"Bite Me"
Single by Avril Lavigne
from the album Love Sux
ReleasedNovember 10, 2021 (2021-11-10)
Genre
Length2:39
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Avril Lavigne singles chronology
"Flames"
(2021)		 "Bite Me"
(2021)		 "Love It When You Hate Me"
(2022)
Music videos

"Bite Me" is a song by Canadian singer Avril Lavigne. It was released on November 10, 2021, through Elektra Records and as Lavigne's debut on Travis Barker's label DTA Records. It is the lead single from Lavigne's seventh studio album, Love Sux (2022). The song was noted by critics as a return to Lavigne's pop-punk roots. The song peaked at number 63 on the Canadian Hot 100 and number 61 on the UK Singles Chart.

Background and release

Canadian pop punk artist Avril Lavigne released her sixth studio album, Head Above Water, on February 15, 2019, through BMG. The album was inspired by the two years during which Lavigne suffered from Lyme disease, which left her mostly bedridden and unable to perform.[6] That September, Lavigne embarked on a North American tour in support of Head Above Water, her first such tour in five years.[7] A European tour, originally set to begin in early 2020, had to be rescheduled for 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[8]

While quarantined at home during the pandemic, Lavigne told American Songwriter that she had begun working on new music, which she hoped to release sometime in 2021.[9] That December, Lavigne posted a photo on Instagram of her in a recording studio with Mod Sun and Machine Gun Kelly, leading to speculation that the trio was working on music together.[10] "Flames", a Mod Sun song featuring Lavigne, was released on January 8, 2021.[11] The following month, Lavigne confirmed on Instagram that she had finished working on her new album, and that she would release new music that summer.[12] Producer John Feldmann, known for his work with bands such as Blink-182, All Time Low, and Goldfinger, meanwhile, confirmed to Wall of Sound that he had been working with Lavigne and that her new album would bring "back her pop punk roots".[13]

Writing and composition

"Bite Me" is a pop punk song that has drawn comparisons to Lavigne's earlier studio albums Let Go (2002) and The Best Damn Thing (2007),[14][15][16] as well as to the band Paramore.[17] The song is written in the key of E-flat major, with a tempo of 170 beats per minute.[18] Lyrically, Lavigne describes "Bite Me" as "an anthem about knowing your worth, what you deserve, and not giving someone a second chance who doesn't deserve you".[19] Lavigne also described the track as a "super sassy" response to a romantic partner who realizes they made a mistake, only to be rejected when they attempt to reconcile.[20]

The song was noted by several publications to mark Lavigne's return to the pop punk genre; with NME referring to it as a "pop-punk takedown of an ex",[21] and Billboard describing it as a "guitar- and drum-heavy track" which "features Lavigne raging at her former lover for failing to treat her properly, promising that they'll always regret being kicked out of her life."[22]

Release and promotion

"I am excited to be dropping 'Bite Me'. It's an anthem about knowing your worth, what you deserve, and not giving someone a second chance who doesn't deserve you."

— Lavigne on releasing "Bite Me" as a single[23]

"Bite Me" was announced on November 5, 2021, when Lavigne posted the pre-save link together with the single's cover on Instagram and Twitter.[24] On November 6, Lavigne posted a rehearsal video of her and Travis Barker with an audio snippet of the song on her social media.[25]

In the United States, "Bite Me" was sent to alternative radio on November 16, 2021.[26]

Critical reception

"Bite Me" received critical acclaim upon its release, with George Griffiths of Official Charts Company describing it as a "confident return to form for pop punk's reigning motherf**king princess" remarking that "it's a lovely surprise to hear just how fresh Avril sounds. Her voice is crisp and clear on the song's chorus; like she hasn't aged a day since she first dropped 'Complicated'."[27] Writing for The A.V. Club, Tatiana Tenreyro opined that the song is "the closest to the Lavigne her early fans fell in love with at the beginning of her career. Not only is it a big return to pop punk, but it also sounds delightfully nostalgic."[28] Reviewing for Gay Times, Conor Clark compared "Bite Me" to Lavigne's third studio album The Best Damn Thing (2007), and remarked that "Avril's fierce new song is a reminder of why she is and always will be the Queen of Pop Punk."[29]

Year-end lists

Publication Rank Ref.
Billboard
68
Exclaim!
7
Glamour —
Loudwire
21
Marie Claire —
PopBuzz
49
Spin
13
The Tab
36

Accolades

Award Year Category Result Ref.
Juno Awards 2023 Single of the Year Nominated [38]

Commercial performance

Worldwide "Bite Me" debuted at number 133 on the Billboard Global 200 chart, it was Lavigne's first song to enter the chart.[39]

In Canada, "Bite Me" debuted at number 63 on the Canadian Hot 100 chart, it was certified Gold in Canada with 40,000 units sold.[40][41] "Bite Me" was Lavigne's first lead single to not enter the US Billboard Hot 100, but it peaked at number 20 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart. and peaked at number 13 on the US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart.[42] In the United Kingdom, "Bite Me" debuted at number 61 on the UK Singles Chart.[43] "Bite Me" was certified Gold in Brazil with 20,000 units sold.[44]

Music videos

The Hannah Lux Davis-directed music video was released on November 12, 2021.[45] The music video sees Lavigne and Barker, with some help from their rowdy gang of tutu-wearing and axe-wielding friends, terrorizing the man that caused Lavigne heartbreak. The group crashes the man’s loft after breaking the lock, to trash the apartment space, torture the unsuspecting man and play loud music at full blast.

The video for the acoustic version, directed by Mod Sun and Charlie Zwick, was released on December 17, 2021 and it featured John Feldmann and his wife Amy as doctor and nurse respectively. In it, Lavigne arrives at the dentist office and enters the room, while the doctor takes a break, to pull out all the patient's teeth which are then used to make a necklace.[46]

Live performances

Lavigne performed "Bite Me" for the first time on The Late Late Show with James Corden on November 10, 2021, with drummer Travis Barker of Blink-182. Lavigne also did an interview with Corden about her new single "Bite Me", her upcoming seventh studio album, and her upcoming 2022 concert tour.[47] On November 23, 2021, she performed the single on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.[48] On November 30, 2021, Lavigne performed the single on The Ellen DeGeneres Show with drummer Travis Barker, it was her first appearance on the show since 2007.[49] On December 31, 2021 Lavigne performed the single on Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve party as the last performance of that year.[50] On January 16, 2022 Lavigne performed Bite Me during her surprise set at IHeart Alter Ego festival, along with her smash hits Girlfriend, My Happy Ending and Sk8er Boi.[51] Lavigne also performed the single on Japanese TV show Music Station on February 11, 2022.[52]

Credits and personnel

Credits and personnel are adapted from the Love Sux album liner notes.[53]

  • Avril Lavigne – vocals
  • John Feldmann – guitar, bass, production
  • Derek "Mod Sun" Smith – production
  • Travis Barker – drums, production
  • Dylan McLean – additional guitar and bass, additional production and engineering
  • Scot Stewart – additional guitar and bass, additional production and engineering
  • Michael Bono – additional guitar and bass, additional production and engineering
  • Josh Thornberry – additional production and engineering
  • Cameron Mizell – additional production and engineering
  • Hero DeLano – additional production and engineering
  • Kevin Thrash – additional engineering
  • Chris Gehringer – mastering
  • Adam Hawkins – mixing

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for "Bite Me"
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[70] Gold 20,000‡
Canada (Music Canada)[71] Gold 40,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Release history for "Bite Me"
Country Date Format(s) Version Label(s) Ref.
Various November 10, 2021 Original
  • DTA
  • Elektra
 [72]
United States November 16, 2021 Alternative radio [26]
Italy November 26, 2021 Radio airplay Warner [73]
Various December 17, 2021
  • Digital download
  • streaming
 Acoustic
  • DTA
  • Elektra
 [74]

References

  1. ↑ Bell, Kaellen. "Avril Lavigne Shares New Song "Bite Me"". Retrieved November 10, 2021. Lavigne shared her new single "Bite Me" today, and it finds her plugging into the zeitgeist and returning to the now-everywhere mall-punk sound that she helped popularize.
  2. ↑ Rettig, James (November 10, 2021). "Avril Lavigne – "Bite Me"". Stereogum. Retrieved November 10, 2021. It's nice to hear Lavigne back in her pop-punk bag
  3. ↑ Martoccio, Angie (November 10, 2021). "Avril Lavigne Harks Back to Her 'Let Go' Era on New Single 'Bite Me'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 10, 2021. Lavigne's debut on Travis Barker's label DTA Records, shows the Canadian musician harking back to her early pop-punk days
  4. ↑ Childers, Chad (November 10, 2021). "Avril Lavigne Returns to Pop-Punk With New Song 'Bite Me' Read More: Avril Lavigne Returns to Pop-Punk With New Song 'Bite Me'". Loudwire. Retrieved November 10, 2021.
  5. ↑ Griffiths, George. "Avril Lavigne announces release of new single Bite Me dropping this Wednesday". Official Charts. Retrieved November 8, 2021. A snippet of Bite Me floating around on social media confirms that the song returns Avril to her rock roots, with plenty of emo guitar licks and a full-pelt pop chorus
  6. ↑ Weiner, Josh (March 13, 2019). "Our Take: Avril Lavigne Brushes Demons Aside on 'Head Above Water,' Her Return to Form". Atwood Magazine. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  7. ↑ Spruch, Kirsten (June 24, 2019). "Avril Lavigne Announces First North American Tour in 5 Years". Billboard. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  8. ↑ Skinner, Tom (October 28, 2021). "Avril Lavigne announces UK and European tour for 2022". NME. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  9. ↑ Pajer, Nicole (May 18, 2020). "Avril Lavigne Explains Her Choice To Pay Tribute to Frontline Workers on 'We Are Warriors'". American Songwriter. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  10. ↑ "Avril Lavigne Hits the Studio With Machine Gun Kelly and Mod Sun". Billboard. December 30, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  11. ↑ Dowd, Rachael (January 8, 2021). "Hear Avril Lavigne and Mod Sun's powerful punk rock anthem 'Flames'". Alternative Press. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  12. ↑ Schaffner, Lauryn (February 8, 2021). "Avril Lavigne's New Album Is Done, May Mark Her Pop-Punk Return". Loudwire. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  13. ↑ May, Tamara (December 11, 2020). "John Feldmann – Goldfinger 'Never Looking Back'". Wall of Sound. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  14. ↑ Martoccio, Angie (November 10, 2021). "Avril Lavigne Harks Back to Her 'Let Go' Era on New Single 'Bite Me'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  15. ↑ Clark, Conor (November 12, 2021). "Avril Lavigne harks back to The Best Damn Thing era in Bite Me music video". Gay Times. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  16. ↑ Whitaker, Marisa (November 10, 2021). "Listen To Avril Lavigne's 'Bite Me' With Travis Barker On Drums". Spin. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  17. ↑ Rettig, James (November 10, 2021). "Avril Lavigne – 'Bite Me'". Stereogum. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  18. ↑ "Bite Me – Avril Lavigne Album Information". SongData.io. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  19. ↑ Curto, Justin (November 10, 2021). "Avril Lavigne Is Back in Her Pop-Punk Era on New Single 'Bite Me'". Vulture. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  20. ↑ Bowenbank, Starr (November 12, 2021). "Avril Lavigne & Travis Barker Terrorize an Ex-Boyfriend In 'Bite Me' Video: Watch". Billboard. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  21. ↑ "Listen to Avril Lavigne take down an ex on punky new single 'Bite Me'". NME. November 10, 2021. Retrieved November 10, 2021.
  22. ↑ "Avril Lavigne Goes Back to Her Pop-Punk Roots on 'Bite Me': Listen". Billboard. November 10, 2021. Retrieved November 10, 2021.
  23. ↑ Whitaker, Marisa (November 10, 2021). "Listen To Avril Lavigne's 'Bite Me' With Travis Barker On Drums".
  24. ↑ Lavin, Will (November 5, 2021). "Avril Lavigne announces new single "Bite Me" coming next week". NME. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
  25. ↑ Garner, Glenn (November 6, 2021). "Avril Lavigne Tells Travis Barker to "Bite Me" as She Leaks Teaser of New Collab on TikTok". People. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
  26. 1 2 "Future Releases on Alternative Radio Stations, Independent Artist Song Releases". AllAccess. Archived from the original on November 8, 2021. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  27. ↑ "Avril Lavigne's Bite Me is a confident return to form for the pop-punk princess: First listen preview". Official Charts Company. November 10, 2021. Retrieved November 10, 2021.
  28. ↑ "Avril Lavigne makes a triumphant return to pop punk with "Bite Me"". The A.V. Club. November 10, 2021. Retrieved November 10, 2021.
  29. ↑ "Avril Lavigne harks back to The Best Damn Thing era in Bite Me music video". Gay Times. November 12, 2021. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
  30. ↑ "Billboard's 100 Best Songs of 2021: Critics' Picks". Billboard. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
  31. ↑ "Hear Exclaim!'s Favourite Canadian Music of 2021". www.vulture.com. December 31, 2021. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
  32. ↑ "The 50 Best Songs of 2021". Glamour. December 24, 2021. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
  33. ↑ "The 35 Best Rock Songs of 2021". loudwire.com. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
  34. ↑ "The 31 Best Love Songs of 2021". Marie Claire. December 9, 2021. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
  35. ↑ "The 50 Best Songs of 2021". PopBuzz. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
  36. ↑ "Staff Picks: The Albums And Songs We Loved In 2021". Spin. December 22, 2021. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
  37. ↑ "Presenting the 40 best songs of 2021 – the soundtrack to a chaotic year". The Tab. December 7, 2021. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
  38. ↑ "Junos 2023: full list of winners". Global News. January 28, 2020. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
  39. ↑ "Avril Lavigne". Billboard. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
  40. ↑ "Avril Lavigne". Billboard. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
  41. ↑ "Gold/Platinum". Music Canada. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
  42. ↑ "Avril Lavigne". Billboard. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
  43. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100 | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
  44. ↑ "CERTIFICADOS". Pro-Música Brasil (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved November 21, 2022.
  45. ↑ Gus (November 12, 2021). "Avril Lavigne Shares Official Video For New Single "Bite Me"". Backstage Axxess. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
  46. ↑ "Avril Lavigne shares stirring acoustic version of 'Bite Me'". NME. December 21, 2021. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
  47. ↑ Avril Lavigne: Bite Me, retrieved November 18, 2021
  48. ↑ Avril Lavigne & Travis Barker Tear Into 'Bite Me' on 'Fallon', retrieved November 24, 2021
  49. ↑ Avril Lavigne Performs Her New Single "Bite Me" with Travis Barker on 'Ellen', November 30, 2021, retrieved December 23, 2021
  50. ↑ "Bite Me" ft. Travis Barker Live At New Year's Rockin Eve @ Avril Lavigne's official YouTube channel
  51. ↑ Coldplay And Avril Lavigne Lead A Stacked Alternative Scene At IHeart's Alter Ego Show In Los Angeles
  52. ↑ Avril Lavigne presenta 'Bite Me' en especial de Music Station Japón!
  53. ↑ Love Sux (Inlay cover). Avril Lavigne. DTA Records. 2022. 0075678637582.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  54. ↑ "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 15 November 2021". The ARIA Report. No. 1654. Australian Recording Industry Association. June 16, 2023. p. 9.
  55. ↑ "Avril Lavigne Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
  56. ↑ "Avril Lavigne Chart History (Canada CHR/Top 40)". Billboard. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
  57. ↑ "Avril Lavigne Chart History (Canada Hot AC)". Billboard. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  58. ↑ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Change the chart to CZ – RADIO – TOP 100 and insert 202151,52 into search. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
  59. ↑ "Avril Lavigne Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
  60. ↑ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  61. ↑ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Avril Lavigne". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
  62. ↑ "Billboard Japan Download Songs : Nov 22, 2021". Billboard Japan. Archived from the original on November 17, 2021. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  63. ↑ "Billboard Japan Hot Overseas : Nov 17, 2021". Billboard Japan. Retrieved November 17, 2021. (subscription required)
  64. ↑ "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. November 22, 2021. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
  65. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 19, 2021.
  66. ↑ "Avril Lavigne Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  67. ↑ "Avril Lavigne Chart History (Digital Song Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
  68. ↑ "Avril Lavigne Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
  69. ↑ "Hot Rock & Alternative Songs – Year-End 2022". Billboard. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
  70. ↑ "Brazilian single certifications – Avril Lavigne – Bite Me" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil. Retrieved August 9, 2022.
  71. ↑ "Canadian single certifications – Avril Lavigne – Bite Me". Music Canada. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
  72. ↑ Panaligan, EJ (November 5, 2021). "Avril Lavigne Announces New Single "Bite Me"". Billboard. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
  73. ↑ "Avril Lavigne "Bite Me" | (Radio Date: 26/11/2021)". radiodate.it (in Italian). Retrieved November 24, 2021.
  74. ↑ Lavigne, Avril (December 17, 2021). "Bite Me (Acoustic) - Single by Avril Lavigne on Apple Music". music.apple.com.
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