If you've ever worked in retail, you know that one of the oftentimes trying aspects is the music--generally a generic playlist from a company whose forte is obviously not creating music playlists--piped in over the P.A. system. It can be anything from a) grating, b) not indicative of your clientele, or c) chock full of the kind of shitty songs that people who know nothing about music generally like (a la "Gangnam Style") to the kind of music that makes you certain that Satan himself owns the company that distributes music to retail stores. That being said...through the years I've still managed to come across quite a few gems that I wasn't familiar with before hearing it over the store's sound system--much like this week's tune.
Ashlee Simpson was born in Waco, Texas in 1984 before her family moved to Los Angeles in 1999. She got her start being a back-up dancer for her older sister, Jessica Simpson, before landing a role on the series 7th Heaven. She appeared on her sister's reality show on MTV before getting her own reality show, the oh so cleverly titled The Ashlee Simpson Show (also on MTV) around the time she was recording her debut album. Unfortunately for Ms. Simpson, what she is likely to be most remembered for is getting caught lip synching on Saturday Night Live for which she has taken varying degrees of responsibility. Nonetheless, she has had a number of hit singles and albums since, as well as making multiple appearances in the musical Chicago. For her career, Ms. Simpson has released three studio albums with two #1's and a #4, and nine singles with one #5. She continues to record, with her last album released in 2018 (a collaboration with her husband Evan Ross).
"Pieces of Me" was the first single released from her debut album, Autobiography, in 2004. The single reached #5 (with a bullet) on the Billboard Hot 100, while the album was the first of her two to top the Billboard 200.
(Not So) Fun Fact: "Pieces of Me" was inspired by Simpson's relationship with fellow musician Ryan Cabrera...which lasted just slightly longer than the song was on the charts, ending in 2005.
To be perfectly honest, I'd have bet my house that I'd never like a song by Ashlee Simpson, but every now and again an artist gets a golden ticket and makes the most of it. "Pieces of Me" is an ode to the best parts of being young and in love, and it captures all the giddiness and wonder that it entails. SNL disaster aside, Simpson's vocals carry all the ecstasy and unbridled joy of a new love (the "Ohhh" blasts from her heart right on out of her body through her fingers and toes), and turn the song into a magical moment for the pop palate. Throw in a sugary sweet melody and lovingly lush backing vocals, and it all makes for an enchanting three minutes and seventeen seconds of pop music.
Lyric Sheet: "Fall...with you I fall so fast/I can hardly catch my breath, I hope it lasts/Ohhh..."
Enjoy:
The Republican Party Is Now a Fascist Cult Just Like Nazi Germany
Peace,
emaycee
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