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Stop Standing There is a song recorded by Avril Lavigne for her fourth studio album, Goodbye Lullaby. It was one of six tracks from the album to be written solely by Lavigne, the other five being "Black Star", "4 Real", "Darlin", "Remember When", and "Goodbye". The song was produced by Butch Walker.

Background[]

Lavigne spoke about the track in "The Making of Goodbye Lullaby", a video released exclusively with the iTunes edition of the album that documented the making of the album:

'Stop Standing There' [...] is a track that I wrote on my own at home on my piano, and [...] I asked Butch Walker to produce it and he killed it! I love what he did on the track! He's a wicked producer! It's really cool, it kinda has like a 50s vibe, it has like a cool groove to it. [...] This song is a song that I think a lot of girls can relate to. It's kind of just about that guy who's like just standing there and not really doing anything and you're like, 'Hello? Do you feel what I feel? Are we on the same page? Is something gonna happen? Make a move!'[1]

Critical reception[]

"Stop Standing There" received mostly positive reviews from critics. Josh Langhoff of PopMatters was very critical of the tracks Lavigne wrote by herself from the album, however, he gave a positive review of "Stop Standing There", calling it "pretty good".[2] Jon Pareles also gave a positive review of the track and complimented Lavigne's choice to stray from the R&B and dance music that typically dominated pop radio at the time, saying, "Unlike most current pop Ms. Lavigne’s music keeps its distance from R&B or dance music. 'Stop Standing There,' which she wrote herself, builds up to an old-fashioned girl-group extravaganza with hand claps, chimes and pizzicato strings."[3] Jody Rosen of Rolling Stone wrote in her review of the album that "Stop Standing There" was one of the album's best songs.[4] Sarah Rodman called "Stop Standing There" the album's most essential track.[5]

Andy Greenwald of Entertainment Weekly was less positive in his review of the track, criticizing Lavigne's desperation to "share an artistic inner self that's far from fully formed", which he believed "Stop Standing There" exemplified.[6] Jonathan Keefe of Slant Magazine gave a mixed review of "Stop Standing There", praising Butch Walker's production but heavily criticizing Lavigne's writing on the track, stating, "Even though Lavigne doesn't give him much of a song to work with, the layered, acoustic-driven arrangement that Walker brings to 'Stop Standing There' provides more evidence that he has some of the sharpest pop instincts around." He added that the track "highlights her inability to craft a coherent narrative, with empty-headed couplets like 'Please tell me who you are/So I can show you who I am' taking the place of any specific, first-person details."[7]

Live performances[]

Lavigne added the song to the setlist of the Black Star Tour. She performed an acoustic version of the song for the majority of the tour.

Lyrics[]

All this talkin' to you
I don't know what I'm to do
I don't know where you stand
What's inside of your head
All this thinkin' of you
Is that what you're doin' too?
You're always on my mind
I talk about you all of the time

Don't waste another day
Don't waste another minute
I can't wait to see your face
Just to show you how much I'm in it
So open up your heart
Help me understand
Please tell me who you are
So I can show you who I am

You're just standin' by
You're just wastin' time
Why don't you just tell me the truth
About me and you?
And as the time goes by
I hope you realize
If you ask me to
I just might be with you

So don't waste another day
Don't waste another minute
I can't wait to see your face
Just to show you how much I'm in it
Open up your heart
Help me understand
Please tell me who you are
So I can show you who I am

Stop standing there
Standing there
And stop acting like you don't care
And stop being scared, being scared
Stop acting like you don't care

So don't waste another day
Don't waste another minute
I can't wait to see your face
Just to show you how much I'm in it
Open up your heart
Help me understand
Please tell me who you are
So I can show you who I am

So don't waste another day
Don't waste another minute
I can't wait to see your face
Just to show you how much I'm in it
Open up your heart
Help me understand
Please tell me who you are
So I can show you who I am

Who I am
Who I am
Who I am

Gallery[]

References[]

Navigation[]

Goodbye Lullaby
GoodbyeLullabyLogo
  • "Knockin' on Heaven's Door"
  • "Not Enough"
  • "Push"
  • "Remember When"
  • "Smile"
  • "Stop Standing There"
  • "What the Hell"
  • "Wish You Were Here"
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