Under My Skin (Avril Lavigne album)

Under My Skin
Studio album by Avril Lavigne
Released	May 19, 2004
Genre	Alternative rock post-grunge
Length	40:58
Label	Arista, RCA
Producer	Don Gilmore Raine Maida Butch Walker
Avril Lavigne chronology
My World (2003) Under My Skin (2004) The Best Damn Thing (2007)
Singles from Under My Skin
"Don't Tell Me" Released: March 1, 2004 "My Happy Ending" Released: June 16, 2004 "Nobody's Home" Released: November 4, 2004 "He Wasn't" Released: March 28, 2005

Under My Skin is the second studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne that was released through the RCA Records Label internationally throughout May 2004. Lavigne wrote most of the album with singer-songwriter Chantal Kreviazuk, who invited her to a Malibu in-house recording studio shared by Kreviazuk and her husband Raine Maida, where Lavigne recorded many of the songs. The album was produced by Maida, Don Gilmore, and Butch Walker.

Under My Skin debuted at number-one on the U.S. Billboard 200 albums chart and according to Billboard magazine, was ranked number 149 on the list of top-selling albums of the 2000s.^[1] It has sold more than 14 million copies worldwide, 3 million of which were sold in the United States, ranking the album No. 149 on the Billboard 200 Decade End Chart.^[2][3][4] Because of the album's darker and heavier, more aggressive vibe reminiscent of post-grunge, nu metal^{[upper-alpha 1]} and more melodic rocker songs, it received generally positive reception from critics.

Background

Having no plans of working with producers or professional writers,^[5] 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,^[6] 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.^[7] 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.^[7] Lavigne also invited two other producers: Don Gilmore, who produced three songs, two of which were written by Lavigne and Kreviazuk,^[7] and Butch Walker who also produced three songs in three days.^[8] Lavigne also co-wrote one track, "Nobody's Home", with Ben Moody, formerly of Evanescence, and the rest with her guitarist Evan Taubenfeld.^[9][6]

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."^[10][6] 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".^[11]

Critics described Under My Skin as post-grunge^{[12][13][14][15][16]} and alternative rock,^{[17][18][19][20]}, based with some nu metal^{[21][22][23][24][25][26][27]} and goth influences.^[28]

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.

• "Don't Tell Me" was the first single from the album, written and produced by herself, Evan Taubenfeld and Butch Walker. It earned Lavigne a nomination at the 2004 MTV VMAs, and charted at No. 22 in the Billboard Hot 100, No. 5 in the UK Singles Charts and the top 10 in Australia.
• "My Happy Ending" was the second single; it was written and produced by Lavigne and Butch Walker. The song returned Under My Skin to number one in Canada for several weeks, and to the top five in Germany, the UK, Australia, and other European countries. It was Lavigne's fourth No. 1 single on the U.S. Mainstream Top 40 and was her second platinum single since "Complicated" (2002). The song became a worldwide hit.
• "Nobody's Home" was the third single released from the album, written by Lavigne and former Evanescence member Ben Moody and produced by Don Gilmore. The song peaked lower in most countries than some of her previous singles.
• "He Wasn't" was the fourth single from the album, written and produced by Lavigne and Chantal Kreviazuk. Despite charting in several countries, it was not a significant hit, failing to reach the top 20 in most markets. It was not released in the United States, where "Fall to Pieces" was released instead.

Other songs

• "Fall to Pieces" was released as a promotional single in North America and Australia on 7 June 2005.
• "Take Me Away" was also a radio-only single first released in Canada and later in Australia. In Canada, it was a promotional single preceding Don't Tell Me.

Critical reception

Critics compared the musical style of Under My Skin with Amy Lee of the American rock band Evanescence.^{[29][30][31][32][33]}

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[19]
Blender	[33]
Entertainment Weekly	(B)[32]
The Guardian	[34]
PopMatters	(Neutral)[35]
Rolling Stone	[36]
Slant Magazine	[37]
Yahoo! Music	(6/10)[38]
Billboard	[1]
Q Magazine
The A.V. Club	(C)

According to Metacritic, Under My Skin received an average rating of 65, reflecting a generally positive reception from critics.^[39]. 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."^[32] 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.^[32] Carly Carioli of Blender magazine also agreed, stating "she has deepened and darkened her sound without sacrificing her platinum-plated melodies".^[33] 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".^[36] 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.^[35] 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". ^[38]

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.^[19] Cinquemani called Lavigne's "biggest weakness" her lyrics^[37] 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".^[38] 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".^[35] The Guardian's Alexis Petridis lambasted the album, calling it a "flesh-eating virus"^[40] 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".^[34] Under My Skin is included in an article about Petridis' worst reviewed albums of modern times.^[40]

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.^[41] The album was certified double Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America in November 2004; by January 2006 it was certified triple Platinum.^[42] 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.^[43]

It also made its debut at number one in Japan,^[44] 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 14 million copies worldwide.^[2]

Promotional tours

Lavigne in Vancouver, British Columbia during the "Live and by Surprise" mall tour

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.^[45] 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" ^[48]

Personnel

This list of credits is based on barnesandnoble.com.^[49]

Musicians

Production

Charts

Certifications

Awards

Release history

Notes

References

External links

• Under My Skin at Metacritic