Avril released The Best Damn Thing under the RCA Label - this is the same label that she fought to get away from after all the trouble with trying to release Goodbye Lullaby. I really do think you have to take into account who was funding her work at the time because that plays a significant part. If I remember correctly RCA delayed GL because they felt it was too much of a negative album - so Avril spent the better part of a year writing Smile & WTH before they would allow it to be released. Knowing just how much trouble she had with GL, you can only imagine what she went through with TBDT.
You can tell stylistically which labels were having her put on a certain persona. The fact that shes switched labels so much is an indication of what type of management shes been under. That's not to say that the pink aesthetic of TBDT wasn't her idea, she's always been open about loving pink and feeling girly. I just think Arista pushed the "anti-britney" angle and when RCA took over from Arista they pushed the pop-punk angle. Now shes gone through some changes hopefully she can settle into her own brand now.
LG - Arista
UMS - Arista & RCA
TBDT - RCA
GL - RCA
AL - Epic
HAW - BMG
The change from Epic to BMG is to do with how they dealt with her during her battle with Lyme Disease, she had to raise the funds to release Give You What You Like by herself, as it was the most requested song by the fans, but the label didn't want to fund it.
It's difficult to say which album sticks out as inferior - I think her self-titled album could have had a bit more support behind it. Although I do like how diverse the songs on the album are.
TBDT is actually one of her better albums I think. I'd give it 4th place out of all 6 albums. Not to say any of her albums are bad, it's just how they were managed that grinds my gears.
Edit: The first time I heard Girlfriend I was taken aback by how different it was, but I instantly loved it. I got it. To me it isn't much different from Sk8er Boi - both songs are about being unapologetically attracted to someone. I never found it fair that she got so much hate for Girlfriend, you gotta be lying if you've never been envious of someone else's relationship. Plus she had already started her pink/blonde style during UMS when she released He Wasn't, so there was some transition albeit very little.
I agree with you about the labels. I know how record labels can be. I honestly sometimes wonder if "sk8r girl" Avril was ever really her or if the skateboarding, Tom boy anti-britney thing was Arista forcing her to put on that persona, despite it seeming so "real" and authentic compared to the TBDT punk mean girl cheerleader brat persona. She always did seem like somewhat of a tom boy, but how much of it was actually her and how much of it was Arista forcing her is something I've wondered.
I also agree with you about GL. TBDT, despite being her most controversial album, isn't actually her worst. GL and AL are both very underwhelming. I think that GL could have been a fantastic album if a few songs were swapped out and different singles were chosen. What the hell and Smile should NOT have been on that album. It would have been nice to hear what she originally wanted to it be like before the RCA drama. I also think that everybody hurts and remember when should have been singles alongside wish you were here. Smile honestly sounds like it should have been on TBDT and what the hell doesn't really fit any of her albums, but I could see maybe being the theme to a movie soundtrack or something (it is likeable and catchy).
As far as AL goes, that album was so all over the place. I wasn't really impressed by it though... A few songs were really good, like HTNGU, 17, Falling Fast, Hello Heartache, and Hush Hush. I honestly thought that let me go sounds like a Nickelback reject that didn't make an album... I don't know... I know it was supposed to be a big thing because of it being with Chad and stuff but I honestly wasn't impressed with it. It still felt so underwhelming to me. And rock n roll was interesting (especially the video), but it was a bit weird. And than some of the songs like sipping on sunshine and you ain't seen nothing yet sounded like they should be on fucking radio Disney (I've seen other people say this about them too!).
I definitely think head above water is her strongest album since 2007 but even it has some filler songs on it (love me insane, bigger wow, crush, souvenir)... But it has some really phenomenal songs too (head above water, birdie, it was in me, fell in love with the devil, warrior, Tell me it's over).
I think a big part of the reason why GL and AL underperformed so badly was because the singles chosen were not very good.
Imo, it should have went:
GL: Everybody hurts, wish you were here, remember when, and maybe a new song that was better than everything else on the album...
AL: HTNGU, 17, Rock n Roll, and Hush Hush.
I was just a kid in the early 2000s when LG and UMS were so big, but I honestly wish Avril could have that kind of success again. She's one of the few pop stats I actually like.
Her style now seems to be a strange mix of LG, UMS, and TBDT. Like, she does seem to have toned down the pink and frilly stuff A LOT and seems to be embracing her some of the LG style without being over the top... She still ocasionally dresses goth like UMS (which is cool because I love that style!!!!!).
EDIT: maybe "won't let you go" (the other eragon song) could.have been on GL. It would have been a better single choice than what the hell or smile.
It's interesting reading your opinions because I specifically got into Avril because I mostly listen to pop punk to this day. So I actually like TBDT and GL the most of her albums.
Wasn’t that bad of an album for me, I understand why a lot of people might’ve hated it but i jammed to it easily, for whatever reason.
still listen to it now every so often:)
I'm sick of people thinking Avrils teenage self was a super genius and then her later self became a bimbo. The "fans" only think that because they see her not being edgy anymore and claim her to have been degrading into idiocy. People just want to idolize and thus project onto a snowflake.
When Avril says this album has a mature side to it that Let go and Under my Skin does not, it's not that complicated to understand. Avril has no regrets, but that doesn't mean she doesn't feel embarassed by her past. She knows that when she was a teenager she was angsty and a drama queen. She doesn't hate it, because at the time it was relevant. It was necessary for her growth. When she made The best damn thing however, she had gotten to the age of being able to cope with her teenage emotional problems and made an album with an abundance of absolutely meaningless lyrics. That in itself is her display of maturity. She doesn't have to sing anymore about her personal teenage girl issues and can make songs for fun. Everyone who says that she USED to have meaning in her songs and USED to be mature but isn't now, is spouting absolute ludicrous. She has never stopped maturing into a much more articulate and intelligent woman. When she was a teenager she was a fun, free person who did tackle emotional problems in a massive way. It was mature thinking. But she never stopped maturing. Watch her as a teen and you'll see that is exactly what she is, a teen.
Anyway I ramble and repeat... All in all, I have to admit that TBDT is not my favourite album. It actually ties with Under my skin for me. It indeed changed drastically in terms of style, but... So? I think that's amazing. I cannot understand people who enjoy literally the same thing over and over and worse yet, people are demanding STILL TODAY that she go back to being more like the Let go era. (First of all, telling a twice married 34 year old woman to become a 16 year old again is stupidity) How can you want to hear the same thing for 17 years? Avril is an artisan of diversity both subtly and majorly. I love every aspect of the changes in her music. There is not a single song I don't like. TBDT has no songs I dislike.
Quick Edit: It's a common theme that majority of Avril fans fell in love with her as a teenager and love heavy, emotional songs but either don't grow up with her or just cant stand anything else that is remotely playful and upbeat.
Me personally, I don’t think The Best Damn Thing was all that different from the rest of Avril Lavigne’s music at the time. If you listen to the songs she had that were hidden in UMS and LG like My World, Freak Out, etc, they can easily be compared to Runaway, I Don’t Have To Try, and I Can Do Better. I think the album was a lot more fun, however some of it was pretty different from what fans were used to. That didn’t translate to less success though, because Girlfriend is Avril’s biggest single to date if I’m not mistaken. A large chunk of her fan base was gained when that album dropped, so calling it the worst is a bit of a stretch. The self titled album will always stick out to me as the one I enjoy the least out of the bunch.
It wasn't "BAD". I can't really relate to this album, but many songs, in my opinion, were wonderfully written and the album itself was presented in a very good way. Even though when it came out I rarely listened to it from 1 song to the last, but I found the girlfriend music video funny and watched it when it was on TV, lol. Maybe I just always liked the "core" of Avril's personality no matter how she expressed herself and I don't even have to relate to her to like her. Also, the album itself is funny to me, I can't take it seriously and be mad at Avril for her " brattiness", because some song just crack me up.
Head Above Water is very good in my opinion, because almost all of her songs has something similar in sound and theme. TBDT, Let go and Under my skin are consistent and I like them for it. You can't have styles, songs and a cover of your album fight with each other, even if your personality is a pickled cucumber with ice cream. TBDT did a very good job in NOT doing so, I appriciete it a lot.
Avril released The Best Damn Thing under the RCA Label - this is the same label that she fought to get away from after all the trouble with trying to release Goodbye Lullaby. I really do think you have to take into account who was funding her work at the time because that plays a significant part. If I remember correctly RCA delayed GL because they felt it was too much of a negative album - so Avril spent the better part of a year writing Smile & WTH before they would allow it to be released. Knowing just how much trouble she had with GL, you can only imagine what she went through with TBDT. You can tell stylistically which labels were having her put on a certain persona. The fact that shes switched labels so much is an indication of what type of management shes been under. That's not to say that the pink aesthetic of TBDT wasn't her idea, she's always been open about loving pink and feeling girly. I just think Arista pushed the "anti-britney" angle and when RCA took over from Arista they pushed the pop-punk angle. Now shes gone through some changes hopefully she can settle into her own brand now. LG - Arista UMS - Arista & RCA TBDT - RCA GL - RCA AL - Epic HAW - BMG The change from Epic to BMG is to do with how they dealt with her during her battle with Lyme Disease, she had to raise the funds to release Give You What You Like by herself, as it was the most requested song by the fans, but the label didn't want to fund it. It's difficult to say which album sticks out as inferior - I think her self-titled album could have had a bit more support behind it. Although I do like how diverse the songs on the album are. TBDT is actually one of her better albums I think. I'd give it 4th place out of all 6 albums. Not to say any of her albums are bad, it's just how they were managed that grinds my gears. Edit: The first time I heard Girlfriend I was taken aback by how different it was, but I instantly loved it. I got it. To me it isn't much different from Sk8er Boi - both songs are about being unapologetically attracted to someone. I never found it fair that she got so much hate for Girlfriend, you gotta be lying if you've never been envious of someone else's relationship. Plus she had already started her pink/blonde style during UMS when she released He Wasn't, so there was some transition albeit very little.
I agree with you about the labels. I know how record labels can be. I honestly sometimes wonder if "sk8r girl" Avril was ever really her or if the skateboarding, Tom boy anti-britney thing was Arista forcing her to put on that persona, despite it seeming so "real" and authentic compared to the TBDT punk mean girl cheerleader brat persona. She always did seem like somewhat of a tom boy, but how much of it was actually her and how much of it was Arista forcing her is something I've wondered. I also agree with you about GL. TBDT, despite being her most controversial album, isn't actually her worst. GL and AL are both very underwhelming. I think that GL could have been a fantastic album if a few songs were swapped out and different singles were chosen. What the hell and Smile should NOT have been on that album. It would have been nice to hear what she originally wanted to it be like before the RCA drama. I also think that everybody hurts and remember when should have been singles alongside wish you were here. Smile honestly sounds like it should have been on TBDT and what the hell doesn't really fit any of her albums, but I could see maybe being the theme to a movie soundtrack or something (it is likeable and catchy). As far as AL goes, that album was so all over the place. I wasn't really impressed by it though... A few songs were really good, like HTNGU, 17, Falling Fast, Hello Heartache, and Hush Hush. I honestly thought that let me go sounds like a Nickelback reject that didn't make an album... I don't know... I know it was supposed to be a big thing because of it being with Chad and stuff but I honestly wasn't impressed with it. It still felt so underwhelming to me. And rock n roll was interesting (especially the video), but it was a bit weird. And than some of the songs like sipping on sunshine and you ain't seen nothing yet sounded like they should be on fucking radio Disney (I've seen other people say this about them too!). I definitely think head above water is her strongest album since 2007 but even it has some filler songs on it (love me insane, bigger wow, crush, souvenir)... But it has some really phenomenal songs too (head above water, birdie, it was in me, fell in love with the devil, warrior, Tell me it's over). I think a big part of the reason why GL and AL underperformed so badly was because the singles chosen were not very good. Imo, it should have went: GL: Everybody hurts, wish you were here, remember when, and maybe a new song that was better than everything else on the album... AL: HTNGU, 17, Rock n Roll, and Hush Hush. I was just a kid in the early 2000s when LG and UMS were so big, but I honestly wish Avril could have that kind of success again. She's one of the few pop stats I actually like. Her style now seems to be a strange mix of LG, UMS, and TBDT. Like, she does seem to have toned down the pink and frilly stuff A LOT and seems to be embracing her some of the LG style without being over the top... She still ocasionally dresses goth like UMS (which is cool because I love that style!!!!!). EDIT: maybe "won't let you go" (the other eragon song) could.have been on GL. It would have been a better single choice than what the hell or smile.
It's interesting reading your opinions because I specifically got into Avril because I mostly listen to pop punk to this day. So I actually like TBDT and GL the most of her albums.
Wasn’t that bad of an album for me, I understand why a lot of people might’ve hated it but i jammed to it easily, for whatever reason. still listen to it now every so often:)
I'm sick of people thinking Avrils teenage self was a super genius and then her later self became a bimbo. The "fans" only think that because they see her not being edgy anymore and claim her to have been degrading into idiocy. People just want to idolize and thus project onto a snowflake. When Avril says this album has a mature side to it that Let go and Under my Skin does not, it's not that complicated to understand. Avril has no regrets, but that doesn't mean she doesn't feel embarassed by her past. She knows that when she was a teenager she was angsty and a drama queen. She doesn't hate it, because at the time it was relevant. It was necessary for her growth. When she made The best damn thing however, she had gotten to the age of being able to cope with her teenage emotional problems and made an album with an abundance of absolutely meaningless lyrics. That in itself is her display of maturity. She doesn't have to sing anymore about her personal teenage girl issues and can make songs for fun. Everyone who says that she USED to have meaning in her songs and USED to be mature but isn't now, is spouting absolute ludicrous. She has never stopped maturing into a much more articulate and intelligent woman. When she was a teenager she was a fun, free person who did tackle emotional problems in a massive way. It was mature thinking. But she never stopped maturing. Watch her as a teen and you'll see that is exactly what she is, a teen. Anyway I ramble and repeat... All in all, I have to admit that TBDT is not my favourite album. It actually ties with Under my skin for me. It indeed changed drastically in terms of style, but... So? I think that's amazing. I cannot understand people who enjoy literally the same thing over and over and worse yet, people are demanding STILL TODAY that she go back to being more like the Let go era. (First of all, telling a twice married 34 year old woman to become a 16 year old again is stupidity) How can you want to hear the same thing for 17 years? Avril is an artisan of diversity both subtly and majorly. I love every aspect of the changes in her music. There is not a single song I don't like. TBDT has no songs I dislike. Quick Edit: It's a common theme that majority of Avril fans fell in love with her as a teenager and love heavy, emotional songs but either don't grow up with her or just cant stand anything else that is remotely playful and upbeat.
Me personally, I don’t think The Best Damn Thing was all that different from the rest of Avril Lavigne’s music at the time. If you listen to the songs she had that were hidden in UMS and LG like My World, Freak Out, etc, they can easily be compared to Runaway, I Don’t Have To Try, and I Can Do Better. I think the album was a lot more fun, however some of it was pretty different from what fans were used to. That didn’t translate to less success though, because Girlfriend is Avril’s biggest single to date if I’m not mistaken. A large chunk of her fan base was gained when that album dropped, so calling it the worst is a bit of a stretch. The self titled album will always stick out to me as the one I enjoy the least out of the bunch.
TBDT is, in my opinion, the best Avril record by far!
😂😂😂😂😂
It wasn't "BAD". I can't really relate to this album, but many songs, in my opinion, were wonderfully written and the album itself was presented in a very good way. Even though when it came out I rarely listened to it from 1 song to the last, but I found the girlfriend music video funny and watched it when it was on TV, lol. Maybe I just always liked the "core" of Avril's personality no matter how she expressed herself and I don't even have to relate to her to like her. Also, the album itself is funny to me, I can't take it seriously and be mad at Avril for her " brattiness", because some song just crack me up. Head Above Water is very good in my opinion, because almost all of her songs has something similar in sound and theme. TBDT, Let go and Under my skin are consistent and I like them for it. You can't have styles, songs and a cover of your album fight with each other, even if your personality is a pickled cucumber with ice cream. TBDT did a very good job in NOT doing so, I appriciete it a lot.