I Am Me is the second studio album by American singer Ashlee Simpson. It was released in the United States on October 18, 2005, and debuted at number one in sales. The album produced two top-25 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, "Boyfriend" and "L.O.V.E." Simpson worked with John Shanks and Kara DioGuardi on this album, as she did on her first album, 2004's Autobiography. Shanks produced the album, and Simpson co-wrote all the songs with Shanks and DioGuardi.Geffen press release, "Ashlee Simpson's New Single 'Boyfriend' Now Radio's Best Friend Makes Fast Rise on U.S. Playlists" , PRNewswire, October 11, 2005. On December 15, I Am Me was certified Platinum by the RIAARIAA.com. for its shipments of over one million copies in the U.S. As of April 2008, it had sold 987,000 copies. A new single from Simpson, "Invisible", was reportedly going to be included on a re-release of I Am Me in mid-2006, but was canceled. The song was later included as an international bonus track on Simpson's next album, Bittersweet World.
Background and production I Am Me was released about fifteen months after Autobiography, which was released in July 2004. According to Simpson, following her concert tour from February to April 2005, she was supposed to take a month off, but began working on the album early;Alisha Davis, "Ashlee Simpson: Everybody Has Moments" , MTV.com. as she said, "I got home and got bored, so I called John Shanks and was like, 'Can I come in the studio? Let's get a head start so the record company's not asking for the record right away or anything."Gary Graff, "Ashlee Simpson puts woes of 'SNL' mishap on record", The Plain Dealer, October 20, 2005. She also said that she wanted to "get the pre-jitters or anything that was going wrong out of my system. And when I went in everything started going smooth. It was fun." According to Simpson, she felt less pressure when recording I Am Me than she did when recording Autobiography.
I Am Me is, like its predecessor, a mixture of rock and pop; it has been described as similar to Simpson's first album,Jennifer Vineyard, "Ashlee Remembers SNL Incident But Forgets Boys On New LP", MTV News, August 8, 2005. Joe Simpson is quoted here as saying: "They're going to love this record because it's more of the same". and Simpson herself has said that she wanted it to be "familiar" to Autobiography. Some differences have also been noted. I Am Me has been said to be influenced by '80s music,Talia Kraines, BBC.co.uk review of I Am Me.Stephen Thomas Erlewine, [ Allmusic review of I Am Me]. and Simpson herself said "I just love '80s music" and "It's just so light and fun, and that was a lot of what I wanted to do on this record.""I 'Me' Mine", Billboard.com, October 16, 2005. Prior to recording I Am Me, Simpson had said she wanted to incorporate more of the feel of 17th century music into her next album, as some of her favorite music is from that time.Jennifer Vineyard, "Ashlee Simpson Going '80s, Getting Personal On Next Album", MTV News, March 25, 2005.
I Am Me has been called more musically "aggressive" than Autobiography and incorporates a range of musical styles; it has been called "dynamic" and "ambitious". Simpson's father and manager Joe said that his daughter had to be held back from "the places she wanted to go" as an artist, because, he said, if she changed too quickly her fans would be left behind.Jonah Weiner, "Sister Act 2", Blender, December 2005, page 117. Simpson has mentioned how she tried "new sounds" when working on the album, citing in particular the song "Burnin Up",Larry King Live transcript, October 22, 2005. which was described by one reviewer as "a fairly credible stab at Clash-style dub".Mike Usinger, I Am Me review , Straight.com, November 10, 2005. This song is not a cover of the early Madonna song ("Burning Up") that Simpson covered live during her February–April 2005 tour.Josh Timmermann, review of I Am Me , Stylus, October 26, 2005.
Lyrically, the album reflects Simpson's different life experiences since her last album; in particular, two songs deal with Simpson's emotions following her failed performance on Saturday Night Live in October 2004, in which she used a backing track due to illness, only to have the wrong track played, thus making the presence of the backing track obvious and embarrassing her on live television. This incident left Simpson the target of a great deal of criticism and humor at her expense. The first song on the album that deals with the incident is "Beautifully Broken", which strikes a positive tone of overcoming as Simpson finds beauty in failure—"the song is kind of about when you're in bed and you're crying and you don't want to get up the next day ... it's about finding that inner strength and finding that part in yourself that's like, 'Yes, I can put my head up and I can continue.'" "Catch Me When I Fall", the second song on the album dealing with the incident, is a piano-driven ballad which reflects weakness and sadness and deals with a feeling of loneliness. The theme of accepting imperfections is reflected in a hidden message that is included in the CD case.MuchOnDemand transcript , November 1, 2005. Simpson has said of the album: "The record is dark meets light in a sense. I feel everyone has a dark side. This album is about finding the positive, finding the lighter side as well." Simpson mentioned in an AIM interview online that she chose the title I Am Me "because I've been through a lot of highs and lows this year, but no matter what happens to me I always stay true to who I am."AIM chat with Ashlee Simpson , November 2005. Simpson has also mentioned how the lyrics on the album reflect her different feelings at different times, the ups and downs she experienced: "We all get sad sometimes, and we all want to dance and party, too."
Like Autobiography, many of the songs deal with relationships. "Coming Back For More" is, as Simpson calls it, a "fun, dancey song about an ex-boyfriend" and their relationship that won't come to an end. "I Am Me" is an energetic song in which Simpson responds with hurt and anger to her boyfriend being with another girl, and insists: "I am me, and I won't change for anyone". "In Another Life" is, in Simpson's words, "a cute romantic song about when you meet a guy and it's kind of like he knows everything about you before you really get to know him, and you feel comfortable with him right away. And he makes you feel beautiful." "Say Goodbye", the melancholy album closer, deals with the ending of a relationship. Other songs cover a variety of topics: "Boyfriend" is a response to rumors or accusations that she stole another girl's boyfriend (although rumors suggest it is about her alleged affair with Lindsay Lohan's ex-boyfriend, Wilmer Valderrama, Simpson has said it is not about "one person in particular", but is instead about a situation many girls can relate toCorey Moss, "Ashlee Says New Single Isn't Directed At Lindsay Lohan", MTV News, August 15, 2005.); "L.O.V.E." is about girls going out and having fun without needing any guys;Vineyard, "Ashlee Remembers SNL Incident But Forgets Boys On New LP", MTV News, August 8, 2005. "Eyes Wide Open" is a "spooky song" about Simpson's feeling that there was a ghost living in her house.Total Request Live television interview, October 18, 2005.
In 2009, Miley Cyrus covered the international bonus track "Kicking and Screaming" for her The Time of Our Lives EP. Although Simpson co-wrote the song with Shanks and DioGuardi, Simpson was not credited for her writing contribution on Cyrus' EP.
Promotion Initially, the first single was planned to be "L.O.V.E.", and the album was going to be titled In Another Life. Soon after these things were announced, however, the first single was changed to "Boyfriend" and the album title to I Am Me.
"Boyfriend" officially hit radio on September 6 and its airplay rapidly increased afterward; it debuted on the Hot 100 in September at number 71,Barry A. Jeckell, "West Mines More No. 1s With 'Gold Digger'", Billboard.com, September 15, 2005. rose greatly the next week to number 24,Barry A. Jeckell, "Kanye Keeps Digging No. 1 Single", Billboard.com, September 22, 2005. and eventually reached a Hot 100 peak of number 19,[ Artist chart history for Ashlee Simpson], Billboard.com. making it Simpson's second most successful song on the Hot 100 to date. The song's music video premiered on MTV's Making the Video on September 12."Boyfriend" Video Premiere On MTV" , AshleeSimpsonMusic.com, September 12, 2005; see also the TV.com page on this episode.
"L.O.V.E." was the second single, as Simpson first said in an MSN Internet chat on October 26. Prior to its release as a single, "L.O.V.E." debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 78 in late October,Katie Hasty, "Kanye's 'Gold' Begins Eighth Week At No. 1", Billboard.com, October 27, 2005. and re-entered at number 76 in December; it subsequently reached its peak at number 22. The "L.O.V.E." video also spent 10 total days at number one on MTV's video countdown show Total Request Live.TRL Archives - March 2006 , AbsoluteTRL.net. "Catch Me When I Fall" charted on the Billboard Pop 100 at number 93 on the strength of its downloads, although it was not released as a single.
Simpson made several notable television appearances, including a return to Saturday Night Live on the night of October 8–9 (during which she performed "Catch Me When I Fall" and "Boyfriend"),Joal Ryan, , E! Online, October 11, 2005. to promote I Am Me and its singles. On the album's release date, October 18, Simpson performed "Boyfriend" and "Coming Back For More" on Good Morning America,"Ashlee Simpson's Big Comeback" , ABC News, October 18, 2005. and she appeared for an interview on Live with Regis and Kelly, although she did not perform.Episode page for Live With Regis and Kelly, October 18, 2005 , TV.com. Later in the day she appeared on Total Request Live, where she performed "Boyfriend".TRL Archive - October 2005 , AbsoluteTRL.net. She also sang "Boyfriend" on the October 21 episode of The Tonight Show, Popdirt.com, October 23, 2005. and was on the October 22 episode of Larry King Live (guest-hosted by Ryan Seacrest) for an interview, along with her father/manager Joe. On the October 24 episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show she sang "Boyfriend" and was interviewed;Episode summary for The Ellen DeGeneres Show, October 24, 2005 , TV.com. on November 1 she was in Canada to promote the album and appeared on MuchMusic's MuchOnDemand for an interview.
Simpson began promoting "L.O.V.E." with a performance on the Late Show with David Letterman on November 21, followed by a performance of the song on the November 22 episode of The View., Popdirt.com, November 25, 2005. On December 6, she sang "L.O.V.E." as part of a performance with Pretty Ricky at the Billboard Music Awards.Jonathan Cohen, "Stars Descend On Vegas For BMA Rehearsals", Billboard.com, December 6, 2005. Simpson sang "L.O.V.E." on the first episode of CD USA, which aired on January 21, 2006, and was also interviewed on the show.
Simpson went to the UK to promote I Am Me and "Boyfriend" in late January 2006; on February 5 she performed "Boyfriend" on Top of the Pops Reloaded."Ashlee Simpson Performs On 'Top Of The Pops'", Popdirt.com, February 6, 2006. Later in February, in the U.S., Simpson was awarded with a "Bounce Back Award" at the TRL Awards, which aired on February 25,"Madonna Gets Lifetime Award" , FemaleFirst.co.uk, February 27, 2006. and performed "L.O.V.E." on the occasion. Simpson hosted the MTV Australia Video Music Awards on April 12, 2006, and performed both "Boyfriend" and "L.O.V.E.", News.com.au, April 12, 2006.