Lavigne stated that she experienced this with both boyfriends and female friends. Lavigne said about the song: 'People sometimes bother me how they're not real and how they're just, like, putting on a face and being two-faced'. Composition Д¬omposed in the key of F major, 'Complicated' is a pop rock and rock song about how people can feign or pretend in front of others. Lavigne presented the song to Reid, who agreed the musical direction Lavigne and the Matrix were taking, and set 'Complicated' as the album's lead single.

When Josh Sarubin, the A&R executive who signed Lavigne to the imprint, heard the song, he knew it was right for her. They played it to Lavigne when she came back the following day, inspiring her what path she should take. They told her to come back the following day, and in the afternoon during that day, they wrote a song that evolved into 'Complicated' and another song called 'Falling Down'. After talking to Lavigne for an hour, the singer said she wanted songs with punk rock inclinations. As soon as they saw Lavigne coming into their studio, the Matrix felt that her musical direction was incongruous to her image and attitude. According to member Lauren Christy, they had been listening to Lavigne's early songs and felt they contained 'a Faith Hill kind of vibe'. Arista could not find the right direction for Lavigne, so the team's manager, Sandy Roberton, suggested that they work together. Two years since she signed the deal, Lavigne came to the attention of the three-piece production team the Matrix.

However, Arista was not thrilled with the heavy-guitar laden songs that Lavigne was writing, prompting the label to look for other producers to match their demands. Lavigne and Magness wrote ' Losing Grip' and 'Unwanted', songs that she deemed reflective of her vision for the entire album. Lavigne relocated to Los Angeles, where she collaborated with songwriter-producer Clif Magness, who gave her ample creative control in the writing process. The management pitched her songs written by other songwriters, but she declined, insisting she wanted to write songs herself. For a year, nothing was working for Lavigne and was on the verge of getting dropped off Arista. However, the collective failed to click 'with a girl who'd just discovered guitar-based rock'. Reid expected Lavigne to record folk songs because she auditioned to them in a ' balladic, 'new country'' type. For six months, the label set up Lavigne with two co-writers, who worked with her upon Arista's instructions. There, she began working on her debut album, Let Go, collaborating with a host of prime songwriters and producers. The song was nominated for two Grammy Awards for Song of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.ДЄfter being signed to Arista Records in November 2000 upon the authorization of the label's CEO, Antonio 'L.A.' Reid, Lavigne moved to New York with the assistance of Reid. Internationally, 'Complicated' topped the charts in Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, and Norway, with the song peaking in the top five in over twenty countries. The song also spent a consecutive sixteen weeks at number one on the Billboard Adult Top 40 chart, breaking a previous record held by Natalie Imbruglia's ' Torn'. The song peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100, ultimately selling 1.1В million copies in the US. Some reviewers, however, felt that the song was inauthentic and that Lavigne was a poseur. The song received positive reviews from music critics, who praised the song as infectious pop rock. According to Lavigne, the song is about being honest with oneself rather than 'putting on a face.' Production on the song was helmed solely by The Matrix. Lavigne and production team The Matrix ( Lauren Christy, Scott Spock, and Graham Edwards) are credited as writers, although the extent of Lavigne's contributions have been publicly disputed by both parties. It was released as the lead single from the album on 11 March 2002, by Arista Records.

' Complicated' is the debut single of Canadian singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne from her debut studio album, Let Go (2002). 2002 single by Avril Lavigne 'Complicated'

Complicated song avril lavigne