"Here's to Never Growing Up" is a song recorded by Canadian singer-songwriter
Avril Lavigne
Avril Ramona Lavigne ( ; born September 27, 1984) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. At age 16, she signed a two-album recording contract with Arista Records. Her debut studio album, ''Let Go (Avril Lavigne album), Let Go'' (2002), is the ...
for her
self-titled fifth studio album in 2013. The song was written by Lavigne,
David Hodges
David Hall Hodges (born December 5, 1978) is an American songwriter and record producer from Little Rock, Arkansas. He was a studio contributor to the rock band Evanescence from 2000–2002. He has since had success co-writing and co–produci ...
,
Chad Kroeger
Chad Robert Kroeger ( Turton; born November 15, 1974) is a Canadian musician who is the lead singer and guitarist of the rock band Nickelback. In addition to his work with Nickelback, Kroeger has been involved with a variety of collaboration ...
, Jacob Kasher, and its producer
Martin Johnson. It was released as the
lead single
A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date.
Release s ...
from the album on April 9, 2013, by
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America
Sony Corporation of America (SONAM, also known as SCA), is the American arm of the Japanese conglomerate Sony Group ...
. "Here's To Never Growing Up" is a midtempo
pop rock
Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, earl ...
song that talks about a "celebration of being
forever young" and features a reference to English alternative rock band
Radiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band formed in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards); brothers Jonny Greenwood (lead guitar, keyboards, other instruments) and Colin Greenwood (bass) ...
.
Music critics
Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...
provided mixed reviews to "Here's To Never Growing Up" and drew comparisons between the song and songs by Lavigne's contemporaries
Katy Perry
Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984), known professionally as Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. Known for her influence on modern pop music and her Camp (style), campy style, she has been ...
,
Kesha
Kesha Rose Sebert (; born March 1, 1987), formerly stylized as Ke$ha, is an American singer and songwriter. In 2005, at age 18, Kesha was signed to Kemosabe Records. Her first major success came in early 2009 after she was featured on America ...
, and
Taylor Swift
Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Her discography spans multiple genres, and her vivid songwriting—often inspired by her personal life—has received critical praise and wide media coverage. Bor ...
. The single achieved considerable success globally, reaching number one on the Taiwan and Philippines charts, while reaching the top ten in China, Ireland, Japan, Russia, Scotland, South Korea, and South Africa, also reaching the top twenty in Australia, Canada, Italy, the United Kingdom and the United States. It achieved
certifications by the
Australian Recording Industry Association
The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) is a trade association representing the Australian recording industry which was established in the 1970s by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing th ...
(ARIA) the
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
(RIAA).
An accompanying music video for "Here's To Never Growing Up" was directed by
Robert Hales
Sir Robert Hales ( – 14 June 1381) was Grand Prior of the Knights Hospitaller of England, Lord High Treasurer, and Admiral of the West. He was killed in the Peasants' Revolt.
Career
In 1372 Robert Hales became the Lord/Grand Prior of th ...
. It features Lavigne and her band performing at the school's prom, and resembles the music video for her 2002 single "
Complicated". The video gained positive feedback from critics, who praised Lavigne's look in the clip. Due to the song's success, Lavigne performed "Here's To Never Growing Up" on a number of shows, including ''
Dancing with the Stars
''Dancing with the Stars'' is the name of various international television series based on the format of the British TV series '' Strictly Come Dancing'', which is distributed by BBC Studios, the commercial arm of the BBC. Currently the forma ...
'', ''
Today
Today (archaically to-day) may refer to:
* Day of the present, the time that is perceived directly, often called ''now''
* Current era, present
* The current calendar date
Arts, entertainment, and media Films
* ''Today'' (1930 film), a 1930 A ...
'' and ''
The Voice UK
''The Voice UK'' is a British singing competition television series. Created by John de Mol, it premiered on BBC One during the spring television cycle on 24 March 2012. Based on the original ''The Voice of Holland'', and part of ''The Voice ...
''. The song was playable in the video game
Guitar Hero Live
''Guitar Hero Live'' is a 2015 music rhythm video game developed by FreeStyleGames and published by Activision. It is the seventh main installment in the ''Guitar Hero'' series. The game was released for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Wii U, Xb ...
.
Background
"Here's To Never Growing Up" was written by Lavigne,
David Hodges
David Hall Hodges (born December 5, 1978) is an American songwriter and record producer from Little Rock, Arkansas. He was a studio contributor to the rock band Evanescence from 2000–2002. He has since had success co-writing and co–produci ...
,
Chad Kroeger
Chad Robert Kroeger ( Turton; born November 15, 1974) is a Canadian musician who is the lead singer and guitarist of the rock band Nickelback. In addition to his work with Nickelback, Kroeger has been involved with a variety of collaboration ...
, Jacob Kasher, and producer of the song
Martin Johnson. The song was recorded in early 2013 at Henson Recording Studios.
During an interview with
Ryan Seacrest
Ryan John Seacrest (born December 24, 1974) is an American media personality and producer. He is the co-host of ''Live with Kelly and Ryan'', as well as the host of multiple media shows including ''American Idol'', ''American Top 40'', and '' ...
for 102.7 KIIS-FM show, Lavigne said, "I wanted to write something fun and summery. It's about being young, wanting to be young forever, living in the moment and having a blast".
[ Talking about the song's conception to ]4Music
4Music is a British music television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. The original incarnation was launched on 15 August 2008, and until 29 June 2022, showed a mix of music and entertainment programming. It ...
, Lavigne revealed that she missed her high school prom so much, and that was the reason why she wrote "Here's To Never Growing Up". She said, "When I was writing it, I was thinking about being younger – I’m still in my 20s, but you know, like high school – and with my 20s being in music and everything, I love the concept of 'simply prom' for the video". Lavigne announced the song would be released as the first single from her fifth studio album on 8 February 2013 via Twitter
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
. Lavigne later revealed the single's official artwork as well as its release date via Twitter
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
on April 3, 2013. Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America
Sony Corporation of America (SONAM, also known as SCA), is the American arm of the Japanese conglomerate Sony Group ...
premiered "Here's to Never Growing Up" on ''On Air with Ryan Seacrest
''On Air with Ryan Seacrest'' is a weekday syndicated radio program hosted by Ryan Seacrest. It was launched in 2004 as a drive time show at the same time on Los Angeles Top 40 station 102.7 KIIS-FM as the television show with the same name, ...
'' (KIIS-FM) radio show, on iTunes Store
The iTunes Store is a digital media store operated by Apple Inc. It opened on April 28, 2003, as a result of Steve Jobs' push to open a digital marketplace for music. As of April 2020, iTunes offered 60 million songs, 2.2 million apps, 25,00 ...
s and eventually sent the single to US contemporary hit radio
Contemporary hit radio (also known as CHR, contemporary hits, hit list, current hits, hit music, top 40, or pop radio) is a radio format that is common in many countries that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by ...
station on April 9, 2013.
Composition
"Here's To Never Growing Up" is a midtempo
In musical terminology, tempo (Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (often ...
pop rock
Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, earl ...
song, with a moderate tempo
In musical terminology, tempo (Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (often ...
of 82 beats per minute. It is composed in the key
Key or The Key may refer to:
Common meanings
* Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm
* Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock
* Key (map ...
of F major
F major (or the key of F) is a major scale based on F, with the pitches F, G, A, B, C, D, and E. Its key signature has one flat. Its relative minor is D minor and its parallel minor is F minor
F minor is a minor scale based on F, consis ...
. Lavigne's vocal range in the track spans from the low-note of A3 to the high-note of C5. The "punchy" song is built around a "big, kick-drum" stomp
Stomp may refer to:
*Stomp (strike), a downwards kick using the heel
Music and dance
* ''Stomp'' (album), by Big D and the Kids Table, 2013
* Stomp (jazz), a type of rhythmic jazz tune popular in the 1920s
*Stomp (theatrical show), a percussive p ...
, acoustic-guitar-strumming, and simple-minded tunes. Digital Spy
Digital Spy (DS) is a British-based entertainment, television and film website and brand and is the largest digital property at Hearst UK. Since its launch in 1999, Digital Spy has focused on entertainment news related to television programmes, ...
editor Robert Cospey wrote the song has a "pumping guitars 'n drums melody". Melinda Newman from HitFix
HitFix, or HitFix.com, was an entertainment news website that launched in December 2008 specializing in breaking entertainment news, insider information, and reviews and critiques of film, music, and television. In mid-2010 HitFix crossed the 1,00 ...
thought that "Here's to Never Growing Up" is a "throwback" to Kesha
Kesha Rose Sebert (; born March 1, 1987), formerly stylized as Ke$ha, is an American singer and songwriter. In 2005, at age 18, Kesha was signed to Kemosabe Records. Her first major success came in early 2009 after she was featured on America ...
's "Tik Tok
TikTok, known in China as Douyin (), is a short-form video hosting service owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which can range in duration from 15 seconds to 10 minutes.
TikTok is an international version ...
" (2009) and Lavigne's "Girlfriend
A girlfriend is a female friend, acquaintance or partner, usually a female companion with whom one is platonically, romantically, or sexually involved.
In a romantic context, this normally signifies a committed relationship where the indi ...
" (2007) for the same musical structure.
Lyrically, the song talks about a "celebration of being forever young". In the song, Lavigne sings about the things she's going to do that she believes will keep her forever young, such as getting drunk and dancing on a bar, running down the street screaming profanities, blasting music and staying up all night. At the beginning, Lavigne sings "Singing Radiohead at the top of our lungs", referencing the rock band Radiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band formed in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards); brothers Jonny Greenwood (lead guitar, keyboards, other instruments) and Colin Greenwood (bass) ...
, which is also featured in the chorus
Chorus may refer to:
Music
* Chorus (song) or refrain, line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse
* Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound
* Chorus form, song in which all verse ...
. At the chorus, she continues "We'll be running down the street yelling kiss my ass", followed by an "ear-snagging chant" of "oh-woah-oh". Lavigne declares her celebration at the second verse, "This is who we are/ I don't think we'll ever change/ They say 'Just grow up,' but they don't know us/ We don't give a fuck!".
Reception
Critical reception
"Here's To Never Growing Up" received mixed reviews from contemporary critics. Idolator praised the song, stating that it was different than the typical dance-pop songs and named it the Song of the Summer 2013. Digital Spy critic Robert Cospey gave the song a three stars out of five rating, writing "The result is nothing she hasn't given us before, but there's no harm in having one last hurrah". Amy Sciarretto from PopCrush provided the track a score of two and a half stars, commenting that the song sounds too similar to Lavigne's previous single " Complicated". Melinda Newman of HitFix provided a mixed review, writing that "You may find yourself begrudgingly clapping your hands and swaying to the generic "Here’s To Never Growing Up", but you won't like yourself for doing so. It feels like it was crafted in some pop lab as "the song" that will get Lavigne back on the charts". Tris McCall from ''New Jersey On-Line
NJ.com is a digital news content provider and website in New Jersey owned by Advance Publications. According to a report in ''The New York Times'' in 2012, it was the largest provider of digital news in the state at the time. In 2018, comScore r ...
'' was more positive, commenting that the song "likely to be a summertime anthem" and compared its theme to songs by Lavigne's contemporaries such as " 22" by Taylor Swift
Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Her discography spans multiple genres, and her vivid songwriting—often inspired by her personal life—has received critical praise and wide media coverage. Bor ...
, "We Are Young
"We Are Young" is a song recorded by American band Fun, featuring American singer Janelle Monáe. It is the third track on the group's second studio album, '' Some Nights'' (2012). The song was released on September 20, 2011 as the lead singl ...
" by fun.
Fun (stylized as fun.) is an American pop rock band based in New York City. The band consists of Jack Antonoff (of Steel Train and Bleachers), Andrew Dost (formerly of Anathallo), and Nate Ruess (then-former lead singer of the Format).
Fun fo ...
, and " Teenage Dream" by Katy Perry
Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984), known professionally as Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. Known for her influence on modern pop music and her Camp (style), campy style, she has been ...
. ''Entertainment Weekly'' Kyle Anderson deemed "Here's To Never Growing Up" "a classic drinking tune" and compared the song's theme to Kesha's "Die Young
"Die Young" is a song by American singer and songwriter Kesha. It was released on September 25, 2012, as the lead single from her second studio album, ''Warrior'' (2012). Kesha co-wrote the song with its producers, Dr. Luke, Benny Blanco, and Ci ...
" and Pink
Pink is the color of a namesake flower that is a pale tint of red. It was first used as a color name in the late 17th century. According to surveys in Europe and the United States, pink is the color most often associated with charm, politeness, ...
's "Raise Your Glass
"Raise Your Glass" is a song by American singer Pink from her first greatest hits compilation '' Greatest Hits... So Far!!!'' (2010). The song was written by Pink, Max Martin and Karl " Shellback" Schuster, and produced by the latter two, who ar ...
". A reviewer from ''The Huffington Post
''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...
'' also thought that the track was similar to works by Kesha and Taylor Swift, calling it "a bouncy anthem".
Commercial performance
On the chart dated April 27, 2013, the song debuted at number 52 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, marking Lavigne's 16th entry in the chart. The song reached a peak at number 20 in the week of June 29, becoming her 10th top 40 in United States and causing the song to surge from 23rd to 7th on the Digital Songs
The Digital Songs or Digital Song Sales chart (previously named Hot Digital Songs) ranks the best-selling digital songs in the United States, as compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published by '' Billboard'' magazine. Although it originally sta ...
chart with more than 131,000 downloads sold that week. Four months after its release, the song received a RIAA Platinum certification in the United States with 1 million digital paid copies sold.[ As of September 2015, "Here's to Never Growing Up" has sold 1.3 million copies in the United States and more than 2.5 million copies worldwide.] It was the biggest free faller in two weeks in a row before dropping out after spending 15 weeks on the chart. It is Avril Lavigne’s highest peaking song to fail to crack the year end; " Don't Tell Me" even had a lower peak and showed up in the 2004 year-end chart.
"Here's To Never Growing Up" debuted on ARIA Singles Chart at number 16 and one week later peaked at number 15. The song peaked at number 7 in Ireland, 8 in Scotland and 14 in the United Kingdom. The song was well received in Asia where in most of the countries it stood atop the charts. It did extremely well in China, where it grabbed the 2nd Most played song of the year 2013 before Rock n' Roll.
Accolades
Music video
The music video was directed by Robert Hales
Sir Robert Hales ( – 14 June 1381) was Grand Prior of the Knights Hospitaller of England, Lord High Treasurer, and Admiral of the West. He was killed in the Peasants' Revolt.
Career
In 1372 Robert Hales became the Lord/Grand Prior of th ...
, with photography by Ketil Dietrichson and art direction by Lenny Tso. On April 8, 2013, Lavigne began shooting the video for the song, the second day of the shooting was on April 19, confirmed by Lavigne on Twitter and the official premiere was on May 9. The video shows Lavigne playing with her band, which included Lavigne's original guitarist, Evan Taubenfeld
Evan David Taubenfeld (born June 27, 1983) is an American singer and musician, best known for being Avril Lavigne's lead guitarist, music director and frequent collaborator. Taubenfeld's debut album, '' Welcome to the Blacklist Club'', was rele ...
, who returned for the music video, at a school during the senior prom. It also features scenes of Lavigne and her friends having a fun time at the school, eventually causing chaos. It also shows scenes of Lavigne singing in an empty classroom, that eventually shows all her friends dancing and having fun. The video makes allusions to Lavigne's first music video " Complicated", wearing the same outfit and skateboarding.
Live performances
Lavigne performed the song several times throughout the months following its release. The first live performance of the single was at ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jay Leno that first aired from May 25, 1992, to May 29, 2009. It resumed production on March 1, 2010 and ended on February 6, 2014.
The fourth incarnation of the ...
'' on April 26, 2013. She also performed it on the semi-final results on ''Dancing with the Stars
''Dancing with the Stars'' is the name of various international television series based on the format of the British TV series '' Strictly Come Dancing'', which is distributed by BBC Studios, the commercial arm of the BBC. Currently the forma ...
'' on May 14, and on ''Today
Today (archaically to-day) may refer to:
* Day of the present, the time that is perceived directly, often called ''now''
* Current era, present
* The current calendar date
Arts, entertainment, and media Films
* ''Today'' (1930 film), a 1930 A ...
'' on May 17, 2013. Lavigne sang the song on the Wango Tango on May 11, 2013. She also performed it on June 4, 2013 on ''MTV Buzzworthy
MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a d ...
'', June 14, on ''Live! with Kelly and Michael
''Live with Kelly and Ryan'' (or simply ''Live'') is an American syndicated morning talk show hosted by Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest. Executive produced by Michael Gelman, the ''Live with...'' show formula has aired under various hosts since ...
'', on June 15, on ''The Voice UK
''The Voice UK'' is a British singing competition television series. Created by John de Mol, it premiered on BBC One during the spring television cycle on 24 March 2012. Based on the original ''The Voice of Holland'', and part of ''The Voice ...
'', on June 16,,on the ''2013 MuchMusic Video Awards
The 2013 MuchMusic Video Awards were held on Sunday June 16, 2013 at the MuchMusic headquarters in Toronto, Canada. Demi Lovato was the first performer announced. Psy served as co-host and a performer.
Nominations
Winners are shown in bold ty ...
'', on July 12, 2013, on UK TV show '' Daybreak'', on September 20, 2013, on ''We Day
We Day (stylized as WE Day) was an annual series of stadium-sized youth empowerment events organized by We Charity (formerly known as Free The Children), a Canadian charity founded by brothers Marc and Craig Kielburger. WE Day events host tens ...
'' and on September 26, she performed the song along with 'Rock N Roll' on ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!
''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'' is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC. The nightly hour-long show debuted on January 26, 2003, at Hollywood Masonic Temple in Hollywood, Los ...
''.
Lavigne also gave acoustic performances of the song during her radio promotional tour on April and May 2013.
Track listing
;Digital download
#"Here's to Never Growing Up" – 3:35
;CD single
#"Here's to Never Growing Up" – 3:35
#"Here's to Never Growing Up" – 3:35
Credits and personnel
*Backing vocals, lead vocals, drums – Avril Lavigne
Avril Ramona Lavigne ( ; born September 27, 1984) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. At age 16, she signed a two-album recording contract with Arista Records. Her debut studio album, ''Let Go (Avril Lavigne album), Let Go'' (2002), is the ...
*Songwriting, guitar, drums – Avril Lavigne, Martin Johnson, Chad Kroeger
Chad Robert Kroeger ( Turton; born November 15, 1974) is a Canadian musician who is the lead singer and guitarist of the rock band Nickelback. In addition to his work with Nickelback, Kroeger has been involved with a variety of collaboration ...
, David Hodges
David Hall Hodges (born December 5, 1978) is an American songwriter and record producer from Little Rock, Arkansas. He was a studio contributor to the rock band Evanescence from 2000–2002. He has since had success co-writing and co–produci ...
, J. Kash
*Production
Production may refer to:
Economics and business
* Production (economics)
* Production, the act of manufacturing goods
* Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services)
* Production as a stati ...
, guitar, drums – Martin Johnson, additional by Kyle Moorman and Brandon Paddock
* Mixing – Serban Ghenea
Șerban Ghenea (born October 13, 1969) is a Grammy award-winning Romanian-Canadian audio engineer and mixer.
Early life and education
Ghenea was born in Bucharest, Romania in 1969. In 1976 he moved to Montreal with his family. He later attended ...
*Engineering
Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...
– Kyle Moorman, Brandon Paddock
Charts and certifications
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
Release history
References
External links
*
{{authority control
2013 singles
2013 songs
Avril Lavigne songs
Epic Records singles
Sony Music singles
Music videos directed by Robert Hales
Songs written by Avril Lavigne
Songs written by Chad Kroeger
Songs written by David Hodges
Songs written by Jacob Kasher
Songs written by Martin Johnson (musician)