Her breakout came with her debut single, "Pieces of Me", which was released in 2004, became a top-five hit in the United States, and topped the Billboard Mainstream Top 40 chart based on radio airplay. The success of the single and her reality show helped propel her debut album, Autobiography, also released in 2004, to the top of the Billboard 200 albums chart. The project sold over five million copies worldwide, making it her most successful album to date. Simpson had a leading role in the film Undiscovered (2005), which became a critical and commercial flop. The failure of the film, along with multiple critically panned performances, led to media scrutiny. Despite that, Simpson's second studio album, I Am Me (2005), debuted atop the Billboard 200, becoming her second album to do so. The album went on to receive a platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Following her appearance as Roxie Hart in the West End production of Chicago, Simpson announced that she had begun working on her third studio album. The album differed from the pop-rock sound of her previous efforts, featuring a dance-pop and 1980s-themed sound. Bittersweet World was released in 2008 with positive critical reception, but it saw a decline in sales. The effort reached number 4 on the Billboard 200. The following year, Simpson joined the main cast of the Melrose Place revamp, which was met with harsh critical reception. Later that year, she made her Broadway debut reprising her role as Roxie Hart in Chicago on Broadway.
Simpson announced a fourth studio album that same year. She independently released the single "Bat for a Heart", though it failed to have success. Simpson eventually scrapped the album and focused on her child. Simpson reprised her role as Roxie Hart for the third time in a 2-dates special production in Hollywood Bowl in July 2013 directed by Brooke Shields. In October, Simpson and her husband Evan Ross released their debut EP by Ashlee + Evan through Access Records, which was supported by a tour in select cities across North America, and their TV reality show.
She was married to musician Pete Wentz from 2008 to 2011. The couple's son, Bronx Mowgli Wentz, was born on November 20, 2008. She appeared as Violet Foster, a small-town girl in The CW's 2009 Melrose Place, a revamp of the '90s drama of the same name.
Love Me For Me
Ashlee Simpson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You come around here like you know me
Your stuff at my place
Next thing you know, you'll be using my toothpaste
Step up, sit down
Get ready, let me tell you whose the boss now
Stay here, get out
Everytime I turn around you're in my face
Dont care where you think you've been
And how you're getting over.
If you think you got me found just wait it gets much colder
[Chorus]
Here I am
Perfect as I'm ever gonna be
You'll see, love me for me
Stick around
I'm not the kind of girl you wanna leave
You'll see, love me for me
Shut up, come back
No, I didn't really mean to say that
I'm mixed up, so what
Yeah you want me so you're messed up too
I love you, I hate you
If you only knew what I've been through
My head is spinnin but
My heart is in the right place
Sometimes it has to have itself a little earthquake
[Chorus]
Here I am
Perfect as I'm ever gonna be
You'll see, love me for me
Stick around
I'm not the kind of girl you wanna leave
You'll see, love me for me
I've been waiting all my life to finally find you
Just so I can push you away
And when you're crawling over broken glass to get to me
Thats when I'll let you stay
[Chorus]
Uh, here I am
Perfect as I'm ever gonna be
You'll see, love me for me
Stick around
I'm not the kind of girl you wanna leave
You'll see, love me for me
Whoa... love me for me
Whoa...
[Chorus]
Here I am
As perfect as I'm ever gonna be
You'll see, love me for me
Stick around
I'm not the kind of girl you wanna leave
You'll see, love me for me
The song "Love for Me" by Ashlee Simpson is about a woman who is trying to assert herself in a relationship. She feels that the man in her life is trying to control her and she is pushing back against that. She is asking the man to accept her for who she is, flaws and all. She tells him that she is not going to change for him and he has to either accept her or leave.
The chorus of the song is particularly powerful, as it conveys the main message of the song. Simpson sings, "Here I am, perfect as I'm ever gonna be, you'll see, love me for me. Stick around, I'm not the kind of girl you wanna leave, you'll see, love me for me." This is a message of self-love and self-acceptance. Simpson is telling the man that she is not going to change to fit his ideal, and he has to accept that if he wants to be with her. She also implies that she is worth sticking around for, and that if he leaves, he will regret it.
Overall, "Love for Me" is a powerful song about standing up for oneself in a relationship and demanding acceptance. It is a message of self-love and self-respect, and it is a great example of Simpson's songwriting skills.
Line by Line Meaning
Its been three days
It hasn't been long since we met
You come around here like you know me
You act familiar with me even though we just met
Your stuff at my place
You leave your belongings at my place
Next thing you know, you'll be using my toothpaste
I fear that you will become too comfortable with me and invade my personal space
Step up, sit down
Take your place and listen to what I have to say
Get ready, let me tell you whose the boss now
Be prepared for me to assert my dominance in this relationship
Stay here, get out
I feel conflicted about your presence in my life
Everytime I turn around you're in my face
I feel suffocated by your constant presence
Dont care where you think you've been
I am indifferent to your past experiences
And how you're getting over.
I am not interested in how you cope with your struggles
If you think you got me found just wait it gets much colder
You may think you know me, but I have layers that you have yet to discover
Here I am
I am presenting myself as I truly am
Perfect as I'm ever gonna be
I am flawed, but I am at my best right now
You'll see, love me for me
I want to be loved for who I am
Stick around
I desire your presence in my life
I'm not the kind of girl you wanna leave
I fear abandonment and rejection
Shut up, come back
I regret what I just said, please stay
No, I didn't really mean to say that
I spoke impulsively and didn't consider the consequences
I'm mixed up, so what
I may be confused, but I am still valuable
Yeah you want me so you're messed up too
You desire me, but you also have your own issues to deal with
I love you, I hate you
My feelings towards you are complex and contradictory
If you only knew what I've been through
You don't fully understand the experiences that have shaped me
My head is spinnin but
I am feeling overwhelmed
My heart is in the right place
I have good intentions and care for you
Sometimes it has to have itself a little earthquake
Growth and change can be difficult and painful
I've been waiting all my life to finally find you
I have been seeking love and companionship for a long time
Just so I can push you away
I fear intimacy and may sabotage this relationship
And when you're crawling over broken glass to get to me
I will make it difficult for you to be with me
Thats when I'll let you stay
If you are persistent and prove yourself, I may open myself up to you
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: SHELLY PEIKEN, JOHN M SHANKS, ASHLEE SIMPSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind