What the Hell

"What the Hell" is a song by the Canadian singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne from her fourth studio album, Goodbye Lullaby (2011). Lavigne wrote the song with its producers, Max Martin and Shellback. RCA Records released it as the album's lead single on January 10, 2011. Backed by an instrumentation of guitars, keyboards, and hand-claps, the pop song has lyrics about personal freedom and self-expression.

Upon its release, "What the Hell" received positive reviews from music critics with many complimenting its catchiness and comparing it to her 2007 single "Girlfriend". The song was successful, reaching number one in Japan, the top five in Asia, the top ten in Europe, Australia, South America, Mexico, Canada, and the top 20 in the US and the UK.

An accompanying music video for the song was directed by Marcus Raboy and premiered on 23 January. "What the Hell" was performed by Lavigne on several television programs such as Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve, T4, The View, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Britain's Got Talent and the Much Music Video Awards. Additionally, she added the song to the setlist of the Black Star Tour (2011).

"What the Hell" is written by Lavigne, Max Martin, and Shellback, while the latter two produced the song. It was recorded at Maratone Studios in Stockholm, Sweden. This is the second song these three have written together, the first one being Miranda Cosgrove's "Dancing Crazy". In November 2010, Lavigne announced via a blog on her official website that her fourth album, Goodbye Lullaby, had been completed for a year and cited her record company as the reason for the album's delays. She revealed in the blog that "What the Hell" would be the first single from the album. The song was premiered on 31 December 2010 on Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve during a pre-taped segment along with a performance of "Girlfriend". Lavigne described "What the Hell" as "a really fun, upbeat party song, so it worked out really well to play it for the first time on New Year's Rockin' Eve." The following day, "What the Hell" was available as a free download for 48 hours from Lavigne's official Facebook page.

"What the Hell" has been described as a "bubblegum pop-punk", synthpop, and "new-wave rock" song. The song has been compared to previous Lavigne's single, "Girlfriend" (2007). It is written in the verse–pre-chorus–chorus form. The track opens with its characteristically "retro keyboard riff" and hand-claps. The inclusion of the keyboard has drawn comparisons to the garage rock genre and the band The Hives. The song also features guitars during the chorus. The song is performed in the key of A major at a tempo of 150 beats per minute. Avril Lavigne's vocals span from F#₃ to F#₅.

Although Lavigne simply described the song as "a broad message about personal freedom", critics have interpreted it in various ways. Gil Kaufman of MTV.com suggested that it is a "declaration of independence from a former teen star who is storming back onto the scene". Kaufman proposed Lavigne's public divorce from Sum 41 singer Deryck Whibley, along with friction between her and her record company, as possible themes. Jody Rosen of Rolling Stone magazine called the song "an anthem about a good girl... staying out late, swapping boys and exacting psychological revenge." Heather McDaid of Stereoboard.com was critical of the song's theme being about Whibley: "with such an upbeat song it's hard to envisage divorce as the underlying subject matter as you listen." Holly Thomas of Frost Magazine suggested Lavigne was "starved of affection from the one she truly loves." Lavigne described the song as "more reminiscent of some of my old pop rock stuff", calling it her "most pop track on the record" and the least personal song from the album.

"What the Hell" has received positive reviews from music critics, who have noted similarities between "What the Hell" and Lavigne's previous single, "Girlfriend". Gil Kaufman of MTV.com stated "What the Hell" has "rousing cheerleader energy" and an "infectious groove and peppy vibe". Jody Rosen of Rolling Stone magazine said "the music is easily some of Avril's catchiest yet", describing it as "Avril in a nutshell". Idolator described the song as a "guilty pleasure" and called it "the kind of track we only select after double-checking no one's eyeing our iPod." Nick Levine of Digital Spy gave the song a perfect rating. He explained that Lavigne is "snottier than a tissue tossed in the bin down the flu clinic [but] what's more, she's pulling it off." Levine added that "What the Hell" was not "quite as undeniable" as "Girlfriend" but praised the chorus of the song.

Heather McDaid of Stereoboard.com notes that it "isn't a revolutionary piece musically but it encompasses the pop-rock sound Avril has been creating over the years". McDaid goes on to say that it is "definitely a song that reflects the older, more fun loving Avril Lavigne." Holly Thomas of Frost Magazine believed that the song lacked maturity and described it as "irritating", but she praised the song for its lyrics and theme. Kirsten Coachman of Blogcritics simply said that people could easily relate to it.