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| The Best Damn Thing | 
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| Artist: Avril Lavigne
Label: RCA
Category: Music
List Price: $18.98
Buy Used: $3.49
You Save: $15.49 (82%)
New (62) Used (40) from $3.49
Avg. Customer Rating:  183 reviews
Sales Rank: 1126
Format: Explicit Lyrics
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 5 x 0.4
MPN: 703774
UPC: 886970377423
EAN: 0886970377423
ASIN: B000NA1OXY
Release Date: April 17, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Tracks:
| • | Girlfriend | | • | I Can Do Better | | • | Runaway | | • | The Best Damn Thing | | • | When You're Gone | | • | Everything Back But You | | • | Hot | | • | Innocence | | • | I Don't Have to Try | | • | One of Those Girls | | • | Contagious | | • | Keep Holding On |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
The first clue to the sound of Avril Lavigne's third CD, The Best Damn Thing, comes in the form of her kickoff single, "Girlfriend," which is filled with singing, clapping, and cheerleader-style chanting. The song is quite a sonic contrast to her previous disc, Under My Skin, which was considered to be Lavigne's more mature follow-up to her 16 million-selling debut CD, Let Go. Like that debut, The Best Damn Thing will be largely and deeply embraced by teenage girls, and is packed with songs that will create enthusiastic sing-alongs in concert. There are a handful of numbers that will appeal to a wider audience; "Innocence" and disc closer "Keep Holding On" would both fit perfectly in a Gray's Anatomy episode, while the sultry message and solid harmonies in "Hot" will appease ears of many ages. Lavigne's husband, Sum 41 frontman Deryk Whibley makes an appearance as producer and instrumentalist on a handful of tracks; their union, however, seems to have bred more than love. "I Don't Have to Try" and "Everything Back But You" both have a frenetic pace and chorus that is so eerily Sum-like that if they weren't married, a copyright lawsuit might ensue. That aside, the record oscillates between lyrically acerbic fare ("One of Those Girls," "I Can Do Better") and fluffy sugar-pop melodies ("Contagious," "The Best Damn Thing") delivering far more spunk rock than punk rock. --Denise Sheppard
Album Description
Limited Edition CD/DVD (NTSC/Region 0) pressing includes a bonus DVD plus five bonus audio tracks: 'Alone', 'I Will Be', 'I Can Do Better' (Acoustic Version), 'Girlfriend' (Mandarin Version) and 'Girlfriend' (Submarines Remix). The bonus DVD features four songs filmed live at the Orange Lounge ('Everything Back But You', 'Girlfriend', 'Hot' and ' When You're Gone') plus three music videos ('Girlfriend', 'When You're Gone' and 'Hot'. Sony/BMG. 2007.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 178 more reviews...
 Immature. Bratty. Boring. April 20, 2007
186 out of 224 found this review helpful
Well, the first single, "Girlfriend," should give you a clue. For those of us who thought her last album, 'Under My Skin,' was a great step forward (from a decent debut album, 'Let Go') will lament this major step back. Apparently Avril really wants us to believe that she's punk; unfortunately this means immature cheerleading rants (think Gwen Stefani at her most annoying) with the opening track and repeated in nearly identical fashion in a couple other songs on the album, with obvious borrowings from Toni Basil's eighties hit, "Mickey" ("Hey, Mickey, you're so fine,..."). The rest of the album doesn't fair much better (with a few exceptions, like "Innocent"). Take the lyrics from "Hot" as a case in point:
"You make me so hot
Make me wanna drop
It's so ridiculous
I can barely stop
I can hardly breathe
You make me wanna scream
You're so fabulous
You're so good to me baby, baby"
Sorry, this is crap. The music isn't much more creative. There's a general banality running throughout the album that simply wasn't found on her last album, 'Under My Skin.' And I think it's interesting to note that 'Under My Skin' was co-written with Chantal Kreviazuk, a legitimate singer-songwriter, and co-produced by Chantel's husband, Raine Maida (of the brilliant rock band, Our Lady Peace) among others. The new album, however, was co-produced by Luke Gottwald (aka Dr. Luke) with such credits as Britney Spears, Kelly Clarkson, Lady Sovereign, Missy Elliott, Pink, Mos Def, The Backstreet Boys, Daughtry, and Paris Hilton. Uhhhh, no thanks.
I know this has been a harsh review, but I do this in hopes that the next album will be much improved. Avril is still young with a long career ahead of her.
A talented artist, some mediocre material April 18, 2007
65 out of 80 found this review helpful
Avril Lavigne proved, with her debut LET GO, that she had what it took not only to be a pop star, but to be a real musical artist. Her follow-up, UNDER MY SKIN, had her delving into deeper, darker material, putting her in a more alternative-minded suit.
Apparently, she had enough of that. THE BEST DAMN THING is spunky, perky, happy-go-lucky sing-a-long that, definitely, is catchy as hell, but isn't near as good as what Lavigne can do. "Girlfriend" kicks off the album and sets the mood; several of the tracks sound like knock-offs of this tune (including the title track, on which she boldly declares "I'm the best damn thing that your eyes have ever seen"). Ironically, with a couple exceptions, Lavigne sounds at her best when she's in this spunky mood (the exceptions being the powerful ballads "When You're Gone" and "Keep Holding On").
Basically, this is an immature album from an artist we know is capable of mature material. She hints at it here and there ("Damn that boy can make me cry," she sings in "Contagious;" in the next verse, "Damn that boy can make me smile"). But basically, THE BEST DAMN THING is THE BEST DANCE THING, because that's what it'll make you want to do--dance. Lavigne's got a good voice on her, and she knows how to write a well-crafted song; hopefully, her next album will show her branching out. This album makes her out to be the "pop princess" persona she so adamantly defied earlier in her career.
 The Brat is definitely back , but is it the best damn thing for Avril's career? May 1, 2007
22 out of 23 found this review helpful
So much for the serious side of Avril Lavigne. Whether it is because she is now in her early twenties and a married woman or because she did like the way her last album resonated with her audience, the brat is back big time in her third album, "The Best Damn Thing." I would be in the camp that thought Avril Lavigne's second album, "Under My Skin," was a significant step up from her debut effort "Let Go." Fans who preferred the first album and thought "He Wasn't" was the best offering the second time around, will find "The Best Dam Thing" a return to her roots as an appealing brat (and proud of it). Those who would point to "My Happy Ending" as the best song on the sophomore effort will find this a mixed bag and contemplate the shift in Avril's songwriting partners from the likes of Chantal Kreviazuk to Lukasz "Doctor Luke" Gottwald (tracks 1-3, 9, 12), Evan Taubenfeld (tracks 7-8, 10-11), and Butch Butch Walker (tracks 4-6). Of course, Walker co-wrote "My Happy Ending" with Lavigne and their "When You're Gone" is the song here that most sounds like it belongs on "Under My Skin," along with "Keep Holding On," which came out last year as part of the "Eragon" soundtrack and seems a bit out of place since the message of its title applies equally well to fighting dragon slayers and enduring teenage heartbreak.
The dialectical tension between the bratty Avril and the serious Avril are captured on the first two tracks. In "Girlfriend" affirms that she is the "motherf___king princess" and is promising that she "can do it better," while on "I Can Do Better" the chorus is all about the angry aftermath as she yells out: "I hate you now, so go away from me/You're gone, so long/I can do better, I can do better." I like the energy of the latter song better, not to mention the rhetorical stance of the chorus. But then I am the father of two daughters and if the sentiments of Lavigne's "Don't Tell Me" could be programmed into the brain of every teenage girl in the country I would feel a lot better. However, I have no doubt those teenage girls are more drawn to such thoughts as "I just wanna scream and lose control/Throw my hands up, and let it go" ("Runaway") and "Waking up I see that everything is ok/The first time in my life and now its so great/Slowing down I look around an i am so amazed/I think about the little things that make life great/I wouldn't change a thing about it/This is the best feeling" ("Innocence").
But more often that not some guy comes along and messes everything up, which is why she ends up singing: "I hate you why are guys so lame/Everything I gave you/I want everything back but you" ("Everything Back But You"). The opening track matches up with the title song, which also mixes it what I want to call her "cheerleader rap," with its bratty declarations (e.g., "I hate it when a guy doesn't get the tab/And I have to pull my money out and that looks bad"). But then we get to the chorus and its infectious pop hook and the other side of her musical appeal. You will also find that the line of attack against certain types of women begun back with "Sk8ter Boi" continues here with not only "Girlfriend" (duh) but also "One Of Those Girls," which reminds us that Avril has drawn not only a vertical but a horizontal axis in the war of sexes. Whether you call it being empowered or being a brat, that overarching attitude is what ultimately connects all of these songs, summed up in the declaration "I'm the one I'm the one who wears the pants" ("I Don't Have to Try"). The bottom line would be that for me "The Best Damn Thing" is not on the same level as "Under My Skin," but I still find it worth listening to and if it takes her an album or two to grow into that serious side she revealed last time then I am willing to wait.
You are probably aware that "The Best Damn Thing" is available in both an explicit and a "clean" version. The four explicit tracks are "Girlfriend" (the aforementioned "mf" princess," "I Can Do Better" ("sick of this s__t"), "Everything Back But You" ("bitch, slut"), and "I Don't Have to Try" ("get ready motherf--ker 'cause I'm on the scene"). On the "clean" version of the album with the first two you basically have the __ parts inserted in the song, the third replaces the derogatory words with "hey, hey!" and the last one has the "get ready" repeated as a replacement, and this is how civilization is saved. The irony is that musically the clean versions end up sounding a bit better, because in terms of rhetorical implications it really strikes me that Avril is drawing a line of demarcation. If you are still on the other side of the great sexual divide and "Don't Tell Me" sums up your life, then you want the clean version. If you have crossed over and been seriously burned in a relationship (which almost always seems to be the case), then increasing the intensity of your vocabulary to describe the male of the species will sound like a good idea. All things considered, Avril's use of profanity indicates her target audience remains the legions of teenager wannabe brats, who will be thrilled by the dirty words even if they are thrown out inartistically. I would still say that on balance the attitude of these songs will outweigh the outbursts of obscenity for those fans.
 A lethal knockout blow of street punk annihilation! April 17, 2007
17 out of 20 found this review helpful
Yo, what it is, my righteous punkerz? I just finished, like, totally watching TRL today and I found out about the new album by the best punk rock artist ever, Avril Lavigne! It's called The Best Damn Thing because, like, having the work "damn" in your title is, like, so PUNK RAWK!!!!! It's good to see her fighting the good fight with other anti-authority anarchists like Simple Plan, Plain White T's, Fall Out Boy and Good Charlotte to keep hardcore alive! The punk rock nation flips the bird and spits in the face of "The Man" anywhere and everywhere, because we're PUNK RAWK!!!!! We're rebellious and extreme because we knock over counters at grocery stores and push old people around because it's fun! I hope they continue to kick sand in the faces of these moronic faux-punk bands like Dead Kennedys, Black Flag, The Exploited, UK Subs, TSOL and Bad Religion - TRL doesn't play them because they're nothing but a bunch of dumb boy bands!
I really love the song "Girlfriend" because everything about the song makes me want to kick the person next to me in the face and mosh all day and night! I love lyrics like "She's like 'so whatever' / And you can do so much better / I think we should get together now / And that's what everyone's talkin' about" because they're so deep and profound and, like, speak to my inner soul and stuff. My mother loves the song "Keep Holding On" which is awesome - I never knew my mom was punk rock ... even more punk rock is that she stole the chorus from a 30 Seconds To Mars song, because stealing is like so uber-punk rock! All the other songs are about Avril loving and hating boys, which we all know have been the primary components of punk rock since 1984, when Avril was born. That's right, punks and punkettes - Avril Lavigne invented punk rock as soon as she came into this world! She put on a striped tie and Chuck Taylors and the first word out of her mouth was "Punk" - thus it was born! How cool is that? Long live Avril Lavigne and REAL punk rock forever!
...
Ah, who am I kidding? Not only was typing like that difficult, but I think I lost a few brain cells in the process. Avril Lavigne's "hardcore punk muzik" will have the same effect on any willing listener. I pretty much mentioned everything wrong with it in the guise of high praise in the last paragraph - overproduced pop music masquerading as punk, bad singing, irritating hooks, and lyrics so bad and juvenile they make "My Humps" look like a work of genius. If that sounds like a ringing endorsement to you, feel free to jump in, but don't say I didn't warn you. I know that both Avril Lavigne's previous albums are Multi-Platinum so it appears that people actually enjoy shallow fluff - I guess ignorance really is bliss.
Congratulations, America - thanks to you, Avril Lavigne and her husband, Deryck Whibley of bubblegum pseudo-punk band Sum 41, have just moved into a $9 million mansion. Meanwhile, there are millions of people homeless and starving around the world. It's good to see that we are supporting people that have their priorities straight - forget about those who are less fortunate, it's more important to live it up, drink champagne and eat caviar instead! Because we all know just how "punk rock" it is to put material possessions over everything else in life. Right on, Avril and Deryck - rock on with your bad selves!
In summary: Just when you think Avril Lavigne's music had hit rock bottom, she puts out The Best Damn Thing and surprises us once again with her utter ineptitude. You people who still think that you're listening to punk rock should take a look at the "I'm so cute" cover photo, the lyrics of the songs (listen everybody - she's "precious" AND a "princess"!) and the choreographed dancing in the video - then you should realize that she's no different from Britney Spears, Jessica Simpson, Ashley Tisdale and all the other pop tarts. I highly recommend looking away from the Top 40, MTV and other outlets controlled by huge media conglomerates - they're just looking to push what they can sell to the lowest common denominator. I'm struggling to find even one good thing to say about this album, but I just can't. If you have money burning a hole in your pocket, check out anything else instead - maybe Joan Jett & The Blackhearts or the new Nine Inch Nails album for starters.
 Avril is BACK to stay!! April 19, 2007
14 out of 28 found this review helpful
I'm really surprised with this album. First let me say if you're expecting another Let Go or Under My Skin, this isn't for you. But if you loved Sk8er Boi & He Wasn't off of those albums, you'll LOVE this album. It's full of spunk & personality. It's so much fun. It's definetly Avril at her best. Plus she throws in a few ballads with beautiful lyrics to balance the record out.
The best songs IMO are Runaway, When You're Gone, Hot, Innocence & Keep Holding On. But the rest all are GREAT songs. I've listened to the album over & over, never skipping a track. This is definetly hands down one of the best albums yet of 2007. If you want something fun to rock out to & dance to while you're driving or getting ready to go out with your friends or even partying, this is the CD for you!!
Avril is looking the best she ever has & her personality & attitude shine through on every song on this record. "Girlfriend" is so much fun & it's currently #3 in the country!! Next up..."When You're Gone". This is one of her best songs EVER in my opinion. She sings "When you're gone, the pieces of my heart are missing you & the face I came to know is missing too..." Amazing!!
So I reccomend this for anyone that loves fun pop/punk that you can dance to & songs that you can relate to. Also, if you don't want the edited version, you need to buy the Deluxe Edition. The regular edition is edited.
~Blake~
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