beefing up, it can easily become a peak hour dance hit". Teen People called the song a fun, frothy dance track reminiscent of early Madonna; some in the media have criticized the unoriginality of the song because of its strong similarity to Madonna's "Holiday". "A Public Affair" received numerous comparisons to Janet Jackson, considered to reference "classic Janet" for its "breathy vocals, cheery, almost sickeningly sweet melody," and "mid-song giggle." Newsday also described it as "channeling Janet-era Jackson." Commercial release The Yahoo! Music download of the song gained media attention because it was made available in MP3 format, without Digital Rights Management, which is normally used to restrict copying of commercially released singles. However, the price to download the song was $1.99, higher than the $0.99 norm for most DRM-restricted tracks. The increased price was rationalized not by the DRM-free format, but by offering users the ability to "personalize" the song with a specific name. The single was released in North America and Australia in 2006. Later the song was released in Europe in February 2007. Chart performance North America In the United States, the single debuted at number 39 on the Billboard Hot 100, on the issue dated July 15, 2006. Simpson's second-highest debut after "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'". It had previously debuted at number 20 on Billboard's Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart, which represents the 25 singles below the Hot 100's number 100 position that have not yet appeared on the Hot 100. Digital download sales were moderate until the release of the single's music video. On August 12, 2006, the single peaked at number 14 and was awarded the honor of that week's Greatest Gainer Digital. In that week, "A Public Affair" moved from 30 to 14, beating her sister Ashlee, who ascended seven places 28–21 with "Invisible", while Paris Hilton moved up one place 29–28 with "Stars Are Blind". The single became Simpson's sixth top 20 single in the US and her third song to reach number 14 tied with "With You" (2004) and "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" (2005). The single stayed on the chart for twelve weeks. The song also peaked at number 16 on Billboard Pop Songs chart and was her fifth top 20 on the chart, since "Take My Breath Away" (2004). Due to the strong digital sales, the single was certified Gold by RIAA for selling 500,000