Avril Lavigne Music / Sony BMG
Release Date: April 24th 2020
Reviewed by: Jonathan Andre
Avril Lavigne – We are Warriors (Single) (Amazon mp3/iTunes)
Track Listing:
- We are Warriors
Avril Lavigne has been around the music industry for quite some time. From starting in the industry as an 18 year old in 2002 with the release of her first album Let Go, she has delivered some of the most stirring and poignant pop melodies and ballads over the years while also giving us pop-punk that had been sorely missed throughout the 2000s. It was early last year that I took a dive into her music; and wrote a blog post on her being one of the most influential artists in my opinion, of all time. Now here I am in 2020, and upon the heels of her successful comeback album Head Above Water– which unveiled to us the singles ‘Head Above Water’, ‘Dumb Blonde’, ‘Tell Me It’s Over’ and ‘I Fell In Love With the Devil’; Avril’s back with a new song, a re-worked and re-written track called ‘We Are Warriors’, based upon her song ‘Warrior’ from last years album, and a song that has been released now in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Avril’s time in the industry since the early 2000s has been met with embrace as well as staunch criticism from fans and critics alike, but one thing is true throughout Avril’s music career thus far- she’s created songs from her experiences and her emotions, and if people connect with her music and through her songs, aspire to become better people because of it, then her music has served the public well. Now at home because of the cancellation of her Head Above Water tour in light of the global health and economic crises occurring around the world, we see ‘We are Warriors’ as being hopefully, just one of many new songs to come out of Avril throughout this coronavirus season. While Avril herself may not be as religious as we may think (considering the fact that her song ‘Head Above Water’ charted very well on the Christian music charts during its release to radio at the end of 2018), a lot of her songs have some unintended Christian undertones, and this new song ‘We are Warriors’ is no exception.
With the proceeds of the song going to Project Hope, a humanitarian relief organisation that is helping doctors, nurses, and other medical personel worldwide throughout the pandemic, ‘We Are Warriors’ alters the ‘I’ in ‘Warrior’ and changes it to ‘we’, having more of a collective unification sense of an anthem, as we proclaim that often, the everyday unsung heroes and people who just serve their community and the other person, just because; are the real warriors during this difficult and trying time. Avril’s music over the last year has become a reminder for myself that you don’t have to be within the CCM industry, or even a Christian, for the Lord to move through the music that is produced, and that is certainly the case with Avril’s music, especially her 2019 album Head Above Water. ‘Warrior’ was in fact one of my favourite songs off her 2019 album, and as anthemic as that one was back then, this new re-invented version with a sense of unity with the word ‘we’, makes the song even more enjoyable and anthemic and moving and heartfelt to sing along to. Avril’s ‘new’ song is a call to action, and remind us all that it is by doing and setting aside personal goals to bring about a greater good in society as we fight for the marginalised and the hurting amidst this global disaster; that lives are going to be changed for the better, and we will have a greater sense of satisfaction that comes alongside with it. As Avril herself shares about the song, we see that ‘…ever since our world was tuned upside down a few weeks ago I’ve seen everyday people put on armor and go into battle. Simple tasks like delivering mail has become a heroic effort. Overnight everyone was asked to battle. Overnight everyone became Warriors. To all the hospital workers, postal service people, grocery store workers, police and firemen, every single one of you who has had their world shaken. This is for you…’
If ever this new song is a great reminder for, it’s this- that the work we do is often taken for granted, until such a time as a pandemic, that the work we do is taken away, because of the health risks that it may cause if we continue to work as ‘business as usual’. Everything is ‘paused’, and life as we know it has drastically changed. ‘We are Warriors’ is a song specifically for the people who are still in the front-lines, fighting each day tirelessly- the doctors, nurses and other medical staff at hospitals, the school teachers and other workers in shopping centres and supermarkets. We’re reminded that not everyone has the luxury to stay home- certain parts of the economy requires certain people to work, even during a time like this. And so, this is whom the song ‘We are Warriors’ is for. and Avril’s song can hopefully encourage us all to keep going, as we wonder whether us fighting during this time is even worth it. Well done Avril for such an inspirational track, can’t wait for more new songs that have come out of a season of so much disruption, in the upcoming weeks and months ahead.
Score: 4/5
RIYL: Kelly Clarkson, Stellar Kart, Daughtry, Mandy Moore