggae fusion–R&B song recorded by Akon for his second studio album Konvicted . The song was released as the album's third single in early 2007. In April 2007, it became Akon's first solo U.S. number-one single and second number-one overall. A crucial part of the chorus takes...
", and "Beautiful Girls
Beautiful Girls (Sean Kingston song)
"Beautiful Girls" is a song by reggae-influenced musician Sean Kingston from his eponymous debut. The song samples Ben E. King's classic "Stand by Me" and uses digital pitch correction technology on the vocals. The song is about a boy who is suicidal over the failure of his relationship with a...
".
Reviewers have noted similarities between Girlfriend and other songs. One similarity is to The Rubinoos
The Rubinoos
The Rubinoos are an American power pop band that formed in 1970 in Berkeley, California. They are perhaps best known for their singles "I Think We're Alone Now" , "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend" , and for the theme song to the 1984 film Revenge of the Nerds...
' 1979
1979 in music
See also:Record labels established in 1979* 1979 in music This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1979.-January–February:*January 1...
single "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend", in which they sing "Hey hey, you you, I wanna be your boyfriend" similar to "Hey hey, you you, I could be your girlfriend" in "Girlfriend". The song can be heard on the Rubinoos' MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
page. Similarities have also been noted to Toni Basil
Toni Basil
Antonia Christina Basilotta , better known by her stage name Toni Basil, is an American singer-songwriter, actress, filmmaker, film director, choreographer, and dancer, best known for her multi-million-selling worldwide #1 hit "Mickey" from 1982.-Early life:Basil was born Antonia Christina...
's "Mickey
Mickey (song)
"Mickey" is a 1982 U.S. new wave song recorded by singer and choreographer Toni Basil. Written by Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn as "Kitty", it was first recorded by UK popular music group Racey during 1979...
".
Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic highlighted the song as a 'track pick' in a review of the album, The Best Damn Thing. He complimented the album for opening with Girlfriend, describing the song as a "bright bubblegum blast". Focusing on Girlfriend in a review for The Best Damn Thing, Chris Willman of Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
said "If the girls of Heathers
Heathers
Heathers is a 1989 black comedy film starring Winona Ryder, Christian Slater and Shannen Doherty. The film portrays four girls in a trend-setting clique at a fictional Ohio high school...
formed a Runaways
The Runaways
The Runaways were an American all-girl rock band that recorded and performed in the second half of the 1970s. The band released four studio albums and one live set during its run. Among its best known songs: "Cherry Bomb", "Queens of Noise", "Neon Angels On the Road to Ruin", "California Paradise"...
tribute band, it would sound exactly like this". Alex Macpherson of The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
newspaper labelled Girlfriend as "brilliantly addictive". Jon Pareles of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
called Girlfriend the best song off the album and stated it used "cleverly manipulated echoes and attacks to sound as if Ms. Lavigne were charging in from all directions". Sal Cinquemani of Slant
Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine is an online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York Film Festival.- History :...
magazine was more negative on the song and states that Lavigne can't "pull off the pink pumps or punky pout with any kind of believability".
Chart performance
Because of digital downloadMusic download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
sales in excess of 122,000, the song debuted at number five on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart, the highest debut of her career. Afterwards it became Lavigne's first (and as of 2011, only) song to reach number one on the Hot 100, in the issue dated May 5, 2007; her previous highest peak on the chart was with 2002
2002 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 2002.-Events:*February 3 – U2 perform during the halftime show for Super Bowl XXXVI...
's "Complicated", which reached number two. It remained in the top ten for eighteen weeks, and has since been downloaded over 3 million times.In Canada, the song debuted at number 1.
"Girlfriend" debuted on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart
ARIA Charts
The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...
at number three. The following week it reached number-one, and it remained at the top for six non-consecutive weeks, equaling Lavigne's previous number-one single on the ARIA Charts, "Complicated". After three weeks on the charts, it was certified gold by ARIA
Australian Recording Industry Association
The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956...
, then platinum after seven weeks for sales in excess of 70,000 copies. It was then certified double platinum, sales in excess of 140,000. In 2008, it was certified quadruple platinum for sales of 280,000.
On the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
, "Girlfriend" peaked at number two, surpassing "Complicated" as Lavigne's highest peaking single on the chart. The song ended 2007 as the years 20th biggest-selling single in the UK and spent 27 weeks inside the chart and is Lavigne's biggest hit in the UK to date.
It won the Award for "Canción del Año" (Song of the Year) in "Los Premios MTV Latinoamérica 2007
Los Premios MTV Latinoamérica 2007
The annual Premios MTV Latinoamérica 2007 took place on the 18th October 2007 in Mexico City at the Palacio de los Deportes for the second time in a row....
" (The Latin American MTV Awards) and was nominated for "Monster Single" in the MTV Video Music Awards 2007. It won Most Addictive Track (Single of the Year) at the MTV Europe Music Awards
MTV Europe Music Awards
The MTV Europe Music Awards were established in 1994 by MTV Networks Europe to celebrate the most popular music videos in Europe. Originally beginning as an alternative to the American MTV Video Music Awards, the MTV Europe Music Awards is today a popular celebration of what MTV viewers consider...
Lawsuit
On 25 May 2007 Lavigne, Gottwald, RCA Records, and Apple Inc. were sued by James Gangwer and Tommy Dunbar (songwriters for The Rubinoos) over claims that "Girlfriend" infringes their copyright on their 1979 song "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend". Lavigne's manager, Terry McBride, denied that "Girlfriend" was copied from "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend", and pointed out that "Boyfriend" itself is similar to The Rolling StonesThe Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
' song "Get off of My Cloud
Get off of My Cloud
"Get Off of My Cloud" is a song by the English rock band The Rolling Stones. It was written as a follow-up single to the successful " Satisfaction"...
". McBride said he hired a musicologist to compare the songs. According to McBride the musicologist reported that the songs were totally dissimilar, even a different meter
Meter (music)
Meter or metre is a term that music has inherited from the rhythmic element of poetry where it means the number of lines in a verse, the number of syllables in each line and the arrangement of those syllables as long or short, accented or unaccented...
. Prominent music critics such as Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine is a senior editor for Allmusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for Allmusic, as well as a freelance writer, occasionally contributing liner notes. He is also frontman and guitarist for the Ann Arbor-based band Who Dat?Erlewine is the nephew...
of Allmusic have publicly said that the chorus is a "total lift" from the Rubinoos' song. In July 2007 McBride said that Lavigne had no plans to settle the case, but would consider the costs of defending the case against those of settling. In January 2008, the lawsuit was settled, and Gangwer and Dunbar released a statement saying that the similarities between the songs were based on "certain common and widely used lyrics" and that they "completely exonerate Avril and Luke from any wrongdoing of any kind in connection with the claims made by us in our lawsuit."
Music video
Development
The music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
was directed by The Malloys
The Malloys
The Malloys is the working name of music video and film directors and brothers Emmett Malloy and Brendan Malloy. They are signed to HSI Productions.- Videography :*"Holiday" by Vampire Weekend...
and filmed at Golf N' Stuff in Norwalk, California
Norwalk, California
Norwalk is a suburban city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 105,549 at the 2010 census, up from 103,298 at the 2000 census, making it the 58th most populous city in California and the 255th nationally....
.
Concept
It features two girls: one with glasses and red hair (Lavigne), and one with a rebellious persona and black hair (also Lavigne). The video begins inside the building where the red-haired girl and her boyfriend are walking together. Lavigne sees her and shows her an intimidating disposition. As the couple walk away, Lavigne begins to sing the song and tries her luck on the red-haired girl's boyfriend. Featured in the video are scenes of Lavigne fighting over the man with the red-haired girl and trying to outdo her repeatedly. Between the scenes we see Lavigne, now with pink streaked blonde hair, singing with her band accompanying her at the back. The video also featured Lavigne and her friends dancing in a restroom. After the starting scene, the video shows them at Li'l Indy, where they ride go-carts. Here, Lavigne is seen viciously bumping the car of the red-haired girl, causing her to spin around and lose control. Next, the red-haired girl and her boyfriend get inside a photo booth where Lavigne hears them and grabs the red-haired girl away before they take pictures. Lavigne's friends then block the red-haired girl's way to give her more time.The next scene shows the couple eating together, where Lavigne sees them, throws the food away and kisses the red-haired girl's boyfriend. It is nighttime when the next scene was shown. This scene takes place in a miniature golf
Miniature golf
Miniature golf, or minigolf, is a miniature version of the sport of golf. While the international sports organization World Minigolf Sport Federation prefers to use the name "minigolf", the general public in different countries has also many other names for the game: miniature golf, mini-golf,...
course where the couple are playing, and the red-haired girl cheerfully wins.
Unfortunately for her, Lavigne and her friends are also present at the scene. As soon as she and her friends see them, Lavigne hits her in the head with a golf ball, and the red-haired girl splashes down below and into the water. Her boyfriend tries to grab her hand but misses. Finally, the last scene shows the man waiting for Lavigne. As she comes toward him, they soon hold hands together, and the red-haired girl sees them and tries to seize Lavigne (at the same time trying to get her boyfriend back). But Lavigne ducks down and the man moves sideways as soon as the red-haired girl charges towards Lavigne. She then tumbles all the way down and falls into a Porta Potty ahead, where she gives a look of desperation towards the camera, showing that she has failed to win back her boyfriend. Lavigne then finally wins the youth's affections. The video ends when she takes her new boyfriend into a bathroom stall and slightly opens the door after a moment and pumps her arm in victory. Lavigne's boyfriend in the video is played by American model Bryan McMullin and dresses similarly to the "rocker" Lavigne in the video. The video features Lavigne's previous guitarist Evan Taubenfeld
Evan Taubenfeld
Evan David Taubenfeld is an American singer-songwriter, best known for being Avril Lavigne's lead guitarist. Taubenfeld's debut album, Welcome to the Blacklist Club, was released on May 18, 2010.-Early life:...
, and Lavigne's brother Matt on bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
.
Reception
On 18 July 2008 "Girlfriend" became the most viewed video at that time on YouTubeYouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
and in August of that year, surpassed 100 million views becoming the first YouTube video to reach that milestone. The YouTube video of the song was accused of having an exaggerated number of views due to the use of a web link posted by AvrilBandAids, a fansite
Fansite
A fansite, fan site, or fanpage is a website created and maintained by a fan or devotee interested in a celebrity, thing, or a particular cultural phenomenon...
devoted to Avril Lavigne. Clicking on the link would automatically reload the YouTube video of Girlfriend every fifteen seconds.
Fans of Avril Lavigne were encouraged to: "Keep this page open while you browse the internet, study for exams, or even sleep. For extra viewing power, open up two or more browser windows at this page!" It is expected that Avril's YouTube video views have earned in excess of $2 million (U.S). In November 2009, RCA Records
RCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
removed the video of the song from YouTube, by which time it had received around 130 million views. The official video is now hosted by Vevo
Vevo
Vevo is a music video website. It is a joint venture among Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group, and Abu Dhabi Media with EMI licensing its content to the group without taking an ownership stake. The service was launched officially on December 8, 2009...
, a premium music video service owned by Google
Google
Google Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
and Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
.
The song is featured on the soundtrack to the video game Burnout Dominator in four different languages which includes Japanese, Spanish, Mandarin and English. The song is also featured in Burnout Paradise
Burnout Paradise
Burnout Paradise is the seventh game in the Burnout racing video game series. It was developed by Criterion Games and published by Electronic Arts. It was released in January 2008 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 and on February 5, 2009 for Microsoft Windows...
which only includes the English Version.
Dr. Luke Remix
Lil MamaLil Mama
Niatia Jessica Kirkland professionally known as Lil Mama, is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, musician, and dancer.-Early life:...
and Lavigne shot a video for the remix of "Girlfriend", which was directed by R. Malcolm Jones.
Live performances
Lavigne performed the song on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on 15 June 2007.Track listings and formats
CD single- "Girlfriend"
- "Alone"
Japan CD single
- "Girlfriend" (Radio edit) – 3:38
- "Girlfriend" (Instrumental) – 3:36
Junkie XL remix digital download
- "Girlfriend" [Junkie XL Mix]
- "Girlfriend" [Junkie XL Extended Mix]
Dr. Luke remix edition [iTunes only]
- "Girlfriend" (Dr. LukeDr. LukeLukasz Gottwald , better known as Dr. Luke, is an American songwriter, record producer, and remixer. Luke performed with the Saturday Night Live Band for ten seasons until 2007. He has co-written and co-produced a string of commercially successful songs...
remix, featuring Lil MamaLil MamaNiatia Jessica Kirkland professionally known as Lil Mama, is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, musician, and dancer.-Early life:...
) - "Girlfriend" (album version)
- "Girlfriend" (original music video)
- "Girlfriend" (Dr. Luke remix, featuring Lil Mama) [music video]
Ringle
Ringle
In music, a ringle is the idea by Sony BMG Music Entertainment that combines ringtones with singles creating a "ringle". Sony BMG Music Entertainment and Universal Music Group are the first to release ringles...
edition
- "Girlfriend" (Dr. Luke remix, featuring Lil Mama)
- "Girlfriend" (Japanese version) [clean edit]
- "Keep Holding OnKeep Holding On"Keep Holding On" is a pop rock power ballad song recorded by Avril Lavigne and is the theme song for the film Eragon . It also appears as the last track on Lavigne's third album, The Best Damn Thing which was released on April 17, 2007. Lavigne has described the rest of the album as being upbeat...
" - Ringtone1
1 A code was included on the CD to download the ringtone online.
Zebrahead version
In September 2009, punk rockPunk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
American band Zebrahead
Zebrahead
Zebrahead is an American punk rock band from Orange County, California, which fuses elements of Rapcore, Pop Punk, Alternative Rock, Alternative Metal, and Funk Metal.-1996–98: Formation:...
released "Girlfriend" as the first single of their new album Panty Raid
Panty Raid (album)
Panty Raid is the eighth studio album released by American punk rock band Zebrahead.The album consists entirely of cover songs by female pop artists, including singers such as Avril Lavigne, Christina Aguilera and Gwen Stefani.-Track listing:...
, which was released on 4 November 2009, in Japan and 8 December in the rest of the world. The album is noticed to only have cover versions of women's famous pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
songs of the past two decades. It runs 3:05 and is fast-paced, thanks to Ali
Ali Tabatabaee
Ali Tabatabaee is one of two main vocalists in the band Zebrahead. He is from California. He attended high school in La Habra, California, where he met the other members of Zebrahead...
rap sing style. It was peaked in the Hot Modern Rock Tracks in the first week in the #84 place.
The music video of the song was released in mid October and is a parody
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
of the original "Girlfriend" video, with Ali
Ali Tabatabaee
Ali Tabatabaee is one of two main vocalists in the band Zebrahead. He is from California. He attended high school in La Habra, California, where he met the other members of Zebrahead...
playing the "Bad Avril" and Matty
Matty Lewis
Matty Lewis is the rhythm guitarist and co-lead singer of Zebrahead, and is a native of Papillion, Nebraska. Lewis took up playing the guitar and writing songs at age 12.-Jank 1000:...
playing the good one. It resembles numerous situations that occur in the original video, but with a more comic sense into the video.
Charts
| Chart (2009) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks | 84 |
Credits and personnel
- Avril Lavigne – lead vocals, songwritingSongwriterA songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
- Dr. LukeDr. LukeLukasz Gottwald , better known as Dr. Luke, is an American songwriter, record producer, and remixer. Luke performed with the Saturday Night Live Band for ten seasons until 2007. He has co-written and co-produced a string of commercially successful songs...
– songwriting, productionRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
s, bassBass (instrument)Bass describes musical instruments that produce tones in the low-pitched range. They belong to different families of instruments and can cover a wide range of musical roles...
, programmingProgramming (music)Programming is a form of music production and performance using electronic devices, often sequencers or computer programs, to generate music. Programming is used in nearly all forms of electronic music and in most hip hop music since the 1990s. It is also frequently used in modern pop and rock... - Serban GheneaSerban GheneaSerban Ghenea is a four-time Grammy Award and three-time Latin Grammy Award-winning mixer. He has mixed songs for such artists as Michael Jackson, Justin Timberlake, Usher, Faith Hill, Carrie Underwood, Jewel, Santana, Ozomatli, Shakira, Jill Scott, R. Kelly, Rod Stewart, and Dave Matthews Band...
– mixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may... - John Hanes – vocal editingPro ToolsPro Tools is a digital audio workstation platform for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X operating systems, developed and manufactured by Avid Technology. It is widely used by professionals throughout the audio industries for recording and editing in music production, film scoring, film, and television...
- Tim Roberts – assistant engineerAudio engineeringAn audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
- Matt Beckley – additional production
- Steven Wolf – additional production, live drums, additional drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
Charts and certifications
| Chart (2007) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Hungary Singles Chart Mahasz Mahasz is the Hungarian music industry association, founded in 1992. Mahasz hands out the Hungarian Music Awards and maintains the music charts for Hungary.... |
16 |
| UK Download Chart | 1 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (2007) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia ARIA Singles Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
2 |
| Austrian Singles Chart | 11 |
| German Singles Chart | 2 |
| Irish Singles Chart Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured... |
8 |
| New Zealand RIANZ Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... Singles Chart |
14 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 29 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
11 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
11 |
| U.S. Billboard Pop 100 Pop 100 The Pop 100 was a songs chart that debuted in February 2005 and was released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States until its discontinuation in 2009... |
6 |
Decade-end charts
| Chart (2000–2009) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
94 |
Certifications
| Country | Certification |
|---|---|
| Australia Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956... |
4x Platinum |
| Belgium Ultratop Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium, and it is also the name of most of those charts... |
Gold |
| Canada Canadian Recording Industry Association Music Canada is a Toronto-based, non-profit trade organization that was founded 9 April 1963 to represent the interests of companies that record, artists, manufacture, production, promotion and distribution of music in Canada... |
2× Platinum |
| United States Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States... |
3× Platinum |
| Brazil Associação Brasileira dos Produtores de Discos The Associação Brasileira dos Produtores de Discos is an official representative body of the record labels in the Brazilian phonographic market.- About :... |
Platinum |
| New Zealand Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... |
Platinum |
| Japan Recording Industry Association of Japan The Recording Industry Association of Japan is an industry trade group composed of Japanese corporations involved the music industry... |
Million |
See also
- List of number-one singles in Australia of 2007
- List of number-one hits of 2007 (Austria)
- List of European number-one hits of 2007
- List of number-one singles of 2007 (Ireland)
- List of number-one hits of 2007 (Italy)
- List of Swedish number-one hits
- List of number-one singles from the 2000s (New Zealand)
- List of Hot 100 number-one singles of 2007 (U.S.)
- List of number-one music downloads (UK)