Television Romance
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"Television Romance" is a song by the English
indie pop Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and su ...
band
Pale Waves Pale Waves are an English rock band from Manchester, formed in 2014. It was founded originally as Creek when lead singer and guitarist Heather Baron-Gracie met drummer Ciara Doran while attending university in Manchester. The other members are ...
, released on 16 August 2017 to promote their debut album, ''
My Mind Makes Noises ''My Mind Makes Noises'' is the debut studio album by English indie pop band Pale Waves, released on 14 September 2018 by the independent record label Dirty Hit. With the exception of the album's singles " There's a Honey" and " Television R ...
'' (2018). The song, written by
Heather Baron-Gracie Heather Baron-Gracie (born 17 January 1995) is an English singer, songwriter and musician, best known as the lead guitarist and vocalist for the indie rock band Pale Waves. Life and career Early life Heather Baron-Gracie was born in Preston, ...
and Ciara Doran and produced by Matthew Healy and George Daniel of
the 1975 The 1975 are an English pop rock band formed in 2002 in Wilmslow, Cheshire. Now based in Manchester, the band consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Matthew "Matty" Healy, lead guitarist Adam Hann, bassist Ross MacDonald, and drummer ...
, was inspired by an incident in which Baron-Gracie had to bluntly rebuff a hopeful suitor who was oblivious to her disinterest. The band also released a video for the song; directed by Healy and Samuel Burgess-Johnson, it features the band performing the song in a Manchester
flat Flat or flats may refer to: Architecture * Flat (housing), an apartment in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and other Commonwealth countries Arts and entertainment * Flat (music), a symbol () which denotes a lower pitch * Flat (soldier), ...
. On 10 November 2017, "Television Romance" was re-released with the band's " There's a Honey" as a double A-side single by
Dirty Hit Dirty Hit is a British independent record label founded in December 2009 by Jamie Oborne, Brian Smith, and former England footballer, Ugo Ehiogu. It is currently based in West London, England. Their releases are distributed to digital platforms ...
. The single received largely positive reviews from
music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...
, with many applauding the band's sound and the song's catchiness (although some criticism was aimed at the song's similarity to the band's previous single, "There's a Honey"). At the end of 2017, '' Marie Claire'' named the single one of the best songs of the year, and upon its release as a physical single, "Television Romance" debuted at number 83 on the
Scottish Singles Chart The Scottish Albums Chart is a chart compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC) which is based on how physical and digital sales towards the UK Albums Chart fare in Scotland. The official singles chart for Scotland, the Scottish Singles Chart, ...
and at number 2 on the UK Vinyl Singles and UK Singles Sales Charts.


Composition


Background

"Television Romance" was written in 2016 by
Pale Waves Pale Waves are an English rock band from Manchester, formed in 2014. It was founded originally as Creek when lead singer and guitarist Heather Baron-Gracie met drummer Ciara Doran while attending university in Manchester. The other members are ...
members Ciara Doran and
Heather Baron-Gracie Heather Baron-Gracie (born 17 January 1995) is an English singer, songwriter and musician, best known as the lead guitarist and vocalist for the indie rock band Pale Waves. Life and career Early life Heather Baron-Gracie was born in Preston, ...
after a tour with the English indie pop band Sundara Karma, and in an interview with ''
NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
'', Baron-Gracie explained that during this time, the band members were going through a period of self-doubt: "We got off that tour, and we’re like, 'Right, we can’t write.' We were so sad. … utthen we came out with one of our best songs." According to Baron-Gracie, she and Doran came up with the title "Television Romance" while working on a university project: "There was this activity we were asked to do. We cut up all these words and had to find a title within these words. I found television and romance. We said we were going to make it into a song, and we did." Lyrically, "Television Romance" was inspired by an interaction Baron-Gracie had had with an admirer who was oblivious to her disinterest: " Television Romance'is about a night we had … ndsomebody was just constantly coming onto me, and I was like, 'No, please stop! Because one, I don’t want this, and two, I’m not really into you.' And they just wouldn’t stop and I was like, 'Is it not obvious that I don’t like you back?'" In a discussion with Sarah Kidd of ''Ambient Light'', Baron-Gracie said, "That happens a lot in this day and age where people just don’t listen and just keep trying to say something that obviously isn’t the same for the other person." In the same interview, Baron-Gracie noted that some listeners incorrectly assume that "Television Romance" is a love song, even though "it’s a rejection song ... It’s looking at romance in a negative manner." When it was being written, "Television Romance" went through various iterations—so many that the band began to question what exactly it "want dto be". The final version of the song was produced by Matthew Healy and George Daniel of
the 1975 The 1975 are an English pop rock band formed in 2002 in Wilmslow, Cheshire. Now based in Manchester, the band consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Matthew "Matty" Healy, lead guitarist Adam Hann, bassist Ross MacDonald, and drummer ...
, and it was recorded in Healy's attic in 2017. Healy first expressed interest in producing the single after his manager, Jamie Oborne (who managed both the 1975 and Pale Waves), played him a demo of "Television Romance" and " There's a Honey". "Matty said he wished that 'Television Romance' was his song", Doran explained to the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
, "so he wanted to have some involvement." Doran credits Healy and Daniel with " akingwhat ale Waveshad and akingit sonically bigger", That said, when discussing how much of an impact Healy had on the band's sound, Baron-Gracie told ''NME'' that "we're different bands and different people. ealy and the 1975are our friends, and we’re really close to them but we’re both doing our own thing right now."


Music and lyrics

Musically, "Television Romance" is an
indie pop Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and su ...
song in the key of E major that is played at a tempo of 115
beats per minute Beat, beats or beating may refer to: Common uses * Patrol, or beat, a group of personnel assigned to monitor a specific area ** Beat (police), the territory that a police officer patrols ** Gay beat, an area frequented by gay men * Battery ...
. Described as "dream pop nostalgia", "Television Romance" opens with a "swirling guitar riff", and "high-pitched vocals, llbacked by sugar-sweet synths". This specific soundscape has often been compared to music of the 1975 (''NME'', for instance, referred to the song as having "1975-like staccato verses") Regarding these comparisons, Baron-Gracie told ''
Nylon Nylon is a generic designation for a family of synthetic polymers composed of polyamides ( repeating units linked by amide links).The polyamides may be aliphatic or semi-aromatic. Nylon is a silk-like thermoplastic, generally made from pe ...
'' magazine: "I guess people just hear poppy guitars these days and think, 'The 1975,' because they're the most relevant band at the moment, and they're so big people are automatically inclined to compare." While analysing the lyrics to "Television Romance", ''Euphoria'' magazine wrote that they are "dripping with solitude and teen angst as it is blooming with confidence". When it came time to include "Television Romance" on the band's debut studio album, ''
My Mind Makes Noises ''My Mind Makes Noises'' is the debut studio album by English indie pop band Pale Waves, released on 14 September 2018 by the independent record label Dirty Hit. With the exception of the album's singles " There's a Honey" and " Television R ...
'', the members of Pale Waves decided to remix both this song and their debut single "There's a Honey". "When we were listening back to riginal mixes of 'There's a Honey' and 'Television Romance'it was pretty clear that we had to re-record them," Baron-Gracie explained in a feature with ''Ones to Watch''. "We wanted it to sound like they were all recorded at the same time in the same studio and having the riginal versionson the album just wouldn't have worked." Ciara Doran and Jonathan Gilmore (the latter of whom produced the band's debut album) handled remixing duties.


Music video

The music video for "Television Romance" was co-directed by Samuel Burgess-Johnson and Matty Healy, with the latter making his directorial debut. It was released on 18 September 2017 and features the band performing the song in the living room of a residence at a tower block. The video was filmed in a block of flats in
Ashton-under-Lyne Ashton-under-Lyne is a market town in Tameside, Greater Manchester, England. The population was 45,198 at the 2011 census. Historically in Lancashire, it is on the north bank of the River Tame, in the foothills of the Pennines, east of Manche ...
,
Greater Manchester Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county and combined authority area in North West England, with a population of 2.8 million; comprising ten metropolitan boroughs: Manchester, Salford, Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tam ...
, near where the band's first practice space had been located. Regarding the location, Doran explained: "Everyone wanted he videoto be Manchester-based, because it was important to us". The particular flat used in the video was owned by a 92-year-old woman. "She had no clue what was going on but she was loving it", Healy noted in an interview with ''NME''. , the video has been viewed over 14.64 million times on
YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...
. Shahlin Graves of ''Coup de Main'' commented on how Baron-Gracie adds character to the video, writing "Heather Baron-Gracie, queen of iconic eye-rolls – long may you reign." Brittany Vincent of ''
Alternative Press Alternative press may refer to: Individual publications * ''Alternative Press'' (magazine), an American music magazine Alternative journalism * Alternative media ** Alternative media (U.S. political left) ** Alternative media (U.S. political ri ...
'' wrote positively of the video, describing it as both "low-key" and "very soothing". On 17 January it was announced that the music video was nominated for Best Video at the
NME Awards The ''NME'' Awards is an annual music awards show in the United Kingdom, founded by the music magazine '' NME'' (''New Musical Express''). The first awards show was held in 1953 as the ''NME'' Poll Winners Concerts, shortly after the founding ...
2018. The winner was revealed at the ceremony at London's
O2 Academy Brixton Brixton Academy (originally known as the Astoria Variety Cinema, previously known as Carling Academy Brixton, currently named O2 Academy Brixton as part of a sponsorship deal with the O2 brand) is a mid-sized concert venue located in South Wes ...
on 14 February, with the band losing out to The Big Moon with their video for "Sucker".


Release and critical reception


Commercial release

The song was originally released on 16 August 2017 as a download and made available on streaming services the same day. It was re-released on 10 November 2017 as a 7" double
A-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record company ...
single with the band's debut single "There's a Honey", pressed on a limited edition white vinyl. Following its release, the "Television Romance"/"There's a Honey" double A-side debuted at number 83 on the
Scottish Singles Chart The Scottish Albums Chart is a chart compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC) which is based on how physical and digital sales towards the UK Albums Chart fare in Scotland. The official singles chart for Scotland, the Scottish Singles Chart, ...
, and at number 2 on the UK Vinyl Singles and UK Singles Sales Charts. , "Television Romance" has been streamed 18.10 million times on
Spotify Spotify (; ) is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 456 million monthly active us ...
.


Critical reviews

Upon its release, "Television Romance" received positive reviews from
music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...
. Thomas Smith, writing for ''NME'', called the song "a shimmering, summer-tinged indie banger". In particular, he applauded "the song’s heavenly chorus", which "allows the Manchester quartet to elevate into a league of their own". '' Clash'' writer Robin Murray called the song "a sugar-sweet ear-worm of a track". She further described it as "infectious of chorus and glistening of production". Andy Von Pip of the online music blog, ''The VPME'', praised the track, naming it their track of the day on 17 August 2017. Von Pip wrote that the song was a "lovingly crafted slice of slick but heartfelt indie, one that you could imagine being featured in a John Hughes montage". Von Pip also wrote highly of the "melancholic winsome appeal of Heather Baron-Gracie's fragile vocal". In a review of the band's debut album, ''My Mind Makes Noises'', Emily Mackay of ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'', described the song as "monstrously addictive", and "all glistening 80s pop muscle and deadpan delivery". '' Marie Claire'' later named "Television Romance" one of the "Best Songs of 2017", ranking it at number 14. Limited criticism was directed at the song for its similarities to the band's previous single, "There's a Honey". Von Pip, for instance, wrote: " Television Romance' isthe follow up to their sublime official debut single for Dirty Hit Records 'There’s A Honey' and to be honest it isn't a million miles away from that track, indeed there are points in the chorus that sound like it's actually going to morph into said debut". Heather Baron-Gracie addressed this criticism on 5 December 2017 via her official
Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
account, saying: "If our songs sound ‘similar’ it's because we’re the same band... lol".


Year-end lists


Track listing


Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of ''My Mind Makes Noises''. Pale Waves * Heather Baron-Gracie – vocals, guitar * Ciara Doran – drums, synthesizers, programming * Hugo Silvani – guitar * Charlie Wood – bass guitar Additional musicians * Jonathan Gilmore – programming Technical * George Daniel –
production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stati ...
* Matthew Healy – production * Jonathan Gilmore – additional production * Ciara Doran – additional production * Joseph Rodgers –
engineering Engineering is the use of scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad range of more speciali ...
*
Mark "Spike" Stent Mark "Spike" Stent (born 3 August 1965) is an English record producer and mixing engineer who has worked with many international artists including Madonna, Marshmello, U2, Beyoncé, Björk, Depeche Mode, Echo & The Bunnymen, Grimes, Ed She ...
 – mixing * Robin Schmidt – mastering


Charts


Weekly charts


Release history


References

{{Pale Waves 2017 singles 2017 songs Dirty Hit singles Pale Waves songs Songs written by Heather Baron-Gracie