When You're Gone (Avril Lavigne song)

Infobox Single
Name = When You're Gone


Artist = Avril Lavigne
from Album = The Best Damn Thing
Released = June 19, 2007
(see release dates below)
Format = CD single
Recorded =
Genre = Pop rock, piano rock, power ballad
Length = 4:00
Label = RCA
Writer = Avril Lavigne, Butch Walker
Producer = Butch Walker
Certification = Platinum [ [http://www.aria.com.au/pages/httpwww.aria.com.aupageshttpwww.aria.com.aupagesariacharts-accreditations-2008singles.htm ARIA Charts - Accreditations - 2008 Singles] ] (ARIA), Gold (RIAA)
Last single = "Girlfriend"
(2007)
This single = "When You're Gone"
(2007)
Next single = "Hot"
(2007)

"When You're Gone" is a song by Avril Lavigne, and is the second single from her 2007 album, "The Best Damn Thing".cite news |url=http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003580519 |title=Avril's Agenda: New Video, Shows, Film Work |work=Billboard.com |first=Gary |last=Graff |date=2007-05-03 |accessdate=2007-06-10] It was released in Japan on June 20, 2007, coupled with the track "Girlfriend" (Japanese version).cite news |url=http://www.cdjournal.com/main/news/news.php?nno=14977 |title=アヴリル・ラヴィーン、ニュー・シングルで日本語詞に挑戦？ |work=CDJournal.com |date=2007-04-27 |accessdate=2007-06-10]

Track listings

;Japanese single CD
# "When You're Gone" (album version)
# "When You're Gone" (instrumental)
# "Girlfriend" (Japanese version)

;UK CD 1
# "When You're Gone" (album version)
# "Girlfriend" (Dr. Luke remix feat. Lil' Mama)

; UK CD 2/Australian single
# "When You're Gone" – 3:57
# "Girlfriend" (Dr. Luke remix) – 3:25
# "Girlfriend" (Submarines' Time Warp 66 mix) – 3:12
# "When You're Gone" (video) – 4:08

Music video

The video was directed by Marc Klasfeld, who is most well-known from his works of director for Sum 41's music videos. Lavigne reportedly came up with the concept for the video.Fact|date=June 2007 It features a young pregnant woman whose husband is away fighting in the war, an elderly man whose wife has recently passed away, and a teenage couple who are forbidden by the girl's mother to be together. The video portrays three relationships in different age groups but in the same situation. Lavigne said that the video is very personal.

Portions of the video were filmed at California State University, Northridge's Botanic Garden. [ [http://www.csun.edu/licensing/filming.php CSUN Licensing - Facilities Use ] ] The video was premiered on MuchMusic in Canada on June 6, 2007 during the 5pm broadcast of "MuchOnDemand".Fact|date=June 2007 It was premiered on "TRL" on June 21. On August 22, it reached the #1 spot for the first time. The video reached #1 on MuchMusic in Canada on August 24. Avril later performed the song on the "Late Show with David Letterman" on September 6. The video has been watched 33,780,905 times on YouTube. [ [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otMB3WVQNVg] official video on YouTube]

Background

Avril Lavigne has said the song "is about being with someone you love, and you have to say goodbye, and all the little things you miss about them". The song may have been inspired by Lavigne's husband, Deryck Whibley, although in an interview in Northern Ireland with "The Belfast Telegraph" she did not confirm this.cite news |url=http://www.sundaylife.co.uk/features/article2411622.ece |title=Older and wiser |work=The Belfast Telegraph |first=Shereen |last=Low |date=2007-04-01 |accessdate=2007-06-10] According to her, she did not intend the song to be a love song, but she was writing a slow song and the process brought out "all that emotional stuff" in her. "It's not cheesy, because I wrote it", she said. "If I was older, a professional writer coming up with all that, that would be lame."cite news |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1553431/20070227/lavigne_avril.jhtml |title=Don't Know How To Spell 'Avril Lavigne'? Prepare To Be Scolded |work=MTV News |first=Jennifer |last=Vineyard |date=2007-02-28 |accessdate=2007-06-10]

"Billboard" magazine describes the song as "a power ballad with a piano and synth introduction".cite news |url=http://billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003538836 |title=Avril Sets Date For Clap-Happy New Album |work=Billboard.com |first=Jonathan |last=Cohen |date=2007-01-29 |accessdate=2007-06-10] Composer Rob Mathes orchestrated the song with genuine string section, although the brief opening note, before the piano came in, was on a synthesizer.

Chart performance and promotion

Before its release as a single in the United States, "When You're Gone" reached number ninety on the U.S. "Billboard" Hot 100 and number seventy-seven on the "Billboard" Pop 100, in the "Billboard" issue dated May 5, 2007. "When You're Gone" debuted at number thirty-two on UK Singles Chart, and peaked at number three. The single has also done well on the charts in Canada. On the Latvian European Hit Radio Top 40 airplay chart, it reached number-one; on the Costa Rican station Los 40 Principales, the song was also a number-one hit.On the 9th of November, "When You're Gone" also reached number one on the Argentinian Top 40 Chart after 15 weeks, making it one of Avril Lavigne's longest enduring hits that could achieve a #1 spot.When you're gone also became the first and nearly only English performed song so far that could reach the Number 1 of the Argentinian Top 40 Chart in 2007, as before the song topped the charts in November, no song could make it .

The song was used in the second season finale of the MTV show "The Hills", playing during the climatic "moving out" scene between former best friends Lauren and Heidi. It was also used in the series 7 finale of 2 pints of lager and a packet of crisps.Lavigne performed the song on June 15, 2007 on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno". [ [http://www.nbc.com/The_Tonight_Show_with_Jay_Leno/Toyota_Concert_Series/bands/Avril_Lavigne.shtml Tonight Show with Jay Leno on NBC: Late Night TV Headlines and Videos - NBC Official Site ] ] There is an acoustic version of the song on the deluxe edition of "The Best Damn Thing" on the iTunes Store. It is very different from the album version and was produced by Dr. Luke.

Charts

References