Goodbye Lullaby: Where are the big ballads?

[Sinister]

So I watched Wish You Were Here on YouTube today (can't stop watching it!) and then I watched When You're Gone for a little bit of a comparison.

Anyway, it got me to thinking...WYG reached #3 in the UK. I'm With You reached #4 in America and #7 in the UK. Keep Holding On reached the top 20 in both Canada and America. Even I Will Be is a popular B-side.

So why doesn't Goodbye Lullaby have any songs like these? Avril always said she didn't want massive production but since she was forced to have Max Martin material (who actually co-wrote I Will Be), why not go for some bigger, bolder ballads instead of WTH and Smile? Surely RCA would be happy for these since they still do pretty well in the charts?

WYWH and I Love You are certainly nice, sweet songs but they don't have that sweeping, emotional, sensitive feel to them. I love them both, but compare them to When You're Gone and you'll see what I mean.

I suppose RCA really wanted some more Girlfriend material? They really don't have any guts at all do they ):

[Ajwhatthehell]

When You're gone makes me feel more. WYWH is nice too, but the song and video i think are not as good as WYG. Love em both though!

[★Real Eyez★]

Blame RCA. and no one but the amazing, promising, and honest RCA.

[★Jululps★]

Not Enough and Remember When>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>*

[Zach]

Remember When

[Another Rainy Day]

I don't get what you mean; you're trying to say that Goodbye Lullaby doesn't have any big ballads like her previous albums, or that she should release this album's ballads as singles?

[Sinister]

I don't get what you mean; you're trying to say that Goodbye Lullaby doesn't have any big ballads like her previous albums, or that she should release this album's ballads as singles?

Well both really. I'm saying that instead of WTH and Smile, maybe Avril (or RCA) should have gone for some really big, over-produced ballads like When You're Gone or I'm With You.

Yeah I suppose GL does have Remember When and it is a pretty good emotional song (probably one of Avril's best songs imo) but, to me, it's still very fragile and delicate, whereas WYG and IWY are so big and strong. If she was forced to go over-the-top-pop and write with Max Martin then why not try to make an 'I'm With You P.2' instead of a 'Girlfriend P.2'? As for Everybody Hurts or Not Enough, they don't have that sweeping, glossy, ballady feel to them that, for example, Keep Holding On has. They seem tougher and grittier. I suppose it is down to personal opinion.

I think I've answered my own question - RCA is to blame - but I thought we could have a discussion about it (or all complain about how much RCA sucks, which I'd find equally satisfying ).

[BogoGog24]

The whole RCA sucks bit is getting really old. :rolleyes1: We all know they were and are responsible for a lot of problems with this album but she's probably going to be moving to another label soon so just get over it and talk about something else for a change. Repeating that RCA sucks over and over again won't make them suck any less.

[Kakarot]

I'd rather her release WTH and Smile than another few huge ballads. WYWH is a good song and better that When You're Gone, IMO. She can't base her commercial career off of ballad after ballad. It's boring. Plus, you can't have all the same-sounding songs on an album. It just doesn't work.

[Kakarot]

By the way, the whole "Fuck RCA" thing is getting a little old. Yes, they've been causing several problems lately, but sometimes Avril should take the blame. If she wanted ballads, she would have put her foot down and told Max so. She should have tried to write some midtempo hits with him instead of WTH and Smile, which are oddly placed in GL, but the end results really weren't bad.

[starnote]

I'd rather her release WTH and Smile than another few huge ballads. WYWH is a good song and better that When You're Gone, IMO. She can't base her commercial career off of ballad after ballad. It's boring. Plus, you can't have all the same-sounding songs on an album. It just doesn't work.

By the way, the whole "Fuck RCA" thing is getting a little old. Yes, they've been causing several problems lately, but sometimes Avril should take the blame. If she wanted ballads, she would have put her foot down and told Max so. She should have tried to write some midtempo hits with him instead of WTH and Smile, which are oddly placed in GL, but the end results really weren't bad.

Exactly.

[.Sterock85]

Same sounding albums DO work, some of the greatest and critically acclaimed albums have the same tempo all the way through. (*Edited*)