Shadow

Album: Autobiography (2004)
Charted: 57
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Songfacts®:

  • Ashlee Simpson wrote the lyrics about living in the shadow of her older sister, Jessica. On her appearance on Live With Regis And Kelly, Ashlee said: "It's really about dealing with myself and dealing with the voice in your head that's like, 'Oh, everything has to be so perfect, and I have to be like this,' and finding my identity and saying, 'OK, you know, this is who I am, you know, imperfections and all, and I love myself for me, and here I am.'"
  • Ashlee was very much in Jessica's shadow for a while, sometimes literally: Ashlee was one of Jessica's backup dancers. In 2004 Ashlee stepped out of that shadow with her debut album, Autobiography, which includes this song and sold over 3 million copies. For a brief time, Ashlee was the more famous of the two, but in October 2004 when she got caught lip-synching on Saturday Night Live, she faced a backlash. After touring for her third album in 2008, Ashlee stopped recording and performing. She came back in 2025 with a residency at the Voltaire in Las Vegas.
  • Like most of the songs on the Autobiography album, Simpson wrote "Shadow" with the seasoned scribes Kara DioGuardi and John Shanks. They also collaborated on her next album, I Am Me, released in 2005.

Comments: 3

  • Joel from Pittsburg, WiAshlee has talent and I enjoy her music. In particular her Autobiography cd. I think she looks cute as a brunette or w/red/auburn hair.
  • Taylor from Swan Antonio, Txi hate people like you -taylor san antonio TX
  • Anonymousperfectly logical reasons why I hate this song and you should too:
    1.Ashlee has a HORRIBLE voice. I'm sure you've heard of what happened at SNL, orange bowl,ect,ect.
    2.The song writing is is laughably stupid "mother sister father sister everything's cool now"(?????)
    3.Besides the sickening vocals and lyrical talents in this song, it's just plain OBNOXIOUS. Painful melody and the instruments sound out of tune. 4.Being a musician, I simply had to laugh at this song. Otherwise, I might of cried. It's a disgrace to the music industry.
    5. We all know Ashlee looks in the mirror and see's a punk, but when a sane person looks at her, they see a pathetic, ugly, self-absorbed little brat. I could go on forever, but I'm not going to waste my time talking about low-life anymore.
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