"I'm with You" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter

Avril Lavigne Avril Ramona Lavigne ( ; ; born September 27, 1984) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. She is a key musician in popularizing pop-punk music, as she paved the way for female-driven, punk-influenced pop music in the early 2000s. List of awa ...

from her debut studio album '' Let Go'' (2002). A

power ballad A sentimental ballad is an emotional style of music that often deals with romantic and intimate relationships, and to a lesser extent, loneliness, death, war, drug abuse, politics and religion, usually in a poignant but solemn manner. Balla ...

, it was released to radio as the third single from the album on November 18, 2002, by

Arista Records Arista Records ( ) is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the American division of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. The label was previously a division of Bertelsmann Music G ...

. The song was written by Lavigne and the production team

the Matrix ''The Matrix'' is a 1999 science fiction film, science fiction action film written and directed by the Wachowskis. It is the first installment in the The Matrix (franchise), ''Matrix'' film series, starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Ca ...

, who solely helmed its production. According to Lavigne, the song was inspired by feelings of loneliness she experienced over being

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

. The song reached number four on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and reached the top 10 in nine other countries, including Ireland, Italy, and New Zealand, peaking within the top five in these regions. In the US, the song topped two ''Billboard'' listings: the

Adult Top 40 The Adult Pop Airplay (formerly known as Adult Pop Songs and Adult Top 40) chart is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and ranks "the most popular adult top 40 as based on radio airplay detections measured by Nielsen Broadcast Data Syste ...

and the

Mainstream Top 40 Pop Airplay (also called Mainstream Top 40, Pop Songs, and Top 40/contemporary hit radio, CHR) is a 40-song music chart published weekly by Billboard (magazine), ''Billboard'' Magazine that ranks the most popular songs of pop music being played o ...

. "I'm with You" received radio and television airplay in Australia, but it was not officially released there. The track was nominated for several awards following its release, winning two ASCAP Awards, a BMI Pop Music Award, and a SOCAN Award. It was the second Lavigne song to be nominated for a Grammy in the categories Song of the Year and

Best Female Pop Vocal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance was a Grammy Award recognizing superior vocal performance by a female in the pop category, the first of which was presented in 1959. It was discontinued after the 2011 Grammy season. The awar ...

at the

46th Annual Grammy Awards The 46th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 8, 2004, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California honoring the best in music for the recording of the year beginning from October 1, 2002, through September 30, 2003. It recognized acc ...

Composition and lyrics

"I'm with You" is a

pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre and form of rock music characterized by a strong commercial appeal, with more emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than standard rock musi ...

power ballad, written by Lavigne and the production team

. According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by

Alfred Publishing Alfred may refer to: Arts and entertainment *''Alfred J. Kwak'', Dutch-German-Japanese anime television series * ''Alfred'' (Arne opera), a 1740 masque by Thomas Arne * ''Alfred'' (Dvořák), an 1870 opera by Antonín Dvořák *"Alfred (Interlu ...

, the song is written in the key of

A major A major is a major scale based on A, with the pitches A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Its key signature has three sharps. Its relative minor is F-sharp minor and its parallel minor is A minor. The A major scale is: Changes needed for the ...

and is set in a

time signature A time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, and measure signature) is an indication in music notation that specifies how many note values of a particular type fit into each measure ( bar). The time signature indicates th ...

. Lavigne's vocal range spans two octaves, from A₃ to E₅. According to Lavigne, the song was written when she was having a "depressing day" due to feelings of loneliness over being single.

Critical reception

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' senior editor Chuck Taylor referred to the song as a "beautifully performed, musically sophisticated outing that showcases a surprisingly emotional vocal from avigne" He further praised the song's universal appeal, believing that its theme relates well to both teenagers and adults. Sal Cinquemani of ''

Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New Yor ...

'' described the song as "sweet." Jamieson Cox of ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

'' described the song as a

and compared it to

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...

s released by American rock band

Aerosmith Aerosmith is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Boston in 1970. The group consists of lead vocalist Steven Tyler, bassist Tom Hamilton (musician), Tom Hamilton, drummer Joey Kramer, and guitarists Joe Perry (musician), Joe Perry and B ...

in the late Nineties. The arrangement of singles from ''Let Go'', with "I'm with You" as the third, was regarded as "controversial choices", given that "I'm with You" was "thought by some to be the biggest potential smash on the album", and could have established Lavigne as a more mature artist if it was released first. According to Reid, "Some people just really didn't get that. And with the first video, there was some concern that maybe because it's so young and so playful, it might alienate more serious music lovers." '' KidsWorld'' called it "the perfect song to drown your sorrows to when that guy from your class breaks your heart."

Chart performance

"I'm with You" became Lavigne's third top 10 song when it peaked at number four on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in 2003 during its ninth week on the chart. The song spent 10 consecutive weeks on the top 10 and 27 weeks on the Hot 100 making it Lavigne's second-longest staying song on this chart, surpassed by her debut single " Complicated" which stayed on the chart for 31 weeks. "I'm with You" ranked at number 18 on the ''Billboard'' Year-End Hot 100 singles of 2003 and number 13 on the

Canadian Singles Chart The Canadian music charts are a collection of record charts reflecting the music consumption of people in Canada. '' RPM'' and '' Billboard'' are the biggest publications to have published Canada's official charts for decades. However, the first ...

. The song was certified gold by

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 ...

in 2006 for sales of over 500,000 copies in the United States. As of July 2013, "I'm with You" had sold 556,000 digital copies in the US. As a double A-side

DVD single A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to promote the sale of m ...

, the "I'm with You"/"

Sk8er Boi "Sk8er Boi" (pronounced "skater boy") is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne, released as the second single from her debut album, ''Let Go (Avril Lavigne album), Let Go'' (2002). It was written by Lavigne and The Matrix (productio ...

" video single was certified gold and platinum in 2003. In United Kingdom, "I'm with You" was released on March 31, 2003. The song debuted and peaked at number seven on the UK Singles Chart in 2003, becoming her third top 10 single on the chart; the song re-entered in UK Singles Chart in the week of December 17, 2011, in number 58. It debuted at number six and peaked at number five in Ireland, staying in the top 10 for six weeks. "I'm with You" reached top five in New Zealand; top 10 in Belgium and the Netherlands; top 20 in Sweden, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Norway and Denmark as well as reaching the top 40 in France. The song re-entered the UK Singles Chart on December 10, 2011, at number 58, almost 10 years after the song first charted.

Music video

Background

The music video was directed by

David LaChapelle David LaChapelle (born March 11, 1963) is an American photographer, music video director, and film director. He is best known for his work in fashion and photography, which often references art history and sometimes conveys social messages. His ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. Filmed in November 2002, most of the video is shown in slow motion but Lavigne's mouth movements are in sync with the song's vocals. This was achieved by recording the footage while the song was played twice as fast. It was at least partly filmed in

with the street shots were filmed on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

, and the Orpheum Theatre is seen, with the snow banks CGI'd in.

Synopsis and reception

The video depicts Lavigne, who is seen alone, trying to find someone, whilst her band members play the song alone in the streets. Showing her originally at a party, the video also sees Lavigne pushing a guy when he tries to get with her straight after making out with another woman. The video also sees Lavigne walking on the streets and wearing a black jacket. Through the video, she is seen standing behind a snowy bank. At the end of the video, Lavigne walks out of the club with her coat on, kicks out the door and walks away.

Much Music Much is a Canadian English language discretionary specialty channel owned by BCE Inc. through its Bell Media subsidiary that airs programming aimed at teenagers and young adults. It is headquartered at 299 Queen Street West in what was o ...

named the video one of the "Top 100 Best Videos of All Time". The music video was originally meant to end with Lavigne walking out of the club to her bandmates, who then greet her and walk off together into the distance, but this ending was removed during post-production, ending the video with her leaving alone. An alternative version of the video leaked online to the internet, comprising alternate shots, slightly longer sequences and featuring the originally filmed ending.

Accolades

"I'm with You" was nominated for the 2004

Grammy Award for Song of the Year The Grammy Award for Song of the Year is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. The Song of the Year award is one of the four most prestigious categories at ...

, and for

but lost to

Luther Vandross Luther Ronzoni Vandross Jr. (April 20, 1951 – July 1, 2005) was an American Soul music, soul and Contemporary R&B, R&B singer, songwriter, and record producer. Over his career, he achieved eleven consecutive RIAA certification, RIAA-certified ...

's " Dance with My Father" and

Christina Aguilera Christina María Aguilera ( , ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer-songwriter, actress and television personality. Recognized as Cultural impact of Christina Aguilera, an influential figure in music and having received Public imag ...

's "

Beautiful Beautiful, an adjective used to describe things as possessing beauty, may refer to: Film and theater * ''Beautiful'' (2000 film), an American film directed by Sally Field * ''Beautiful'' (2008 film), a South Korean film directed by Juhn Jai-h ...

" respectively.

In media, covers and samples

"I'm with You" was later featured in the

season 3 A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and pol ...

Scrubs Scrub(s) may refer to: * Scrub, low shrub and grass characteristic of scrubland * Scrubs (clothing), worn by medical staff * ''Scrubs'' (TV series), an American television program * Scrubs (occupation), also called "scrub tech," "scrub nurse," ...

'' episode " My Tormented Mentor", in the ''

Smallville ''Smallville'' is an American superhero fiction, superhero television series developed by writer-producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, based on the DC Comics character Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The series was produce ...

'' episode " Accelerate" and in the movie ''

Bruce Almighty ''Bruce Almighty'' is a 2003 American fantasy comedy film directed by Tom Shadyac and written by Steve Koren, Mark O'Keefe and Steve Oedekerk. The film stars Jim Carrey as Bruce Nolan, a down-on-his-luck television reporter who complains to Go ...

''. The song was also used in the 2003 Brazilian soap opera ''

Mulheres Apaixonadas ''Mulheres Apaixonadas'' (English: ''Women In Love'') is a Brazilian telenovela which originally aired on Rede Globo TV Globo (stylized as tvglobo; , ), formerly known as Rede Globo de Televisão (; shortened to Rede Globo) or simply known ...

''. Furthermore, it was featured in the video game '' Karaoke Revolution Volume 2'' and in '' Singstar'' Rock Ballads. The song is also used as the background music for the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G85/G80 commercial, with

Jennifer Garner Jennifer Anne Garner (born April 17, 1972) is an American actress. Born in Houston, Texas and raised in Charleston, West Virginia, Garner studied theater at Denison University and began acting as an understudy for the Roundabout Theatre Company ...

and

Cate Blanchett Catherine Élise Blanchett ( ; born 14 May 1969) is an Australian actor and producer. Regarded as one of the best performers of her generation, she is recognised for Cate Blanchett on screen and stage, her versatile work across stage and scre ...

. The song was used also in the end of the pilot of the

Tarzan Tarzan (John Clayton, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, a feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adventurer. Creat ...

Rihanna Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, businesswoman, and actress. One of the List of music artists by net worth, wealthiest musicians in the world, List of awards and nominations received by Rihanna, her vario ...

sampled the song on her track "

Cheers (Drink to That) "Cheers (Drink to That)" is a song recorded by Barbadian singer Rihanna, from her fifth studio album, ''Loud (Rihanna album), Loud'' (2010). The song impacted American Contemporary hit radio, mainstream and Rhythmic contemporary, rhythmic radio o ...

", which was released as a single. Lavigne made an appearance in the music video. Polish-Czech singer

Ewa Farna Ewa Chobot (née Farna, born 12 August 1993) is a Polish minority in the Czech Republic, Polish-Czech pop-rock singer. She released five Polish-language and four Czech-language studio albums, and received Music recording sales certification, pl ...

covered the song and it was featured as a track on her album '' Měls mě vůbec rád''. Sophie Evans covered the song in Week 3 of ''

Over the Rainbow "Over the Rainbow", also known as "Somewhere Over the Rainbow", is a ballad by Harold Arlen with lyrics by Yip Harburg. It was written for the 1939 film '' The Wizard of Oz'', in which it was sung by actress Judy Garland in her starring role ...

''. A year later,

Amelia Lily Amelia Lily Oliver (born 16 October 1994) is an English singer and television personality. In 2011, she became a contestant on the eighth series of ''The X Factor'', where she finished in third place. In 2017, she finished as runner-up on the ...

covered the song in Week 9 of series 8 of ''

The X Factor ''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for '' Pop Idol'' (2001–200 ...

''. British singer

Yungblud Dominic Richard Harrison (born 5 August 1997), known professionally as Yungblud, is an English singer, songwriter and actor. In 2018, he released his debut EP ''Yungblud'', followed by his first full-length album ''21st Century Liability''. In ...

covered the song as part of his segment for

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...

's annual Live lounge month. He mashed-up the song with

Taylor Swift Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Known for her autobiographical songwriting, artistic versatility, and Cultural impact of Taylor Swift, cultural impact, Swift is one of the Best selling artists, w ...

's " Cardigan" (2020), accompanying himself on an

acoustic guitar An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked, its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...

, joined by a

cellist The violoncello ( , ), commonly abbreviated as cello ( ), is a middle pitched bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), tuned i ...

and two

violin The violin, sometimes referred to as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone, and is the smallest, and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in regular use in the violin family. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino picc ...

ists, resulting in a cheerful, strings-laden performance. Both artists responded to the medley affirmatively. Scottish synth-pop band

Chvrches Chvrches (stylised CHVRCHΞS and pronounced "Churches") are a Scottish synth-pop band from Glasgow, formed in September 2011. The band consists of Lauren Mayberry, Iain Cook, Martin Doherty and, unofficially since 2018, Jonny Scott. Mostly deriv ...

covered the song in their

Apple Music Apple Music is an audio and video streaming service developed by Apple Inc. Users can select music to stream to their device on-demand, or listen to existing playlists. The service also includes the sister internet radio stations Apple Musi ...

Home Session, released on September 24, 2021. "I'm With You" was featured in the 2024

Marvel Cinematic Universe The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on List of Marvel Cinematic Universe films, a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appe ...

film ''

Deadpool & Wolverine ''Deadpool & Wolverine'' is a 2024 American superhero film based on Marvel Comics featuring the characters Deadpool and Wolverine (character), Wolverine. Produced by Marvel Studios, Maximum Effort, and 21 Laps Entertainment, and distributed ...

'', as well as appearing on the official soundtrack for the film.

Track listings and formats

* CD single # "I'm with You" (album version) – 3:44 # "I'm with You" (live version) – 3:57 * Cassette and maxi single # "I'm with You" (album version) – 3:44 # "I'm with You" (live) – 3:57 # "Unwanted" (live) – 4:01 * DVD single # "I'm with You" # "

" # "Behind-the-Scenes Footage" # "''Let Go'' TV Spots"

Credits and personnel

Credits and personnel are adapted from the ''Let Go'' album liner notes. *

– writer, lead vocals *

The Matrix ''The Matrix'' is a 1999 science fiction film, science fiction action film written and directed by the Wachowskis. It is the first installment in the The Matrix (franchise), ''Matrix'' film series, starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Ca ...

– writer, producer, arrangement, recording, additional vocals *

Tom Lord-Alge Tom Lord-Alge (born January 17, 1962) is an American music engineer and mixer. He began his career at Unique Recording in New York. Subsequently, he was the resident mixer at what used to be known as "South Beach Studios", located on the ground ...

– mixing * Femio Hernandez – mixing assistant *

Corky James Corky James (born February 10, 1954) is a Los Angeles–based session guitarist and bassist who has appeared on a considerable number of music albums and motion picture soundtracks. His genres encompass rock, pop, country, singer-songwriter, and ...

– guitars * Suzi Katayama – cello

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

External links

"I'm with You" music video
on

Vevo Vevo LLC ( , an abbreviation for "Video Evolution", stylized in all caps until 2013) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational video hosting service, best known for providing music videos to YouTube. The service is also available ...

via

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

Avril Lavigne's official site
{{Authority control 2000s ballads 2002 songs 2002 singles Avril Lavigne songs Record Report Pop Rock General number-one singles Music videos directed by David LaChapelle Rock ballads Song recordings produced by the Matrix (production team) Songs written by Avril Lavigne Songs written by Lauren Christy Songs written by Graham Edwards (musician) Songs written by Scott Spock Arista Records singles Pop ballads Songs about suicide Songs about loneliness