A Public Affair

the album

A Public Affair is the fifth studio album by American pop singer Jessica Simpson. The album was released on August 26, 2006 in the United States by Epic Records. The album is Simpson's first effort following her divorce from Nick Lachey. The album was produced by Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, Cory Rooney, Scott Storch, Stargate and Lester Mendez. Simpson appears as a co writer of nine of the thirteen songs on the album. A Public Affair received generally mixed reviews from music critics, who complimented its musical diversity from Simpson's previous albums, while also criticizing its length. The album debuted at number five on the US Billboard 200 with first week sales of 101,000 copies. A Public Affair has sold 500,000 units in the United States and over one million copies worldwide to date. Two singles were released from the record; the lead single "A Public Affair" became Simpson's sixth top twenty single in the United States and her third song to reach number fourteen, tied with "With You" (2004) and "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" (2005). The second and final single, "I Belong to Me", failed to chart on the US Billboard Hot 100, however, it charted at number 10 on the US Bubbling Under Hot 100. "You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)" was released as a promotional single. Her version of the song failed to enter the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number twenty on the US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart. Simpson's version contains new lyrics and only preserves the chorus of the song.

MTV first reported that Simpson's first album after her divorce would be released in late 2005. Simpson was inspired by Janet Jackson for the album, saying "I do love singing ballads, but I took a different approach. I didn't do a big string session type of ballad I'm used to." "I took more of a Janet Jackson approach. More of an 'Earth Angel' type of approach." Simpson contacted Jackson's main producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis to produce several songs on the album. With only a month to go until the release of A Public Affair, Simpson switched the cover photo of the album. The first cover art for the album surfaced showing a sultry Simpson with her hair down, sporting a dress with the straps pulled down. Ultimately, Simpson's representative Rob Shuter told TMZ the final decision on a cover had not been made by the time one had to be provided to Simpson's record label, so the first cover option (of three choices they had) was given. The original cover was ultimately not chosen, and Simpson went with the cover eventually released. The chosen album cover has a casual looking Simpson "with nothing but a T shirt on", her hair pulled back and wearing a ring on her right index finger.

Simpson said in an interview to a magazine, "A Public Affair" was an album that is a "fun night" with friends and not her failed marriage to Nick Lachey, although the first single was inspired by the rupture of the couple. The album opens with the first single "A Public Affair" musically, it is a moderate dance pop groove song with disco influences. It also exhibits elements of pop rock and teen pop genres. The next song "You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)" is an updated version of Dead or Alive 1980s hit of the same name in the way Rihanna's "S. O. S." is a remake of Soft Cell's "Tainted Love", written by Pete Burns, Wayne Hussey, Mike Percy, Tim Lever & Steve Coy. The third track of the album, "B. O. Y." is an electro and disco song which features distorted synthesizers emulating sonar pulses, was written by Driscoll, Gagel, Ocasek. The fourth song "If You Were Mine" was tailored for the clubs and recalls Janet Jackson's "When I Think of You". It relies heavily on a sample of the Ohio Players 1976 hit "Who'd She Coo?" "Back to You" track number nine, is a pop song with an urban influence, the song is one of the ballads on the album. "Between You & I" is the solecismic title of longest song on the album. "I Don't Want to Care" is another ballad about love, this time utilizing a piano. "Fired Up", the song title came from something one of Simpson's best friends, CaCee Cobb, always says: "Let's get fired up!". "Let Him Fly" is a cover of Patty Griffin's song of the same name. It is the final track on the album's original pressing. "I Belong to Me" was not included in the original pressing of the album, however, released as a Walmart bonus track. In September 2006, Simpson's label decided to release future pressings with "I Belong to Me" as a regular track. It was released as the album's second and final single.

Region Date Format Label Catalog Ref. Australia August 26, 2006 CD Sony BMG 82876832152 Canada August 29, 2006 United States Epic 88697001742 Japan September 27, 2006 Sony BMG EICP 664 United Kingdom February 12, 2007 RCA 88697059592