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I Fell in Love with the Devil

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"I Fell in Love with the Devil"
Single by Avril Lavigne
from the album Head Above Water
ReleasedJune 28, 2019 (2019-06-28)
Genre
Length3:38
LabelBMG
Songwriter(s)Avril Lavigne
Producer(s)
  • Chris Baseford
  • Avril Lavigne
Avril Lavigne singles chronology
"Dumb Blonde"
(2019) 		"I Fell in Love with the Devil"
(2019) 		"We Are Warriors"
(2020)
Music video
"I Fell In Love With the Devil" on YouTube

"I Fell in Love with the Devil" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne and is the third track from her sixth studio album, Head Above Water. It was written by Lavigne and produced by Lavigne and Chris Basford. The song is about a toxic relationship she maintained while suffering from Lyme disease. It was released as the fourth and final single from the album on June 28, 2019.[1]

Background and release

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On February 7, Avril wrote about the song: "Sometimes your heart conflicts with your head and leads you into situations that you know aren’t right and then once you're there, it's very difficult to get out. I also produced this song with  Chris Basford."[2] "I Fell in Love with the Devil" is about being in a toxic relationship and was announced as the fourth single and officially the second single from the album on June 7, 2019.[3]

Critical reception

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In a review of Head Above Water, Arielle Gordon of Pitchfork said "Unfortunately, many of the statements she makes are, by contrast, stale and uninspired. Even in its strongest moments, there is nothing revelatory in the lyrics, which tend to run out of steam. The worst offender might be 'I Fell in Love with the Devil', which recounts the story of a wayward lover with metaphors that seem plucked from a LiveJournal entry".[4] Spin's Zoe Camp was also unfavorable in her review, stating that Lavigne took a "technically slack (read: bored-sounding) stab at soul on 'I Fell in Love with the Devil'" and offered a "not-hot take on an abusive relationship".[5] Alexandra Pollard of The Independent was more positive in her review of the song, claiming "Lavigne's voice reaches new heights too–particularly on 'I Fell in Love with the Devil', an ominous, tightly crafted rumination on toxic relationships".[6] Rolling Stone's Emily Zemler labelled it an "emotive anthem" and a "heartbreak-tinged number", and went on to claim that "['I Fell in Love with the Devil'] is a much more emotionally-driven track than her previous singles, 'Head Above Water' and 'Dumb Blonde'".[7]

Music video

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A music video for the song was directed by Elliott Lester, who previously directed "Head Above Water", and it premiered on July 15, 2019.[8] Lavigne has been sharing teaser photos of the video shoot to promote the song which later caused the accusations of her being anti-religious by using religious images to promote the song.[9][10] Some scenes were shot at the Golden Oak Ranch in Newhall, California.[11] The video version of the song features elements from both the album version and radio edit while a portion of the bridge was inserted at the beginning. It features Lavigne driving a hearse and transporting her coffin. Later, she is seen in a dark forest wearing goth-inspired ensemble, clutching a silver cross and interspersed with scenes of her playing a piano adorned with branches. Zane Carney, who played the baritone guitar in the song in addition to doing guitar work on "Birdy as well as co-writing and playing guitar on "Crush", makes an appearance as Lavigne's love interest Lucifer.[11][12]

Live performances

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Lavigne performed the song on The Late Late Show with James Corden on April 30, 2019.[13][7] Avril Lavigne performed the song on her Head Above Water Tour.

Controversy

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After Lavigne posted promo art of her in the woods wearing black and holding a crucifix,[14] some people posted angry comments on Instagram for perceiving the song to be anti-religious.[15] Lavigne explained that the song – which she penned herself – is a depiction of toxic relationships: "I wrote 'I Fell in Love with the Devil' as a constant reminder to myself that some of the darkest people in this world can be disguised as angels," she wrote in an Instagram post. "Please allow my song to be your reminder to not let someone else's demons take you down. I am now going to break this fucking cycle, bury all the toxic relationships and things people have done to me in the past, present, and future."[16]

Track listing

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  • Digital download[17]
  1. "I Fell in Love with the Devil" (radio edit) – 3:38

Credits and personnel

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Charts

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Chart performance for "I Fell in Love with the Devil"
Chart (2019) Peak
position
China Airplay/FL (Billboard)[18] 9

Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[19] Gold 20,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

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Release dates and formats for "I Fell in Love with the Devil"
Region Date Format Label Ref.
Various June 28, 2019
BMG [20]
Italy July 12, 2019 Radio airplay [21]
United States July 29, 2019 Hot adult contemporary radio [22]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "I Fell In Love With The Devil (Radio Edit) on Spotify". Spotify. June 28, 2019. Retrieved June 28, 2019.
  2. ^ Lavigne, Avril. "Sometimes your heart conflicts with your head and leads you into situations that you know aren't right and then once you're there, it's very difficult to get out. I also produced this song with Chris Baseford". Facebook. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
  3. ^ Mike Wass (June 10, 2019). "Avril Lavigne Preps "I Fell In Love With The Devil" As Next Single". Idolator. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
  4. ^ Arielle Gordon (February 19, 2019). "Avril Lavigne: Head Above Water Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
  5. ^ Zoe Camp (February 20, 2019). "Avril Lavigne 'Head Above Water' Review". Spin. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
  6. ^ "Avril Lavigne, Head Above Water, album review: Still searching for a musical identity". The Independent. February 14, 2019. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
  7. ^ a b Emily Zemler (April 30, 2019). "Watch Avril Lavigne Perform 'I Fell In Love With the Devil' - Rolling Stone". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
  8. ^ Brent Furdyk (July 7, 2019). "Avril Lavigne's Latest Single 'I Fell In Love With The Devil' Is Creating Controversy". ET Canada. Archived from the original on July 7, 2019. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
  9. ^ Alex Darus (July 7, 2019). "Avril Lavigne Goes Goth in New Single". Alternative Press. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
  10. ^ Caleb Parke (July 7, 2019). "Avril Lavigne angers Christian fans with a new song about the devil: 'You need Jesus'". Fox News. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
  11. ^ a b Avril Lavigne (July 29, 2019). "The Making of I Fell In Love With The Devilp". YouTube. Retrieved September 1, 2019.
  12. ^ Zane Carney (September 14, 2017). "Zane Carney on Instagram". Instagram. Archived from the original on 2021-12-24. Retrieved September 1, 2019.
  13. ^ "Avril Lavigne: I Fell In Love With the Devil - YouTube". YouTube. April 30, 2019. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
  14. ^ Parke, Caleb (2019-07-08). "Avril Lavigne angers Christian fans with new song about the devil: 'You need Jesus'". Fox News. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
  15. ^ Lesley, Alison (2019-07-17). "Avril Lavigne Upsets Christian Fans with New Single "I Fell in Love With the Devil"". World Religion News. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
  16. ^ Ramli, Sofiana (2019-07-16). "Watch Avril Lavigne's 'I Fell in Love with the Devil' music video". NME. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
  17. ^ "I Fell in Love with the Devil (Radio Edit) – Single by Avril Lavigne". iTunes Store. (UK) Apple Inc. Archived from the original on July 8, 2019. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
  18. ^ "中国公告牌电台外语音乐榜_Billboard中国". Billboard China. July 29, 2019. Archived from the original on August 9, 2019.
  19. ^ "Brazilian single certifications – Avril Lavigne – I Fell in Love with the Devil" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil.
  20. ^ "I Fell in Love with the Devil (Radio Edit)". Spotify. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
  21. ^ "AVRIL LAVIGNE "I Fell In Love With the Devil" | (Radio Date: 12/07/2019)". radiodate.it. Retrieved July 11, 2019.
  22. ^ "Hot/Modern/AC Future Releases - Hot Adult Contemporary Rock Songs and Release Dates". AllAccess Music Group. Archived from the original on June 21, 2019. Retrieved June 21, 2019.


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