Two years after Avril Lavigne launched her game-changing debut album Let Go, one other pop-punk princess arrived on the scene and made fairly a splash.
In contrast to her sister Jessica, who had emerged as a extra conventional pop artist, Ashlee Simpson got here with an edge: jet black hair, grunge fashion, and an affinity for rock music. Within the lead-up to the discharge of her debut album, Simpson chronicled her music-making journey on the MTV actuality collection The Ashlee Simpson Present and have become one of many earliest actuality TV stars — a tactic that helped give the singer-songwriter much more publicity earlier than Autobiography acquired into the palms of followers.
Upon its launch, her 2004 debut, Autobiography, grew to become one of many definitive teen-angst albums of the early aughts. Written largely by Simpson, Kara DioGuardi and producer John Shanks, Autobiography evoked the sounds of Alanis Morissette, Rubbish and Gap, however with a pop mindfulness and loads of persona. The report, which was meant to reflect Simpson’s diary, was a 12-track journey of self-discovery, brimming with heartbreak, starry-eyed romance, insecurity, imperfection and frustration.
Whereas Autobiography earned the highest spot on the Billboard 200, the album obtained combined evaluations upon its launch. And though Simpson had a slew of devoted followers again within the early aughts, there’s been a newfound sense of appreciation of her impression amongst trendy listeners, significantly within the wake of Gen Z’s pop-punk revival lately. With the rise of artists like Olivia Rodrigo and Meet Me @ The Altar, it’s grow to be fairly clear that the style owes Simpson a thank-you for her mainstream impression a era earlier.
In honor of the twentieth anniversary of Autobiography on July 20, see how we ranked the 12 tracks of Simpson’s debut album.
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“Giving It All Away”
With its jangly guitars and breezy refrain, “Giving It All Away” is among the extra innocuous songs on the report. However Simpson’s impassioned belting because the track involves an in depth shines.
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“Love Makes the World Go Spherical”
Regardless of being a breakup track, “Love Makes the World Go Spherical” feels nearly too polished for a report that has a lot pop-punk grit.
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“Nothing New”
“Nothing New” is a glimpse into Simpson’s inner chaos, as she grapples with being painted because the villain in a relationship. The singer-songwriter’s frustration fuels the track as she chides her lover: “Hey, so what’s my injury as we speak?/ Don’t let me get in your approach / Let it out such as you all the time do.”
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“Unreachable”
On “Unreachable,” Simpson intrigues as she channels Fiona Apple and meditates on the implications of a poisonous romance. Sadly, the monitor is finally a bit extra one-note than different songs on the report.
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“Love Me for Me”
“Love Me for Me” inherently initiatives the punk angle of Autobiography, however isn’t fairly as dynamic as a number of the tracks on the report. The track, nonetheless, options a few of Simpson’s finest vocal work, and a chill-inducing squeal.
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“Shadow”
Regardless of being the second single on Autobiography — and arguably its most private monitor — “Shadow” wasn’t fairly as biting as the remainder of the album. Nevertheless, “Shadow” supplied a refreshingly candid have a look at how Simpson felt her sister’s profession eclipsed her — and the empowerment she present in her personal self-discovery.
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“Higher Off”
“Higher Off” is a monitor that not solely feels distinctly Lilith Honest-core however, on reflection, could possibly be a sister track to Avril Lavigne’s “Issues I’ll By no means Say.” The track, which tones down the grit, is essentially underscored by related softer acoustics and an analogous sense of self-realization.
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“Autobiography”
Glimpsing on the extra literal lyrics of the track, there couldn’t have been a extra excellent opener for the report. From the anxious opening chords to Simpson describing the stains on her T-shirt and the way she’s “the most important flirt,” the track was the best snapshot of a 19-year-old lady and her interior psyche. Plus, it was insanely catchy because the theme track to The Ashlee Simpson Present.
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“Undiscovered”
Simpson saved one in all her finest for final with the weak nearer “Undiscovered.” On the dream-pop-tinged quantity, Simpson deftly captures the form of post-breakup longing that’s particular to teen romance. “’Trigger I can’t faux and I can’t hate / However it’s my coronary heart / That’s about to interrupt,” she croons with a breathy lilt.
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“Give up”
Whereas the snarling “Give up” wasn’t one of many album’s singles, it stays one of the thrilling moments on the report, harnessing the defiant spirit of Courtney Love and Joan Jett with swaggery power-pop riffs. In the meantime, Simpson crafts an immensely satisfying breakup track the place her optimism helps her land on high: “Oh you drive me loopy, oh you simply convey me down/ Look out your window, my sunshine’s throughout.”
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“Items of Me”
“Items of Me” was the quintessential anthem for these of us who had been additionally “moody and messy,” and who additionally occurred to like songs that mused in regards to the days of the week (see additionally: The Remedy’s “Friday I’m in Love” and Craig David’s “7 Days”). The swelling pop-punk lead single of Autobiography encompassed the angsty ethos Simpson aimed to seize in her debut, outlined by her raspy supply.
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“La La”
Within the 20 years since its launch, “La La” has grow to be a quintessential karaoke track. By means of an amalgamation of inventive sexual fantasies, Simpson created a rollicking ode to pleasure, with the grit of Joan Jett and tongue-in-cheek lyrics which have remained ingrained in our heads since its launch. “I’m like an alley cat/ Drink the milk up, I would like extra,” she snarls on the monitor. There’s a purpose why the track has remained an indicator of her profession.
