Avril Lavigne Greatest Hits Alphabet 

With her backward cap and “baggy clothes” (and no, we’re not just quoting ‘Sk8er Boi’ lyrics here even though we technically are), it turns out the skateboard always within Avril Lavigne’s vicinity may, in fact, double as a time turner. The year in question, we’re flicking back the calendar to? 2002. The evidence slides into focus through a post she made on Instagram a few days ago. With her left hand positioned on top of her head to form a triangle and her other holding a distinctive necktie, she’s reminding us that nothing is so ‘Complicated’ for her not to fit in her clothes from that era! But why are we riding on nostalgia here and listing her various hit singles along the way? Because she’s dipping back into her discography, coming out with a Greatest Hits album. Just for reference, it’s so extensive that the vinyl needs four sides. 

If the skatepark is a lot like the mall is for other early 2000s teenagers, then you’re losing your damn mind because of this news, and rightfully so! So, to celebrate, we’re learning the alphabet. Yep, you heard us correctly! Starting from A and ending at Z, we’re going through each one and coming up with a fancy Lavigne Black Stars lore alliteration. Perhaps it’s a song title or another callback to those early days when she broke out on the scene. By the end, you won’t only get an educational refresher; if you’re a newbie, you’ll know much about the rocker!

A: Arista Records

It’s strange to think of Avril as some underground basement artist (though we lean that way when it comes to beating the Ticketmaster crowd for concert tickets). But long before she became who she is, Arista Records discovered her! She signed her first recording contract with them at 16, debuting Let Go. However, there were some conflicts over musical direction. 

B: ‘Bite Me’

In one of the rare times Avril teams up with another artist for a musical duet, the blonde with pinkish-red streaks, very The Best Damn Thing era, teamed up with one with a tatted head. Yep, Travis Barker! A vengeful breakup song slotted into catching your significant other cheating category, ‘Bite Me’ is as filthy as the graffiti block-letter title font flashed across the screen at the beginning of the music video. Travis plays drums as the band gives her now ex a living hell!

C: ‘Complicated’

Name a cover of this song! You’ve probably named five, eh? That’s how iconic ‘Complicated’ is, whether it is in acoustic form by one of your other favorite artists or clicking play on the music video below so a nostalgic flashback of your primary or high school years immediately flashes across your mind like inserting a VHS tape into a slot, seeing those recorded memories play out in real-time.

D: Decoy Studio

As for Avril, though, the place that comes to her mind whenever she listens to ‘Complicated’ is most likely Decoy Studio, where the track was recorded!

E: ‘Everybody Hurts’

Off the special edition of Goodbye Lullaby, ‘Everybody Hurts’ acts like that collective group hug one needs whenever we need a reminder that we’re not alone. There’s a vast world out there, and eerily enough, one of those billions is going through the same situation as you, just with a few minor differences.

F: Fans

From tattoo-sprawling members of the Avril Lavigne fandom inked out with a sentimental lyric to those pit girlies holding up banners, the letter f very clearly stands for fans! 

G: ‘Girlfriend’

We’re all thinking it, ‘Girlfriend’ could’ve easily slid into the letter H category mainly because we’re all subconsciously chanting a “hey, hey” as soon the catchy melody enters our heads. In a ginger Avril vs. raven-haired Avril, the around four-minute song is a lot more like enemies into lovers with her incessantly bullying her other self. Still, hey, some crazy shenanigans do ensure! Like ginger Avril falling into a mini-golf course toilet. Plus, there’s one filming shoot where her band is set up, pink skulls decorating the walls, reminiscent of the Greatest Hits album cover aesthetic!

H: ‘Hot’

Every outfit claims the word ‘Hot,’ as that’s seemingly what this lookbook-centric music video focuses on us wanting Avril’s wardrobe! There are about four fits in total. One is the old Hollywood glam look with a black, furry shawl wrap. The second is in a viel ringmaster hat, then an absolute to-die-for green corset. The last? Simply showing that Avril’s always beautiful, even in a stripped, laidback shirt. We can guarantee this is the banger to sing to your crush. 

I: ‘I’m With You’

The beauty of this music video is when Avril sings, “I’m standing on a bridge,” she means it, or at least is near to one, unless we’re cutting to shots of her desperately wanting to ditch a red-cupped littered party. In which case, we’re with you. It seems like quite the drag! This track completely sums up the isolation one feels when navigating their twenties. 

J: Jean-Claude Joseph

It’s one of those illustrious names attached to Avril. But for her, it’s simply her father! And although the name is rather fancy, he goes by John, and he is the one who gave Avril her birth name!  Thanks, papa Lavigne. 

K: ‘Keep Holding On’

Maybe during those times of need, we won’t be able to reach our parasocial BFF Avril Lavigne for a D&M session on our latest relationships blue. But we can definitely ‘Keep Holding On’ through this track!

L: ‘Losing Grip’

In reality, we were definitely ‘Losing Grip’ when this track came out and fell deeply into an Avril Lavigne world. The lyric “Right now I feel invisible to you like I’m not real” is so interestingly spun. Despite singing in front of a crowd of millions in the music video during this particular instance, she still feels shut out by the one person she wants to have to listen to her, her muse. 

M: MTV Video Music Award For Best New Artist

Even though we know Avril is a legend in our hearts and don’t need any type of an award to prove that, there’s still presumably a mantle at her crib with said awards! One in particular is MTV’s Best New Artist for ‘Complicated’ in 2002. 

N: Necktie

We’ve already touched on Avril’s ‘Complicated’ necktie becoming a bit like the jeans in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. But the article of clothing was truly hers during the early 2000s, adorning photo shoots, red carpets, and even, most likely, streetwear!

O:  Over the Hedge

Avril hasn’t just been in the musical scene. Rather, she shapeshifted into a furry critter, an opossum, to be more exact, in Dreamworks Over the Hedge. The little gal went by Heather and was adorable! The animation marked Avril’s feature film debut and was released on May 19, 2006.

P: Pizza

When you become a fully-fledged superstar, don’t be timid if PR packages start coming to your door, or in this case, a pizza is named after you in your hometown! Back in Avril’s, Napanee, there’s an Avril-themed pizzeria. The most requested meal off the menu? It’s inspired by her favorite ingredients: pepperoni, olives, and mushrooms.

Q: Q With Tom Power

Avril sat down with Tom Power in May of 2022 to discuss her early career (seemingly gelling into the themes of her Greatest Hits album) for the 20th anniversary of Let Go. 

R: Radio Contest

Most people simply script out what they’d like to happen when it comes to manifestation. Avril has a lot more spunk! Winning a radio contest in 1999 to sing with Shania Twain at the Corel Centre in Ottawa, Avril gave an audience of 20,000 their first glimpse of her superstar vocals. And to round the psychic vision out, there wasn’t a tarot deck in sight when Avril told her that she would be a famous singer!

S: ‘Sk8er Boi’

Without debate, ‘Sk8er Boi’ is the hit record that comes to mind when synched with Avril’s name. It’s one of the first instances where we truly got to know her as an artist, too! 

T: Try to Shut Me Up Tour

It’s all good to listen to Avril’s songs through our surround speakers or earbuds, but seeing her live? That’s another experience altogether! Her first headline tour was the Try to Shut Me Up Tour. It celebrated Let Go and had a whopping 70 dates in four continents! 

U: UK Albums Chart

How exactly does one reach the accolade stage like we mentioned earlier? It’s clearly through chart-topping. Avril was the youngest person at the time, back in 2002, to have a number-one album with Let Go. She was 17!

V: Vegetarian

Between all of those studio sessions, a girl might just be famished! However, halt those LA sushi rolls, especially if they’re the teriyaki variety. She rarely eats meat, became a vegetarian at 16, and even slipped into veganism more recently. 

W: ‘When You’re Gone’

Do we all remember that miserable blip in time when Avril completely skated away from the musical scene? Nope! Cool, you wiped it from your memory just as we did. Otherwise, we really would’ve been curled up in a ball somewhere, rocking back and forth to ‘When You’re Gone.’

X: X

Sure, there wasn’t a spiral of enthusiastic tweets about her debut album’s release rocking up on Twitter, mainly because the social media platform launched in 2006 and Let Go came out in 2002! But by September 2009, the otherwise bluebird shredded its feathers to a grungy dark pink, ushering in Avril! She currently has 19.8 million followers on the platform.  

Y: ‘You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet’

‘You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet’—are we using the letter y to showcase this track off the self-entitled album Avril Lavigne, or because we genuinely believe there are still so many places she can go? Even when coming out with a Greatest Hits album! You be the decider. 

Z: Generation Z

Yeah, okay! Technically, the first letter for these words starts with a G, but considering that the generation begins with the last letter of the alphabet, we’re still slotting it under, yep, z! Avril’s career may span all generations now and even seeped into a new one with her resurgence, but to us, she’ll always be those early 2000s kids. 

“Next time, won’t you sing with me?” This is a question that doesn’t come out from Big Bird or another Sesame Street critter, but Avril Lavigne’s career is now helping us remember the alphabet. What’s your favorite letter association? Let us know on our X/Twitter @thehoneypop (and then follow along on our other social links such as Facebook and Instagram!) And hey, if another word links to a particular letter, perhaps her Greatest Hits album will help. A new lyric for each letter? Or matching the tracking titles with one just like we’ve done? The album will come out on June 21 in 12″ black vinyl, and then, for those heading down to Target, a unique 12″ vinyl neon green pressing—both include never-before-seen photos and a personalized letter from the pop-punk queen!

All are ramping up to her Avril Lavigne: The Greatest Hits tour, which sees All Time Low, early 2000s royalty Simple Plan, Royal & the Serpent, and Girlfriends all rockin’ up not MTV but with the ‘Sk8er Boi!’

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT AVRIL LAVIGNE:
FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | TIKTOK | TWITTER | WEBSITE