Post by Jimmyzz on Mar 5, 2022 7:13:26 GMT
NEWS... BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW ITWelcome back, Avril Lavigne – one of the underrated greats
Shaun Kitchener
Shaun Kitchener
Screenwriter, Playwright and Entertainment Journalist
March 2nd, 2022
Avril Lavigne is the self-styled ‘mother-f**king princess’ (Picture: Jason Kempin/Getty Images)
When I was a teenager in the early-mid 2000s, my rule of thumb for explaining my music taste was ‘girls with guitars; boys with keyboards’.
Yeah, there were big exceptions (Girls Aloud, Britney Spears) and yeah, it evolved in time until it was more like ‘girls with guitars or keyboards; no boys at all’ – but for that sweet period of time when North American pop-rock dominated, I was all in.
We had Ashlee Simpson, who had a solid-yet-messy couple of years on the A-list. We had P!nk, transitioning from R&B into a slightly rockier lane. We had Disney grad Hilary Duff, who adorned her early bubblegum pop with a couple of electric guitars and gave us such wisdom as ‘if the light is off, then it isn’t on’. And we had Kelly Clarkson, whose Breakaway era quickly made her one of my all-time favourites.
Before any of them really made their mark, however, you had one Avril Lavigne: the original Sk8er girl, and the self-styled ‘mother-f**king princess’.
Yeah, there were big exceptions (Girls Aloud, Britney Spears) and yeah, it evolved in time until it was more like ‘girls with guitars or keyboards; no boys at all’ – but for that sweet period of time when North American pop-rock dominated, I was all in.
We had Ashlee Simpson, who had a solid-yet-messy couple of years on the A-list. We had P!nk, transitioning from R&B into a slightly rockier lane. We had Disney grad Hilary Duff, who adorned her early bubblegum pop with a couple of electric guitars and gave us such wisdom as ‘if the light is off, then it isn’t on’. And we had Kelly Clarkson, whose Breakaway era quickly made her one of my all-time favourites.
Before any of them really made their mark, however, you had one Avril Lavigne: the original Sk8er girl, and the self-styled ‘mother-f**king princess’.
Frustratingly, it felt like she went from ‘global phenomenon’ in the 2000s to ‘underrated’ in the 2010s. But now – 20 years on from her debut – she’s released her seventh studio album, the uproarious Love Sux… and it feels like many people who adored her in the early stages of her career are falling back in love with her unique brand of guitar-laden pop music all over again.
She’s finally back at the top of the pop agenda (Picture: Getty Images)
And what a brand it is. Arriving in 2002 with the unforgettable Let Go, Avril became an instant big-league player, storming into the history books with an unbeatable opening trio of hit singles: Complicated, Sk8er Boi and I’m With You. According to the BBC, in the UK that album remains the best-seller of the 21st Century by a Canadian artist – more than anything by Justin Bieber, Drake or Michael Bublé.
My own copy was in and out of its case so much, it became too scratched to work in my CD player. The time I tried to listen to Mobile and simply couldn’t because it was too damaged? The trauma!
But she was only just warming up. In 2004, she went on to release another (arguably better) hit album in the form of the slightly darker Under My Skin; before an injection of radio-ready energy in 2007 made The Best Damn Thing another smash – complete with the chart-topping anthem Girlfriend, enormous ballad When You’re Gone and enduring fan favourite Hot.
Despite that incredible imperial phase, however, it’s felt like – over the last decade especially – she hasn’t really got the recognition she deserves as one of the greats of her generation.
When we talk about pop powerhouses of the 21st Century, we have a lot of people to choose from (Gaga! Beyonce! Britney! Adele! Taylor! Rihanna!) – but Avril’s name is rarely mentioned, apart from by those of us in her fandom.
My own copy was in and out of its case so much, it became too scratched to work in my CD player. The time I tried to listen to Mobile and simply couldn’t because it was too damaged? The trauma!
But she was only just warming up. In 2004, she went on to release another (arguably better) hit album in the form of the slightly darker Under My Skin; before an injection of radio-ready energy in 2007 made The Best Damn Thing another smash – complete with the chart-topping anthem Girlfriend, enormous ballad When You’re Gone and enduring fan favourite Hot.
Despite that incredible imperial phase, however, it’s felt like – over the last decade especially – she hasn’t really got the recognition she deserves as one of the greats of her generation.
When we talk about pop powerhouses of the 21st Century, we have a lot of people to choose from (Gaga! Beyonce! Britney! Adele! Taylor! Rihanna!) – but Avril’s name is rarely mentioned, apart from by those of us in her fandom.
Perhaps it’s simply because pop-rock wasn’t as popular in the 2010s as it was in the 2000s; or maybe it’s due to the fact that – for a multitude of reasons, many outside of her control (such as her horrifying battle with Lyme Disease) – she didn’t feel as ubiquitous, or able to keep up the same momentum between campaigns.
Whatever the case, it’s not like she hasn’t continued to deliver. In 2011, for example, her Goodbye Lullaby album – which I sometimes think might be her best – saw her beautifully walk the line between hook-laden bangers (What The Hell) and thoughtful balladry (Darlin’); and in 2013 her self-titled record gave us plenty of grade-A moments including the unfairly slept-on Rock’N’Roll.
After a few years away, her introspective 2019 era Head Above Water had some real moments of beauty but felt like it didn’t create anywhere near enough of a splash.
Now, though, she’s finally back at the top of the pop agenda – where she’s always belonged.
With its explosive opening line, ‘like a ticking timb bomb I’m about to EXPLODE!’, Love Sux is exactly the kind of turbo-charged extravaganza she does best. It’s been met with a strong critical reception, and is No3 in the UK midweeks – a position that, if it holds until Friday, will be her best placement on our shores in almost 15 years.
Whatever the case, it’s not like she hasn’t continued to deliver. In 2011, for example, her Goodbye Lullaby album – which I sometimes think might be her best – saw her beautifully walk the line between hook-laden bangers (What The Hell) and thoughtful balladry (Darlin’); and in 2013 her self-titled record gave us plenty of grade-A moments including the unfairly slept-on Rock’N’Roll.
After a few years away, her introspective 2019 era Head Above Water had some real moments of beauty but felt like it didn’t create anywhere near enough of a splash.
Now, though, she’s finally back at the top of the pop agenda – where she’s always belonged.
With its explosive opening line, ‘like a ticking timb bomb I’m about to EXPLODE!’, Love Sux is exactly the kind of turbo-charged extravaganza she does best. It’s been met with a strong critical reception, and is No3 in the UK midweeks – a position that, if it holds until Friday, will be her best placement on our shores in almost 15 years.
Avril’s still very much on the front foot (Picture: George Pimentel/WireImage)
Plus, hand-in-hand with the new album’s positive reception has come the long overdue sense that people are giving her the recognition she deserves for her lasting impact since the dawn of the millennium.
Perhaps, in part, we can thank the resurgence of the pop-punk sound generally: last year, Olivia Rodrigo showcased Lavignian traits on her excellent debut SOUR, and Willow Smith also earned kudos for her brilliant Lately I Feel Everything campaign (which, for one thing, included a duet with Avril herself).
Perhaps, in part, we can thank the resurgence of the pop-punk sound generally: last year, Olivia Rodrigo showcased Lavignian traits on her excellent debut SOUR, and Willow Smith also earned kudos for her brilliant Lately I Feel Everything campaign (which, for one thing, included a duet with Avril herself).
