Avril Lavigne – What The Hell Lyrics - Genius

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What the Hell Lyrics

What The Hell is the carrier single from Avril Lavigne’s fourth album, “Goodbye Lullaby” released March 2, 2011. Lavigne simply described the song as “a broad message about personal freedom.”[Verse 1]You say that I'm messin' with your head(Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)All 'cause I was makin' out with your friend(Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)Love hurts, whether it's right or wrong(Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)I can't stop 'cause I'm havin' too much fun(Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)[Pre-Chorus]You're on your knees, begging, "Please stay with me"But, honestly, I just need to be a little crazy[Chorus]All my life, I've been good, but nowI'm thinking, "What the hell?"All I want is to mess aroundAnd I don't really care aboutIf you love me, if you hate meYou can't save me, baby, babyAll my life, I've been good, but nowWoah, what the hell?[Post-Chorus]What? What?What? What the hell?You might also like[Verse 2]So what if I go out on a million dates?(Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)You never call or listen to me anyway(Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)I'd rather rage than sit around and wait all day(Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)Don't get me wrong, I just need some time to playYeah[Pre-Chorus]You're on your knees (Yeah), begging, "Please (Please) stay with me" (La, la)But, honestly, (What?) I just need to be (Uh-uh) a little crazy (Crazy)[Chorus]All my life, I've been good, but nowI'm thinking, "What the hell?"All I want is to mess aroundAnd I don't really care aboutIf you love me, if you hate meYou can't save me, baby, babyAll my life, I've been good, but nowWoah, what the hell?[Bridge]La, la, la, la-la-la, la-laWoah, woahLa, la, la, la-la-la, la-laWoah, woah (La, la, la, la-la-la, la-la)You say that I'm messin' with your headBoy, I like messin' in your bed (La, la, la, la-la-la, la-la)Yeah, I am messin' with your headWhen I'm messin' with you in bed[Chorus]All my life, I've been good, but nowI'm thinking, "What the hell?" (What the hell?)All I want is to mess aroundAnd I don't really care about (I don't care about)All my life, I've been good, but nowI'm thinking, "What the hell?"All I want is to mess aroundAnd I don't really care about (If you love me)If you love me (No), if you hate me (No)You can't save me, baby, baby (If you love me)All my life, I've been good, but nowWoah, what the hell?[Outro]La, la, la-la-la-la-la-la-laLa, la-la-la-la-la-la-la30EmbedCancel

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AboutSong Bio1 contributor

What The Hell is the carrier single from Avril Lavigne’s fourth album, “Goodbye Lullaby” released March 2, 2011.

Lavigne simply described the song as “a broad message about personal freedom.”

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Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning

Ask a questionWhat did Avril Lavigne say about "What the Hell"?Genius Answer1 contributor

Avril explained how this song was different than some of the rest on Goodbye Lullaby, in terms of being more fun and not as deep.

Well, ‘What the Hell’ is more pop rock and a lot of my sassy, like you said, style. It’s lighter and fun and the rest of the album is more raw and vulnerable and it’s deeper and stripped down. My vision, production wise, for this album, was that. I wanted acoustic guitars and for it to be stripped down with pianos. I wanted to go there more. All my records are pop rock and upbeat, and I was ready to do something a little different. As far as lyrics and the subject matter, it is a bittersweet. I didn’t know what I was going to write; I just knew what I wanted the production to sound like and what I wanted the style to be. Then, the lyrics just come and it was bittersweet lyrically.

+15What have the artists said about the music video?Genius Answer1 contributor

I’m laughing because my mom’s in it. So like, the other day, I don’t know why I was watching it, but we watched it. I think because I was telling someone my mom’s in it, and it’s so cute. So Judy, she’s in the clothing store with me. Yeah, that was just, like, another fun song. “What the Hell,” I wrote that in Sweden and worked on that there in a different country, and then we just shot this fun music video in L.A. My brother is the bass player onstage with me. I stage-dive in this small little club, and my mom makes an appearance in the video.

–via MTV News (February 28, 2022)

+3Who produced “What the Hell” by Avril Lavigne?When did Avril Lavigne release “What the Hell”?Who wrote “What the Hell” by Avril Lavigne?Love Sux (Japan Tour Edition) (2022)Avril Lavigne

1. 1. Cannonball
2. 2. Bois Lie
3. 3. Bite Me
4. 4. Love It When You Hate Me
5. 5. Love Sux
6. 6. Kiss Me Like The World Is Ending
7. 7. Avalanche
8. 8. Déjà vu
9. 9. F.U.
10. 10. All I Wanted
11. 11. Dare To Love Me
12. 12. Break Of A Heartache
13. 13. Bite Me (Acoustic)
14. 14. Complicated
15. 15. Girlfriend
16. 16. I’m with You
17. 17. My Happy Ending
18. 18. Sk8er Boi
19. 19. What the Hell
20. 20. Head Above Water
21. 21. Here’s to Never Growing Up
22. 22. Losing Grip
23. 23. Smile
24. 24. Hello Kitty
25. 25. Complicated - From THE FIRST TAKE
26. 26. Bite Me - From THE FIRST TAKE

Goodbye Lullaby (2011)Avril LavigneGoodbye Lullaby (Special Edition) (2011)Avril LavigneGoodbye Lullaby (Deluxe Edition) (2011)Avril LavigneJuno Awards 2012 (2012)The JUNO AwardsNOW That’s What I Call Music! 38 [US] (2011)NOW That’s What I Call Music!NOW That’s What I Call Music! 78 [UK] (2011)NOW That’s What I Call Music!Ö3 Greatest Hits Vol. 54 (2011)Hitradio Ö3Greatest Hits (2024)Avril LavigneGreatest Hits (Japanese Edition) (2024)Avril LavigneExpand CreditsReleased onJanuary 10, 2011ProducersMax Martin & ShellbackWritersAvril Lavigne, Max Martin & ShellbackProduced AtMaratone StudiosVideo DirectorMarcus RaboyAssistant Mixing EngineerTim RobertsMixed AtMixStar StudiosMastered AtSterling SoundGuitarShellbackKeyboardsMax MartinMastering EngineerTed JensenDistributorSony Music EntertainmentLabelRCA Records & Sony Music EntertainmentCopyright ©RCA RecordsPhonographic Copyright ℗RCA RecordsEngineerMichael IlbertMixing EngineerȘerban Ghenea & John HanesBassShellbackDrumsShellbackRecording EngineerMax Martin & ShellbackRecorded AtMaratone Studios (Stockholm, Sweden)Songs That Sample What the HellBloody series by Evil Composure, who doesn't love jersey club? by trezi, TO HELL WITH IT... and tacos! by bobbie (PER), ‎jane remover B2B kmoe @ friend fest by Jane Remover & kmoe, The show might be ending but Its never forever by Tiffany (cateyeliner), Wait Watch This w/ Jane Remover 131023 by Jane Remover, the dariacore to YTP pipeline by leroy, ta1lsd021 by ta1lsd0ll, eyes off the wheel, i’m a star by Jane Remover, they have a crush on you by lanelanelane, kitchen fan by Swoopy (Ft. Drux), 5 blue nightshifts by Frybagger, fall apart by yandere, 52 blue mondays by Jane Remover, This Tuesday we're gonna go to si by Inertia williams & 10story remix by Jane RemoverSongs That Interpolate What the HellPooping the Charts Vol. 3 - What the Hell? by cs188What the Hell CoversOnly Girl (In The World) / What The Hell [Mashup Cover] by Cristal G (Ft. Paulina Cerrilla) & What the Hell by Ashley Scared The SkyWhat the Hell Remixeswhat the hell!! ##afterlife by h3artcrush, What the Hell (Acoustic Version) by Avril Lavigne, What the Hell (Bimbo Jones Remix) by Avril Lavigne & What the Hell (Instrumental) by Avril LavigneWhat the Hell Live PerformancesWhat the Hell (AOL Sessions) by Avril LavigneWhat the Hell TranslationsAvril Lavigne – What the Hell (Русский перевод) by Genius Russian Translations (Русский перевод), Avril Lavigne - What The Hell (Traducción al Español) by Genius Traducciones al Español & Avril Lavigne - What the Hell (Tradução em Português) by Genius Brasil TraduçõesView What the Hell samplesTagsPopRockBubblegum PopCanadian PopCanadian RockIn EnglishPop-PunkSynth-PopPop RockCanadaExpand CommentsAdd a commentSign Up And Drop Knowledge 🤓Genius is the ultimate source of music knowledge, created by scholars like you who share facts and insight about the songs and artists they love.Sign Up