Under My Skin (Avril Lavigne album)

Having no plans of working with producers or professional writers,[6] 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,[7] during which 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.[8] Many of the tracks on 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.[8] Lavigne also invited two other producers: Don Gilmore, who produced three songs, two of which were written by Lavigne and Kreviazuk,[8] and Butch Walker who also produced three songs in three days.[9] Lavigne also co-wrote one track, "Nobody's Home", with Ben Moody, formerly of Evanescence, and the rest with her guitarist Evan Taubenfeld.[10][7]

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."[11][7] 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".[12]

Critics described Under My Skin as post-grunge[13][14][15][16][17][18] and alternative rock,[19][20][21][22] containing some nu metal[23][24][25][26][27][28][29] and goth influences.[30]

Under My Skin was released on May 12, 2004 in Japan and later on May 25, 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 by Lavigne and Evan Taubenfeld and produced by 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 by Lavigne alongside its producer 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 US 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 by Lavigne and Chantal Kreviazuk and produced by Raine Maida. 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.

Critics compared the musical style of Under My Skin with Amy Lee of the American rock band Evanescence.[31][32][33][34][35]

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	65/100[36]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[21]
Blender	[35]
Entertainment Weekly	B[34]
The Guardian	[37]
PopMatters	Neutral[38]
Q
Rolling Stone	[39]
Slant Magazine	[40]
Yahoo! Music	6/10[41]

According to Metacritic, Under My Skin received an average rating of 65, reflecting a generally positive reception from critics.[36]. 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."[34] 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.[34] Carly Carioli of Blender magazine also agreed, stating "she has deepened and darkened her sound without sacrificing her platinum-plated melodies".[35] 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".[39] 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.[38] 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". [41]

On a more mixed note, Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic wrote that the album 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.[21] Cinquemani cited Lavigne's lyrics as her "biggest weakness"[40] 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".[41] 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".[38] The Guardian's Alexis Petridis lambasted the album, calling it a "flesh-eating virus"[42] 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".[37] Under My Skin is included in an article about Petridis' worst reviewed albums of modern times.[42]

Under My Skin debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, selling 381,000 copies in its first week. This feat marked Lavigne's highest first-week sales of her career and also her first number-one album. [50] The album was certified double Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in November 2004; by January 2006 it was certified triple Platinum.[51] The album was ranked at number 22 in the year-end chart of the Billboard 200 in 2004 and at number 68 in 2005. As of September 2015, Under My Skin has sold 3.2 million copies in the US.[52]

It also made its debut at number one in Japan,[53] 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 US 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 April 15, 2007, the album re-entered the UK Albums Chart at number 60. To date, Under My Skin has sold more than 8 million copies worldwide.[1]

Lavigne at Eaton Centre Metrotown mall during her "Live By Surprise" promotional tour in 2004

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 March 5, 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.[54] Selections of this tour were released on the Live Acoustic EP, which was released exclusively in Target stores.

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" [57]

This list of credits is based on barnesandnoble.com.[58]

Musicians

Production

• Under My Skin at Metacritic