New Release: Avril Lavigne - Smile
I have been a fan of Avril Lavigne's since she first started out way back in 2003, with her first song called "Complicated". I have grown up with her, and it was a long wait until finally she released her third album 'Goodbye Lullaby', my favourite album she has ever released. It shows a totally different side to her, and also shows how much she has grown up, even though she was released into music at a young age. This album has supposedly been ready for atleast a year but her record label wasn't happy with it. I think her main problem was the fact that it took so long to finally release another album, and by that time, many of her fans had dwindled away, therefore her comeback with this album failed to make it to No.1 in the UK unlike all her other albums.
"Smile" is my favourite track from this album, as it's catchy and reminds me of the old songs she used to sing, however this has a lot of heart-felt in it and the music video is just breath-taking. This is her second single from her third album: "Goodbye Lullaby". And by the looks of things she's not getting enough people in the UK to buy her single and it might end up as a "Did not chart", which would be unfair, as I'm sure a lot of people would like this is they got to actually hear it. She really needs to do more promoting in the UK however it clashes with the tour she is currently doing. This song deserves to get high in the chart, however it looks like it might not get there.
The song is about being who she wants to be and not caring about what other people think. It also talks about falling for someone, almost love at first sight, as she says 'It took one look and now I'm not the same'. She sings about liking someone so much that a bad day always turns into a good day, whenever she sees him. My favourite bit is: 'I woke up with a new tattoo, your name was on me and my name was on you', it suggests recklessness, and her new found glory of tattoos, and although I dislike tattoos, and wouldn't get one myself; I always have to atleast smile at this part of the lyrics.
The music video is really good, and the production team behind it did a really good job. I like how there are two stories, and they both link in with the song perfectly, I think this music video is one of the best I've seen since you can imagine this being the reason why Avril wrote this song.
There are two different storyline. At the start you are quickly introduced to both of them, but the first few clips are of Avril designing the room she's in with Spray Paint and poster. She is wearing one of her designed dresses from her 'Abbey Dawn' Collection. I think it's a great way to promote her clothing line, and I hope she brings it to the UK, as I'm desperate for an 'Abbey Dawn' T-shirt, and I'm not paying £45 to get it shipped from America, unless someone gives me the money. This storyline shows her care-free nature, in her song she sings: 'I do what I want when I feel like it', so this room, that she created shows her originality and her style. Her green streaked hair shows rebellion and also suggests that she'd dye her hair how she wants it and she doesn't care what others think. But also it suits her. Furthermore, in this part of the story, we see her rocking out on her guitar. It shows she is musical, and knows how to play. On her album she plays a piano and many other instruments, and for her UK and US tour she's thinking about stripping it back with some songs where she just sings and plays an instrument. This will prove to people that she deserves positions on our chart and she has worked hard to get where she wants to be.
The second story is in black and white, this is the heart-felt side, and is also shown in black and white (and red). She is a ghost, or at least an external force, that no body can see, and who nobody can react to. She comes out a house and climbs down the steps, then she stops half way, seeing a red perspex shattered heart, and she picks up the pieces. She is wearing a tiara, that goes with her princess exterior, and her rebel look. Furthermore, she's seen wearing her new 'Abbey Dawn' Smile T-Shirt, that was inspired from this music video, and some 'Converse'. She ends up walking past people, who are either having an argument, or a bad day, and around them are shattered, red, perspex hearts, and when she picks them up, the upset or distressed people smile, the camera shot is a close-up of the people's faces so that the person watching is aware of them smiling. Near the end the shattered hearts get bigger and bigger, and Avril's hand become full. And then when we're back to the first story, she holds up a red, perspex heart that is whole. I think it's sucha sweet video and relates to the song perfectly.
When I first heard this song, my immediate reaction was that it would be the next single (after "What The Hell" which was her first single), and I was surprised I was right, as there are a lot better emotional songs on the album, that I love equally as much. The music video is really good, and I always love seeing it on the music channels, however it is rarely shown, and I've never heard it on the radio yet.
This definitely deserves the star rating I've given it, and I hope it gets more popular and eventually gets onto the UK top 40, but if it doesn't, as long as it gets on the chart, I don't really mind. I just hope that if she releases another single from this album, that it does better in the chart. However it's possible that there will not be another single, as she is apparently almost finished recording her fourth album, and if that's true, I can't wait to hear what new music she has in store for us.
0 comments: