The Truth About Love (Pink album)
The Truth About Love is the sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter Pink. It was released on September 14, 2012, through RCA Records. After giving birth to her first child in 2011, Pink started working on the album with longtime collaborator Billy Mann. With hopes of becoming more involved in the production of the album, she also reunited with Greg Kurstin and Butch Walker. Recording sessions took place between January and May 2012. The Truth About Love is primarily a pop record and includes elements of electropop, dance-pop, and rock music. Its lyrics explore themes of love, monogamy, and sexuality, as evidenced by the album title. The songs on the album express various perspectives towards romance and delve into the realities of long-term relationships. It features guest appearances by Eminem, Lily Allen, and Nate Ruess.
The Truth About Love
September 14, 2012
January–May 2012
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- Earthstar Creation Center (Venice, California)
- Conway (Los Angeles)
- Suite 203
- The Modern Dirt Laboratories (London)
- Effigy Studios (Ferndale, Michigan)
- Fishhead Music (Sweden)
- Ruby Red Studios (Santa Monica, California)
- West Triad Studios (Venice, California)
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The album received generally positive reviews from music critics, who commended Pink's thematic and musical direction. Buoyed by extensive marketing, The Truth About Love was a commercial success, topping the charts in eight countries, including Australia, Canada, Germany, and Sweden. In the United States, it became Pink's first number-one album on the Billboard 200 chart and was later certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of three million album-equivalent units. In Australia, The Truth About Love became the first album to top the year-end chart for two consecutive years and was certified nine times platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). It was ranked as the seventh best-selling album of 2012, with sales of 2.6 million copies sold worldwide. By 2016, the album had sold over seven million copies globally.
Six tracks from the album were released as singles. "Blow Me (One Last Kiss)", the album's lead single, was released on July 2, 2012, and peaked at number five on the US Billboard Hot 100. The second single, "Try", attained the top-ten position in several countries worldwide, including Australia, Canada, Germany, the UK, and the US. It was followed by "Just Give Me a Reason", which topped the record charts in over ten countries worldwide and became Pink's fourth number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100. "True Love" charted moderately in various countries, while the album's other singles, "Walk of Shame" and "Are We All We Are", had a limited release. The album was further promoted through The Truth About Love Tour (2013–2014), which grossed $183 million upon completion. The Truth About Love was nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album at the 55th Annual Grammy Awards.
Background and development[edit]
In November 2010, Pink released her first greatest hits album, titled Greatest Hits... So Far!!!.[1] The album spawned two singles, "Raise Your Glass" and "Fuckin' Perfect", which achieved commercial success, peaking at number one and number two, respectively, on the US Billboard Hot 100.[2][3] On June 2, 2011, Pink gave birth to her first child, a daughter named Willow Sage Hart.[4] Despite media speculation that Pink would take an extended break from music to focus on motherhood, her management team suggested in an interview with American Top 40 that the singer could release a new album next year.[5]
In March 2012, Pink confirmed via Twitter that she had begun working on her sixth studio album.[6] In an open letter to her fans posted on her official website, she detailed the process of crafting the record, saying, "I'm putting my heart and soul into every song and there's a lot of that these days. This little girl has expanded me and what I am capable of feeling as a human".[7] Pink later appeared on the cover of Cosmopolitan in June 2012.[8] While discussing her return to the music scene, Pink revealed that the album was set to be released during the fall of the same year, and that she worked on new music with Billy Mann, among others.[8] She added, "I've been in mommy mode, and I'm just starting to get back out there into the real world. I've been in the studio recording my new album, so now it feels like everything is falling back into place."[8]
Release and artwork[edit]
In 2011, RCA Music Group announced that it would be disbanding Jive Records, Arista, and J Records. With the shutdown, all artists previously signed to those labels, including Pink, would release their future material through RCA Records.[58] Pink announced the album title during an interview on Australia's Today on July 4, 2012.[38] The following day, she confirmed the album's release date as September 17, 2012, in the United Kingdom, and a day later in the United States.[59] The album's artwork was unveiled through Pink's official website on July 16, 2012.[60] Photographed by Andrew Macpherson,[10] it depicts the singer with her "signature" pink hair crouching down and donning a short black top, short black shorts, garters, and red heels.[60][61][62]
On September 4, 2012, Pink announced that she partnered with the American retail company Target for a promotional campaign.[63] The partnership included the release of an exclusive, deluxe edition of The Truth About Love album, featuring four extra tracks, and Pink appearing in television commercials for Target to promote the album.[63][64] A special Fan Edition of the album was released in November 2012.[10] In addition to the standard version of the album, the Fan Edition contains six additional songs, as well as a DVD containing the music videos of "Blow Me (One Last Kiss)" and "Try", four live performances from a special The Truth About Love concert held in Los Angeles, and exclusive scenes from the album photoshoot.[10]
Commercial performance[edit]
The Truth About Love became Pink's first number-one album in the United States, debuting at the summit of the Billboard 200 chart with 280,000 copies sold and earning her biggest first-week sales at the time.[138] The following week, the album fell to number four with sales of 94,000 copies.[139] It sold 945,000 copies by the end of 2012, finishing as the country's 12th highest-selling album of the year.[140] By December 2013, the album had sold over 1.83 million copies.[65] It was certified 3× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in August 2017 for selling over three million album-equivalent units in the US.[141] In Canada, The Truth About Love debuted atop the Canadian Albums Chart. With 28,000 copies sold in the first week, it became Pink's first number-one album there.[142] It was certified 3× Platinum by Music Canada (MC) for shipments of 240,000 copies.[143]
In the United Kingdom, The Truth About Love entered the UK Albums Chart at number two, selling 80,000 copies, behind The Killers' Battle Born which sold 94,000 copies.[144] As of February 2019, the album has sold 907,000 sales in the UK and has been certified 3× Platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).[145][146] In France, it debuted at number four on the official album chart with 17,855 traditional units.[147] The Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique (SNAP) certified the album platinum, which denotes sales of 100,000 copies.[148] In other regions, The Truth About Love reached number one on charts in Austria, Germany, Sweden, and Switzerland,[149][150][151][152] and peaked within the top ten in Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands, and Spain, among others.[153][154][155][156]
In Australia, The Truth About Love debuted at number one on the ARIA Albums Chart with first-week sales of 74,293 copies, becoming Pink's fourth number-one album in the country and claiming the biggest single-week sales of 2012.[157][158] The album spent ten non-consecutive weeks at the summit of the chart, becoming the longest-running number-one album since Adele's 21 (2011).[159] The Truth About Love was the nation's highest-selling album of both 2012 and 2013, thus becoming the first album to ever achieve this feat.[160][161] As of January 2014, it has sold 560,000 copies and was certified 9× Platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for selling over 630,000 units.[162][163] The album experienced similar success in New Zealand, debuting at the top of the Official New Zealand Music Chart and spending six non-consecutive weeks there.[164] It received a 4× Platinum certification from Recorded Music NZ (RMNZ) for shipments of over 60,000 units.[165] Globally, The Truth About Love was the seventh best-selling album of 2012, with sales of 2.6 million copies,[166] and by November 2016, it had sold an estimated seven million copies worldwide.[167]