Songs warn a guy about a manipulative female (“One of Those Girls”) and promise to support a friend going through rough times (“Keep Holding On”).
The CD’s title is a mere hint of the profanity to come. Right out of the gate an irate cheerleader says “m—–f—er” while lobbying to be a boy’s “Girlfriend.” That term shows up again—repeatedly—on “I Don’t Have to Try,” a narcissistic anthem full of hostility and contempt. The title track enumerates relational woes, such as a lover coming “home” smelling like an ex-girlfriend. On “Hot” a girl uses provocative language to praise and arouse a man. The angry kiss-off “Everything Back But You” finds the singer calling her ex’s new flame “b–ch, slut, psycho babe.” Hatred for another exiting boyfriend leads her to unleash a handful of s-words (“I Can Do Better”). A companion DVD shows Avril and Co. drinking during the recording session.
Lavigne’s pop/punk cheers and tortured ballads are bathed in raw language, which reeks of desperation. Is this what it takes for a girl to play the rebel anymore? Her third album is so angry that Entertainment Weekly observed, “[She] morphs from sk8er outcast to punk Mean Girl.” Not someone teens should hang with.
After spending more than two decades touring, directing, writing and producing for Christian theater and radio (most recently for Adventures in Odyssey, which he still contributes to), Bob joined the Plugged In staff to help us focus more heavily on video games. He is also one of our primary movie reviewers.
