"Alice" is a song written and performed by Franco-Canadian singer-songwriter 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.
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 ex-husband Deryck Whibley.
Lyrics[]
Trippin' out, spinnin' around
I'm underground
I fell down
Yeah, I fell down
I'm freaking out, where am I now?
Upside down
And I can't stop it now
It can't stop me now, oh, oh
I, I, I'll get by
I, I, I'll survive
When the world's crashing down
When I fall and hit the ground
I will turn myself around
Don't you try to stop me
I, I, I won't cry
I found myself in Wonderland
Get back on my feet, again
Is this real? Is this pretend?
I'll take a stand until the end
I, I, I'll get by
I, I'll survive
When the world's crashing down
When I fall and hit the ground
I will turn myself around
Don't you try to stop me
I, I, I won't cry
I, I, I'll get by
I, I, I'll survive
When the world's crashing down
When I fall and hit the ground
I will turn myself around
Don't you try to stop me
I, I, and I won't cry
Tripping out
Spinning around
I'm underground
I fell down
Yeah I fell down
I'm freaking out
Where am I now?
Upside down
And I can't stop it now
It can't stop me now
Ooh
I, I, I'll get by
I, I, I'll survive
When the world's crashing down
When I fall and hit the ground
I will turn myself around
Don't you try to stop me
I, I, I won't cry
I'll play the game
But I can't stay
I've got my head on straight
And I'm not gonna change
I'm not gonna change
I'll win the race
Keep up with the pace
Today is the day
That I start to pray
You can't get it my way no
I, I, I'll get by
I, I, I'll survive
When the world's crashing down
When I fall and hit the ground
I will turn myself around
Don't you try to stop me
I, I, I won't cry
I found myself in Wonderland
Get back on my feet again
Is this real? Is this pretend?
I'll take a stand until the end
I, I, I'll get by
I, I, I'll survive
When the world's crashing down
When I fall and hit the ground
I will turn myself around
Don't you try to stop me
I, I, I won't cry
I, I, I'll get by
I, I, I'll survive
When the world's crashing down
When I fall and hit the ground
I will turn myself around
Don't you try to stop me
I, I, and I won't cry
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.
Composition[]
"Alice" is both rock and pop song with a moderately fast ballad at 120 beats per minute, performed in the key of G major. Lavigne's vocal range spans from G3 to D5. Guitar and piano accompany Lavigne's vocals.
Music video[]
Concept[]
Production and release[]
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.