"True Romance" is a song by American rock band Motion City Soundtrack, released on April 13, 2012 as the lead single from the group's fifth studio album, '' Go'' (2012). The song's music video was released on June 12, 2012.

Background

The song originated from

Joshua Cain Joshua Allen Cain, (born July 31, 1976) is a guitarist and record producer from Saint Paul, Minnesota. He was the co-founder and lead guitarist of United States, American pop punk band Motion City Soundtrack. Cain is also a record producer, music ...

, who brought the song to the band late in the recording process, but struggled to expand the idea into what he wanted. The song came together gradually, much like the recording process for ''Go''. The band's bass guitarist, Matthew Taylor, regarding the recording process, says that "there's always a certain point for me, and I think Josh too, during recording, we start to sift through every idea we have." Taylor sent Cain a mock keyboard part he had written for "True Romance", and both decided at the last minute that the track should be recorded and considered for the album. However, drums for the entire album had already been recorded and the group's drummer,

Tony Thaxton Motion City Soundtrack is an American rock band that formed in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1997. The band's line-up consists of vocalist and guitarist Justin Courtney Pierre, lead guitarist Joshua Cain, keyboardist Jesse Johnson, bassist Matthew ...

, was to be leaving town on a plane the very next day. That next morning, two hours before Thaxton's flight, he came into the studio and tracked drums for "True Romance". Jesse Johnson, the group's keyboard player, acknowledges the absurdity of the task they were putting before Thaxton by saying, "You gotta go play another song, that you haven't really heard, and don't know how it goes, and haven't written a part, but go do it. And you have an hour". Regarding the meaning of the song, the lead vocalist,

Justin Pierre Justin Courtney Pierre (born May 26, 1976) is a singer, songwriter and guitarist originally from Mahtomedi, Minnesota, United States. He is the co-founder and lead vocalist of the pop punk band Motion City Soundtrack, and is known for his int ...

, said "'True Romance' is a love song about two people who seemingly don't have much in common except their love for the time they share in the bedroom. In my experience, opposites do attract. And if you can get over the superficialities, you often find you have more in common than you initially thought. Perhaps you even find love."

Music video

The song's music video, directed by Cain's brother Jesse Caine, is a one shot clip that involved "upwards of 30 people behind the scenes, running up and down the street, stopping traffic, moving cars, running around." The video features adult film star Kleio Valentien. The clip took 15 takes to perfect. "Growing up in the 1990s, with guys like

Spike Jonze Adam H. Spiegel (born October 22, 1969), known professionally as Spike Jonze, is an American filmmaker, actor, musician, and photographer. His work includes commercials, film, music videos, skateboard videos and television. Jonze began his ca ...

always doing these one-take video, it's just always been fun to watch," said Pierre. "If you do it well, no one notices how much work goes into it."

Personnel

;Motion City Soundtrack *

– lead vocals, guitar *

– guitar, vocals * Jesse Johnson – Moog,

keyboard Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

* Matt Taylor – bass guitar, percussion *

– drums Production *

Ed Ackerson Ed Ackerson (July 18, 1965 – October 4, 2019) was an American musician and producer from Minneapolis. He produced or engineered dozens of records including works by prominent artists such as The Jayhawks, The Replacements, Motion City Soundtra ...

–

producer Producer or producers may refer to: Occupations *Producer (agriculture), a farm operator *A stakeholder of economic production *Film producer, supervises the making of films **Executive producer, contributes to a film's budget and usually does not ...

References

{{Motion City Soundtrack Motion City Soundtrack songs 2012 singles 2012 songs Epitaph Records singles Songs written by Joshua Cain Songs written by Justin Pierre