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==Chart performance==
==Chart performance==
"Pieces of Me" began receiving widespread radio play in the U.S. in May 2004, well before the album's release on [[July 20]]. According to an article in the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', ninety-seven stations added "Pieces of Me" to their play lists in the week ending on [[May 17]], which it said was the strongest week for any single in 2004 at that point in the year.<ref>Steve Hochman, [http://www.ashleemedia.net/displayimage.php?album=732&pos=1 "Another Simpson living in the lens"], ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', 2004.</ref> The song debuted on the [[Billboard Hot 100]] at number sixty-one in June 2004 (the chart's top début for the week)<ref>Margo Whitmire, [http://www.billboard.com/bb/daily/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000550918 "Usher Locks Up Singles Chart Again"], Billboard.com, [[June 24]] [[2004]].</ref> and reached the top ten in August,<ref>Margo Whitmire, [http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000614876 "'Lean Back' Gets Comfy At No. 1"], Billboard.com, [[August 19]] [[2004]].</ref> before peaking at number five in September 2004.<ref>Margo Whitmire, [http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000626797 "Ciara's 'Goodies' Still Good At No. 1"], [[September 9]] [[2004]].</ref> "Pieces of Me" remained in the top fifty on the Hot 100 chart until November 2004,<!--in its 22nd week on hot 100?--> and it also reached number one on the Billboard Top 40 Tracks chart. The U.S. [[compact disc|CD]] single (which includes the album version of the song as well as an instrumental) was released by [[Geffen Records]] on [[June 29]] [[2004]], and debuted at number three in single sales,<ref>David Jenison, [http://www.eonline.com/News/Items/0,1,14461,00.html "Fantasia Beats Diana...Again"], E! Online, [[July 7]] [[2004]].</ref> eventually being [[RIAA certification|certified gold]] in October 2004 [http://www.billboard.com/bb/riaa/archive/0410.jsp] and platinum in January 2005. [http://www.billboard.com/bb/riaa/archive/0501.jsp]<!--[[31 July]] [[2004]]: single sales peaked at 4? 4, from 4, in 4th week in single sales. [[31 July]]: digital tracks peaked at 1 in 9th week? up from 2? [[19 September]] [[2004]]: liquid top 20 downloads, at 12 down from 10. [[2 October]] [[2004]]: top 40 tracks, week 15, at 3 down from 2, peaked at 1. [[2 October]]:top 40 mainstream, week 17, at 2, down from 1 in week 16. [[2 October]]: adult top 40, week 8, at 6 up from 7, has not yet reached peak of 4. [[30 October]] [[2004]]: top 40 tracks, week 19, at 12 down from 10, peaked at 1. also as of 10/30, week 21 on the top40 mainstream, at 14 down from 9, already peaked at 1. 10/30:adult top 40, week 12, at 4 up from 5, peak. [[6 November]] [[2004]]:top 40 tracks, in week 20, at 15 down from 12.--> "Pieces of Me" was number thirty-nine on Billboard's 2004 year end Hot 100 Singles & Tracks chart<ref>[http://www.billboard.biz/bb/biz/yearendcharts/2004/hsititl.jsp The Billboard Hot 100 Singles & Tracks, 2004 Year End Chart], Billboard.com, [[December 25]] [[2004]].</ref> and number thirty-six on the year end Hot 100 Singles Sales chart.<ref>[http://www.billboard.biz/bb/biz/yearendcharts/2004/hsstitl.jsp The Billboard Hot 100 Singles Sales Titles, 2004 Year End Chart], Billboard.com, [[December 25]] [[2004]].</ref>
"Pieces of Me", the second track on ''Autobiography'', began receiving widespread radio play in the U.S. in May 2004, well before the album's release on [[July 20]]. According to an article in the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', 97 stations added "Pieces of Me" to their play lists in the week ending on [[May 17]], which it said was the strongest week for any single in 2004 at that point in the year.<ref>Steve Hochman, [http://www.ashleemedia.net/displayimage.php?album=732&pos=1 "Another Simpson living in the lens"], ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', 2004.</ref> The song debuted on the [[Billboard Hot 100]] at number 61 in June 2004 (the chart's top début for the week)<ref>Margo Whitmire, [http://www.billboard.com/bb/daily/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000550918 "Usher Locks Up Singles Chart Again"], Billboard.com, [[June 24]] [[2004]].</ref> and reached the top ten in August with a rise from number 13 to number nine.<ref>Margo Whitmire, [http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000614876 "'Lean Back' Gets Comfy At No. 1"], Billboard.com, [[August 19]] [[2004]].</ref> It then rose to number eight the next week,<ref>Margo Whitmire, [http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000619674 "'Lean Back' Retains No. 1 Groove"], Billboard.com, [[August 26]] [[2004]].</ref>, where it spent two weeks before peaking at number five on the Hot 100 in September 2004.<ref>Margo Whitmire, [http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000626797 "Ciara's 'Goodies' Still Good At No. 1"], [[September 9]] [[2004]].</ref> After spending one week at number five, it fell to number six<ref>Margo Whitmire, [http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000631448 "Ciara's 'Goodies' Steadfast At No. 1"], Billboard.com, [[September 16]] [[2004]].</ref> and then to number seven.<ref>Margo Whitmire, [http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000640864 "Ciara Keeps 'Goodies' Perched On Top"], Billboard.com, [[September 23]] [[2004]].</ref> "Pieces of Me" remained in the top 50 on the Hot 100 chart until November 2004.<!--in its 22nd week on hot 100?--> It also reached number one on the Billboard Top 40 Tracks chart. The single was [[RIAA certification|certified gold]] in October 2004 [http://www.billboard.com/bb/riaa/archive/0410.jsp] and platinum in January 2005. [http://www.billboard.com/bb/riaa/archive/0501.jsp]<!--[[31 July]] [[2004]]: single sales peaked at 4? 4, from 4, in 4th week in single sales. [[31 July]]: digital tracks peaked at 1 in 9th week? up from 2? [[19 September]] [[2004]]: liquid top 20 downloads, at 12 down from 10. [[2 October]] [[2004]]: top 40 tracks, week 15, at 3 down from 2, peaked at 1. [[2 October]]:top 40 mainstream, week 17, at 2, down from 1 in week 16. [[2 October]]: adult top 40, week 8, at 6 up from 7, has not yet reached peak of 4. [[30 October]] [[2004]]: top 40 tracks, week 19, at 12 down from 10, peaked at 1. also as of 10/30, week 21 on the top40 mainstream, at 14 down from 9, already peaked at 1. 10/30:adult top 40, week 12, at 4 up from 5, peak. [[6 November]] [[2004]]:top 40 tracks, in week 20, at 15 down from 12.--> "Pieces of Me" was number 39 on Billboard's 2004 year end Hot 100 Singles & Tracks chart<ref>[http://www.billboard.biz/bb/biz/yearendcharts/2004/hsititl.jsp The Billboard Hot 100 Singles & Tracks, 2004 Year End Chart], Billboard.com, [[December 25]] [[2004]].</ref> and number 36 on the year end Hot 100 Singles Sales chart.<ref>[http://www.billboard.biz/bb/biz/yearendcharts/2004/hsstitl.jsp The Billboard Hot 100 Singles Sales Titles, 2004 Year End Chart], Billboard.com, [[December 25]] [[2004]].</ref>

The U.S. [[compact disc|CD]] single was released by [[Geffen Records]] on [[June 29]] [[2004]], and debuted at number three in single sales (behind ''[[American Idol]]'' stars [[Fantasia Barrino]] and [[Diana DeGarmo]]) with almost 8,000 copies sold.<ref>David Jenison, [http://www.eonline.com/News/Items/0,1,14461,00.html "Fantasia Beats Diana...Again"], E! Online, [[July 7]] [[2004]].</ref> The single includes the album version of the song as well as an instrumental. On the cover, Simpson has dark hair, and the artwork is similar to that of the album ''Autobiography''; an earlier, promotional version of the single shows a blonde Simpson with a yellow jacket. This promotional version includes only the original version of the song.

⚫
The single was released in the [[United Kingdom]] on [[September 27]] [[2004]], on two CDs; the first includes a David Garcia & High Spies [[remix]], and the second includes remixes, a [[medley]] of snippets of songs from ''Autobiography'' ("[[Shadow (song)|Shadow]]", "Autobiography", "[[La La (song)|La La]]", and "Better Off"), and the "Pieces of Me" [[music video]]. "Pieces of Me" debuted at number four on the [[UK Singles Chart]] for the week ending [[October 3]] and remained in the top 40 for seven weeks.<ref>[http://www.clanhosts.com/chart/songinfo.php?id=366 "Pieces of Me" U.K. chart positions], Chart Stats - UK Singles & Albums Chart Statistics.</ref> <!--#55 [[28 November]], #74 [[5 December]]-->


Simpson has described her excitement when she first heard the song on the radio:
Simpson has described her excitement when she first heard the song on the radio:
Line 36: Line 40:
:"I was in [[Los Angeles, California|L.A.]] and my sister heard me on the radio and was freaking out and called me so I turned on the radio in my apartment with my two best friends and started jumping around and freaking out."<ref>''[http://www.944.biz 944]'', [http://www.ashleemedia.net/displayimage.php?album=752&pos=2 Volume 3, Issue 8, page 75.] Interview.</ref>
:"I was in [[Los Angeles, California|L.A.]] and my sister heard me on the radio and was freaking out and called me so I turned on the radio in my apartment with my two best friends and started jumping around and freaking out."<ref>''[http://www.944.biz 944]'', [http://www.ashleemedia.net/displayimage.php?album=752&pos=2 Volume 3, Issue 8, page 75.] Interview.</ref>


In [[Australia]], "Pieces of Me" made its début on the [[Australian Record Industry Association|ARIA]] singles chart at number 14 [http://top40-charts.com/chart.php?cid=4&date=2004-08-07], and peaked for two weeks at number 7 in September; [http://top40-charts.com/chart.php?cid=4&date=2004-09-25] it fell out of the top 40 in late November 2004. "Pieces of Me" was also accredited as a gold single in Australia.<ref>[http://www.aria.com.au/pages/aria-charts-accreditations-singles-2004.htm ARIA Charts - Accreditations - 2004 Singles], Aria.com.au.</ref> In [[New Zealand]], the song debuted on the [[Recording Industry Association of New Zealand|RIANZ]] top 40 singles chart at number 33 in September 2004, peaked at 32 the next week, and fell out of the top 40 after its third week.<ref>[http://www.rianz.org.nz/rianz/chart.asp RIANZ Top 40 Singles Chart], weeks September 20&ndash;October 4, 2004.</ref>
⚫
The song made its début somewhat later in the United Kingdom, where the album was also released several months after it was in the U.S. The single was released in the [[United Kingdom]] on [[September 27]] [[2004]], on two CDs; the first includes a David Garcia & High Spies [[remix]], and the second includes remixes, a [[medley]] of snippets of songs from ''Autobiography'' ("[[Shadow (song)|Shadow]]", "Autobiography", "[[La La (song)|La La]]", and "Better Off"), and the "Pieces of Me" [[music video]]. "Pieces of Me" debuted at number four on the [[UK Singles Chart]] for the week ending [[October 3]] and remained in the top forty for seven weeks.<ref>[http://www.clanhosts.com/chart/songinfo.php?id=366 "Pieces of Me" U.K. chart positions], Chart Stats - UK Singles & Albums Chart Statistics.</ref>


In [[Australia]], "Pieces of Me" début outside the top ten on the [[Australian Record Industry Association|ARIA]] singles chart [http://top40-charts.com/chart.php?cid=4&date=2004-08-07] and peaked at number seven in September; [http://top40-charts.com/chart.php?cid=4&date=2004-09-25] it fell out of the top forty in November. "Pieces of Me" was also accredited as a gold single in Australia.<ref>[http://www.aria.com.au/pages/aria-charts-accreditations-singles-2004.htm ARIA Charts - Accreditations - 2004 Singles], Aria.com.au.</ref> In [[New Zealand]], the song peaked within the top forty on the [[Recording Industry Association of New Zealand|RIANZ]] singles chart in September 2004.<ref>[http://www.rianz.org.nz/rianz/chart.asp RIANZ Top 40 Singles Chart], weeks September 20&ndash;October 4, 2004.</ref> In [[Germany]] and [[Italy]], "Pieces of Me" reached the top thirty, [http://top40-charts.com/chart.php?cid=12&date=2004-10-09] [http://www.fimi.it/classifiche.asp?idclassifica=1266&archivio=true] and in [[Austria]] and [[Switzerland]] it reached the top twenty. [http://charts.orf.at/oe3/records/112947/main?charttype=single&tmp=15775] [http://www.hitparade.ch/showitem.asp?interpret=Ashlee+Simpson&titel=Pieces+Of+Me&cat=s] The song reached the top five in [[Norway]] and [[Denmark]] [http://lista.vg.no/album_info.php?AlbumOp=show&albumId=4409&albumtype=song&albumtype_id=] [http://www.hit-listen.dk/2003/chartpages/lister.asp?w=40&y=2004&list=s20] and the top forty in [[Sweden]]. [http://www.sr.se/p3/topplistor/topplistan/?getListW=46&getListY=2004&showyear=2004&listID=3] <!--In [[Taiwan]], the song debuted at number three on the ICRT Top 20 chart and reached number two in its third week; it remained at number two for three weeks. [http://www.icrt.com.tw/en/tt20.php?cv=e&date=200436] ??? is this the right chart? do we need to be more specific?-->
In [[Germany]], "Pieces of Me" reached number 26 on the singles chart, [http://top40-charts.com/chart.php?cid=12&date=2004-10-09] and in [[Austria]] it debuted at number 43 and peaked at 15 in its sixth week. [http://charts.orf.at/oe3/records/112947/main?charttype=single&tmp=15775] In [[Switzerland]], it debuted at number 17 and peaked at 11 in its third week, in October 2004. [http://www.hitparade.ch/showitem.asp?interpret=Ashlee+Simpson&titel=Pieces+Of+Me&cat=s] In [[Italy]], "Pieces of Me" peaked at 24 in October 2004, in its fourth week on the top 50 singles chart after debuting at 47; [http://www.fimi.it/classifiche.asp?idclassifica=1266&archivio=true] after seven weeks, it fell out of the top 50. In [[Denmark]], the song debuted at 5 and peaked at 4, [http://www.hit-listen.dk/2003/chartpages/lister.asp?w=40&y=2004&list=s20] after which it fell off the chart; in [[Sweden]], it reached a peak of number 31 on the singles chart, [http://www.sr.se/p3/topplistor/topplistan/?getListW=46&getListY=2004&showyear=2004&listID=3] while in Norway it stayed on the top 20 singles chart for 12 weeks, peaking at 3 in its fifth week. [http://lista.vg.no/album_info.php?AlbumOp=show&albumId=4409&albumtype=song&albumtype_id=] <!--In [[Taiwan]], the song debuted at number three on the ICRT Top 20 chart and reached number two in its third week; it remained at number two for three weeks. [http://www.icrt.com.tw/en/tt20.php?cv=e&date=200436] ??? is this the right chart? do we need to be more specific?-->


"Pieces of Me" is a track on the American ''[[Now That's What I Call Music! 17 (U.S. series)|Now That's What I Call Music! 17]]'', a [[compilation album|compilation]] of popular music that was released in November 2004.<ref>Barry A. Jeckell, [http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000681575 "'NOW' Series Spawns 17th CD, 2nd DVD"], Billboard.com, [[October 20]] [[2004]].</ref> It also is included on the American ''[[Now That's What I Call Music! Number 1's|Now That's What I Call Music!, #1's]]'', a compilation of songs that reached number one or songs that reached a high standard on the Billboard Hot 100; the compilation was released in January 2006.
"Pieces of Me" is track 16 on the American ''[[Now That's What I Call Music! 17 (U.S. series)|Now That's What I Call Music! 17]]'', a [[compilation album|compilation]] of popular music that was released on [[November 2]] [[2004]].<ref>Barry A. Jeckell, [http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000681575 "'NOW' Series Spawns 17th CD, 2nd DVD"], Billboard.com, [[October 20]] [[2004]].</ref> It also is track 12 on the American ''[[Now That's What I Call Music! Number 1's|Now That's What I Call Music!, #1's]]'', a compilation of songs that reached #1 or songs that reached a high standard on the [[Billboard Hot 100]]; the compilation was released in January 2006.


==On television==
==On television==
[[Image:POM55.jpg|thumb|right|200px|A screenshot from the "Pieces of Me" music video, from its premiere on ''[[Total Request Live]]'']]
[[Image:POM55.jpg|thumb|right|200px|A screenshot from the "Pieces of Me" music video, from its premiere on ''[[Total Request Live]]'']]
The music video for the song, directed by Stefan Smith,<ref name="Vid">Press release, [http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=109&STORY=/www/story/07-25-2005/0004074028&EDATE= "MTV Announces Host, Nominees, and Performers for the 2005 Video Music Awards"], PRNewswire.com, [[July 25]] [[2005]].</ref> features Simpson and her band in the studio interspersed with clips of reality TV footage. The video is fairly simplistic, and Simpson refers to the more elaborate video for her second single, "Shadow", as her first "real" video. The "Pieces of Me" video premiered on [[MTV]]'s ''[[Total Request Live]]'' on [[May 17]], [[2004]], debut on the countdown's top ten in July,<!--apparently it was previously on the countdown in June once, but was in the top 20 that day--they were doing an extended version of the countdown that day--> reached number one for the first time on [[August 4]] and remained on the countdown until [[September 13]], at which point the "Shadow" video premiered and took its place on the countdown.<ref>[http://www.absolutetrl.net/records/recaparchive/2004_05.html TRL Archives - May 2004], [http://www.absolutetrl.net/records/recaparchive/2004_06.html June 2004], [http://www.absolutetrl.net/records/recaparchive/2004_07.html July 2004], [http://www.absolutetrl.net/records/recaparchive/2004_08.html August 2004], and [http://www.absolutetrl.net/records/recaparchive/2004_09.html September 2004], AbsoluteTRL.net.</ref> The video for "Pieces of Me" was nominated for "Best Pop Video" for the 2005 [[MTV Video Music Awards]],<ref name="Vid"/> but lost to [[Kelly Clarkson]]'s "[[Since U Been Gone]]".<ref>Christina Fuoco, [http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/kellyclarkson/articles/story/7592772/green_day_rock_the_vmas "Green Day Rock the VMAs"], ''Rolling Stone'', [[August 29]] [[2005]].</ref> The video was also nominated for the same category for the 2005 [[MTV Australia Video Music Awards]],<ref>Carmine Pascuzzi, [http://www.mediasearch.com.au/music/wrap/mtvaustralia-awards2005 "Voting closes on [[February 14]] for MTV Australia Video Music Awards 2005"], Mediasearch.com.au.</ref> but lost to [[Guy Sebastian]]'s "[[Out With My Baby]]".<ref>Elle Halliwell and Juliet Anderson, [http://www.mediasearch.com.au/music/spotlights/mtv-australianmtvmusicvideoawardfs-2005 "MTV Australian Video Music Awards for 2005 - winners and pictures"], Mediasearch.com.au.</ref>
The music video for the song, directed by Stefan Smith,<ref name="Vid">Press release, [http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=109&STORY=/www/story/07-25-2005/0004074028&EDATE= "MTV Announces Host, Nominees, and Performers for the 2005 Video Music Awards"], PRNewswire.com, [[July 25]] [[2005]].</ref> features Simpson (wearing a white shirt emblazoned with the word "punk" and a pink dress) and her band in the studio interspersed with clips of reality TV footage. The video is fairly simplistic, and Simpson refers to the more elaborate video for her second single, "Shadow", as her first "real" video. A January 2005 [[television commercial]] for season two of ''The Ashlee Simpson Show'' depicted a store employee comically singing the song.

Simpson appeared on [[MTV]]'s ''[[Total Request Live]]'' on [[May 17]], [[2004]], and the "Pieces of Me" video was premiered on the show on this date. On [[June 2]], she also appeared on the show and performed the song. The video did not debut on the countdown's top ten until July 19, however.<!--apparently it was previously on the countdown in June once, but was in the top 20 that day--they were doing an extended version of the countdown that day--> It reached number one for the first time on [[August 4]], and remained on the countdown until [[September 13]], at which point the "Shadow" video premiered and took its place on the countdown.<ref>[http://www.absolutetrl.net/records/recaparchive/2004_05.html TRL Archives - May 2004], [http://www.absolutetrl.net/records/recaparchive/2004_06.html June 2004], [http://www.absolutetrl.net/records/recaparchive/2004_07.html July 2004], [http://www.absolutetrl.net/records/recaparchive/2004_08.html August 2004], and [http://www.absolutetrl.net/records/recaparchive/2004_09.html September 2004], AbsoluteTRL.net.</ref>

Simpson has frequently performed "Pieces of Me" live, including a number of notable television performances. She sang the song at Summer Music Mania on [[May 20]], and it aired on [[Fox Broadcasting Company|FOX]] on [[June 1]].<ref>Larry Rodgers, [http://www.azcentral.com/ent/music/articles/0521simpson21-CP.html "Fox's 'Summer Music Mania'"], ''[[The Arizona Republic]]'', [[May 21]] [[2004]].</ref> The ''Tonight Show'' episode in which Simpson sang "Pieces of Me" (followed by a brief interview with [[Jay Leno]]) aired on [[May 24]] [[2004]], and Simpson also sang the song on ''[[The Late Show with David Letterman]]'' on [[July 16]]. She performed "Pieces of Me" (after a brief interview with [[Charles Gibson]]) on ''[[Good Morning America]]'' on [[July 19]], the day before her album was released in the U.S., and on [[July 27]], she sang it (after an interview) on [[Ryan Seacrest]]'s talk show, ''[[On Air With Ryan Seacrest]]''. On [[August 8]] she performed "Pieces of Me" on the [[Teen Choice Award]]s, and the song also received the "Song of the Summer" award.<ref>Corey Moss, [http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1490028/20040809/story.jhtml "Usher And Lindsay Win Big, Ashlee Burps, Britney A No-Show At Teen Choice Awards"], MTV News, [[August 9]] [[2004]].</ref> On [[August 29]], Simpson performed the song during the pre-show for the 2004 [[MTV Video Music Awards]].<ref>Corey Moss, [http://www.mtv.com/news/vma/2004/article.jhtml?id=1490637 "Outkast, Jay-Z Win Big At VMAs; Usher, No Doubt Land Multiple Moonmen"], MTV News, [[August 29]] [[2004]].</ref>

The song made its début somewhat later in the United Kingdom, where the album was also released several months after it was in the U.S. In September 2004, Simpson made several notable television appearances in the U.K. in which she performed the song, including on ''Top of the Pops'' ([[September 17]]),<ref>[http://popdirt.com/article32896.html "Ashlee Simpson Performs On 'Top Of The Pops'"], Popdirt.com, [[September 18]] [[2004]]. (see [http://www.bbc.co.uk/totp/artists/s/simpson_ashlee/clips/pieces_of_me.shtml video])</ref> ''Top of the Pops Saturday'' ([[September 25]]), ''CD:UK'' and ''Popworld''.

⚫
Later in 2004, on the [[October 23]]/24 episode of ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'', Simpson performed "Pieces of Me" as her first of two songs that night; when she started to perform her second song (which was supposed to be "Autobiography"), a recording of "Pieces of Me" was mistakenly played instead, indicating that Simpson was using some sort of vocal aid (she later explained it as being due to her [[Gastroesophageal reflux disease|acid reflux]] condition).<ref>Jennifer Vineyard, [http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1492993/20041025/story.jhtml "Ashlee Blames Gastric Distress For 'SNL' Lip-Synch Snafu"], MTV News, [[October 25]] [[2004]].</ref> For her next performance, at the [[Radio Music Awards]] on [[October 25]], Simpson poked fun at the ''SNL'' incident by having some of "Pieces of Me" play at the beginning of her performance, to suggest that she was caught in the same situation as before, only to then smile and exclaim that she was "just kidding", and begin performing "Autobiography".<ref>Jennifer Vineyard, [http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1493025/20041026/story.jhtml "Ashlee Pokes Fun At Self, Lip-Synch Flap: 'It's So Silly'"], MTV News, [[October 26]] [[2004]].</ref>

She subsequently performed "Pieces of Me" (in addition to a performance of "La La") on ''Jingle Ball Rock'', a television special on FOX featuring performances by a number of popular artists; it was taped on [[December 3]] and aired on the evening of [[December 17]]. She also sang the song as part of a concert broadcast live over the Internet on [[December 6]], and during the performance she pulled a member of the audience up on stage with her. Simpson later performed the song on ''[[Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve 2005]]'', in which she also hosted the West Coast portion of the show.<ref>[http://www.geffen.com/artist/dates/archive.aspx/aid/26/dt/01-01-2004 Ashlee Simpson - Date Archive], 2004, Geffen.com.</ref>


The video for "Pieces of Me" was nominated for "Best Pop Video" for the 2005 [[MTV Video Music Awards]],<ref name="Vid"/> but lost to [[Kelly Clarkson]]'s "[[Since U Been Gone]]".<ref>Christina Fuoco, [http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/kellyclarkson/articles/story/7592772/green_day_rock_the_vmas "Green Day Rock the VMAs"], ''Rolling Stone'', [[August 29]] [[2005]].</ref> The video was also nominated for the same category for the 2005 [[MTV Australia Video Music Awards]],<ref>Carmine Pascuzzi, [http://www.mediasearch.com.au/music/wrap/mtvaustralia-awards2005 "Voting closes on [[February 14]] for MTV Australia Video Music Awards 2005"], Mediasearch.com.au.</ref> but lost to [[Guy Sebastian]]'s "[[Out With My Baby]]".<ref>Elle Halliwell and Juliet Anderson, [http://www.mediasearch.com.au/music/spotlights/mtv-australianmtvmusicvideoawardfs-2005 "MTV Australian Video Music Awards for 2005 - winners and pictures"], Mediasearch.com.au.</ref>
⚫
Later in 2004, on the [[October 23]]/24 episode of ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'', Simpson performed "Pieces of Me" as her first of two songs that night; when she started to perform her second song (which was supposed to be "Autobiography"), a recording of "Pieces of Me" was mistakenly played instead, indicating that Simpson was using some sort of vocal aid (she later explained it as being due to her [[Gastroesophageal reflux disease|acid reflux]] condition).<ref>Jennifer Vineyard, [http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1492993/20041025/story.jhtml "Ashlee Blames Gastric Distress For 'SNL' Lip-Synch Snafu"], MTV News, [[October 25]] [[2004]].</ref> For her next performance, at the [[Radio Music Awards]] on [[October 25]], Simpson poked fun at the ''SNL'' incident by having some of "Pieces of Me" play at the beginning of her performance, to suggest that she was caught in the same situation as before, only to then smile and exclaim that she was "just kidding", and begin performing another song.<ref>Jennifer Vineyard, [http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1493025/20041026/story.jhtml "Ashlee Pokes Fun At Self, Lip-Synch Flap: 'It's So Silly'"], MTV News, [[October 26]] [[2004]].</ref>


==Formats and track listings==
==Formats and track listings==
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{| class="wikitable"
!align="center" bgcolor="white" colspan="31"|Australian ARIA Singles Chart
|- style="background-color: #white;"
!align="center"|Week
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|<center>14
|<center>13
|<center>9
|<center>12
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Revision as of 03:48, 21 May 2006

"Pieces of Me"
Song

"Pieces of Me" is a song by American pop/rock singer Ashlee Simpson and the first single from her début album, Autobiography. The song, which was co-written by Simpson, Kara DioGuardi and John Shanks (and produced by Shanks), is a blend of pop and rock with lyrics about finding comfort and happiness in a relationship with a new boyfriend. "Pieces of Me" was released as the first single from Autobiography in mid-2004 (see 2004 in music), prior to the album's release in July; it peaked at number five in the United States (on the Billboard Hot 100), and contributed to the considerable success of Autobiography, which went triple platinum in the U.S. Outside of the U.S., the song enjoyed some chart success as well, reaching the top ten in a number of countries. As of 2006, it remains Simpson's most successful song, and her only song to reach the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100.

About the record

The recording of "Pieces of Me" features in the fourth episode of the first season of Simpson's reality show, The Ashlee Simpson Show, and was inspired by Simpson's relationship with the musician Ryan Cabrera,[1] a friend with whom she became romantically involved. (Somewhat ironically, the two were reported to have broken up in August 2004, while the song was still high on the charts, because of their busy schedules.[2] They soon got back together before breaking up again in early 2006.) In one interview, Simpson said of the song: "it's a feel good song, it's easy to listen to and every time I perform it or listen to it or whatever, ... it just feels good."[3] Jeff Rothschild played drums on the track, Shanks played guitars and bass, and Simpson and DioGuardi did background vocals.

IGN.com said of the song that it "lopes along to a feel good melancholic guitar strum while [Simpson] waxes like any lovelorn 19-year old would about the current love of their life."[4] Another review said that the "stringy" guitar riffs in "Pieces of Me" were "simple, yet effective", with the "catchy chorus bringing the song to life."[5] According to one review of the album, Simpson's singing on the track goes from "impassioned wail to innocent cooing ably."[6]A U.K. review of the single called it "palatable" "as guitar-led lipstick confessionals go". [7] It has also been described as a "perfect choice" for the album's first single, having "a tempo between fast and slow, with hints of both throughout the song." [8]

Chart performance

"Pieces of Me", the second track on Autobiography, began receiving widespread radio play in the U.S. in May 2004, well before the album's release on July 20. According to an article in the Los Angeles Times, 97 stations added "Pieces of Me" to their play lists in the week ending on May 17, which it said was the strongest week for any single in 2004 at that point in the year.[9] The song debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 61 in June 2004 (the chart's top début for the week)[10] and reached the top ten in August with a rise from number 13 to number nine.[11] It then rose to number eight the next week,[12], where it spent two weeks before peaking at number five on the Hot 100 in September 2004.[13] After spending one week at number five, it fell to number six[14] and then to number seven.[15] "Pieces of Me" remained in the top 50 on the Hot 100 chart until November 2004. It also reached number one on the Billboard Top 40 Tracks chart. The single was certified gold in October 2004 [1] and platinum in January 2005. [2] "Pieces of Me" was number 39 on Billboard's 2004 year end Hot 100 Singles & Tracks chart[16] and number 36 on the year end Hot 100 Singles Sales chart.[17]

The U.S. CD single was released by Geffen Records on June 29 2004, and debuted at number three in single sales (behind American Idol stars Fantasia Barrino and Diana DeGarmo) with almost 8,000 copies sold.[18] The single includes the album version of the song as well as an instrumental. On the cover, Simpson has dark hair, and the artwork is similar to that of the album Autobiography; an earlier, promotional version of the single shows a blonde Simpson with a yellow jacket. This promotional version includes only the original version of the song.

The single was released in the United Kingdom on September 27 2004, on two CDs; the first includes a David Garcia & High Spies remix, and the second includes remixes, a medley of snippets of songs from Autobiography ("Shadow", "Autobiography", "La La", and "Better Off"), and the "Pieces of Me" music video. "Pieces of Me" debuted at number four on the UK Singles Chart for the week ending October 3 and remained in the top 40 for seven weeks.[19]

Simpson has described her excitement when she first heard the song on the radio:

"I was in L.A. and my sister heard me on the radio and was freaking out and called me so I turned on the radio in my apartment with my two best friends and started jumping around and freaking out."[20]

In Australia, "Pieces of Me" made its début on the ARIA singles chart at number 14 [3], and peaked for two weeks at number 7 in September; [4] it fell out of the top 40 in late November 2004. "Pieces of Me" was also accredited as a gold single in Australia.[21] In New Zealand, the song debuted on the RIANZ top 40 singles chart at number 33 in September 2004, peaked at 32 the next week, and fell out of the top 40 after its third week.[22]

In Germany, "Pieces of Me" reached number 26 on the singles chart, [5] and in Austria it debuted at number 43 and peaked at 15 in its sixth week. [6] In Switzerland, it debuted at number 17 and peaked at 11 in its third week, in October 2004. [7] In Italy, "Pieces of Me" peaked at 24 in October 2004, in its fourth week on the top 50 singles chart after debuting at 47; [8] after seven weeks, it fell out of the top 50. In Denmark, the song debuted at 5 and peaked at 4, [9] after which it fell off the chart; in Sweden, it reached a peak of number 31 on the singles chart, [10] while in Norway it stayed on the top 20 singles chart for 12 weeks, peaking at 3 in its fifth week. [11]

"Pieces of Me" is track 16 on the American Now That's What I Call Music! 17, a compilation of popular music that was released on November 2 2004.[23] It also is track 12 on the American Now That's What I Call Music!, #1's, a compilation of songs that reached #1 or songs that reached a high standard on the Billboard Hot 100; the compilation was released in January 2006.

On television

File:POM55.jpg
A screenshot from the "Pieces of Me" music video, from its premiere on Total Request Live

The music video for the song, directed by Stefan Smith,[24] features Simpson (wearing a white shirt emblazoned with the word "punk" and a pink dress) and her band in the studio interspersed with clips of reality TV footage. The video is fairly simplistic, and Simpson refers to the more elaborate video for her second single, "Shadow", as her first "real" video. A January 2005 television commercial for season two of The Ashlee Simpson Show depicted a store employee comically singing the song.

Simpson appeared on MTV's Total Request Live on May 17, 2004, and the "Pieces of Me" video was premiered on the show on this date. On June 2, she also appeared on the show and performed the song. The video did not debut on the countdown's top ten until July 19, however. It reached number one for the first time on August 4, and remained on the countdown until September 13, at which point the "Shadow" video premiered and took its place on the countdown.[25]

Simpson has frequently performed "Pieces of Me" live, including a number of notable television performances. She sang the song at Summer Music Mania on May 20, and it aired on FOX on June 1.[26] The Tonight Show episode in which Simpson sang "Pieces of Me" (followed by a brief interview with Jay Leno) aired on May 24 2004, and Simpson also sang the song on The Late Show with David Letterman on July 16. She performed "Pieces of Me" (after a brief interview with Charles Gibson) on Good Morning America on July 19, the day before her album was released in the U.S., and on July 27, she sang it (after an interview) on Ryan Seacrest's talk show, On Air With Ryan Seacrest. On August 8 she performed "Pieces of Me" on the Teen Choice Awards, and the song also received the "Song of the Summer" award.[27] On August 29, Simpson performed the song during the pre-show for the 2004 MTV Video Music Awards.[28]

The song made its début somewhat later in the United Kingdom, where the album was also released several months after it was in the U.S. In September 2004, Simpson made several notable television appearances in the U.K. in which she performed the song, including on Top of the Pops (September 17),[29] Top of the Pops Saturday (September 25), CD:UK and Popworld.

Later in 2004, on the October 23/24 episode of Saturday Night Live, Simpson performed "Pieces of Me" as her first of two songs that night; when she started to perform her second song (which was supposed to be "Autobiography"), a recording of "Pieces of Me" was mistakenly played instead, indicating that Simpson was using some sort of vocal aid (she later explained it as being due to her acid reflux condition).[30] For her next performance, at the Radio Music Awards on October 25, Simpson poked fun at the SNL incident by having some of "Pieces of Me" play at the beginning of her performance, to suggest that she was caught in the same situation as before, only to then smile and exclaim that she was "just kidding", and begin performing "Autobiography".[31]

She subsequently performed "Pieces of Me" (in addition to a performance of "La La") on Jingle Ball Rock, a television special on FOX featuring performances by a number of popular artists; it was taped on December 3 and aired on the evening of December 17. She also sang the song as part of a concert broadcast live over the Internet on December 6, and during the performance she pulled a member of the audience up on stage with her. Simpson later performed the song on Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve 2005, in which she also hosted the West Coast portion of the show.[32]

The video for "Pieces of Me" was nominated for "Best Pop Video" for the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards,[24] but lost to Kelly Clarkson's "Since U Been Gone".[33] The video was also nominated for the same category for the 2005 MTV Australia Video Music Awards,[34] but lost to Guy Sebastian's "Out With My Baby".[35]

Formats and track listings

U.S. CD single Total time:7:17

  1. "Pieces Of Me (Album version)" - 3:37
  2. "Pieces Of Me (Instrumental)" - 3:40

U.K. CD single Total time:6:52
Catalog 9863811

  1. Pieces Of Me (Album Version) - 3:37
  2. Pieces Of Me (David Garcia & High Spies Remix Radio Edit) - 3:15

U.K. CD maxi single Total time:11:44
Catalog 9863812

  1. "Pieces Of Me (Radio Edit #2)" - 3:11
  2. "Pieces Of Me (David Garcia & High Spies Remix Club Mix)" - 7:09
  3. "Pieces Of Me (29 Palms Remix Vocal Edit)" - 4:04
  4. "Shadow/Autobiography/La La/Better Off (Snippet Medley)" - 5:20
  5. "Pieces Of Me" (Video - Performance only version/International Version)

Australian CD single Total time:13:59

  1. Pieces Of Me (Radio Edit) - 3:13
  2. Pieces Of Me (David Garcia & High Spies Remix Club Mix) - 7:06
  3. Pieces Of Me (Instrumental) - 3:40

Charts

Year Country Chart –Billboard Position
2004 United States Billboard - Adult Contemporary 30
2004 United States Billboard - Adult Top 40 4
2004 United States The Billboard Hot 100 [12] 5
2004 United States Billboard - Top 40 Mainstream 1
2004 United States Top 40 Tracks 1
2004 United States Hot Digital Tracks 1
2004 United Kingdom The UK Singles Chart [13] 4
2004 Norway Top 20 Singles [14] 3
2004 Denmark Top 20 Singles 4
2004 Switzerland Top 100 Singles [15] 11
2004 Austria Top 40 Singles 15
2004 Italy Top 50 Singles [16] [17] 24
2004 Australia ARIA - Top 50 Singles 7
2004 New Zealand RIANZ - Top 40 Singles [18] 32
2004 Netherlands Top 40 Singles 20
Australian ARIA Singles Chart
Week 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
Position
14
13
9
12
8
8
7
7
11
14
18
19
21
24
30
48

References

  1. ^ Episode guide for The Ashlee Simpson Show, Episode 104: "Valentine's Bummer", MTV.com.
  2. ^ Celeb Wire, ELLEgirl.com, August 10 2004.
  3. ^ The Record Music Magazine, interview with Ashlee Simpson, September 2004.
  4. ^ Spence D., IGN.com review of Autobiography, September 17 2004.
  5. ^ Kate Marshall, Pieces of Me review, Tiscali.co.uk, September 20 2004.
  6. ^ Todd Burns, Stylus, Autobiography album review, July 21 2004.
  7. ^ Anna Britten, Pieces of Me review, Launch.co.uk, October 1 2004.
  8. ^ Becca Saunders, "Simpson sister finds success", The Observer (Notre Dame and Saint Mary's), September 16 2004.
  9. ^ Steve Hochman, "Another Simpson living in the lens", Los Angeles Times, 2004.
  10. ^ Margo Whitmire, "Usher Locks Up Singles Chart Again", Billboard.com, June 24 2004.
  11. ^ Margo Whitmire, "'Lean Back' Gets Comfy At No. 1", Billboard.com, August 19 2004.
  12. ^ Margo Whitmire, "'Lean Back' Retains No. 1 Groove", Billboard.com, August 26 2004.
  13. ^ Margo Whitmire, "Ciara's 'Goodies' Still Good At No. 1", September 9 2004.
  14. ^ Margo Whitmire, "Ciara's 'Goodies' Steadfast At No. 1", Billboard.com, September 16 2004.
  15. ^ Margo Whitmire, "Ciara Keeps 'Goodies' Perched On Top", Billboard.com, September 23 2004.
  16. ^ The Billboard Hot 100 Singles & Tracks, 2004 Year End Chart, Billboard.com, December 25 2004.
  17. ^ The Billboard Hot 100 Singles Sales Titles, 2004 Year End Chart, Billboard.com, December 25 2004.
  18. ^ David Jenison, "Fantasia Beats Diana...Again", E! Online, July 7 2004.
  19. ^ "Pieces of Me" U.K. chart positions, Chart Stats - UK Singles & Albums Chart Statistics.
  20. ^ 944, Volume 3, Issue 8, page 75. Interview.
  21. ^ ARIA Charts - Accreditations - 2004 Singles, Aria.com.au.
  22. ^ RIANZ Top 40 Singles Chart, weeks September 20–October 4, 2004.
  23. ^ Barry A. Jeckell, "'NOW' Series Spawns 17th CD, 2nd DVD", Billboard.com, October 20 2004.
  24. ^ a b Press release, "MTV Announces Host, Nominees, and Performers for the 2005 Video Music Awards", PRNewswire.com, July 25 2005.
  25. ^ TRL Archives - May 2004, June 2004, July 2004, August 2004, and September 2004, AbsoluteTRL.net.
  26. ^ Larry Rodgers, "Fox's 'Summer Music Mania'", The Arizona Republic, May 21 2004.
  27. ^ Corey Moss, "Usher And Lindsay Win Big, Ashlee Burps, Britney A No-Show At Teen Choice Awards", MTV News, August 9 2004.
  28. ^ Corey Moss, "Outkast, Jay-Z Win Big At VMAs; Usher, No Doubt Land Multiple Moonmen", MTV News, August 29 2004.
  29. ^ "Ashlee Simpson Performs On 'Top Of The Pops'", Popdirt.com, September 18 2004. (see video)
  30. ^ Jennifer Vineyard, "Ashlee Blames Gastric Distress For 'SNL' Lip-Synch Snafu", MTV News, October 25 2004.
  31. ^ Jennifer Vineyard, "Ashlee Pokes Fun At Self, Lip-Synch Flap: 'It's So Silly'", MTV News, October 26 2004.
  32. ^ Ashlee Simpson - Date Archive, 2004, Geffen.com.
  33. ^ Christina Fuoco, "Green Day Rock the VMAs", Rolling Stone, August 29 2005.
  34. ^ Carmine Pascuzzi, "Voting closes on February 14 for MTV Australia Video Music Awards 2005", Mediasearch.com.au.
  35. ^ Elle Halliwell and Juliet Anderson, "MTV Australian Video Music Awards for 2005 - winners and pictures", Mediasearch.com.au.
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