Goodbye Lullaby
Goodbye Lullaby is the fourth studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne. It was released worldwide on March 8, 2011 through RCA Records. Recording sessions for the album began in November 2008 and continued over a period of nearly two years, concluding in October 2010. Goodbye Lullaby is a primarily a pop rock album and is considered a more introspective record from Lavigne in comparison to her previous material, consisting mainly of stripped down instruments such as the piano and acoustic guitar. Lavigne assumed an integral role in the album's production and co-wrote every original track on Goodbye Lullaby, as well as collaborating with several producers including Max Martin, Shellback, Butch Walker, and her ex-husband Deryck Whibley. Goodbye Lullaby is Lavigne's third and final studio album with RCA, following The Best Damn Thing (2007) and Under My Skin (2004)
Goodbye Lullaby
March 8, 2011
November 2008 – October 2010
- Big Evil Corp. (Los Angeles, CA)
- Maratone Studios (Stockholm, Sweden)
- Mr. Biz Studio (Los Angeles, CA)
- Ruby Red Productions (Santa Monica, CA)
52:17
- Avril Lavigne
- Max Martin
- Shellback
- Butch Walker
- Deryck Whibley
Upon its release, Goodbye Lullaby received generally mixed reviews from music critics, with some naming it her most personal and introspective album while others took issue with its subdued sound and Lavigne's lyrical content. The album debuted inside the top five in over 15 countries such as the United States and Canada (where it has since been certified gold) and topping the charts in over eight countries, such as Australia, Greece, Hong Kong and Japan.
Goodbye Lullaby had sold 1.5 million copies worldwide as of 2013.[4] Three singles were released from Goodbye Lullaby. "What the Hell" was released as the lead single in January 2011 and achieved worldwide chart success, reaching the top 20 in the United States and United Kingdom, the top ten in Europe and Australia and the top five in Asia. The following singles, "Smile" and "Wish You Were Here", had moderate chart success worldwide. The album also includes an extended version of the soundtrack single for Alice in Wonderland (2010), titled "Alice". Lavigne promoted the album with a series of live performances and later embarked on the Black Star Tour (2011).
Recording[edit]
Lavigne began recording in her home studio in November 2008 with the song "Black Star", only a month after completing the Best Damn World Tour.[8] To help promote her first fragrance, Black Star, Lavigne needed a short theme that would be used for the TV spots. "Black Star" was composed in a Malaysian hotel during her tour. The jingle was eventually expanded into a short introduction to the album. Recording began with minimal instruments, usually starting with Lavigne singing only to acoustic guitar, with additional instruments added later. Lavigne stated that her vocals were the most important instrument to her during the album's recording, "Typically the lead vocal gets buried in the track and you can't always hear the quality, character, or emotion after a certain point. I wanted my voice to be the main instrument."[16]
Lavigne described the process: "It's stripped down. I love performing that way, so I really felt like it was time to make a record like that. To just make it all about the vocal and the performance, and the vibe, and the emotion." Because she has a studio in her home, Lavigne was able to compose and record at her leisure. She also used the piano to compose the majority of the songs. "The piano is more of an emotional instrument. It stirs up different emotions for me and moves me in a different way than the guitar can."[18] By July 2009, nine tracks had been recorded,[8] including the songs "Fine", "Everybody Hurts" and "Darlin'", the latter being the second song Lavigne wrote as a 15-year-old while living in Napanee, Ontario.[19] Lavigne stated that this album would be different from her previous work, "The other albums I've done, the songs are all over the place. This is the most consistent album all the way through."[20]
In addition to working with Deryck Whibley in the majority of the songs, Lavigne also produced two songs on her own and worked with Max Martin and Shellback. "What was really great about working with Max was, I flew out to Sweden for a couple weeks, sat down, played him my record, got to know each other, wrote some songs together, and then I was out," she told MTV News. "It switched it up for me. It was a new creative space, a new relationship, and we got a lot done. He's very talented."[21] Lavigne's longtime collaborators Evan Taubenfield and Butch Walker co-wrote and produced some of the tracks as well.[19] In November 2010, British producer Alex da Kid, who worked with Lavigne beginning in August 2010, stated that some songs on the album will have a hip-hop sound, "We've got some things that are hip-hop leaning, and we've got some things that are more pop/rock leaning".[22] In December, it was announced that the songs produced by Alex da Kid would not be on the album but Lavigne stated, "we're gonna do something with that stuff, I'm just not sure what yet".[23]
Commercial performance[edit]
In the United States, Goodbye Lullaby debuted at number four on the US Billboard 200 chart, with first-week sales of over 87,000.[63] It eventually became her first studio album to not peak inside the top-two.[63] In its second week, the album dropped to number seven on the chart selling over 32,000 copies.[64] In its third week, the album dropped to number 24.[65] The album has spent a total of twenty six weeks on the Billboard 200,[66] and has sold 394,000 copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan, as of September 2015.[67] In 2018 it was certified Gold by RIAA for selling 500,000 equivalent units.[68]
In the United Kingdom, where all of her three consecutive albums debuted at the top of the UK Albums Chart, Goodbye Lullaby only managed to debut at number nine with 22,000 units sold, remaining on the chart for only nine weeks her longest was Let Go with 67 weeks.[69] The album was Gold certification in the UK with 100,000 units sold.[70] In Japan, Goodbye Lullaby debuted at number two[71] on the Japanese Oricon Albums Chart, with sales of 130,000 copies in its opening week[72] – the largest opening of the album in a particular country. This was particularly impressive since it was released during the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, which cut off all promo. During the first three months, the album sold over 250,000 copies in Japan, receiving Platinum certification.[73] As of June 2011, the album had sold over 336,000 copies.[74] In Japan the album had sold 410,000 copies as of November 2013.[75] In Canada, the album also ended her strike of consecutive number-one albums, debuting at number two, with sales of 13,000 copies.[76]
In Australia, the album topped the ARIA Albums Chart, becoming her third non-consecutive number-one album and her first since Under My Skin, after three months the album was certified Gold in Australia ARIA reaching 35,000 copies.[77][78] Likewise, in Portugal, the album became her best album on the charts since Under My Skin, peaking at number 5. In Spain, the album performed well, debuting at number 4, becoming her highest charting-album there.[77] As of 2013, Goodbye Lullaby had sold 1.5 million copies worldwide.[4]
Notes