Still holds up!

Ready to feel old? It’s been 20 years since queen of the emos Avril Lavigne released her debut album Let Go, and to be honest it’s got us feeling rather nostalgic. I mean, whether you were just a wee kiddo or right in the middle of your teenage years when it dropped in 2002, odds are this album soundtracked some aspect of your life.

Which song, however? I mean, even though each instalment of its 13-song strong track listing struck a fervent chord with the masses, there’s no doubt that ‘Sk8er Boi’ was a standout amongst the batch. It essentially became an anthem for emo teens across the world, and now, we’re reliving it in all of its glory.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIy3n2b7V9k

But before we do so, we figured we’d take a trip down memory lane and revisit the album that birthed it into existence. Check it below.

Beginning with the hard-hitting ‘Losing Grip’, the then 16-year-old Lavigne breaks all preconceived notions associated with the teen pop star from the jump, piercing through the veil of loveable heartthrob for a gritty insight into adolescence and how one’s teenage years are lived on the edge. It’s a sentiment embodied in the track through and through, from the clattery drums and sombre acoustics to Avril’s fiery vocals. Her repetition of the hook “Why should I care?” drives home not only the emotional sphere of the tracks to come but the intensity with which Let Go is crafted.

Then comes the first standout of the record, the ever-enduring ‘Complicated’ that’s still resonating to this day. It’s no surprise it’s one of the most straightforward cuts on the record, utilising simplistic verses that build anticipation while drawing you in, a feeling maximised by that poppy pre-chorus. The title lyric “Why’d you have to go and make things so complicated” achieves maximal impact almost immediately, Avril’s vulnerability on full display as she illustrates the overall stress associated with teenage love.

Okay, we’re not sure if Avril had the foresight to see ‘Complicated’ and ‘Sk8er Boi’ being the standout cuts on the album, but the fact that these two tracks go back to back emphasises just how distinct her blend of emo-pop and rock was in the early 2000s, and helps to fully immerse the listener in her world. It’s also a nice change of pace from the preceding singles that are noticeably more emotional, Avril’s attitude-filled vocals proving that whether it be ballad or bop, Let Go has it all.

It’s from here that the record begins to diverge, Avril experimenting with genre and feeling for a plethora of emo goodness. It more than works out for her, following cuts ‘I’m With You’ and ‘Mobile’ striking equal measures of youthful exuberance with emotional maturity. The former is definitely a track that’s a dark horse of the Let Go record, manifesting in the years in almost all corners of the rom-com and broader pop spheres.

But make no mistake, Avril is a rocker in every sense of the word, which is perfectly shown on ‘Unwanted’, on which she delivers the most abrasively magnetic track in all of Let Go. The colliding guitars and whirling vocals hurtle against one another with total badassery, so much so that you forget that Avril was only in her mid-teens when she was recording this bad boy.

It’s a solid first half of an album, and naturally, Avril balances out its archaic energy from the gates on the second half of the record, opting for a gentle guitar line on ‘Tomorrow’ that’s one of the most intimate moments of the album. Her vocals take a more husky and laid back approach in this instance, fluttering with gentle melancholy atop the tapestry of instrumentation she crafts.

It seems this album as a whole is a tug of war between the vulnerable and no shits given parts of Avril’s personality, with the following track ‘Anything But Ordinary’ again communicating Avril’s ability to alternate between the fierce and gentle with ease. Her vocals quite literally soar in this cut, her singing “Is it enough to love? Is it enough to breathe?” reverberating around the psyche with treasure troves of resonance.

From here on Avril subtly begins to bring the album to a close, serving up different shades of vulnerability to great success. ‘My World’ and ‘Nobody’s Fool’ subsequently act as a double-sided refresher of sorts, with Avril opting for country-reminiscent vocals atop light-hearted guitar lines. This album as a whole is definitely a very guitar-driven project, and I mean, it makes sense, the acoustics helping to add measures of grit and vulnerability to the project as a whole. The latter sees her also dabble in rapping, a nice divergence that sprinkles an added sense of carefreeness to the tail-end of Let Go.

Finally, she wraps things up on a nice and spirited note (an apt description for the album as a whole) with ‘Too Much To Ask’ and ‘Naked’, the pair ending Let Go on a tone of resolute finality. It helped to cement Avril as a pioneer of the emo genre, and no doubt soundtracked the adolescence of teenagers all around the world way back in 2002 and continues to do so to this day.

Now, join us as we revisit ‘SK8er Boi’ and how it influenced a whole generation of emo teens below.

Love songs emo teens could get around

Look, before old mate Avril and ‘SK8er Boi’, there weren’t a whole lot of love songs for the emos out there. At best they had songs about wanting to be emo with one another, but never before had that wild generation of teens had a legit love song to take solace in. It was no doubt a huge win for that group of teens as a whole. And safe to say, we wouldn’t have a lot of the emo love bops that have been released in the years since that we hold so dear to our hearts (shoutout to Clairo).

Redefining the teenage pop star

Again, ‘Sk8er’ boy was a true trailblazer for the emo teens, especially in helping them to redefine the concept of the teenage pop star. I mean, think about it, up until that point they’d only had Justin Timberlake, Robbie Williams, Britney Spears, Michael Jackson, the list goes on! And don’t get me wrong, I’m not throwing shade at any of the above, but all of them were your classic pop star that pretended to be perfect until it all came crashing down. And well, Avril is normal as hell in ‘Sk8er Boi’, and unlike her teenage star counterparts at the time, she was relatable! And ‘Sk8er boi’ was proof that contrary to the larger than life and over the top love songs in the mainstream at that time, there was still room for a bit of realism.

Proving the industry wrong

Let Go might not have had the best luck at the Grammys, but still, the fact that it copped five nods just goes to show how much it resonated with the masses. Add the fact that ‘Sk8er Boi’ pierced through the veil of commercial radio, despite its many detractors in and out of the industry, just goes to show how powerful it was not only as a single but anthem for emo teens everywhere, and no doubt helped steer emo music (particularly pop-focused emo music) to come.

Girls can skate too!

No doubt before the release of ‘Sk8er Boi’ in 2002, skating was definitely a male-dominated realm. Thus, it was a nice change of pace to see Avril and her gang of misfits enter the skating realm and embrace not only its aesthetic but the tomboy persona that underpinned it. Again, not only was it a nice point of differentiation from Avril’s contemporaries, but it helped normalise those who didn’t fit into the narrow confines set by teenage popstars that came before.

The aesthetic

Speaking of, you can’t tell me that ‘Sk8er Boi’s aesthetic was unescapable following its release. To this day it’s still a go-to at costume parties and dress ups alike. The backwards cap, onslaught of denim and ripped aesthetic? It was truly the bee’s knees in 2002, and thankfully, it’s an aesthetic that still gets mad love two decades later in 2022.

Music, fashion and age-old paradigms; Let Go and its standout ‘Sk8er Boi’ redefined it all, and it’s no surprise it holds up all of these years later. Be sure to revisit the 20 year anniversary edition here for a bit of emo goodness (2022 style).