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. AndrewM.
    Apr 20, 2007
    9
    A mixture of Kelly Clarkson "Breakaway", Gwen Stefani, and Blink-182 and you have Avril Lavigne's "The Best Damn Thing." This has to be one of the best pop-punk albums I've heard in awhile. You can easily listen from the start to the end without skipping any song. The beats, melody, hooks, chorus are all on point its CRAZY!!!!! You can tell she perfectly executed the album she A mixture of Kelly Clarkson "Breakaway", Gwen Stefani, and Blink-182 and you have Avril Lavigne's "The Best Damn Thing." This has to be one of the best pop-punk albums I've heard in awhile. You can easily listen from the start to the end without skipping any song. The beats, melody, hooks, chorus are all on point its CRAZY!!!!! You can tell she perfectly executed the album she was aiming for. You can easily pick any song from the album and it would easily be a top hit, thats how good this album is. People who love this type of music going to love this album and people who don't like Avril will end up being a guilty pleasure of Avril. Go get the album, guarantee you will love it.… Expand
  2. mikes.
    May 8, 2007
    8
    An excellent album and by far avril lavigne's best yet. She has matured as a pop artist and has grown out of her teenage angst driven phase. Now older and married she seems focus on just having fun and cares more about entertaining an audience than her previous self centered efforts. One of the year's best pop albums, period.
  3. henryg.
    Jul 11, 2007
    7
    It's good. Fun, poppy laughs. All the tracks are good, and are only let down by some bad rap style parts, but that's it. I still prefer Under My Skin though.
  4. CliveH
    Apr 18, 2007
    10
    Really nice album with good beats and vocals. The best pop album of the year!
  5. VanessaA
    Apr 21, 2007
    10
    I think this record it's awesome and a powerful expression of a great singer
  6. RandyB
    Apr 20, 2007
    7
    "Hell, yeah! I'm the motherf**king princess!" Avril Lavigne sings on The Best Damn Thing's catchy, high-energy first single "Girlfriend". That opening song sets the mood for most of this album, which is like a pixie stick sugar rush. Except for ballads "When You're Gone", "Innocence", and "Keep Holding On" (which are all pretty fantastic), The Best Damn Thing is bratty, "Hell, yeah! I'm the motherf**king princess!" Avril Lavigne sings on The Best Damn Thing's catchy, high-energy first single "Girlfriend". That opening song sets the mood for most of this album, which is like a pixie stick sugar rush. Except for ballads "When You're Gone", "Innocence", and "Keep Holding On" (which are all pretty fantastic), The Best Damn Thing is bratty, confident, and insanely effervescent. There are some lyrical moments on the album (especially the grating "I Don't Have to Try") where you want to look at Avril and ask her exactly how drunk she was when she wrote them, but then again the intention for this was to wipe away the angst of Under My Skin and have a party. Keeping that in mind it's easy to overlook those missteps considering the huge hooks and roaring guitars. Some will say Avril's been a poser since day one, but even some of those "real" punks don't have songs this effective in their arsenal. I hope that one day she will be able to produce an album that melds the two extremes of her personality, but until then she gets props for following through on her ambitions.… Expand
  7. 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
  8. 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
  9. ArnoldH.
    May 18, 2007
    10
    Her album rocks! Every single song is so great!
  10. 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.
  11. ChantelleM.
    Jun 2, 2007
    3
    I was intrigued after hearing 'Girlfriend' on the radio. As someone who loved the last two albums, I was glad to see another album had been released. Thankfully I grabbed a download of this before buying it this time, because I wouldn't waste my money on this CD. I had to stop it after track six because it was annoying to listen to. Change is good in an artist, but this is I was intrigued after hearing 'Girlfriend' on the radio. As someone who loved the last two albums, I was glad to see another album had been released. Thankfully I grabbed a download of this before buying it this time, because I wouldn't waste my money on this CD. I had to stop it after track six because it was annoying to listen to. Change is good in an artist, but this is a step backward.… Expand
  12. ToddW
    Apr 19, 2007
    0
    Hey, if All Music thinks it's better than Bowie's "Young Americans," who am I to argue? What a joke, to say nothing of the statement this makes about the sad state of affairs in the Sewerstream.
  13. MattH
    Apr 25, 2007
    10
    This album rocks! Avrils best yet!!!!
  14. BobE
    Apr 26, 2007
    0
    She is crap faceit she cantsing and she cant wrightlyrics her new stuffis worse I hate her
  15. McBaird
    Apr 29, 2007
    0
    She sucks so bad my ears bled. She can probably spell "write" though, unlike user Bob E
  16. abcabc
    Jul 25, 2007
    10
    abc
  17. 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.
  18. vscoott345
    Apr 26, 2012
    3
    I think this may be her worst album. Crap. "Girlfriend" was the big hit from the cd, and honestly that song is just irritating and annoying. This is not the style she set out for in the first place. Disappointment.
  19. mglfvini
    Apr 25, 2014
    0
    I think this may be her worst album. Crap. "Girlfriend" was the big hit from the cd, and honestly that song is just irritating and annoying. This is not the style she set out for in the first place. Disappointment.
  20. ChrisWojo
    Apr 22, 2007
    10
    So sexy and so fun! A Great summer CD!
  21. TiagoR.
    Jul 4, 2007
    10
    This is the one!
  22. TannerC.
    Apr 20, 2007
    8
    To condemn this record (and Avril) for not being "serious music," is a complete load of shit. He music, to be blunt, has always been a poptastic excuse to pump your fist and sing along. Pop sensibility aside, her music is pure shit... questionably dumb lyrics, simplistic 3-4 chord progressions with little change in structure. Just because you didn't know that before isn't any To condemn this record (and Avril) for not being "serious music," is a complete load of shit. He music, to be blunt, has always been a poptastic excuse to pump your fist and sing along. Pop sensibility aside, her music is pure shit... questionably dumb lyrics, simplistic 3-4 chord progressions with little change in structure. Just because you didn't know that before isn't any excuse for disliking this record for its lack of "serious," material. The fact of the matter is, it's her best record. The energy is sustained so well, it's almost an exhilarating experience from start to finish. The ballads are well-placed to break up the sections of pure power pop, cleansing the pallat a little. It's basically a sugar rush that leaves you wanting more, rather than with a sick feeling. This record is a celebration of the way some great sounding pop can make you feel. It's music to listen to when you want to leave your brain behind, roll the windows down and scream along to the insanely long choruses. If you can't allow yourself to let go long enough to just enjoy some sugary pop that will make you feel slightly happier than you did before, I feel bad for.… Expand
  23. punkstar202
    May 4, 2007
    10
    This is the best album ever. She really made a comeback!!! She is absoultly awesome!
  24. Blackr.
    Jun 6, 2007
    10
    Its THE best greatest thing ever!!!!!!! Those who don't like it, fuck off asses!
  25. DrewN.
    Jul 7, 2007
    8
    One word Fun STOP COMPARING IT TO UNDER MY SKIN THEN MAYBE YOU'LL LIKE IT
  26. MariV
    Apr 21, 2007
    8
    I Love It!! People may call it immature, I cann it fun. So what if it's not all emo,slit your wrists type of songs. They're spunky and fun. I'd reccomend it to anyone. 'I can do better' is my favorite track.
  27. EdwardH
    Apr 20, 2007
    10
    It is tha dopezt album by Avril. It is soooo god dman phunky and cool y'all be hataz 2 say dat it sux. Best Album of hers 2 date. Go Avril u rule girl. Rock On!
  28. Niki
    May 6, 2007
    0
    This albus was SO disappointing....and that's an understatement...she's totally detached herself from the kind of image she created with her first two albums.I was a die hard fan until this catastrophe.....i swear the music gave me a headache...
  29. BrunoT
    Jun 1, 2007
    9
    her best album so far and its is appealing to a wider audience than the previous one. Excellent music.
  30. TulioL.s
    Jun 20, 2007
    10
    This is the best album of the year!
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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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