Under My Skin (Avril Lavigne album)

Background

Having no plans of working with producers or professional writers, Lavigne wrote much of the album with Canadian singer-songwriter Chantal Kreviazuk, with whom she had developed a friendship in the summer of 2003. Kreviazuk, whose husband Raine Maida's band Our Lady Peace opened for Lavigne's concert in Europe, introduced herself at an after-party for the SARS benefit concerts held in Toronto in June 2003. The following day, Lavigne and Kreviazuk ate lunch together, during when Lavigne shared how she wanted the development of the album to be. They wrote songs for almost three weeks at Maida's warehouse in Toronto. Kreviazuk invited Lavigne to continue working in a Malibu, California house she shared with Maida, which contained a recording studio. Many of the tracks in the album were recorded in Malibu.

Kreviazuk suggested Maida produce songs for the album, an ability Lavigne did not know. Maida produced five songs, including "Fall to Pieces", which he co-wrote with Lavigne. Lavigne also invited two other producers: Don Gilmore, who produced three songs, two of which were written by Lavigne and Kreviazuk, and Butch Walker who also produced three songs in three days. Lavigne also co-wrote one track, "Nobody's Home", with Ben Moody, formerly of Evanescence, and the rest with her guitarist Evan Taubenfeld.

On her website, Lavigne states that she had learned a lot since her first record, Let Go: "I was involved in every aspect of making this record. I'm very hands-on. I knew how I wanted the drums, the guitar tones, and the structures to be. I understand the whole process so much better this time because I've been through it. I'm really picky with my sound." Regarding the album's theme, Lavigne stated, "I've gone through so much, so that's what I talk about....Like boys, like dating or relationships".

Critics described Under My Skin as post-grunge and alternative rock,, based with some nu metal and goth influences.

Release and singles

Under My Skin was released on 12 May 2004 in Japan and later on 25 May 2004 in the United States and worldwide. Lavigne released four official singles from the album, and two promotional singles.

Other songs

Critical reception

According to Metacritic, Under My Skin received an average rating of 65, reflecting a generally positive reception from critics.. David Browne of Entertainment Weekly suggested that in the album, "Lavigne has become even more, well, complicated", noting she "sounds more burdened". Browne adds, "As contrived as the results can be, there's no denying the level of craft at work." Sal Cinquemani of Slant magazine noted that Lavigne's sound was now much heavier and darker and compared her to Amy Lee of Evanescence, as did Browne. Carly Carioli of Blender magazine also agreed, stating "she has deepened and darkened her sound without sacrificing her platinum-plated melodies". Kelefa Sanneh of Rolling Stone praised Lavigne's vocals, "blankness is what makes her best songs so irresistible. Whether it's a fit of faux punk or a maudlin ballad, she sings it all absolutely straight". Musically the album's sound is compared to "that of crunching punk guitars playing mighty power chords, all mixed with the same flawless elan that has characterized pop-punk ever since Green Day dropped Dookie" says Tim O'Neil of PopMatters. Andrew Strickland of Yahoo! Music agreed, "the girl can use those tiny lungs to great effect...she knows when to croon and when to yell".

On a more negative note, Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic writes, "... Under My Skin is a bit awkward, sometimes sounding tentative and unsure, sometimes clicking and surging on Avril's attitude and ambition." Erlewine compared Lavigne to Canadian singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette. Cinquemani called Lavigne's "biggest weakness" her lyrics and Strickland agreed, stating "we have a maturing Ms Lavigne, distancing herself from the teen antics of her "Let Go" debut, but struggling to find any stories worth telling". Tim O'Neil of PopMatters stated "Lavigne's songwriting on the bulk of Under My Skin just seems rote" and goes on to call Under My Skin "a good, if slightly disappointing, follow-up". The Guardian's Alexis Petridis lambasted the album, calling it a "flesh-eating virus" and criticised the lyrics, stating "the music is so anodyne that you don't pay much attention to Lavigne's lyrics. This proves to be a small mercy". Under My Skin is included in an article about Petridis' worst reviewed albums of modern times.

Commercial performance

Under My Skin was Lavigne's first album to debut at number one in the U.S. Billboard 200, on the strength of 381,000 unit sales. The album was certified double Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America in November 2004; by January 2006 it was certified triple Platinum. The album was ranked at No. 22 in the year-end chart of the Billboard 200 in 2004 and at No. 68 in 2005. As of September 2015, Under My Skin has sold 3.2 million copies in the US.

It also made its debut at number one in Japan, selling 286,894 copies. Under My Skin also went to number one in Canada, selling over 63,000 copies, the UK, selling 87,500 copies, Australia, Spain, Mexico and Taiwan. It also topped the U.S. Billboard Internet Albums chart. It spent almost 5 months in the New Zealand Albums Chart, eventually being certified Gold, but only peaking at number 7. On 15 April 2007, the album re-entered the UK Albums Chart at number 60. Overall, Under My Skin has sold more than 18 million copies worldwide.

Promotional tours

To promote Under My Skin, Lavigne went on the "Live and by Surprise Tour", a 21-city mall tour in the United States and Canada. The venue in each city wasn't announced until 48 hours before the show, which began on 5 March 2004 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the week "Don't Tell Me" was released to radio. Accompanied by her guitarist Evan Taubenfeld, Lavigne performed a short live acoustic version of five songs from the album. The set also included "Sk8er Boi" from Let Go. Selections of this tour were released on the Live Acoustic EP, which was released exclusively in Target stores.

Bonez World Tour

To further promote the album, Lavigne embarked on a world concert tour during 2004 and 2005. The Bonez Tour visited North America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America. The 140-show tour began on 26 September 2004 and ended one year later on 25 September 2005. Opening acts for the concerts included Simple Plan and Butch Walker. At some shows, Lavigne covered songs such as "American Idiot" by Green Day and "All the Small Things" by Blink-182. The live performance at the Budokan Stadium was recorded on the DVD Live at Budokan: Bonez Tour, which was only made available in Japan.

Track listing

Note: Three versions of the album were released to streaming service Spotify: The regular album, a version with the bonus track "I Always Get What I Want" and the regular album with a new mix of "Nobody's Home" titled "Nobody's Home - NEW MIX"

Personnel

This list of credits is based on barnesandnoble.com.

Musicians

Production