Avril is at her best when dealing with nostalgia and memories. Her ability to create a story in just a small number of minutes is astounding and the listener is immediately drawn into her web of sadness as she angelically sings over a gentle piano and violin. The bare verse is interrupted by a louder chorus, although the sudden change in pace and depth fits perfectly. For the second verse, Avril includes a guitar. We have heard the same strumming on a number of other tracks on Lullaby but none have had as much effect as Remember When's piece. Somehow it captures Avril's sadness, infecting the song and tainting it with the darkness in Avril's lyrics. Here, Avril seems to explicitly address her divorce from Whibley, reflecting on how she had once felt towards him (confessing that "I cried to you a thousand times, I told you everything, you know my feelings") but admitting "these feelings I can't take no more" and "I'm not coming back around again". Although Avril is the one leaving the relationship, she is obviously desperately sad about her decision, once more offering a rare glimpse into the Avril behind the hard exterior. Remember When is one of Lullaby's best songs and Avril has possibly created one of the most memorable tracks of her career.
13. Goodbye
This is the finale to the album and sums up the album's tone and content in a brilliant song. Although the song uses an acoustic arrangement, as does the rest of the album, this is less influenced by the rock genre and instead opts for strings as the main instrument, giving it a heavenly feel. Despite the sadness in leaving a person, Avril's strong vocal performance shines through and takes centre stage, although she mixes between strength in the chorus and vulnerability in her verses. Lavigne herself stated that the song is the most personal song she has ever written and this is obvious. The opening viola embodies the sadness that the record, with its uplifting string arrangement, is tinged with. The song feels less manufactured than other songs on the record (which, although clearly personal and stripped back, lacked the raw energy seen on this track) and as such, leaves a lasting image of the album. Here, Avril sings like an angel floating from earth to Heaven, an apt image to leave her listeners with as her music fades to an end as her smooth, sweet, innocent vocals are simple divine. Goodbye Lullaby is certainly an experiment for Avril, a large step away from her usual records, although she is able to adapt to the acoustic style fantastically well. The album is a lot like marmite you either love it or hate it, but there is no denying that Avril Lavigne is talented in her ability to make such an album outside of her comfort zone and against pressure from her label to make radio-friendly songs. Her voice is the main instrument across the album and for anybody wanting to understand just why Avril and her voice are so popular, they need look no further. Not every song is perfect (but then, which album can boast such an accolade?) and there are a number of points at which Avril's lyrics are a low standard, but the album boasts a number of fantastic instrumentals and Avril's vocals more than make up for these flaws. The album can feel quite repetitive to anybody who isn't a fan of Avril, although to those who are, this album is a chance to become a little closer to Avril, sharing her personal experiences through enchanting melodies and catchy beats. The album won't be a classic but is still an undeniably fantastic piece of music.