The song was later included as an international bonus track on Simpson's next album, Bittersweet World.

According to Simpson, following her concert tour from February to April 2005, she was supposed to take a month off, but began working on the album early;[5] as she said, "I got home and got bored, so I called John Shanks and was like, 'Can I come in the studio?

Simpson's father and manager Joe said that his daughter had to be held back from "the places she wanted to go" as an artist, because, he said, if she changed too quickly her fans would be left behind.

[12] Simpson has mentioned how she tried "new sounds" when working on the album, citing in particular the song "Burnin Up",[13] which was described by one reviewer as "a fairly credible stab at Clash-style dub".

This incident left Simpson the target of a great deal of criticism and humor at her expense.

"[1] Simpson mentioned in an AIM interview online that she chose the title I Am Me "because I've been through a lot of highs and lows this year, but no matter what happens to me I always stay true to who I am.

[5] "I Am Me" is an energetic song in which Simpson responds with hurt and anger to her boyfriend being with another girl, and insists: "I am me, and I won't change for anyone".

"In Another Life" is, in Simpson's words, "a cute romantic song about when you meet a guy and it's kind of like he knows everything about you before you really get to know him, and you feel comfortable with him right away.

Other songs cover a variety of topics: "Boyfriend" is a response to rumors or accusations that she stole another girl's boyfriend (although rumors suggest it is about her alleged affair with Lindsay Lohan's ex-boyfriend, Wilmer Valderrama, Simpson has said it is not about "one person in particular", but is instead about a situation many girls can relate to[18]); "L.O.V.E."

is about girls going out and having fun without needing any guys;[19] "Eyes Wide Open" is a "spooky song" about Simpson's feeling that there was a ghost living in her house.

[20] In 2009, Miley Cyrus covered the international bonus track "Kicking and Screaming" for her The Time of Our Lives EP.

[28] "Catch Me When I Fall" charted on the Billboard Pop 100 at number 93[25] on the strength of its downloads, although it was not released as a single.

Simpson hosted the MTV Australia Video Music Awards on April 12, 2006, and performed both "Boyfriend" and "L.O.V.E.

being expanded to stand for "Love Others Value Everyday"), which began on June 5 in Santa Barbara, California and at its outset was scheduled to run for 32 shows, concluding on July 29 in Clarkston, Michigan.

[61] A BBC review of the album was positive, calling it "confident yet searching" and saying that it "flirts with 80s production throughout and produces a more mature, tighter sound than some of her peers.

[15] Another review called it "a solid pop/rock album" with strong songwriting that "should go far to re-establish Ashlee Simpson as a legitimate artist", giving it three-and-a-half stars (out of five).

"[59] Allmusic also gave the album a negative assessment (and a rating of two stars out of five), saying that "unlike Autobiography, this simply is no rock & roll fun — the songs aren't catchy, the attitude is dour, the productions are cold and distant, all highlighting the deficiencies in Ashlee Simpson as a singer, while burying the likeable persona she had on both her debut and her MTV show.

"[51] Blender said that, in comparison to Autobiography, "the songs are soggier, the sentiments more banal", and calls I Am Me a "sophomore slump", giving it two out of five stars.

[64] In its third week, the album sold about 54,000 copies, a sales drop of 25%, and it fell on the chart to number ten.

[65] Rolling Stone magazine grouped it among the numerous "heavily anticipated albums" of the season whose sales had "fizzled", such as Alicia Keys' Unplugged and Rod Stewart's Thanks for the Memory: The Great American Songbook 4, which had been released the same week as I Am Me.

All tracks are written by Ashlee Simpson, Kara DioGuardi and John ShanksAdapted from the I Am Me liner notes.