Bittersweet World is the third studio album by American recording artist Ashlee Simpson. It was released in the United States on April 22, 2008. The project is Simpson's final release through Geffen Records.
The album marked a departure for Simpson, who executive produced the record and shifted her sound in a more dance-pop direction. Wanting to experiment with new sounds to make a “fun party album”, Simpson enlisted multiple producers including Timbaland, Jerome Harmon, Chad Hugo of The Neptunes, and Kenna.
The album debuted at number 4 on the Billboard 200 chart in the United States, Simpson's first to not reach the number 1 position. The album's lead single, "Outta My Head (Ay Ya Ya)", also became her first to not appear on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the US, though it was a moderate success in other territories. In early 2008, Simpson promoted the album with a small club tour. Plans for a summer tour were canceled when Simpson announced her pregnancy. Though the album did not achieve the commercial success of Autobiography or I Am Me, it has been lauded by critics for its eighties-infused electropop sound, which Simpson has admitted was “ahead of its time.”
Background
In November 2006, after completing her run as Roxie Hart in the London production of the musical Chicago, Simpson said that she was going to meet with record executives soon to begin work on her third album. Geffen chairman Ron Fair said in early December that plotting Simpson's musical direction would be "very tricky" because of press scrutiny, but that he would work with Simpson to overcome industry doubts about her musical credibility "because she deserves to be heard and she deserves a shot."
In March 2007, Simpson said her next album would have "a more soulful sound" and that she was writing with a wider group of artists in comparison to her previous albums. Later that month, Simpson was reportedly writing with Timbaland, Kenna and Chad Hugo. She was also said to be working with John Legend, Beth Hart, and Tim Rice-Oxley of Keane. Though it was initially reported that Simpson was also working with The Cure frontman Robert Smith, both parties later denied a collaboration.
Although Simpson said her sound would stay in the pop rock realm, she also mentioned that her music was evolving and would have less emphasis on relationship troubles and breakups. She clarified, "This record is not like 'I didn't steal your boyfriend' or anything like that. " Simpson expressed feeling less pressure to create a hit with her third album, considering her previous two albums had already achieved chart-topping success. Simpson shared her thoughts with CosmoGirl, This time, I didn't feel like I have to prove myself—that's all behind me. I have a stronger vision for this record...I was able to challenge myself by stepping out of the box I was in and working with new sounds and new people. That ultimately yielded different results than what people might expect from me. This is a fun party album, and I get to be kind of cheeky for the first time...silly and quirky.
Concept and artwork
Simpson told MTV News in December 2007 the album's title would be Bittersweet World, which is also the name of one of the album's songs. She previously considered the title Color Outside the Lines, a line from the song "Rule Breaker". She described the title Bittersweet World as reflecting how she "feel[s] about the world right now" and later said that the song itself is "about how with the bad comes the good in pretty much every situation and vice versa. There are hard things, but you always have to find the positive." Simpson did the photoshoot for the album with photographer Ben Watts in Los Angeles. The photoshoot took place while Simpson still had blonde hair; she subsequently dyed it red in January 2008.
Recording and production
For Bittersweet World, Simpson worked with hit producers like Timbaland, King Logan of The Royal Court, Chad Hugo of The Neptunes, Kenna, Jack Joseph Puig, Jim Beanz, and J-Roc. John Shanks returned as producer, in addition to Simpson's collaborative partner and band guitarist Ray Brady, who introduced Simpson to the sounds of 1980s band Missing Persons. Timbaland, who "tapped into Simpson's love of '80s music," worked on six songs, while others were guided by Hugo and Kenna. Two tracks, "Outta My Head (Ay Ya Ya)" and "Ragdoll", were written with indie artist Santigold. "Murder" originally featured a rap from Gym Class Heroes frontman Travis McCoy, but he was replaced by Izza Kizza on the album version. "Little Miss Obsessive", a pop rock power ballad, is a duet with Tom Higgenson of the Plain White T's.