Under My Skin

Making of the album

Lavigne wrote much of the album with Canadian singer-songwriter Chantal Kreviazuk. She also co-wrote one track, "Nobody's Home", with Ben Moody, formerly of Evanescence, and the rest with her guitarist Evan Taubenfeld. Lavigne used three producers for Under My Skin, notably:

• Butch Walker from Marvelous 3;
• Raine Maida of Our Lady Peace; and
• Don Gilmore, who has produced Good Charlotte and Linkin Park.

The first single, "Don't Tell Me", is a response to a boy who is pressuring a girl to have sex when she is not ready. The final track, "Slipped Away", is about the death of Lavigne's grandfather.

Chart success

Under My Skin was released on May 25, 2004 in the USA and went to #1 around the world, notably in the UK, USA, Canada, Australia, and Taiwan and on the Billboard Internet charts. The first single, "Don't Tell Me", was released early, and as of June 2004 has gone to #1 in Argentina, top 5 in the UK and Canada, and top 10 in Australia, Brazil and a European composite chart. The second single, "My Happy Ending", was released to radio in June 2004 and to retail stores on August 2, 2004. It returned Under My Skin to number one again in Canada for several weeks and to the album to top five in the USA, Germany, the UK, Australia, and other European countries. The third single, "Nobody's Home", did not return the album to number one, but did rake its sales up once again. "He Wasn't" is the fourth single. The album was certified platinum by the RIAA in July 2004 [1] and double platinum in November 2004. [1] It was eventually certified triple platinum in early 2005.

Critical response

According to Metacritic.com, Under My Skin received an average rating of 60 reflecting a mixed reception from critics. [1]. The reviews included:

• E! Online rated the album a B+ saying it featured "delightfully dour melodies, heartfelt lyrics and a still-solid pop sensibility" [1] Picks "Don't Tell Me", "My Happy Ending", "How Does It Feel", "Freak Out";

• Q Magazine rated it as 4 out of 5 saying it was "an altogether more satisfying, suppy of air punching, stadium sized choruses. (June 2004, page 103);

• Entertainment Weekly rated it as a 75 saying "As contrived as the results can be, there's no denying the level of craft at work" (May 28, 2004, page 121)

• Billboard Magazine said "the end result is a one-two punch of radio-ready rock-tinged riffs and Lavigne's defiant yet introspective vocals. [1]

• Rolling Stone rated it as four stars out of five saying it was "both more satisfying and formulaic" [1] Best tracks: "Don't Tell Me", "He Wasn't".

• Stylus Magazine said "Under My Skin is a far more balanced album than Let Go and a "far stonger statement". [1] Best tracks: "Don't Tell Me", "Take Me Away", "Together", "Slipped Away"

• Allmusic.com rated as 3 stars out of five saying "Under My Skin is a bit awkward, sometimes sounding tentative and unsure, sometimes clicking and surging on Avril's attitude and ambition" [1]. Best Tracks: "Don't Tell Me", "He Wasn't"

• Launch UK (formerly Dot Music) rated it as 6 stars out of 10 saying "sonically, the album sounds great" but "struggling to find any stories worth telling save for boyfriend trouble and dead grandparents." [1] Best tracks: "How Does It Feel", "Fall To Pieces", "Slipped Away"

• The New York Times gave it a mixed review saying "There's little subtlety in Under My Skin and ... absolutely no fear of cliches" (16 May 2004).

• The Los Angeles Times gave it a mixed review saying it was sounding genre-bound.

• The Onion AV Club said that Lavigne sounded "out of her class" on the album [1]

  Track listing (North America)

Shopping Mall Tour

Avril went on a "Live and by Surprise" 21 city mall tour in the U.S., starting on March 4, 2004 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to promote "Under My Skin". Each performance consisted of a short live acoustic set of songs from the new album. She was accompanied by her guitarist, Evan Taubenfeld. The venue in each city was not announced until 48 hours before the show. The set at Indianapolis included "He Wasn't", "My Happy Ending", "Don't Tell Me", "Take Me Away", "Nobody's Home", "Sk8er Boi", and "Complicated".

Avril Lavigne tour dates (venues announced two days before show), according to Arista Records:

3/4 - Minneapolis, MN 3/5 - Milwaukee, WI 3/8 - Chicago, IL 3/9 - Detroit, MI 3/16 - Boston, MA 3/17 - New York, NY 3/18 - Philadelphia, PA 3/19 - Washington, DC 3/22 - Atlanta, GA 3/23 - Cincinnati, OH 3/24 - Cleveland, OH 3/25 - Indianapolis, IN 3/26 - St. Louis, MO 4/7 - Seattle, WA 4/8 - Portland, OR 4/9 - San Francisco, CA 4/12 - Los Angeles, CA 4/13 - Phoenix, AZ 4/14 - Denver, CO 4/15 - Dallas, TX 4/15 - Houston, TX

External links