Autobiography is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Ashlee Simpson. Released in the United States by Geffen Records 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 (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" and "La La". MTV highlighted the process of making the album in the reality series The Ashlee Simpson Show, which drew a large audience and served as an effective promotional vehicle for the album. Background Simpson described the process of writing the album's twelve songs as being similar to keeping a diary, 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. 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." Simpson worked closely with a number of experienced songwriters on the album. The album's producer, John Shanks—who won a Grammy in February 2005, in part for his work as producer on Autobiography—receives songwriting credit alongside Simpson on all but two songs. Kara DioGuardi also receives songwriting credit, together with Simpson and Shanks, on seven of the songs, including the three singles. 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; instead, she has cited musicians such as Chrissie Hynde and Joan Jett as influences. In a 2004 interview, Simpson said that when she