My Happy Ending
"My Happy Ending" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne, written by herself and Butch Walker for her second studio album, Under My Skin. It was released as the album's second internationally released single in 2004 and became Lavigne's fourth most successful single. It peaked higher than "Don't Tell Me", the album's first single. In the United Kingdom, it reached the top five; in the United States, it peaked at number nine. Structurally, the song is written in 4/4 style and has a repeated hook in both the chorus and in the intro and outro.
The RIAA certified "My Happy Ending" platinum in January 2005, making it Lavigne's second platinum single after "I'm with You". Allmusic highlighted the song as one of the most significant post-grunge songs of all time.
Music video
The music video for "My Happy Ending" was written and directed by MTV and Grammy winner Meiert Avis. It was shot on location in Williamsburg, Brooklyn and Harlem, New York City. The video begins with Lavigne running down Broadway and entering a cinema, where she finds the film playing is a montage of her memories concerning a specific relationship she had. At first, the memories are happy, depicting Lavigne at the park with her boyfriend, as he hands her a flower and they laugh together. They are also shown goofing off inside a laundromat. However, as Lavigne sings "so much for my happy ending," the memories start losing color. Lavigne and her boyfriend lie in bed together, as she looks at him and he stares blankly away.The relationship culminates during the song's bridge inside a grocery store, where her boyfriend antagonizes her, insisting that he talk to her. He grabs her and tries to pull her into his embrace. Fed up, she turns and pushes him away. She proceeds to run out of the grocery store and down the street, and to a guitar shop where she grabs a guitar and walks to the roof of the building, where she is seen performing with her band. There, she walks past her unapologetic boyfriend without looking at him. Three other girls witness an altercation between Lavigne and her boyfriend in the restaurant and leave with Lavigne as they befriend each other. The theater film tears and the memories end, leaving the final seconds of the video as a close-up on Lavigne in the theater as she tries to decide if the break-up is happy after all.
Lavigne said of the video: "It's about a relationship that doesn't work out, and having to say goodbye to all of the memories and... all that stuff." When asked if the video for "My Happy Ending" actually contains a happy ending, Lavigne said: "I don't know if the video has a happy ending. It kind of depends on how you look at it? In one way, it is because me and 'the guy' in the video aren't together anymore, and I think that's a better thing."
Reception
"My Happy Ending" has generally received favorable reviews from critics. David Browne of Entertainment Weekly magazine commented "Lavigne herself sounds more burdened;... the sk8erboi of the first album has turned out to be a selfish, nasty creep who... treats her like crap". Allmusic highlighted the song as a "track pick" in a review of the album, Under My Skin. Blender also did the same. PopMatters thought "The second single, "My Happy Ending", suffers from a marked similarity to a few recent hits, notably Michelle Branch's "Everywhere" and Vanessa Carlton's "A Thousand Miles" The ticklish good humor of "Sk8er Boi" has been subsumed by the sardonic regret of "My Happy Ending".In an AOL Radio listener's poll, "My Happy Ending" was voted Lavigne's third best song.
, "My Happy Ending" had sold 1.2 million digital copies in the US.
Accolades
| Award/Publisher | Year | Category | Result | |
| Allmusic | 2012 | Most Significant Post-grunge Songs of All Time | ||
| ASCAP Pop Music Awards | 2006 | Most Performed Song | ||
| BMI Pop Music Awards | 2006 | Award-Winning Songs | ||
| :de: Capricho Awards|Capricho Awards | 2004 | International Song | ||
| MTV Video Music Awards Japan | 2005 | Best Female Video | ||
| MuchMusic Video Awards | 2005 | |||
| Radio Disney Music Awards | 2004 | Best Song to Air Guitar |
Usage in media
"My Happy Ending" was used for the movie '. The song was also used in the trailer for A Lot Like Love with Ashton Kutcher and Amanda Peet.The song was used in a season five episode of ', "Mea Culpa", in a season four episode of Smallville, "Facade" and in a season five episode of Gilmore Girls, with Dean's little sister listening to it. The song was used several episodes of MTV programs Date My Mom and Next.
The song has also appeared in video games, and has been featured in three major karaoke series: Lips, SingStar, and Karaoke Revolution.
Lavigne sang the song during the closing ceremony at the 2010 Winter Olympics.
Track listing
;Notes- The radio version of the song replaces the word "shit" with "things"; while in the music video, the word "shit" is simply censored by removing the "-it" portion of the word.
Charts and certifications
Weekly charts
| Chart | Peak position |