Complicated

"Complicated"
Single by Avril Lavigne
from the album Let Go
B-side	"I Don't Give", "Why"
Released	May 14, 2002 (2002-05-14) (see release history)
Format	CD Single, Digital Download
Genre	Pop rock Alternative rock
Length	4:03 (album version) 4:08 (the Matrix mix)
Label	Arista
Writer(s)	Avril Lavigne, Lauren Christy, Scott Spock, Graham Edwards
Producer	The Matrix
Certification	2× Multi-Platinum[1] (ARIA Charts)
Avril Lavigne singles chronology
"Complicated" (2002) "Sk8er Boi" (2002)

"Complicated" is a song by Avril Lavigne and was her debut single, released in 2002 from her debut album, Let Go. It was written by Lavigne and The Matrix (Scott Spock, Lauren Christy, and Graham Edwards), and produced by The Matrix. The single reached number one in Australia (for six weeks), New Zealand (for nine weeks) and Mexico, number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and number three in the United Kingdom. Based on its chart performance, the song is Lavigne's second most successful single and was one of the most successful releases of 2002. Lavigne tied a record set by Natalie Imbruglia's "Torn" when "Complicated" held the number one spot on the contemporary hit radio chart (which tracks air play on the radio) for eleven weeks in a row.^[2]

The song was ranked at number 197 in Blender magazine's "The 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born".^[3] "Complicated" was parodied by "Weird Al" Yankovic on his 2003 album Poodle Hat. The parody called "A Complicated Song" is a comedy rock song that focuses on a group of stories involving incest, constipation and decapitation that have absolutely nothing to do with each other.

Music video

The video, directed by The Malloys, starts with Lavigne asking her bandmates if they want to "crash" the mall. They respond with enthusiasm, and skateboard there. The video features Lavigne and the band harassing shoppers and employees, causing havoc around the mall. This is intercut with footage of Lavigne and the band performing the song at a skatepark. The video was shot in 2 days and during the shooting the mall remained open.^[4]

Awards

The Canadian single of "Complicated" has shipped over 100,000 copies in Canada, where the song has been awarded the gold and platinum single certifications by the CRIA for, respectively, shipments of at least 50,000 and 100,000 singles shipped.^{[citation needed]} The single was certified 2× Platinum in Australia^[1]. Lavigne won Best New Artist at the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards for "Complicated"^[5]. "Complicated" won in the Single of the Year category at the 2003 Juno Awards. In the United States, the song was nominated at the 2003 Grammy Awards for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and Song of the Year^[6]; it lost both awards to Norah Jones's "Don't Know Why". In Brazil hit that was nominated in the category of best VMB video of the year in 2003.^[7]

Uses in other media

The song was featured on the trailer and on the commercials of the 2003 movie Uptown Girls.

It is also featured on the video games Karaoke Revolution and Buzz!: The Music Quiz. The "Pablo La Rossa Vocal mix" of the song was used on the video game FIFA Football 2003.

In 2008, the song was sung by Cpl. Josh Ray Person in the HBO miniseries Generation Kill (Episode 2, "The Cradle of Civilization").

J-pop/J-rock singer Misono covered this song on her album "Misono Kaba Album"

Track listings

UK, Canada, Mexico CD single

1. "Complicated" 4:03
2. "I Don't Give" 3:39
3. "Why" 4:00
4. "Complicated" (music video)

Australian CD single

1. "Complicated" 4:03
2. "I Don't Give" 3:39
3. "Why" 4:00

Japan, USA, France, Italy, Netherlands CD single

1. "Complicated" (The Matrix mix) 4:08
2. "I Don't Give" 3:39

Charts

"Complicated" was Avril's debut charting single. It peak at #2 on Billboard Hot 100 and #1 in the Mainstream Top 40 for 8 weeks in the United States. In Canada and Australia it peaked at #1. In Europe the song did pretty well, peaking at #3 in the UK. Around Asia and Latin America, the single was #1 in many countries, too.

Release history

References