The Best Damn Thing
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The Best Damn Thing is the third studio album by Canadian pop punk singer Avril Lavigne. The album was released in North America and part of Europe on April 17, 2007, and in Australia and in the United Kingdom on April 16. It made its radio debut on Ottawa radio station HOT 89.9 at 6:00 pm on April 14.
The album's first single was the number-one hit "Girlfriend", the second single is "When You're Gone", the third single is "Hot", and "The Best Damn Thing" has been announced as the fourth and final single. It also includes "Keep Holding On", a single from the soundtrack of the film Eragon. The album was certified Platinum in the United States, and 2× Platinum worldwide according to the United World Chart[1] as of December 12, 2007. "The Best Damn Thing" has sold 5 million copies worldwide by the end of 2007 according to the IFPI and globally it was the fourth biggest selling album for 2007[2]. According to Sony BMG Brazil, The Best Damn Thing sold as of 20 May 2008, 60,000 copies in Brazil.
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[edit] Album information
Lavigne described the record as "fast, fun, young, bratty, aggressive, confident, cocky in a playful way...all the good stuff."[3] It is produced by Dr. Luke, Lavigne's husband Deryck Whibley, Butch Walker and Lavigne herself.[4][5] Travis Barker (Box Car Racer, blink-182, +44, Transplants, Expensive Taste, The Aquabats) has also recorded some drums for the album, but most the drums come from the famous Josh Freese.
The standard version of the album, released on April 14, has all the profanities censored. This applies to the songs: "Girlfriend", "I Can Do Better", "Everything Back but You" and "I Don't Have to Try". In "I Can Do Better", all uses of the word shit are replaced with a shhuuh! sound, but the line "You're so full of shit" is changed to "You're so full of it", and in "Everything Back but You" the words bitch and slut (in the chorus line "...bitch, slut, psycho babe, I hate you...") are replaced with hey, similar to those in "Girlfriend". Also, the lyric "Get ready, motherfucker" is replaced with double "get ready" in "I Don't Have to Try". The term motherfucking is used in the track "Girlfriend". In some radio edits of the song, this is changed to "one and only". The word "bitch" is unedited on the song "Runaway". Only the Deluxe and Limited Edition versions contain the unedited, explicit versions of the songs. This version of the album bears the Parental Advisory label because of the instances of profanity. It was Lavigne's first album in the U.S. to bear the label; in some markets the label was used on her second album, Under My Skin (2004).[6] Because of this, and because the album title contains the word damn, some children's radio stations (e.g. Radio Disney) that previously played Lavigne's music are not playing her new singles.
In an interview on Much Music, Lavigne stated that, after numerous photo shoots, she could not choose a suitable image for the album's cover. Lavigne's husband, Deryck Whibley, took the photo which appears on the cover on the side of the road in a suburb of Los Angeles, which was taken in a "spur of the moment" decision by the couple.
[edit] Promotion
The first single, "Girlfriend", was to be released on January 29, but the date was changed because of the then-increasing popularity of "Keep Holding On" on the radio.[citation needed] The single premiered on Ottawa radio station HOT 89.9 on February 6, and the video debuted on February 26. Evan, her former guitarist, said in his MySpace blog that he makes a cameo in the "Girlfriend" video. "Girlfriend" is available in seven other languages, the only difference from the English version being the chorus translated into Spanish, Portuguese, Mandarin, Japanese, Italian, German and French.
Lavigne has been doing a small tour to promote The Best Damn Thing. Only members of her fan club were allowed to attend the shows. She kicked off the small tour in Calgary, Alberta, and played for a crowd of around 200. The Calgary show aired on television on April 2, 2007, on the CBC Network. On this show, one could see behind-the-scenes footage and Lavigne performing songs from The Best Damn Thing, as well as other shows in Los Angeles, Paris and Madrid. She also held autograph signings in New York City and Hollywood after the album was released.
On February 18, 2007, clips of "Everything Back But You", "I Can Do Better" and "When You're Gone" were released on AOL Music.[7] The track "Alone" (the B-side of "Girlfriend") was made available for download on the iTunes Store in New Zealand and Australia on March 29. On April 4, 2007, the album was leaked onto the internet and was made available to download on many file sharing sites. The whole album made its radio debut on Ottawa radio station HOT 89.9 at 6:00 pm on April 14, 2007.
On July 6, 2007, Lavigne performed the song "Hot" on The Friday Night Project in the UK.
On September 11, 2007, Lavigne appeared on the season finale of Canadian Idol 2007 and performed "Hot" and "When You're Gone". She received standing ovations from the audience after both these performances. On the show, Lavigne stated that she will be on tour in North America (Canada first) in March/April 2008. She will be playing in three continents and will be in Europe for the first time since the launch of her album "The Best Damn Thing. Avril is quoted as saying that she is really looking forward to the European leg of her tour, particularly Britain. Avril says "There is something really special for all Canadians about returning the mother country. It reminds us of who we actually are."[cite this quote]
[edit] Plagiarism allegations
In a June 2007 interview with the magazine Performing Songwriter, Chantal Kreviazuk, who collaborated with Lavigne on the album Under My Skin, stated that Lavigne "doesn't really sit and write [songs] by herself or anything", and that because she "[will] cross the ethical line" without complaint from others, Kreviazuk refused to work with her again. She said she sent Lavigne a song she had written titled "Contagious" in 2005, and that she noticed the track listing of The Best Damn Thing features a song called "Contagious" on which Kreviazuk is not credited. "What do you do with that?", she said.[8] On July 10, 2007, Kreviazuk retracted the statements she made in the aforementioned interview.[9] On the website of The Black List Club, Evan Taubenfeld said that he and Lavigne had co-written "Contagious" for him to record, but that it sounded better when recorded by Lavigne.[10]
On July 2, 2007, songwriters for the U.S. band The Rubinoos filed a lawsuit against Lavigne, her publishing company and Dr. Luke, stating that the song "Girlfriend" was very similar to The Rubinoos' 1970s single "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend".[11] On July 6, Lavigne denied The Rubinoos' and Kreviazuk's accusations in an open letter on her website, writing that she had "never heard the [Rubinoos] song in [her] life" and that she was considering taking legal action against Kreviazuk with regards to her allegations, which she considered "damaging to my reputation and a clear defamation of my character."[12]
On July 10, the song "I Don't Have to Try" sparked further plagiarism speculation, after Perez Hilton and Rolling Stone noted similarities between it and Peaches's 2003 song "I'm the Kinda".[13]
[edit] Chart performance and sales
The Best Damn Thing sold 19,000 copies in a few hours in the UK,[citation needed] eventually selling over 60,000 copies in its first week. It became Lavigne's third number-one album on the UK Albums Chart. The album debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 with about 289,000 copies sold, less than Under My Skin, which sold 381,000 in its first week. This is Lavigne's second number-one album, after Under My Skin.[14] The Best Damn Thing remained at number-one in its second week on the chart, selling about 121,000 copies.[15]
In Canada, the album debuted at number one with 68,000 copies sold, slightly more than Under My Skin. In its second week, there was a 62% sales drop to around 26,000 copies. The album has sold 320,000+ in Canada. In Australia, The Best Damn Thing debuted on the ARIA Albums Chart at number two and shipped over 35,000 copies, being accredited Gold by ARIA; it was Lavigne's first album not to reach number-one. It has been certified 2x Platinum.
In Japan, it debuted at number two. In its second week of release, after Lavigne's Music Station performance, it reached the number-one spot, selling 120,000 copies. This is her second number-one album in Japan. In its chart run, it sold 850,307 copies and was the 3rd best selling album of the year, and the only western album in the top 25. It peaked on the Taiwanese Albums Chart at number-one, and it had already been certified Gold within three days when the album was available for pre-order. It went Platinum when it was released to stores. In Spain, The Best Damn Thing debuted at number nine, lower than Under My Skin, which debuted at number one.
The album debuted at number-one in over twenty countries.
[edit] Singles and other tracks
Before the release of "Girlfriend", "Keep Holding On" was released as a single from the Eragon soundtrack in North America, charting at number seventeen on the Billboard Hot 100.
"Girlfriend" made its debut on the Billboard Hot 100 chart at number five in March 2007. This is Lavigne's highest debut on that chart.[16] On April 1, 2007, "Girlfriend" peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart on downloads alone, rising twenty-one places from the previous week. This is her highest chart position in the UK so far, ahead of her first single, "Complicated", which reached a peak of number three. On May 5, "Girlfriend" reached number-one on the Billboard Hot 100, the same week that The Best Damn Thing debuted at number-one on the Billboard 200. This is Lavigne's first number-one single in the United States; her previous peak was with "Complicated", which peaked at number two in 2002.
On March 8, 2007, Lavigne announced on Kiss FM that "When You're Gone" would be the second single released from The Best Damn Thing. The single debuted at number ninety on the Billboard Hot 100.
The song "Hot" has been reported to be the third single from the album, and Avril Lavigne has shot the video clip for the single already. "Hot" has a planned release of October 10 in Japan. The Japanese physical single will feature "Girlfriend" (The Submarines' Time Warp '66 mix) and an acoustic version of "When You're Gone" as its B-sides.[17][18]
Songs that were not released as singles appeared on some Billboard charts. The title track "The Best Damn Thing" debuted at number seven on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 and at number ninety-one on the Pop 100; "Runaway" debuted at number eleven on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 and at number ninety-four on the Pop 100; and "Innocence" debuted at number sixteen on the Bubbling Under Hot 100.[19][20] In a similar fashion, some album tracks debuted inside the top 200 on the UK Singles Chart: "Keep Holding On" debuted at number 175, "When You're Gone" at number 117 and "Innocence" at number 190.[21]
The bonus track "I Will Be" was covered by Leona Lewis for her debut album Spirit, which was released in the UK on November 12, 2007.
The Canadian Press has reported that "The Best Damn Thing" is the next single.[22] Nettwerk confirms that this will be the final single from the album. The video premiered April 4, 2008 on TRL Italy. Lavigne said The Best Damn Thing was "Not as serious as my last album. It's more fun".
[edit] Track listing
[edit] Original / Deluxe Edition
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[edit] Limited Edition
Live at Orange Lounge
Music Videos
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[edit] Charts
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[edit] Sales and certifications
By the end of the week of its release, the album had sold 784,000 copies in the whole world according to United World Chart. The album did well in the next week as well, selling 412,000 copies. Sales declined after this, however, the album still managed to sell over 1 million copies in the next month. It ended the year with a little over 4.1 million copies.
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1 - Sales up till end of December 2007.
2 - Japan sales still charting, 40,000 additional to UWC eoy figure. eoy was 863,957[54]
3 - South Korean sales additional to United World Chart, as UWC do not count South Korean sales[55]
Accreditation Levels Worldwide as per IFPI Table on Worldwide Certifications[56]
[edit] Release dates
The Best Damn Thing was released in a number of countries during April 2007.
| Region | Date | Label |
|---|---|---|
| Germany, Republic of Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Belgium | April 13, 2007 | RCA Records |
| Australia, New Zealand | April 14, 2007 | |
| Israel, South Africa | April 15, 2007 | |
| France, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Philippines, Poland, Brazil, Singapore, United Kingdom | April 16, 2007 | |
| Argentina, Canada, Finland, Mexico, Poland, Spain, Taiwan, United States, Venezuela | April 17, 2007 | |
| Japan, Norway, Sweden | April 18, 2007 |
[edit] The Best Damn Tour
| The Best Damn Tour | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
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| Tour by Avril Lavigne | ||
| Start date | March 5, 2008 | |
| End date | August 2008 (so far) | |
| Shows | more than 88 | |
| Avril Lavigne tour chronology | ||
| Promotional Tour 2007 (2007) |
The Best Damn Tour (2008) |
– |
The tour first goes through Canada and the USA, but it is said [57] that Lavigne is going to tour through Europe from May to July. For the North American leg of her tour Boys Like Girls will be the musical guest as it stated on her official MySpace site. The setlist[58] includes songs of the new album but also older singles from Let Go and Under My Skin. The Jonas Brothers will also be opening The Best Damn Tour on some dates, but will only be on the tour for European leg, as it has been confirmed on their myspace site. On April 15, in Fairfax, The Black List Club opened the show. Later Evan Taubenfeld, the Black List Club's lead singer and former lead guitarist of Lavigne's band performed "Don't Tell Me" together with her. Avril's Italian Website has just confirmed that Avril's tour DVD will be released on July 7 2008 The DVD was shot in Toronto, Ontario at the Air Canada Centre directed by Wayne Isham.
[edit] Opening acts
[edit] Setlist
- "Girlfriend"
- "I Can Do Better"
- "Complicated"
- "My Happy Ending"
- "I'm With You"
- "I Always Get What I Want"
- "When You're Gone"
- "Innocence"
- "Don't Tell Me"
- "Hot"
- "Losing Grip"
- "Bad Reputation"
- "Everything Back But You"
- "Runaway"
- "Hey Mickey"
- "The Best Damn Thing"
- "I Don't Have to Try"
- "He Wasn't"
- "Girlfriend (Dr. Luke Remix)"
- "Sk8er Boi"
[edit] References
- ^ [1] Mediatraffic.de
- ^ IFPI Top Selling Albums Worldwide 2007
- ^ MTV News -. MTV.
- ^ Third album at MTV News
- ^ Kaufman, Gil (2006). Butch Walker Works With Avril, Hot Hot Heat, Says Solo LP Won't Be 'Emo-Tastic' (jhtml). MTV News. MTV Networks.
- ^ Avril lavigne.com
- ^ Avril Lavigne Full CD Listening Party - AOL Music
- ^ Chantal Kreviazuk in Performer Songwriter
- ^ Billboard
- ^ The Black List Club official site
- ^ CBC.ca
- ^ Lavigne, Avril (2007). To My Dear Media, Friends, and Fans. Avril Lavigne.
- ^ Did Avril Lavigne Bite a Peaches Track Too?
- ^ Katie Hasty, "Lavigne's New 'Thing' Debuts Atop Billboard 200", Billboard.com, April 25, 2007.
- ^ Katie Hasty, "Lavigne Remains No. 1 As Joe Debuts High", Billboard.com, May 2, 2007.
- ^ Jonathan Cohen, "Mims Remains 'Hot' At No. 1, Akon Stays Close", Billboard.com, March 8, 2007.
- ^ Neowing.co.jp Retrieved on 2007-07-31
- ^ CD Journal Retrieved on 2007-07-31
- ^ Billboard.com Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles Retrieved on 2007-05-17
- ^ Billboard.com Artist Chart History: Avril Lavigne Retrieved on 2007-05-17
- ^ UK Top 200 Singles
- ^ [2][[Category:Articles with dead external links since {{subst:CURRENTMONTHNAME}} {{subst:CURRENTYEAR}}]][dead link]
- ^ Canadian Album Charts
- ^ Brazilian Albums Chart
- ^ Official UK Albums Chart
- ^ [3] FIMI
- ^ Irish Albums Chart for week ended 19 Apr 2007 chart track.co.uk
- ^ [4] Oricon
- ^ Mexican Albums Chart (May 21, 2007)
- ^ Mexican Albums Chart (May 21, 2007)
- ^ Switzerland Hitparade Top 100 Albums
- ^ Swedish Album Chart
- ^ Avril Lavigne - The Best Damn Thing - austriancharts.at
- ^ Australian Albums Chart for week ended 23 Apr 2007 ARIA Charts
- ^ Spain Albums Chart
- ^ Capif
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j IFPI Worldwide Certification Levels
- ^ ARIA Album Accreditations 2007
- ^ http://www.ukmix.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=33047
- ^ Canadian Soundscan Report End of Year 2007. Reuters.com
- ^ IFPI Germany Certifications Searchable Database
- ^ Ελληνικό Chart
- ^ MAHASZ Hungary Certifications 2007
- ^ Japan Weekly Charts - アヴリル・ラヴィーン 「ベスト・ダム・シングRetrieved: 28 February 2008
- ^ Mexican Certification for "The Best Damn Thing"
- ^ from the Official New Zealand Albums Chart Top 40 Album Chart: Chart #1581 - 10 September 2007
- ^ Polish Gold Certifications (ZPAV)
- ^ 무제 문서
- ^ Swiss charts - Awards 2007
- ^ Official SonyBMG Blog in Taiwan
- ^ BPI - Statistics - Certified Awards
- ^ a b IFPI European Platinum Awards 2007
- ^ Global Track Chart
- ^ Japan Charts - Week 447, #24
- ^ United World Chart - Methodologies
- ^ IFPI Table on Worldwide Certifications
- ^ The Best Damn Tour Dates | Avril Lavigne
- ^ Setlist of The Best Damn Tour
[edit] External links
- MTV News about Avril Lavigne
- Avril Lavigne's official website
- Avril Lavigne's MySpace
- Avril Lavigne's Imeem
| Preceded by Now 24 by Various artists |
Billboard 200 number-one album May 5 - May 18, 2007 |
Succeeded by Because of You by Ne-Yo |
| Preceded by Because of the Times by Kings of Leon |
UK Albums Chart number-one album April 22, 2007 - April 29, 2007 |
Succeeded by Favourite Worst Nightmare by Arctic Monkeys |
| Preceded by cartoon KAT-TUN II You by KAT-TUN |
Japan Oricon Charts number-one album April 25, 2007 - May 02, 2007 |
Succeeded by THE BEST of mihimaru GT by mihimaru GT |
| Preceded by Loose by Nelly Furtado |
United World Chart number-one album April 28, 2007 - May 12, 2007 |
Succeeded by Call Me Irresponsible by Michael Bublé |
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