Alice (Avril Lavigne song) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids "Alice"
Single by Avril Lavigne
from the album Almost Alice
B-side	"Welcome to Mystery"
Released	29 January 2010 (2010-01-29)
Recorded	January 2010
Genre	Rock
Length	3:34
Label	Buena Vista
Songwriter(s)	Avril Lavigne
Producer(s)	Butch Walker
Avril Lavigne singles chronology
"The Best ... Thing" (2008) "Alice" (2010) "What the Hell" (2011)

"Alice" is a song written and performed by Avril Lavigne for Almost Alice, the soundtrack to the 2010 film Alice in Wonderland. An extended version was released as a hidden track on Lavigne's fourth studio album, Goodbye Lullaby (2011).

The song is a mid-tempo ballad sung from the perspective of the film's lead character, Alice. Lavigne wrote the song after asking Disney executives and film director Tim Burton if she could write a song for the film. The song was produced by Butch Walker and mixed by Lavigne's former husband Deryck Whibley.

Background

In January 2010, Lavigne was in a board meeting at the Disney offices going over clothing designs inspired by Alice in Wonderland for her Abbey Dawn line, when she mentioned to the executives that she was writing music for her upcoming album and would love to write a song for the film's soundtrack. Discussions between Lavigne's manager and film executives took place, and director Tim Burton agreed to let Lavigne write the song. Lavigne stated, "I got off the phone, sat down at my piano at home, wrote the song immediately; I was so inspired because I'd been designing for the movie [...] so I had all the images in my head." She played the song for Burton, who later called Lavigne to give his approval and confirm the song would be used for the film.

On his radio show, On Air with Ryan Seacrest, Seacrest called the story a "great lesson," telling his listeners "you ask for what you want. You gotta go for it, because if you didn't ask for it, then you wouldn't have gotten [the opportunity]." "Alice" was premiered on Seacrest's radio show on 27 January, when Lavigne made a surprise visit to the studio. Lavigne described the song as different from her previous work, calling it "a little darker."

The song was played over the film's end credits, and went on to sell 45,000 copies within the first four weeks of its release. Lavigne performed "Alice" on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on 3 March 2010.

Composition

"Alice" is a moderately fast rock ballad at 120 beats per minute performed in the key of G major. Lavigne's vocal range spans from G3 to F5. Guitar and piano accompany Lavigne's vocals.

Accolades

Music video

Background

Lavigne shot the music video for "Alice" on 26–27 January 2010. The video was directed by Dave Meyers, which was partly filmed at the Los Angeles Arboretum. Meyers worked closely with Lavigne to create the video. His intention was to capture "the haunting quality of the song" on video and present it with a gothic feel. Lavigne wanted to include piano sequences to stress the instrument's contribution to the song. Footage from Burton's Alice in Wonderland was edited prominently into the video.

The video premiered online on 17 February 2010.

Synopsis

Lavigne sings while sitting at the Mad Hatter's tea party, her "echo" appearing in the corner.

The music video opens with Lavigne following a White Rabbit into a forest. As the piano in the soundtrack begins playing, the video briefly cuts to Lavigne's hands playing the notes on a piano. The video returns to Lavigne's character, who trips and falls into a hole near a large tree. Her fall is intercut with shots of Alice (from Burton's film) colliding with objects, including a piano. When Lavigne opens her eyes, she is lying at the bottom of a deep hole, dressed in a black gothic corset dress and stockings imprinted with playing card suits.

When Lavigne climbs out of the hole, she notices a caterpillar crawling past and finds herself in Wonderland. The song enters the chorus, and the video cuts and dissolves between Lavigne's character running through the forest and Lavigne singing and performing the song on the piano. The only Wonderland character to make an appearance at this point is a fleeting glimpse of the Cheshire Cat.

She arrives at a tea party, and the Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp) stands, welcoming her with open arms. The scene is edited with footage of the Mad Hatter from Burton's film. As Lavigne sinks into a chair singing, her lyrical "echo" is visually emphasized with her face quickly dissolving in and out. As the verse ends, Lavigne stands and runs away from the scene. The chorus of the song returns to shots of Lavigne running through the forest, arriving at a piano surrounded by giant mushrooms. The video cuts between shots of Lavigne playing the instrument and singing, eventually showing Lavigne running through a misty copse of bamboo trees. Various scenes from the film are shown in succession, before Lavigne is reintroduced running toward an opening in the forest. As she exits the forest, she is dressed in her normal clothing.

Track listings and formats

• Digital download

1. "Alice"  – 3:34

• CD single

1. "Alice"  – 3:34
2. "Welcome to Mystery" (Performed by Plain White T's) – 4:27

Charts and certifications

See also

In Spanish: Alice (canción de Avril Lavigne) para niños