Avril Lavigne’s iconic teen album The Best Damn Thing, featuring cult classic ‘Girlfriend’ was released ten years ago today on 17th April 2007.
The Best Damn Thing marked Avril Lavigne’s transition from teen-tomboy queen to sexually mature blonde bombshell, replacing ties and combat pants with heavy eye make up, lacy dresses and corsets.
Having once sung about the love she had for a Sk8ter Boi, her lyrics became raunchier, sexier and less appropriate for the pre-teen age group that worshipped her. She was the original Miley Cyrus, but not quite as dramatic.
Despite the transition, ‘Girlfriend’ became a teen anthem and has remained a (very) guilty pleasure of mine ever since it’s release 10 years ago. In hindsight, this album is a blight on 00’s pop rock, with a bizarre mixture of sad X-Factor style ballads and all American sassy pop songs, with cheerleader chants that take the cringe rating off the charts. Listening back, I want to slap my 11 year old self round the face for genuinely enjoying this sore attempt at pop music.
I think it’s safe to say that pre-teen pop has dramatically improved since 2007. Check out the Avril Lavigne classic ‘Girlfriend’ below:
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I’m so pleased at the salty attitude this takes to Avril Lavigne. Even so, there is no plausible reason to call ‘Girlfriend’ a “cult classic” – it was one of the most popular music videos on YouTube at the time, and was heard EVERYWHERE. Good or bad, it’s less a cult and more the full blown Catholic Church. Or, perhaps more appropriately, the Church Of Scientology.