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Autobiography
Album by Ashlee Simpson
Released	July 20 2004 (U.S.)
Recorded	Henson Recording Studio, Hollywood, California
Genre	Pop/Rock
Length	44 min 1 sec
Label	Geffen
Producer	John Shanks
Professional reviews
BBC	Mixed	link
Billboard	Favorable	link
Entertainment Weekly	B-	link
People	2.5 / 4	link
Rolling Stone	2 / 5	link
Ashlee Simpson Chronology
"Pieces of Me" (2004)	Autobiography (2004)	"Shadow" (2004)

Autobiography is the first album by the American singer Ashlee Simpson. It was released in the United States by Geffen Records on July 20, 2004, and charted at number one. The album, a mixture of pop and rock, includes "Pieces of Me", a hit single in several countries in mid to late 2004, as well as the follow-up singles "Shadow" and "La La". The process of making the album was highlighted in The Ashlee Simpson Show, an MTV reality series.

About the album

Simpson described the process of writing the album's twelve songs as being similar to keeping a diary. Just before the album's U.S. release, she said: "My inspiration came from what I have gone through in the past three years. Every single day I was thinking of what I was going through and would write songs about it." The lyrics primarily deal with love and heartbreak, many inspired by Simpson's breakup with her boyfriend, Josh Henderson.

Musically, the album incorporates more rock than pop elements, contrasting with the strongly pop-oriented music of Simpson's sister Jessica Simpson. One review noted that, unlike Jessica's music, Autobiography "relies on glitzy guitars and big power-pop riffs." Ashlee has emphasized that she did not want her music to be like that of pop singers such as her sister or Hilary Duff; instead, she cites as influences female rock musicians such as Chrissie Hynde and Joan Jett. Some have, however, suspected that Simpson's more rock-oriented sound and image represent a deliberate marketing attempt to distinguish the sisters.

Ashlee worked closely with a number of experienced songwriters on the album. The album's producer, John Shanks—who won a Grammy in February 2005, in part for his work as producer on Autobiography—receives songwriting credit alongside Simpson on all but two songs. Kara DioGuardi also receives songwriting credit, together with Simpson and Shanks, on seven of the songs, including the three singles. Sugar Ray drummer Stan Frazier was one of the co-writers of "Unreachable". (See the track listing.)

Critical reviews of Autobiography were mixed. People magazine considered it a "passable debut" and said that it showed Simpson was a "credible talent in her own right" , while All Music Guide, comparing it to Pink and Avril Lavigne (though "not quite as catchy"), said it was "an unexpectedly strong debut". Other reviews were more negative, however. Rolling Stone called it "mundane...with a predictable script", and at one point described Simpson's singing as "wailing in lieu of hitting notes".

The New York Times, in its review of the album, said that Autobiography "is a thoroughly calculated package, aiming for the same audience that embraces Avril Lavigne and Pink." It grouped Autobiography's review together with a review of Maria Mena's album White Turns Blue and argued that on both albums, the artists' "paramount concern" is self-esteem: "a never-ending battle against adolescent insecurity."

For its part, The Village Voice compared Autobiography favorably to Courtney Love's 2004 album America's Sweetheart: it said that Love's solo debut "is tragic and blasted and pissed-off and pathetic and desperate and sad; Autobiography is all those things, plus it has Fruit Stripe bubblegrunge guitars and insanely chewy melodies and an ear-tickling production job." The Village Voice also praised Simpson's singing, saying that she "can pack so much contradictory emotion into a single line—a single word—that the music can barely contain it."

Tracks

Autobiography opens the album with retro instrumentation and dark chords, the lyrics evoking difficult times ("Got bruises on my heart") moderated with optimism ("Right now I'm solo, but that will be changing eventually"). The Village Voice review described the song as "a compact masterpiece of wrist-pumping Joan Jett rock candy". In October 2004 it was announced that "Autobiography" would be the album's third single, following an Internet poll in which fans chose it as the song they wanted to be the next single. On 29 October, however, it was announced that "Autobiography" would in fact be replaced as the third single by "La La".

"Pieces of Me", a song about the comfort and happiness Simpson found in her relationship with Ryan Cabrera while she was making the album, follows with a simple acoustic guitar accompaniment to the vocals building into full pop instrumentation. "Shadow", described by People magazine as "the best and most personal song" on the album, is a slower tune in which Simpson recounts playing a lesser role to her sister when she was younger, becoming free to pursue her own dreams as she grew older. . "La La" is arguably the album's most rock-oriented and energetic track, with sexual lyrics that Simpson has described as "tongue-in-cheek". "Love Makes the World Go Around" describes the disappointment of an ending relationship.

"Better Off", described by People magazine as a "bubbly" song that "should have Hilary Duff worried", and "Love Me for Me", which People called "Joan-Jett-esque" and which Simpson has said is about "self-appreciation" , both deal with contradictory feelings about relationships. The synth-driven "Surrender" follows with Simpson consenting to a breakup. "Don't you know you're only wasting time", she sings; by stalling "you make your misery my company."

"Unreachable" combines a piano line and vintage Chamberlin sounds with lyrics dealing with regrets about rushing into a relationship. "Nothing New" describes impatience with stagnation. "Giving It All Away" is an encouragement to stand on one's own feet: "open your eyes and find yourself", Simpson urges. The album winds down with "Undiscovered", pondering what might have been in a lost pairing. Simpson has sometimes described it as her favorite track from the album.

Non-U.S. pressings follow with "Harder Everyday", and the United Kingdom edition adds "Sorry". The U.S. Wal-Mart edition of the album also included an access code to download a reduced-quality version of "Sorry" over the Internet.

Sales and chart performance

In the U.S., Autobiography was 2004's biggest debut by a female artist. It quickly went platinum and was certified triple platinum by September. Following its July 20 release, it debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart, selling about 398,000 copies. According to Nielsen Soundscan figures, Autobiography sold a total of 2,576,945 copies from the time of its release until early January 2005, making it the ninth best-selling album of 2004. By March 2005, it had sold over 2.7 million copies.

In Canada, where the album's release corresponded with the U.S., it sold about 3,000 copies in its first week. The album was released in the U.K. on October 4, 2004, and debuted and peaked at number 31 on the album charts, although it returned to the top 40 in January 2005, rising substantially from number 91 to number 33 in the week ending January 24, following Simpson's promotion of "La La" (the album's second single in the U.K., released on January 24). In Ireland, the album peaked at number 22 on the chart in late January, at the same time as "La La" was released as a single chart. The album reached 36 in Switzerland and 29 in Norway. As of January 2005, Autobiography has sold about 3.5 million copies worldwide.

Simpson's success in album sales can be compared favorably with that of her sister Jessica, who, despite having several hits since 1999, has not as of 2004 had a number one album. Geffen President Jordan Schur has talked up her success: "It's unheard of in this business—even for a superstar—to sell this number of records". He also emphasized Simpson's relative obscurity until not long before the album's release. Simpson had, however, received a great deal of exposure in the period immediately prior to the album's release through The Ashlee Simpson Show, which debuted in the U.S. on MTV on June 16.

Simpson described Autobiography as "very true to my emotion" in a September 15, 2004 Capital FM (London) radio interview; "people like to hear when somebody's being real", she said.

In July, Geoff Mayfield, Billboard's director of charts, described the album as the "right thing at the right time" and said: "The MTV show is a huge catalyst, radio jumped all over the song, and her famous sister opened the door. If Jessica never happened, then Ashlee doesn't get her own show and this album doesn't happen." Zena Burns of Teen People wrote: "Ashlee has an amazing promotional machine, and it doesn't hurt to have Jessica and MTV behind you, but she also came out with an insanely catchy pop single."

Autobiography drew 2.66 million requested streams when it was featured online in the week prior to its release (July 13–20) on MTV.com's "The Leak", breaking a record previously held by Britney Spears' 2003 album In the Zone.

Promotion and publicity

The album and singles have received considerable promotion in the U.S.—where it has enjoyed the most success—and other countries. Much of this focused on contrasting her with Jessica, as "The Sister Who Rocks". Some have suggested that her corporate backing indicates that her success was manufactured, and that her father and manager, Joe Simpson, uses reality television to achieve success that might not be possible otherwise.

Before The Ashlee Simpson Show debuted, "Pieces of Me" was heavily promoted on radio. In May 2004, the Los Angeles Times noted that it was the most rapidly added song on radio up to that point in the year. European promotion for Autobiography and "Pieces of Me" began in September 2004. According to a Geffen press release, her December 6 AOL Music Live performance "had the biggest 1 week audience ever for AOL with 1.6 million plays." "Shadow" was the album's second single in Australia.

Negative publicity was generated when Simpson's performance on the October 23/24 edition of Saturday Night Live went awry. Simpson's father (her manager) had decided to use a vocal guide track because her voice had been weak in rehearsal. During the performance the vocal track was shut off but the musical track continued and Simpson walked off the stage. She subsequently apologized for the error during the show's closing. It appeared to viewers that Simpson had been lip synching and the incident received wide-spread coverage in the news. The following week the incident was the subject of several skits.

Promotion for "La La" began in the U.S. in November 2004. A single, pressed in the U.K., was released on January 24, 2005. Simpson is further promoting the album with her first U.S. headlining tour, currently scheduled to run from February 16 to April 20, 2005.

Making of the album

Simpson signed with Geffen Records in 2003. In a 2004 interview, she said that at first, when she was seeking a recording contract, record labels would not meet with her, as they thought 'Oh, she just wants to be like her sister'." For her part, Simpson said that she did not want to meet with Jessica's record label (Columbia): "I wanted to be signed because of my music". She eventually signed with Geffen instead.

Simpson initially did not want to do the reality show, she has said, but was persuaded by her father when he said that they would make it about her album and the music: "...I thought that was kind of cool. You're actually seeing a deeper look into how this album got made." She also wanted to distinguish herself from her sister by showing their differences, including their different musical styles and tastes. In the show, some of the early stages of songwriting are seen, and she is seen working with Steve Fox and Stan Frazier, as well as John Feldmann of the band Goldfinger, Guy Chambers, and the producing team The Matrix. Later, she begins to work with John Shanks, who became the producer of her album, and she is also seen working with Kara DioGuardi as well, on "Pieces of Me".

Simpson has said of making the album: "It's a lot of work. From finding the right label to the actual recording, it took about nine months, then it was followed by the publicity work." In an extensive list of thank-yous in the album's liner notes, Simpson includes Benji and Joel Madden of the band Good Charlotte; she worked with them on a song that did not make it onto the album. . The album's photography is credited to Mark Liddell, and its design is credited to Soap Design Co.

Track listing

(* singles)

1. "Autobiography" (Simpson, Kara DioGuardi, John Shanks) – 3:34
2. "Pieces of Me"* (Simpson, DioGuardi, Shanks) – 3:37
3. "Shadow"* (Simpson, DioGuardi, Shanks) – 3:57
4. "La La"* (Simpson, DioGuardi, Shanks) – 3:42
5. "Love Makes the World Go Round" (Simpson, Shanks) – 3:45
6. "Better Off" (Simpson, DioGuardi, Shanks) – 3:27
7. "Love Me for Me" (Simpson, Shelly Peiken, Shanks) – 3:27
8. "Surrender" (Simpson, DioGuardi, Shanks) – 3:20
9. "Unreachable" (Simpson, Stan Frazier, Steve Fox, Robbie Nevil, Billy Mann) – 3:53
10. "Nothing New" (Simpson, DioGuardi, Shanks) – 3:06
11. "Giving It All Away" (Simpson, John Feldmann) – 2:56
12. "Undiscovered" (Simpson, Shanks) – 4:56

Bonus tracks

Some editions contain one or more of the following:

• "Harder Everyday"
• "Sorry" (Simpson, Fox, Frazier)
• "Endless Summer" (Simpson, DioGuardi, Shanks)

Personnel

• Ashlee Simpson – vocals; background vocals (tracks 1–4, 10 and 12)
• Kenny Aronoff – drums (tracks 1, 3, 5, 8 and 10)
• John Shanks – guitars, bass; keyboards (tracks 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9 and 12); background vocals (tracks 1, 5, 7, 8 and 9)
• Kara DioGuardi – background vocals (tracks 1–4, 6 and 10)
• Jeff Rothschild – drums (tracks 2, 4, 11 and 12)
• Jamie Muhoberac – piano, organ (track 3)
• Patrick Warren – Chamberlin (tracks 3 and 12)
• Abe Laboriel, Jr. – drums (tracks 6, 7 and 9)
• John Feldmann – original programming (track 11)
• David Campbell – string arrangement (tracks 3 and 12)

Autobiography, recorded and mixed at Henson Recording Studios in Hollywood, California, was produced by John Shanks, recorded by Jeff Rothschild, and mixed by Shanks and Rothschild. Its executive producer was Jordan Schur of Geffen Records. Mark Valentine is credited with additional engineering. The album was mastered by Ted Jensen at Sterling Sound in New York City.

References

Note: Some references were used in a past version of the article and no longer directly correspond to any of the above text.

1. Hayden, Chaunce. Steppin' Out, "Ashlee Simpson Sings Her Way to Number One!" August 4–10, 2004, pages 24–25, 52–53, 62–63. Interview.
2. Tan, Deborah. CLEO (Malaysia), "Ashlee, Ashlee, quite contrary!" December 2004, pages 354–355.
3. Pareles, Jon. The New York Times, "Raunchy or Sweet Reflections of Adolescent Self-Esteem", July 26, 2004.
4. Wood, Mikael. The Village Voice, "The Jig Is Up", November 12, 2004.
5. Geffen press release, "Ashlee Simpson Makes History, Debuting #1 With Autobiography, Her Premiere Geffen Album", July 28, 2004.
6. Brown, Janelle. Seventeen, "Ashlee Simpson", November 2004, pages 86–89.
7. Gundersen, Edna. USA Today, "Ashlee Simpson shows big sister how it's really done", July 28, 2004.
8. Adams, Patty. YM, "The Sister Who Rocks". September 2004, pages 112–117.
9. U.S. and Canada charts compiled by Billboard/Nielsen Soundscan.
10. U.K. charts compiled by the Official UK Charts Company.

External links

• Official Ashlee Simpson site
• Geffen Records

• 2004 albums
• Debut albums