"Girlfriend" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriterAvril Lavigne. The song was written by Lavigne andŁukasz Gottwald; the latter is also the producer. "Girlfriend" was released as thelead single from her third studio album,The Best Damn Thing (2007) on February 27, 2007, byColumbia andRCA Records.[2] Lyrically, the song revolves around its protagonist having a crush on someone who is in a relationship, proclaiming she should be his girlfriend.
"Girlfriend" received mixed reviews from music critics, who complimented itscatchiness but criticized the song's departure from Lavigne'spop-punk roots.[3] The song was a worldwide success, peaking at the top spot of the charts in eight countries, including Australia, New Zealand, Canada and was Lavigne's first number-one song in the United States, reaching the top of theBillboard Hot 100 andMainstream Top 40. It additionally charted in the top ten of most other countries. The song's accompanying music video, directed byThe 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 rapperLil Mama, was released. Lavigne performed the song a number of times, including at the 2007MuchMusic Video Awards, the 2007Teen Choice Awards, and the 2008Juno 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 among the top-selling songs of 2007-2008, 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-five on their "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.AllMusic highlighted the song as one of the most significantpop punk songs of all time.[4] The song also received several awards, includingMost Addictive Track at theMTV Europe Music Awards,Song of the Year atLos Premios MTV Latinoamérica,Choice Music: Single atTeen Choice Awards, theNickelodeon Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Song and was nominated forSingle of the Year at theJuno Awards.
Following the release of her second studio album,Under My Skin (2004), Lavigne wanted to record more "fun and upbeat" music.[5] "Girlfriend" was written by Lavigne andLukasz "Dr. Luke" Gottwald, with Dr. Luke also producing the track. The song was written while Lavigne was intoxicated, with Lavigne commenting that the chorus only took two minutes to write.[6] Lavigne was initially hesitant to release "Girlfriend" as the lead single fromThe Best Damn Thing, referring to the song's conception as "just a joke."[7] The song was not based on a personal experience, with Lavigne opting to write about general topics to appeal to a wider audience. In December 2006, Lavigne announced the song as the lead single from her then-upcoming album:
Hey guys! I keep getting asked about my record and what it is called [...] so I wanted to give u guys all the info directly [...] I'm calling the record The Best Dam Thing, and the first single is called "Girlfriend", the single comes out February and the record in April. I promise you guys will love this record, it is my favorite one!!! And I can't wait! It is really fast, fun, young, bratty, aggressive, confident, cocky in a playful way [...] all the good stuff.[8]
In an effort to appeal to non-English markets, Lavigne recorded the song's chorus in seven different languages, including Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, German, Japanese, and Mandarin.[9] Lavigne spent hours studying these different languages in order to ensure a correct pronunciation with her various deliveries. A Hindi version of the song was recorded twice, although it was scrapped due to issues with the diction andmeter when converting the song's chorus from its Western rhythms to Hindi.[10] "Girlfriend" is a moderately fastpop punk,[11][12][13]power pop[13] andbubblegum pop song.[14] According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com byAlfred Publishing, the song is written in the key ofD major[15] and is set intime signature of common time with atempo of 164beats per minute.[16] Lavigne's vocal range spans two octaves, fromA3 toD5.[16] Lyrically, the song is about wanting to steal someone's boyfriend.[6]PopMatters compared the song with "Mickey" byTony Basil.[17]
On July 2, 2007,the Rubinoos frontman Tommy Dunbar and songwriter James Gangwer filed a lawsuit forinfringement of copyright against Lavigne, Dr. Luke, RCA Records, andApple.[18] Dunbar and Gangwer alleged that "Girlfriend" plagiarized the Rubinoos' 1979 single "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend".[19] Lavigne denied these accusations and noted the common usage of the lyrics employed in both songs; she citedthe Rolling Stones' "Get Off of My Cloud" andthe Ramones' "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend" as songs with similar lyrics.[18] Dr. Luke claimed that neither he nor Lavigne had heard of the Rubinoos prior to the lawsuit and that he would be willing to take apolygraph if doing so would help to disprove Dunbar's claims.[20] Lavigne's manager,Terry McBride, similarly refuted the allegations, referring to Dunbar and Gangwer's claims as baseless.[21]
Both Dunbar and McBride consultedmusicologists to prepare reports on the similarities and dissimilarities between the songs. Dunbar's musicologist reported that there was an "unusually high degree of similarity" between the songs while McBride's musicologist reported that they do not share any significant lyrical ormelodic content.[20] While McBride contended that the songs were dissimilar, he acknowledged that Lavigne would be willing tosettle the case to avoid expensive legal proceedings.[21] In January 2008, Dunbar and Gangwer's attorney, Nicholas Carlin, confirmed that a confidential settlement had been reached between the two parties, but refused to comment further.[22] However, Dunbar and Gangwer later released a joint statement on January 15, 2008, in which they claimed to "completely exonerate" Lavigne and Dr. Luke from any wrongdoing.[23] Following the settlement, Lavigne commented: "Well, [Dunbar and Gangwer] didn't win. But that happens all the time in the music business. I am not the first artist nor will I be the last to go through this."[24]
"Girlfriend" was compared to "Mickey" by American singerToni Basil.
Christian Hoard ofRolling Stone called it a "hypercatchy, giant-sounding 'Hey Mickey' tribute", and commented that the song is one of the album's "monster pleasures".[25] Chris Willman ofEntertainment Weekly noted the popularity of the song, referring to Lavigne as an "alpha female out to steal a stud from a meek rival who’s 'like, so whatever'".[26] Stephen Thomas Erlewine ofAllMusic highlighted the song as a 'track pick' in a review of the album,The Best Damn Thing.[27] He praised the album for opening with "Girlfriend", describing the song as a "bright bubblegum blast".[27] Jon Pareles ofThe New York Times also highlighted "Girlfriend" as the best song off ofThe Best Damn Thing, commenting that it used "cleverly manipulated echoes and attacks to sound as if Ms. Lavigne were charging in from all directions".[28] Jody Rosen ofSlate referred to "Girlfriend" as "brash and catchy", praising the song's "shout-along vocals, power chords, [and] hand claps amplified to sound like an army on the march".[29]
According to Sal Cinquemani ofSlant Magazine, the song employs "a catchy, cheerleader stomp a laTony Basil's 'Mickey'", although Lavigne's "attempts at sounding irreverent ... just wind up sounding juvenile".[30] Laura Snapes ofThe Guardian also compared "Girlfriend" to "Mickey", referring to the song as a "deadpan cheerleader banger". Also fromThe Guardian, Alex Macpherson labeled the song as "brilliantly addictive".[31] Tim O'Neil ofPopMatters felt that the chorus of the song "blatantly rips the hook from Toni Basil's 'Mickey'", although he also stated that the song has a "torturous propensity to get stuck in your head".[32] Joan Anderman ofThe Boston Globe praised the catchy hook of "Girlfriend", commenting that "It sounds great -- fizzy and snotty and unbelievable catchy".[33]MuchMusic attributed the success of the song to the mix of various genres, stating: "[Lavigne] can succeed in punk, rock and pop with her bubblegum anthem 'Girlfriend'".[34] At theJuno Awards of 2008, "Girlfriend" garnered Lavigne a nomination in theSingle of the Year category. The song also garnered Lavigne two wins at the 2008Japan Gold Disc Awards in the Mastertone of the Year and Single Track of the Year (Mobile) categories. The song was ranked at number 35 onRolling Stone's list of the 100 Best Songs of 2007.[35]MTV Asia ranked the song as the 77th top song of 2007, whileMTV Latin America listed "Girlfriend" as the number one song of 2007.[36]Billboard ranked the song as the twelfth best song of 2007.
Because ofdigital download sales in excess of 122,000, the song debuted at number five on the USBillboard Hot 100 chart, becoming her fifth and last top ten hit.[37] Afterwards it became Lavigne's first 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.[38] It remained in the top ten for 18 weeks, which was two more than the year-end number-one single of 2007,Irreplaceable.[39] It became the last number one hit on that chart by a Canadian female artist until 2012's "Call Me Maybe" byCarly Rae Jepsen. In Canada, the song debuted at number 1. As of September 2015, "Girlfriend" has sold 3.8 million copies in the United States.[40]
In Japan, the song has been certified Million for more than 1,000,000 sales through ringtones and 3× Platinum for 750,000 sales. Thus, the song has sold more than 3,000,000 copies there making it the best-selling single by a western female artist of all time on Japan.[citation needed] "Girlfriend" debuted on the AustralianARIA Singles Chart at number three. The following week it reached number-one, and it remained at the top for six non-consecutive weeks, equalling Lavigne's previous number-one single on the ARIA Charts, "Complicated". After three weeks on the charts, it was certified gold byARIA, then platinum after seven weeks for sales in excess of 70,000 copies.[41] It was then certified double platinum, with sales in excess of 140,000. In 2008, it was certified quadruple platinum for sales of 280,000.[42] On theUK 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 28 weeks inside the chart and is Lavigne's biggest hit in the UK to date.[43] It became the best selling song of 2007 worldwide with around five million copies outside the US. To date, "Girlfriend" has sold over 10 million copies worldwide.
Lavigne as her regular self (first image) with two of her alter-egos in the video for "Girlfriend".
The music video was directed byThe Malloys and filmed atGolf N' Stuff inNorwalk, California. They praised the video for "sounding different than most female artists at the time and for its verypunk rock-pop feel, something she does better than anybody."[44]
The music video features two women both played by Lavigne: one with glasses and red hair, and one with a rebellious persona and black hair. The video portrays both of them fighting over the redheaded woman's boyfriend (played by American model Bryan McMullin). The video's storyline is interwoven with shots of Lavigne with pink-streaked blonde hair performing with her band. The video also featured this Lavigne and her friends dancing in a restroom. Eventually the man develops feelings for the black-haired woman and they enter a relationship. The redhead attempts to break them up but is thwarted and falls into aportable toilet. The blonde-haired Lavigne seen throughout the video then takes the man into a bathroom stall, pumping her arm in victory.
Lavigne's boyfriend in the video dresses similarly to the "rocker" Lavigne in the video. The video features Lavigne's previous guitaristEvan Taubenfeld, and Lavigne's brother Matt on bass.[45]
On July 18, 2008, "Girlfriend" became the most viewed video at that time onYouTube[47] and in August of that year, surpassed 100 million views, becoming the first YouTube video to reach that milestone.CSS's "Music Is My Hot Hot Sex" had allegedly reached that milestone a couple months before, but was removed due to accusations that the views had been fraudulent.[48][49] In July, Lavigne's managerTerry McBride claimed that the singer was owed $2 million in revenue from YouTube.[50]
Thefansite AvrilBandaids allegedly artificially inflated views on the YouTube video.[51] It circulated a weblink that, when opened, was supposed to automatically reload the YouTube video of "Girlfriend" every fifteen seconds. Fans were encouraged to leave the link open on their computer, and even open up multiple instances to inflate viewcounts.[52] In November 2009,RCA Records removed the video of the song from YouTube, by which time it had received around 130 million views.[53] A new upload of the music video uploaded on October 3, 2009, is now officially hosted on Lavigne's official channel on YouTube, with over 695 million views and nearly 4.2 million likes as of October 2025.[54]
The song is featured on the soundtrack to the video gameBurnout Dominator in four different languages which includes Japanese, Spanish, Mandarin and English.[55] The song is also featured inBurnout Paradise which only includes the English Version.[56]
The BBC Chart Show published two reviews, one negative and one positive, to represent polarized attitudes towards the video.[57]
Lavigne performed "Girlfriend" at the Orange Lounge in Toronto on August 23, 2007, for the AOL Sessions on May 24, 2011,[88] and more recently withTravis Barker for SiriusXM + Pandora's Small Stage Series concert in February 2022.[89]
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
^"Avril Lavigne Announces Release of Third Album". starpulse.com. January 30, 2007. Archived fromthe original on October 8, 2012. RetrievedJune 25, 2010.....up-tempo pop-punk anthems like "I Can Do Better", "The Best Damn Thing", and "Girlfriend"....
^ab"Avril Lavigne : Girlfriend". Rebild.tv. Archived fromthe original on April 23, 2012. RetrievedNovember 28, 2010.....and features the typical 80' pop-punk influence and power pop of her earlier songs....
^Girlfriend (EU CD Single liner notes). Avril Lavigne. RCA Records. 2007. 88697 07359 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Girlfriend (AUS CD Single liner notes). Avril Lavigne. RCA Records. 2007. 88697073522.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Girlfriend (TWN CD Single liner notes). Avril Lavigne. RCA Records. 2007. 8697073522.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Girlfriend (JP CD Single liner notes). Avril Lavigne. BMG Japan. 2007. BVCP-29620.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Girlfriend (US Remixes CD Single liner notes). Avril Lavigne. RCA Records. 2007. 88697175542.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic.Note: Select 21. týden 2007 in the date selector. Retrieved January 29, 2011.
^ab"Digital Music Sales in 2007"(PDF). International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. p. 6. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on March 6, 2008. RetrievedNovember 13, 2010.
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