Avril Lavigne photographed at the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards in Los Angeles.
Christopher Polk/Variety
If you are going to put your own spin on an undisputed classic, you had better get it right.
Pop-punk icon Avril Lavigne has officially unveiled her rendition of “Ironic,” the definitive 1996 anthem by fellow Canadian legend Alanis Morissette. The track dropped this Wednesday, April 15, serving as a standout feature on the soundtrack for the upcoming Canadian romantic comedy Mile End Kicks, which hits theaters this Friday.
Lavigne’s take remains remarkably faithful to the original’s DNA. She opens the arrangement with the familiar, understated intimacy of the acoustic guitar riff, eventually allowing the track to blossom into a full-band, electric-driven chorus. This isn’t the first time the two stars have crossed paths; back in 2005, Morissette brought Lavigne onto the stage at the House of Blues in Los Angeles for a collaborative duet of the very same song.
“Ironic” first arrived as the third single from Morissette’s seminal 1995 album, Jagged Little Pill. To this day, it stands as Morissette’s most successful chart performance, spending 32 weeks on the Hot 100 and peaking at No. 4. The album itself was a juggernaut, dominating the Billboard 200 for 12 weeks and reigning as the No. 1 record of 1996. Its cultural footprint was so profound that it eventually inspired a hit Broadway musical in 2018, which garnered 15 Tony Award nominations.
Lavigne emerged on the scene three years after Jagged Little Pill with her debut, Let Go. Since then, she has cemented her place in music history with 20 entries on the Hot 100, including the 2007 chart-topper “Girlfriend.” Following her 2022 studio album Love Sux, which climbed to No. 9 on the Billboard 200, this cover marks her first major release since teaming up with Yellowcard for “You Broke Me Too” last autumn.
Check out Avril Lavigne’s fresh take on “Ironic” below.
