La La (song)

Infobox Single
Name = La La


Artist = Ashlee Simpson
Album = Autobiography
Released = January 24 2005
Format = CD single, digital download
Recorded = 2004
Genre = Pop punk, teen pop
Length = 3:42
Label = Polydor, Geffen
Producer = John Shanks, Pete Lorimer (2103875), Sharp Boys (2103876)
Last single = "Shadow"
(2004)
This single = "La La"
(2005)
Next single = "Boyfriend"
(2005)
Misc = Audiosample
Upper caption = Audio sample
Name = La La
Audio file = LaLaSample.ogg

"La La" is a song by the American singer Ashlee Simpson from her 2004 album "Autobiography". In the U.S., it began its run as the album's third single on radio and television in November 2004; in the United Kingdom (where it was the second single), a CD single was released in January 2005.

ong information

"La La", the fourth track on "Autobiography", was written by Ashlee Simpson, Kara DioGuardi, and John Shanks, the producer of the album. Jeff Rothschild played drums on the track, Shanks played guitars and bass, and Simpson and DioGuardi did background vocals. ["Autobiography" liner notes.] The track is three minutes and 42 seconds long.

The song was not initially planned as the album's third single. In October 2004 it was announced that its title track, "Autobiography", would be the third single; however, on October 29, it was announced on Simpson's official website that "Autobiography" would be replaced as the third single by "La La", [ [http://www.ashleesimpsonmusic.com/news/default.aspx?dt=10-01-2004 ""La La" to Be Next Single"] , AshleeSimpsonMusic.com news, October 29, 2004.] following Simpson's "Saturday Night Live" incident.

Following its release as a single in the UK on January 24, 2005, "La La" debuted at number 11 before falling; it spent four weeks in the top 40. [ [http://www.clanhosts.com/chart/songinfo.php?id=574 "La La" chart positions] , Chart Stats - UK Singles & Albums Chart Statistics.] In Ireland, it debuted at number 18 on that country's chart in late January and stayed there in the next week. In February, the song debuted at number 10 on the Australian singles chart (where it stayed for four weeks) and at number 98 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S., where it eventually rose to number 86; by comparison, Simpson's first single, "Pieces of Me", had reached number 5 on the Hot 100 a few months earlier, and her second single, "Shadow", had reached number 57. Despite this relatively low chart peak, "La La" was credited with helping boost the sales of "Autobiography", which rose on the charts from number 42 to number 33 (with a 61% sales increase) in one week in December 2004, soon after the single's debut. [Press release, [http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/12-15-2004/0002634075&EDATE= "Ashlee Simpson Set for Early '05 Headlining Tour; Debut Album Up 61% From Last Week on Strength of New Single & Video"] , PRNewswire.com, December 15, 2004.] The single was certified gold by the RIAA in late March 2005; [RIAA.com.] in Australia it was also accredited as a gold single. [ [http://www.aria.com.au/pages/aria-charts-accreditations-singles-2005.htm ARIA Charts - Accreditations - 2005 Singles] , Aria.com.au.]

"La La" was used as the backing music for a ThermaSilk shampoo commercial. It was also covered in the rhythm-based 2006 Nintendo DS game "Elite Beat Agents".

Description

"La La" is perhaps the most rock-oriented track on "Autobiography", and was described in a BBC review of the album as "energetic".Roger Kerrison, [http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/release/6zxm/ "Autobiography" album review] , BBC, September 30, 2004.] Another review called it a "punk inspired, fast beat, screaming anthem". [ Bianca Butler, [http://youthradio.org/music/040908_ashlee.shtml "Autobiography" album review] , Youthradio.] Reactions to the song have been mixed, however: "People" magazine called the song "insipid" in its review of the album, ["Autobiography" album review, "People", August 2, 2004, page 41.] and Allmusic said that Simpson was "trying way too hard to be sexy." [Stephen Thomas Erlewine, [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:06nsa93ge23h~T1 "Autobiography" album review] , Allmusic.] "Rolling Stone" said the song casts Simpson "as a barely legal temptress", and said "ironic or not, it's creepy." [Peter Relic, [http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/ashleesimpson/albums/album/6222372/rid/6294697/ "Autobiography" album review] , "Rolling Stone", August 5, 2004.] "Billboard" was more positive, saying that "La La" (in which it said Simpson was a "frisky bad girl") was one of the songs that could "keep "Autobiography" on the charts in the foreseeable future." ["Autobiography" album review, "Billboard", August 7, 2004.] The abovementioned BBC review named the song as one of those on the album that it regarded positively, and another review said Simpson "summons a credible pop-punk sound" on "La La". [ [http://www.infoabouthollywood.com/view/news/3/?PHPSESSID=8f03f23f7392d93d51e718bbc9225fc9 "Fresh cuts"] , Info About News, August 1, 2004.]

The lyrics to the song are quite sexual, with "la la" being used as a euphemism for sex and a reference to Simpson dressing up as a French maid included. However, Simpson has described the lyrics as tongue-in-cheek: "It was one of those songs where every silly thing that was sexual that I could think of I put into the song." [Chaunce Hayden, "Ashlee Simpson Sings Her Way to Number One!", "Steppin' Out", August 4–10, 2004, pages 24–25, 52–53, 62–63. Interview.]

In one interview, Simpson said of the song:

Music video and television performances

Performances of "La La" featured twice in the first season of "The Ashlee Simpson Show", Simpson's reality show, which aired in the U.S. on MTV from mid-June to early August 2004: she performed the song during her first live show in episode six, and again at the end of episode seven.

The music video for "La La", directed by Joseph Kahn, [Jennifer Vineyard, [http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1493535/20041108/story.jhtml "Ashlee Simpson Parties Until The Break Of Dawn In New Video"] , MTV News, November 8, 2004.] was filmed over two days, November 11–12, 2004."Making the Video", "La La", first aired November 23, 2004.] It debuted on AOL's "First View" on November 22 and on MTV's "Making the Video" on November 23; [ [http://www.tv.com/making-the-video/la-la/episode/379153/summary.html Page for the "Making the Video" "La La" episode] , TV.com.] the making of the video was also featured in episode three of the second season of "The Ashlee Simpson Show", [ [http://www.mtv.com/onair/dyn/ashlee/episode.jhtml?episodeID=86161 Episode 203: "Ashlee Turns 20"] , MTV.com episode guide for "The Ashlee Simpson Show.] which aired in February 2005. Following the video's premiere, "La La" debuted at number ten on the "TRL" countdown on December 1, 2004; it subsequently reached number six, its peak, on its third day on the countdown. It remained on the countdown for nine days. [ [http://www.popfusion.net/records/recaparchive/2004_12.html TRL Archives - December 2004] , Popfusion.net.]

The video takes place in a suburban setting and was filmed in Huntington Beach, California. Simpson is seen singing the song, dancing on top of a car, in front of a donut shop, and laying on a couch playing a skateboarding video game on Xbox, all during daylight. The video continues with a raucous late-night party around a swimming pool, which gets broken up by the police, and then Simpson and the crowd head to a laundromat, where the wild partying continues. Simpson's two best friends, Lauren and Stephanie, appear alongside her in the video. Simpson compared the video to the 1982 movie "Fast Times at Ridgemont High". On "The Ashlee Simpson Show", during the filming of the video there is a scene in which Simpson licks a couch cushion (while rolling around on it for sexual imagery), but, as she explains, it was taken out of the video because it was "a little much".

Simpson promoted the song with a number of television performances in December 2004 and January 2005 (see list below), with several UK performances in January. One of her U.S. performances, at the Orange Bowl football game halftime show in early January (her first time performing in a stadium), was memorable for the harsh reception the song received from the audience, with "a discernible chorus of boos" after she finished singing, according to the Associated Press. Simpson was the last of three performances during the halftime show, and she later said that there were technical problems and that she couldn't hear herself properly, making the performance more difficult for her. The cause of the booing she received has been variously attributed to a backlash against her because of her "SNL" incident the previous October, to the allegedly poor quality of her singing, and to the fact that the crowd was generally not in the same age bracket as her usual fans. Simpson herself said "maybe they were booing at me, maybe they were booing at the halftime show 'cause the whole thing sucked," and also said that it may have been because of the team she was supporting; "I can't make everybody happy", she said.Jennifer Vineyard, [http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1495731/20050111/story.jhtml "Ashlee Simpson Shrugs Off Orange Bowl Booing"] , MTV News, January 11, 2005.] Simpson also had to change the lyrics to "La La" because of concern that they were too sexual for the show; for instance, a reference to "lemonade" replaced "French maid".

In April 2005, New Zealand's children TV Show "What Now?" held a weekly music video poll with the song "La La" being one of the three candidates. The song was competing against "1,2 Step" by Ciara and Missy Elliott and "Let Me Love You" by Mario. "La La" won the poll narrowly beating Mario who was second by a few votes. "1,2 Step" came third.

On November 1, 2005, when Simpson was a guest on MuchMusic's "MuchOnDemand" in Canada, "La La" received the most votes from viewers out of three of Simpson's videos and was played. Simpson correctly guessed that "La La" would win. [ [http://www.muchmusic.com/tv/transcripts/index.asp?artist=1043&tranID=574 MuchOnDemand transcript] , November 1, 2005.]

List of televised performances

*November 18, 2004: Simpson performed "La La" on "Total Request Live". [ [http://www.popfusion.net/records/recaparchive/2004_11.html TRL Archives - November 2004] , Popfusion.net.]
*December 6: Simpson performed "La La" as an encore at the end of a concert at the El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles, California, which was shown live on the Internet by AOL.com.
*December 17: Simpson performed "La La" at the beginning of "Jingle Ball Rock" (the show was taped on December 3) and on "The Tonight Show" (the performance aired at about 12:30 AM EST on December 18).
*December 31: Simpson performed the song on "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve 2005", in which she also hosted the West Coast portion of the show.
*January 4, 2005: Simpson performed at the Orange Bowl halftime show.
*January 7: Simpson performed the song on "Top of the Pops". [ [http://popdirt.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=35728 "Ashlee Simpson Performs On 'Top Of The Pops'"] , Popdirt.com, January 8, 2005.]
*January 8: Simpson performed the song on "".
*January 12: Simpson performed the song on "Today with Des and Mel".
*January 15: Simpson performed the song on "Top of the Pops Saturday".
*January 16: Simpson performed the song on "Popworld".
*June 19: Simpson performed the song at the MuchMusic Video Awards in Canada.

Track listings

*Catalog 2103875
*# "La La"
*# "Endless Summer"
*# "Pieces of Me" (29 Palms Remix Vocal Mix)
*# "La La" (Video)
*Catalog 2103876
*#"La La"
*#"La La" (Sharp Boys Remix)

Remixes and other versions

*La La [Album Version] 3:39
*La La [Instrumental] 3:39
*La La [Fernando Garibay Radio Edit Mix] 3:49
*La La [Fernando Garibay Extended Dub Mix] 8:06
*La La [Sharp Boys Club Dub] 6:33
*La La [Sharp Boys Club Vocal Extended Mix] 7:18
*La La [Sharp Boys Vocal Radio Edit Mix] 4:29
*La La [Fernando Garibay Extended Remix] 8:11
*La La [UK Radio Edit] 3:42

Charts

References and notes

External links

* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nq3ykRv2ZWA "La La" music video on YouTube]
* [http://music.aol.com/video/la-la-live/ashlee-simpson/1212386 AOL Music video of Simpson performing "La La"]