Pop star Avril Lavigne's massive hit "Complicated" came out on March 11, 2002. Thankfully, that means the math isn't that complicated—the song is exactly 20 years old as of Friday.
In a post on Facebook, Lavigne announced the song's anniversary.
"Holy f***! #Complicated was released 20 years ago today. I could have never imagined the places this song would take me. I am so grateful to you guys always and 4-ever for embracing my music and showing me so much love then, and still now, 20 years later," the singer wrote.
Fans could hardly believe it had been that long—but attested to the song's longevity.
"Wow 20 yrs I use to sing and dance to this song with my friends parrots and they dance and whistle I still love it to this day thank you avril," Amanda Doucette wrote.
"Wow!! That makes me feel old! However I love that my daughter now listens to your music!" Kellyann Tidyman added.
"Congratulations Avril. I can't believe this amazing masterpiece was released 20 years ago. I still remember when I listened for the first time when I was 7 year old boy and when I listen 'Let Go'. I'm very grateful to introduce to your music at a very young age. Love you Avril. You Deserve the world!!!!" Pablo Ig wrote.
"My mom sang this while she gave birth to me 20 years ago in may. Known the lyrics my entire life," Randi Marshall-Harness said.
"Complicated" was Avril Lavigne's debut single, launching her career across seven albums. It was not just well-received critically, "Complicated" peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, selling 1.1 million copies. It's also a record-breaker, spending 16 weeks at the top slot on the Billboard Adult Top 40 chart. The song even received the true measure of pop music success: a parody by "Weird Al" Yankovic, "A Complicated Song."
In a contemporary interview with Rolling Stone, she revealed what she was feeling when she wrote "Complicated."
"I was feeling what the song talks about – that there are tons of people in the world who are fake, who are two-faced," she said.
At the time, her style was very homemade—lots of t-shirts, baggy pants and, often, a loose-fitting necktie. As it turns out, it wasn't necessarily a specific style choice, as Lavigne told Alternative Press this week.
"I was oblivious to what was going on. I was literally just wearing... A lot of the vintage T-shirts I was wearing were literally mine from soccer and baseball and different sports. They were the T-shirts I had as a kid for those teams I played on. And the neckties were really my dad's neckties. It's really hilarious," Lavigne said.
Lavigne's latest album is 2022's Love Sux, which came out on February 25. Love Sux is her highest-rated album to date among critics on Metacritic and the album debuted at No. 9 on the Billboard 200 chart.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Matt Keeley is a Newsweek editor based in Seattle. His focus is reporting on trends and internet culture. He has ... Read more
