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''Autobiography'' is the debut
studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records c ...
by American singer-songwriter
Ashlee Simpson Ashley Nicolle Ross ( Simpson; born October 3, 1984), known professionally as Ashlee Simpson, is an American singer and actress. The younger sister of singer and actress Jessica Simpson, she began her career as a back-up dancer for her sister ...
. Released in the United States by
Geffen Records Geffen Records is an American record label established by David Geffen and owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M Records imprint. Founded in 1980, Geffen Records has been a part of Interscope Geffen A&M since 1999 and h ...
on July 20, 2004, the album debuted at number one on the US ''Billboard'' 200 and was certified triple platinum by the
Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/ ...
(RIAA). Musically, it combines elements of rock and pop. Critical reception for the album by critics was mixed. ''Autobiography'' has sold more than five million copies worldwide. Three singles from ''Autobiography'' were released: " Pieces of Me"—the first and most successful single—which was a hit in several countries in mid to late 2004, as well as the follow-up singles "
Shadow A shadow is a dark area where light from a light source is blocked by an opaque object. It occupies all of the three-dimensional volume behind an object with light in front of it. The cross section of a shadow is a two- dimensional silhouett ...
" and " La La".
MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
highlighted the process of making the album in the
reality series Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early ...
'' The Ashlee Simpson Show'', which drew a large audience and served as an effective promotional vehicle for the album.
Edna Gundersen Edna Gundersen is an American journalist who was a longtime music writer and critic for '' USA Today''. Gundersen grew up in El Paso, Texas. She attained a degree in journalism from the University of Texas at El Paso The University of Tex ...

"Ashlee Simpson shows big sister how it's really done"
''
USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...
'', 28 July 2004.


Background

Simpson described the process of writing the album's twelve songs as being similar to keeping a
diary A diary is a written or audiovisual record with discrete entries arranged by date reporting on what has happened over the course of a day or other period. Diaries have traditionally been handwritten but are now also often digital. A personal ...
, and before the album's US release she said that "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; in particular, much of the album's lyrical content was inspired by Simpson's breakup with her boyfriend at the time,
Josh Henderson Joshua Baret Henderson (born October 25, 1981) is an American actor, model, and singer. Henderson is best known for his lead role as John Ross Ewing III in the TNT revival of ''Dallas'' (2012–2014). He played Austin McCann on the ABC televisi ...
. She has described the album as being "very honest" and "very true to my emotions"—"I wasn't afraid to say that I was hurting and how I got over it.""Ashlee Simpson: Her Most Revealing & Heartfelt Interview Ever", ''Life Story Jessica'', page 68–72. Simpson worked closely with a number of experienced songwriters on the album. The album's producer,
John Shanks John Matthew Shanks (born December 18, 1964) is an American songwriter, record producer and guitarist. Early life and education John Matthew Shanks was born in New York City. Shanks moved to Los Angeles when he was 17 years old. He was in a ban ...
—who won a
Grammy The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
in February 2005, in part for his work as producer on ''Autobiography''—receives songwriting credit alongside Simpson on all but two songs.
Kara DioGuardi Kara Elizabeth DioGuardi (; born December 9, 1970) is an American songwriter, record producer, music publisher, A&R executive, and singer. She writes music primarily in the pop rock genre. DioGuardi has worked with many popular artists; sales o ...
also receives songwriting credit, together with Simpson and Shanks, on seven of the songs, including the three singles.''Autobiography'' liner notes. The album incorporates rock as well as pop elements, which contrasts with the heavily pop-oriented music of sister, Jessica. One reviewer noted that, unlike Jessica's music, ''Autobiography'' "relies on glitzy guitars and big power-pop riffs". On her reality show, Simpson emphasized that she did not want to make her music like pop singers such as her sister or
Hilary Duff Hilary Erhard Duff (born September 28, 1987) is an American actress and singer. She is the recipient of various accolades, including seven Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards, four Teen Choice Awards and two Young Artist Awards. She began her acti ...
; instead, she has cited musicians such as
Chrissie Hynde Christine Ellen Hynde (born September 7, 1951) is an American musician. She is a founding member and the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter of the rock band the Pretenders, and one of the band's two remaining original members alon ...
and
Joan Jett Joan Jett (born Joan Marie Larkin, September 22, 1958) is an American singer, guitarist, record producer, and actress. Jett is best known for her work as the frontwoman of her band Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, and for earlier founding and per ...
as influences. In a 2004 interview, Simpson said that when she began seeking a recording contract
record label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the pr ...
s would not meet with her because they thought she just wanted "to be like her sister". Simpson also said that she did not want to meet with Jessica's record label (
Columbia Columbia may refer to: * Columbia (personification), the historical female national personification of the United States, and a poetic name for America Places North America Natural features * Columbia Plateau, a geologic and geographic region i ...
) because she wanted to be signed because of her music, rather than her sister. She eventually signed with Geffen in 2003. As for her role as co-writer of the songs, Simpson has said that she had a lot of input lyrically: "...I come up with the whole concept of the song. To me, writing is a very important thing. It's what I've always done and what I've always loved to do, and it was a big part of my wanting to do a record. So my label was amazing because they really let me have my hands in there. I got to write a lot." Simpson 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 Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for cassettes. Origin Liner notes are des ...
, Simpson includes
Benji Benji is a fictional character created by Joe Camp. He has been the focus of several movies from 1974 through the 2000s. It is also the title of the first film in the ''Benji'' franchise. Benji is a small, lovable mixed-breed dog with an unc ...
and
Joel Madden Joel Rueben Madden (né Combs; March 11, 1979) is an American singer best known as the lead vocalist for the pop punk band Good Charlotte. He is also part of the pop rock collaboration the Madden Brothers with his identical twin brother Benj ...
of the band
Good Charlotte Good Charlotte is an American rock band from Waldorf, Maryland that formed in 1996. Since 2005, the band's lineup has consisted of twin brothers Joel Madden (lead vocals) and Benji Madden (guitar and vocals), Paul Thomas (bass), Billy Martin ( ...
, with whom she worked on the song "Harder Everyday", which was released as an international bonus track.


Composition

The title track, which was also the theme song to her
MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
reality series '' The Ashlee Simpson Show'', opens the album by introducing Simpson, who sings "got stains on my t-shirt, and I'm the biggest flirt" and "if you want my auto, want my autobiography / baby, just ask me". The ''Village Voice'' review described the song as "wrist-pumping Joan Jett rock candy", but ''Stylus'' labelled the track "an age-old trope and a boring one at that". " Pieces of Me", a song about the comfort and happiness Simpson found in her relationship with
Ryan Cabrera Ryan Frank Cabrera ( ) (born July 18, 1982) is an American musician. He began his career as a lead singer for the Dallas band Rubix Groove before pursuing his solo career. Following the 2001 release of independent album '' Elm St.'', he released ...
, has been characterised as a soft rock ballad with "stringy guitar riffs". "Shadow", described by ''People'' magazine as the "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, but eventually finding her own identity. The album continues with " La La", a song with sexual lyrics that Simpson has described as "tongue-in-cheek". One reviewer described "La La" as a "punk inspired, fast beat, screaming anthem". "Love Makes the World Go Round", which ''epinions.com'' described as having a "Duff vibe", talks about the disappointment of an ending relationship. "Better Off", which has been described as a "bubbly" song and as a "chunk of pop/rock goodness", and "Love Me For Me", which has been 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, with lyrics such as "you make your misery my company"; ''epinions'' wrote that it is on this track that Simpson sounds "most loose and carefree". "Unreachable" combines a piano line and vintage Chamberlin sounds with lyrics dealing with regrets about rushing into a relationship. Simpson has described "Nothing New" as being about her frustration with an ex-boyfriend's "dramas" until she is ultimately "finished with him",Deborah Tan, "Ashlee, Ashlee, quite contrary!", ''CLEO'' (
Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federal constitutional monarchy consists of thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two regions: Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo's East Mal ...
), December 2004, pages 354–355.
while "Giving It All Away" encourages the listener to stand on one's own feet: "hold on to your life and don't give that away", Simpson said of the song. The album's closing track, "Undiscovered" (which Simpson has described as a favorite of hers), was written after her breakup with Josh, and is described by epinions.com as a song with "haunting strings" and "mellow guitars"; in the song, Simpson ponders what might have been in a lost pairing. Non-US pressings follow with "Harder Everyday", and the United Kingdom edition adds "Sorry", while the Japanese edition closes with "Endless Summer". The US
Wal-Mart Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores from the United States, headquarter ...
edition of the album also included an access code to download a reduced-quality version of "Sorry" on the internet.


Critical reception

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";''Autobiography'' review, ''People'', 2 August 2004, page 41.
Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Music ...
called it "an unexpectedly strong debut". ''
The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the cr ...
'' compared ''Autobiography'' favorably to
Courtney Love Courtney Michelle Love (née Harrison; born July 9, 1964) is an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, and actress. A figure in the alternative and grunge scenes of the 1990s, her career has spanned four decades. She rose to prominence as ...
's 2004 album, '' America's Sweetheart'', referring particularly to ''Autobiography'''s "Fruit Stripe bubblegrunge guitars and insanely chewy melodies and an ear-tickling production job." It 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."Mikael Wood
"The Jig Is Up"
, ''The Village Voice'', November 12, 2004.
According to ''
Blender A blender (sometimes called a mixer or liquidiser in British English) is a kitchen and laboratory appliance used to mix, crush, purée or emulsify food and other substances. A stationary blender consists of a blender container with a rotating me ...
'', all of the album's songs "paint in huge strokes"; its review also regarded Simpson's vocals positively. ''
E! Online E! (an initialism for Entertainment Television) is an American basic cable channel which primarily focuses on pop culture, celebrity focused reality shows, and movies, owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of NBCUniver ...
'' also praised Simpson's singing and catchy tracks, saying that "Ashlee Simpson still managed to piece together this collection of tracks that sound as if they were ripped right from the pages of her diary. Ashlee even makes you think twice about her semicharmed life. So, even if it doesn't wow you, Autobiography may surprise you." Other critics were more negative. ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
'' called it "mundane...with a predictable script", and at one point described Simpson's singing as "wailing in lieu of hitting notes". In its review, the BBC said that "half the album ... feels self-indulgent and lacks substance", but also said that "in-between the formulaic, innocuous songs are a smattering of catchy pop-rock tracks." IGN.com called it "by-the-books, generic (and at times bland) pop/rock", although it did say Simpson's vocals showed maturity and promise. A writer for ''Stylus'' magazine commented that "after spending more than forty minutes with Ashlee, I feel like I don’t know her any better than I did beforehand... ndfor a record with the name ''Autobiography'', it seems like no bigger criticism could be leveled." ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' said that ''Autobiography'' "is a thoroughly calculated package, aiming for the same audience that embraces
Avril Lavigne Avril Ramona Lavigne ( ; born September 27, 1984) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. At age 16, she signed a two-album recording contract with Arista Records. Her debut studio album, '' Let Go'' (2002), is the best-selling album of the 2 ...
and
Pink Pink is the color of a namesake flower that is a pale tint of red. It was first used as a color name in the late 17th century. According to surveys in Europe and the United States, pink is the color most often associated with charm, politeness, ...
."


Promotion

The album and singles received considerable promotion in the US—where they sold the most copies—and other countries, and much of this focused on contrasting her with Jessica by highlighting her more rock-oriented image. This image distinction from Jessica did not mean that the two were not associated in publicity, however; the sisters appeared together in television commercials at around the time of ''Autobiography'''s release, for
Pizza Hut Pizza Hut is an American multinational restaurant chain and international franchise founded in 1958 in Wichita, Kansas by Dan and Frank Carney. They serve their signature pan pizza and other dishes including pasta, breadsticks and desse ...
and Ice Breakers Liquid Ice. A key element of Simpson's promotion was ''The Ashlee Simpson Show'', which debuted on June 16, 2004, and ran for eight episodes, achieving high ratings for cable television. Jessica's reality show, '' Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica'', had debuted in 2003 and had proved highly successful, being credited with reviving her flagging music career; reality television proved similarly effective in helping launch Simpson's music career. It has been said that Simpson's father and manager Joe Simpson "redefined how you sell records" through his use of reality television to promote his daughters. Simpson said that she initially did not want to do the reality show but that her father persuaded her to do it because it would be about the production of her album: "...I thought that was kind of cool. You're actually seeing a deeper look into how this album got made." She also thought the show, by showcasing her own personality, would help to distinguish her from Jessica. Geoff Mayfield, ''Billboard'''s director of charts, pointed to a combination of factors in explaining Simpson's success with ''Autobiography''. He described Simpson 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'', while noting the importance of effective promotion and Simpson's connection to Jessica, stressed the appeal of "Pieces of Me" in explaining her success: "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." From July 13 to July 20, the week prior to ''Autobiography'''s release, MTV.com's "The Leak" featured the album for streaming on its website. ''Autobiography'' drew 2.66 million requested streams during the time period, breaking a record previously held by
Britney Spears Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the " Princess of Pop", she is credited with influencing the revival of teen pop during the late 1990s and early 2000s. After appearing in stage producti ...
' 2003 album ''
In the Zone ''In the Zone'' is the fourth studio album by American pop singer Britney Spears. It was released on November 12, 2003, through Jive Records. With the conclusion of her Dream Within a Dream Tour in July 2002 and the end of her relationship with ...
''. Simpson's publicity suffered when the performance on the October 23–24 edition of ''
Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves ...
'' went awry. According to Simpson's publicists, her father and manager decided to use a vocal guide track because of problems she was having with her voice, beginning earlier in the day, that were caused by
acid reflux Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) or gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) is one of the upper gastrointestinal chronic diseases where stomach content persistently and regularly flows up into the esophagus, resulting in symptoms and/ ...
. Although her first performance of the night—"Pieces of Me"—was successful, her second performance, which was supposed to be of "Autobiography" (at the time planned as her third single), went wrong: "Pieces of Me" mistakenly began playing, and Simpson's recorded vocals were heard when her microphone was not near her mouth. She subsequently walked off the stage and then apologized for the error during the show's closing. Some viewers accused Simpson of lip synching, and the incident received widespread coverage in the news. Simpson joked about the incident with a performance of "Autobiography" at the
Radio Music Awards The Radio Music Awards was an annual U.S. award show that honored the year's most successful songs on mainstream radio. Nominations were based on the amount of airplay recording artists receive on radio stations in various formats using chart inform ...
on October 25. Despite the low points of this period of the album's promotion, there were also significant successes. According to a Geffen press release, her December 6 AOL Music Live performance "had the biggest one-week audience ever for AOL with 1.6 million plays."


Singles

Before ''The Ashlee Simpson Show'' debuted, " Pieces of Me" began picking up substantial airplay on radio, In May 2004, a ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the ...
'' article noted that radio stations were adding the song to their playlists faster than any other songs up to that point in the year. "Pieces of Me" debuted on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in June and reached a peak position of number five in September.
Billboard chart history for Ashlee Simpson A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
/ref> The song "
Shadow A shadow is a dark area where light from a light source is blocked by an opaque object. It occupies all of the three-dimensional volume behind an object with light in front of it. The cross section of a shadow is a two- dimensional silhouett ...
" was the album's second US single; it reached a peak of number 57 on the Hot 100, failing to match the success of "Pieces of Me". Shortly afterward, " La La" replaced "Autobiography" as the album's third single. It reached a chart peak at number 86 on the Hot 100, falling considerably short of the positions reached by her two previous singles. Simpson suffered further negative publicity at the halftime show for the
Orange Bowl The Orange Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in the Miami metropolitan area. It has been played annually since January 1, 1935, making it, along with the Sugar Bowl and the Sun Bowl, the second-oldest bowl game in ...
in
Miami, Florida Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...
on January 4, 2005, where she performed "La La" and was booed by the crowd. This may have represented backlash from the ''SNL'' debacle, as the Orange Bowl publicists said. "Shadow" was not released in Europe (although it was the second single in Australia), where "La La" was the second single. Shortly after the Orange Bowl incident, Simpson performed the song on several television shows in the UK in January 2005; "La La" debuted and peaked just outside the top ten, and sales of ''Autobiography'' also rose considerably during the same period.


Commercial performance

In the US, ''Autobiography'' was 2004's biggest debut album by a female artist, and in September the RIAA gave the album a triple
platinum Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver". Pla ...
certification. Following its July 20 release, it debuted at number one on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart, selling about 398,000 copies; according to
Nielsen SoundScan Luminate (formerly Nielsen SoundScan, Nielsen Music Products, and MRC Data) is a provider of music sales data. Established by Mike Fine and Mike Shalett in 1991, data is collected weekly and made available every Sunday (for albums sales) and eve ...
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. In Canada, where the album's release corresponded with the US, it sold about 3,000 copies in its first week (number 37 on the album chart); it rose on the chart to number eight at one point and went double platinum in February 2005. The album was released in the UK on October 4, 2004, and debuted at number 31 on the album charts. However, 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 UK, 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 also reached number 36 in Switzerland and number 29 in Norway. Simpson's success in album sales with ''Autobiography'' outshines that of her sister Jessica, who despite having a singing career since 1999, failed to attain major success with record sales until she appeared on her 2003 reality television show. Geffen President Jordan Schur said of Simpson's success: "It's unheard of in this business—even for a superstar—to sell this number of records," and emphasized her relative obscurity until not long before the album's release. Simpson expressed surprise at the degree of her album's success: "I just hoped my album ''charted''. I didn't expect it to be number one in the country! It was a huge shock."Janelle Brown, "Ashlee Simpson", '' Seventeen'', November 2004, pages 86–89. In Brazil the single "Pieces of Me" was the theme of the soap opera "America" and made huge success selling about 15,000 copies of the album in the country.


Track listing


Personnel

Adapted from the ''Autobiography'' liner notes. *
Ashlee Simpson Ashley Nicolle Ross ( Simpson; born October 3, 1984), known professionally as Ashlee Simpson, is an American singer and actress. The younger sister of singer and actress Jessica Simpson, she began her career as a back-up dancer for her sister ...
– vocals; background vocals (tracks: 1–4, 10 and 12) *
Kenny Aronoff Kenny Aronoff (born March 7, 1953) is an American session drummer. Early life Aronoff grew up in Stockbridge, Massachusetts He developed an interest in music at an early age and gravitated to the drums as "drumming was one hundred percent ener ...
– drums (tracks: 1, 3, 5, 8 and 10) *
John Shanks John Matthew Shanks (born December 18, 1964) is an American songwriter, record producer and guitarist. Early life and education John Matthew Shanks was born in New York City. Shanks moved to Los Angeles when he was 17 years old. He was in a ban ...
– guitars, bass; keyboards (tracks: 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9 and 12); background vocals (tracks: 1, 5, 7, 8 and 9) *
Kara DioGuardi Kara Elizabeth DioGuardi (; born December 9, 1970) is an American songwriter, record producer, music publisher, A&R executive, and singer. She writes music primarily in the pop rock genre. DioGuardi has worked with many popular artists; sales o ...
– background vocals (tracks: 1–4, 6 and 10) * Jeff Rothschild – drums (tracks: 2, 4, 11, and 12) *
Jamie Muhoberac Benjamin Edward "Jamie" Muhoberac is an American session keyboardist with numerous credits. He is best known for his work with Seal and Was (Not Was). Biography Muhoberac has worked with acts including The All-American Rejects, Fleetwood Mac, B ...
– piano,
organ Organ may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a part of an organism Musical instruments * Organ (music), a family of keyboard musical instruments characterized by sustained tone ** Electronic organ, an electronic keyboard instrument ** Hammond ...
(track 3) * Patrick Warren
Chamberlin The Chamberlin is an electro-mechanical keyboard instrument that was a precursor to the Mellotron. It was developed and patented by the American inventor Harry Chamberlin from 1949 to 1956, when the first model was introduced. There are several ...
(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)


Production

*John Shanks – producer, mixing *Jeff Rothschild – mixing *Mark Valentine – additional engineering *
Ted Jensen Ted Jensen (born September 19, 1954) is an American mastering engineer, known for having mastered many recordings, including the Eagles' ''Hotel California'', Green Day's '' American Idiot'' and Norah Jones' ''Come Away with Me''. Biography T ...
– mastering *
Jordan Schur Jordan Schur is an American entrepreneur, record executive and film producer. He is currently co-chairman and CEO of the film production company Mimran Schur Pictures. He is also the former President of Geffen Records, the founder of Flip Records ...
– executive producer, A&R *Mark Liddell – photography *Soap Design Co. – design


Charts


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


Certifications


Release history


Notes

* Patty Adams, "The Sister Who Rocks", '' YM'', September 2004, pages 112–117. * US and Canadian charts compiled by ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large adverti ...
'' and
Nielsen SoundScan Luminate (formerly Nielsen SoundScan, Nielsen Music Products, and MRC Data) is a provider of music sales data. Established by Mike Fine and Mike Shalett in 1991, data is collected weekly and made available every Sunday (for albums sales) and eve ...
. * UK charts compiled by the
Official Charts Company The Official Charts (legal name: The Official UK Charts Company Limited) is a British inter-professional organization that compiles various "official" record charts in the United Kingdom, Ireland and France. In the United Kingdom, its charts inc ...
(OCC).


References


External links


Official Ashlee Simpson site

Geffen Records
* {{Authority control 2004 debut albums Albums produced by John Shanks Ashlee Simpson albums Geffen Records albums Albums recorded at Henson Recording Studios