What were you doing in 2004? Listening to Ashlee Simpson's "Autobiography" on repeat and texting your crush on a Motorola Razr? Dude, same.
Let's take a moment to reflect on why, 10 years later, Simpson's "Autobiography" is the best angry pop album to date.
Her catchy punk (read: thinly veiled pop) was a happy medium for our tormented teenage souls.
We thought Avril Lavigne went hard, and then we met Jessica Simpson's badass little sister. She had black hair, so she was obviously the total opposite of picture-perfect Jessica, and ... yeah, the whole hair thing was enough.
Ashlee Simpson's debut album struck a chord with all the teens who had outgrown wholesome pop stars like Hilary Duff, but weren't ready to venture into the scary world of Linkin Park. Her music was for the kids who shopped at Hot Topic, but only for their trendy studded belts and the occasional Hellogoodbye T-shirt.
"Pieces Of Me" undeniably slays.
Ashlee Simpson's white tank top with "punk" written in pink lettering across the chest perfectly embodies her entire vibe. "Pieces of Me" was just as relatable as it was infectious. "Moody" and "messy?" Yup, that was us.
Beyond accurately describing our teenage love lives, "Pieces of Me" felt extra special since we all totally knew it was about Ryan Cabrera, her boyfriend and our celebrity crush at the time.
"La La" was the perfectly vague sexual innuendo for our awkward puberty stage. 
Again, Ashlee managed to toe the line between rebel and good girl via sexual innuendos with alley cats. Drink the milk up I want moreeeee ...
"Shadow" taught us that even if we're painfully insecure growing up, we'll probably get over it someday.
This song was intense. Clearly about "living in the shadow" of her older sister Jessica, Ashlee made herself vulnerable with lines such as, "I was stuck inside someone else's life and always second best." The best part? Ashlee ensures we don't feel sorry for her with a casual "everything's cool now." Phew! If Ashlee could find herself, we knew we could too.
So what if her infamous "SNL" hoedown is just as painful to watch 10 years later? Simpson's album was awesome, and her "Autobiography" could be a page out of our own. Just file it in the "When I Actually Enjoyed Going To The Mall" chapter.
Before You Go
