The Best Damn Thing
by Avril Lavigne
  • Record Label: RCA
  • Release Date: Apr 17, 2007
User Score
7.3

Generally favorable reviews- based on 416 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 297 out of 416
  2. Mixed: 51 out of 416
  3. Negative: 68 out of 416

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  1. lagomorphD
    Apr 27, 2007
    6
    Anyone who is still calling this punk/pop has not even listened to the record and is just basing their assessment of it on her first spunky single. There is nothing punk about any track except the first single "girlfriend". Avril must have a lot of haters because if anyone bothered to listen to this they'd find glossy pop in the vein of Alanis Morisette, and most of the lyrics are on Anyone who is still calling this punk/pop has not even listened to the record and is just basing their assessment of it on her first spunky single. There is nothing punk about any track except the first single "girlfriend". Avril must have a lot of haters because if anyone bothered to listen to this they'd find glossy pop in the vein of Alanis Morisette, and most of the lyrics are on par or superior to her previous efforts. It's less angsty diary pop spew and more round about storytelling, but her way with a phrase is as skillful as ever. I'm kind of ashamed of those who are loving and hating this album without really paying attention.… Expand
  2. Liameq
    Jun 17, 2011
    6
    1st post AHHHHHHHHHHH =)

    If you liked the albums Let Go or Under My Skin then there is a good chance you wont like this album. Avril Lavigne's 3rd album, The Best Damn Thing is in many ways a bold one. Avril really does throw away her Pop punk rift's and melody's produces something a bit more glamorise and I hate to use this word but 'mainstream'. To be honest this album really did    1st post AHHHHHHHHHHH =)

    If you liked the albums Let Go or Under My Skin then there is a good chance you wont like this album. Avril Lavigne's 3rd album, The Best Damn Thing is in many ways a bold one. Avril really does throw away her Pop punk rift's and melody's produces something a bit more glamorise and I hate to use this word but 'mainstream'. To be honest this album really did disappoint me, saying that, there is no doubt in my mind that this is a good album. The thing is, it's just not why I listen to Avril. That's okay though because this album is sure to capture a whole new audience. ARGH I'M GETTING LOST!

    To the point...
    I thought this album had some great beats such as Girlfriend, The Best Damn Thing, Everything Back But You and I Don't Have To Try, It also delivers some emotional drainage that you expect with an Lavinge album with the songs 'When You're Gone', 'Innocence',' Keep Holding On'. Although I enjoyed 'When You're Gone' I though 'Keep Holding On' was nothing but mediocre and 'Innocence' just made me **** angry =( To summarise, the album is probably not what anyone expected but it actually takes nothing away from the album. This is a relatively good, fun, POP album.    … Expand
  3. musicisallineed
    Aug 5, 2011
    5
    An average album created for average music fans that satisfies your ears with some beautiful and catchy songwriting for a small percentage of the time, but remove these efforts and you have nothing more than a bad teenage album from an artist who just needs to, at times, grow up. The potential is present, but potential feels somewhat lazy by album number three.
  4. knomi
    Apr 24, 2007
    4
    largely inconsequential pop-punk radio dreck, but this is avril lavigne; I don't know that anyone was expecting anything beyond (an ironically vapid) dissertation on why she is so cool and why other chicks aren't. at least she's not good charlotte.
  5. NatashaG.
    Jun 7, 2007
    6
    i like this album.......i don't really like all the songs on it....but it was cool.......my favorite (of course) is the song.....Girlfriend.......
  6. EmmaL
    Apr 28, 2007
    5
    very disappointing album, alot more immature than her last two albums.
  7. JuliaA
    Apr 18, 2007
    4
    I started to like Avril better on 'Under My Skin',it showed her being mature. But once she popped out with girlie outfit and the kind of song she always say will never be her kind of song,it's really a big bad backward step she took.She should pay more attention to her music than the wardrobes and image. For a singer who's already over 20,her lyrics are ridiculous I started to like Avril better on 'Under My Skin',it showed her being mature. But once she popped out with girlie outfit and the kind of song she always say will never be her kind of song,it's really a big bad backward step she took.She should pay more attention to her music than the wardrobes and image. For a singer who's already over 20,her lyrics are ridiculous (despite the-wasted-catchy music),and I found that boring and whimpy. I gave her 4,because that's how much of her songs in this album I could tolerate.… Expand
  8. JasonK
    Apr 22, 2007
    4
    Avril Lavigne fails in this one.
  9. DrewF
    Apr 24, 2007
    4
    Isn't Avril getting too old to be singing about some of this stuff?
  10. Sam
    May 2, 2007
    5
    I hate for this to be about the image that the songs give, but I thought Avril was original because she didn't try to sound like Gwen. But the music video for Girlfriend - and the sound in general - has that style written all over it. Which would be fine, if it were Gwen. But it's not. It's Avril. And it doesn't sound like her anymore. Very unoriginal. Yes, the songs I hate for this to be about the image that the songs give, but I thought Avril was original because she didn't try to sound like Gwen. But the music video for Girlfriend - and the sound in general - has that style written all over it. Which would be fine, if it were Gwen. But it's not. It's Avril. And it doesn't sound like her anymore. Very unoriginal. Yes, the songs are outrageously catchy and have a good beat and are fun to hop up and down to at prom, but after the 2nd time I grow weary. They're not very original, and the lyrics are kind of self-centered. Her "Under My Skin" and "Let Go" lyrics were angsty, to be sure, and it might have gotten a bit tiring after a well, but at least they avoided the "I'm a girl who likes pretty ribbons in my hair and wants to kiss all the boys!" vibe. I don't like this vibe. It's kind of unoriginal for music (Hey Mickey, etc.), and I'm not fond of the idea that she had to sing a song like "Girlfriend" to get widespread popularity.… Expand
  11. jacobddful
    Oct 26, 2010
    6
    I can't really say this was a bad album cause her "old stuff" was better. But it is good in its respective field. Which would be teeny bopper bumblegum pop, with a little punk to it.
  12. owenrw89
    Dec 5, 2016
    6
    Songs, such as 'Girlfriend', 'Keep Holding On', 'Innocence', 'Hot', 'Runaway' and 'When You're Gone' save it from being a basic teen-rock album. The others, however fun they be, do have a certain cheapness to them. Half of the album is brilliant pop-rock, the other half is kind of awful.
  13. owenrw2889
    Mar 4, 2011
    5
    POSITIVE - This album is very half and half for me. The good half - some stunning songs, some powerful songs and some catchy songs, Lavigne knows how to write songs, there is not doubt about that. Vocally this album is quite impressive aswel, she never never fails to present at least one beautiful song. NEGATIVE - After the good songs have been played and analysed you are left with somePOSITIVE - This album is very half and half for me. The good half - some stunning songs, some powerful songs and some catchy songs, Lavigne knows how to write songs, there is not doubt about that. Vocally this album is quite impressive aswel, she never never fails to present at least one beautiful song. NEGATIVE - After the good songs have been played and analysed you are left with some real hum dingers, filler tracks and songs that only 12 year old girls would like, at a push. Bad lyrics, bad sound - just BAD ! How one of Canada biggest selling artists can get away with such simple and awful songs is truely beyond me.
    OVERALL - A lacking album, no substance and not enough power. Yet, don't overlook this album, it's still worth a listen - in parts.    … Expand
  14. godwinkent888
    Jan 25, 2014
    5
    A major disappointment. I really loved her first two albums, and I really like how she matured so much from Let Go to Under My Skin. I don't even know what happened her. Aside from a few good songs like "When You're Gone", "Innocence" and "Keep Holdin' On", this is like a major step back from an artist who just started to grow up.
  15. PinkFriday
    Sep 6, 2014
    6
    The Best Damn Thing é um álbum de Avril que marcou a sua vida, e a de seus fãs. Com o primeiro single, Girlfriend, perdeu muitos fãs e ganhou muitos outros, porque a música é pop/rock e mostra uma Avril "patricinha", e era muito diferente do que ela costumava fazer. Com certeza não é o seu melhor álbum, mas mesmo assim é escutável.
  16. Tery
    Jan 12, 2015
    6
    Apenas de ser um álbum popular com Girlfriend, When You're Gone e Hot, as outras músicas são tudo rock genérico e que chegam a dar dor de cabeça na gente, mas tirando isso é bom.
  17. musicismylife28
    Jan 30, 2015
    5
    Half of the album is some of the finest rock-pop you'll hear. 'Runaway', 'Hot' and 'Innocence' are prime examples of when the albums is at its finest. The other half of the album however, is silly, immature and very lazy filler.
  18. jackzagal
    Mar 1, 2015
    4
    So here we have the infamous "sell-out album". A real step back from previous albums in terms of artistry and maturity, it essentially alienated her fanbase and destroyed any kind of artistry she could have built with her first two albums. I can get she wanted to be a bit more "playful" and less serious than she was with Under My Skin, but she definitely went over the top with it.So here we have the infamous "sell-out album". A real step back from previous albums in terms of artistry and maturity, it essentially alienated her fanbase and destroyed any kind of artistry she could have built with her first two albums. I can get she wanted to be a bit more "playful" and less serious than she was with Under My Skin, but she definitely went over the top with it. Brattiness, borderline stupidity at times in songs like the superhit Girlfriend, the selftitled song or I Can Do Better (which she recorded unapologetically drunk), it definitely was a departure from her previous albums. Perhaps not so much in terms of sound, which was more pop-punk than alternative/rock, but in terms of meaningfulness and maturity.

    There are songs that show what she went for without being too infantile and fan-alienating, like Everything Back But You, One of Those Girls or Contagious. There are a few ballads to balance things out a bit, Innocence and Keep Holding On being some of the best songs and fan favourites from this albums.

    I give it a 4 because the album is sonically good enough and it has some good songs, but there's an overall feeling of brattiness and immaturity that I can't stand. No wonder people sometimes said she looked more mature in previous albums, I don't blame them. This album (and its era) destroyed her image and I was close to stop being a fan, although (a very superior) Goodbye Lullaby made me feel again what Under My Skin did. I hope The Best Damn Thing remains as Avril's worst album FOREVER.    … Expand
  19. ryanloveslana
    May 10, 2015
    5
    On this album, Avril abandons her dark image and goes into **** mode". I do not like the content or image Lavigne gave off on this album, because I feel that it is not her. Also her first album to be issued a Parental Advisory notice, features more sexual content than her previous efforts. Her best tracks on this album are "Keep Holding On", "Hot", "Everything Back But You", "Innocence",On this album, Avril abandons her dark image and goes into **** mode". I do not like the content or image Lavigne gave off on this album, because I feel that it is not her. Also her first album to be issued a Parental Advisory notice, features more sexual content than her previous efforts. Her best tracks on this album are "Keep Holding On", "Hot", "Everything Back But You", "Innocence", and "When You're Gone". Like her future effort in 2013, Lavigne was "all over the place" on her image. Either trying to stay the sassy-pop-punk girl she is or a Amy Lee wannabe.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

14
#14 Most Discussed Album of 2007
37
#37 Most Shared Album of 2007

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
66

Generally favorable reviews - based on 19 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 19
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 19
  3. Negative: 1 out of 19
  1. Entertainment Weekly
    75
    The dumb, girly, giddy Best Damn Thing reembraces the 15-year-old pom-pom punkette within, with multitracked hand claps, Toni Basil-gone-bad cheers, and pep-rally-rattling guitars.
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  2. Slant Magazine
    40
    The Best Damn Thing is a big step back for an artist who was just starting to grow up.
    Read full review
  3. Los Angeles Times
    75
    It's a consciously lightweight pop-punk romp that appears to have been inspired by "Since U Been Gone," Kelly Clarkson's massive hit.
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