True Love (Pink song)

Updated on Nov 12, 2023

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B-side "Slut Like You" Recorded 2012 Length 3:50		Released June 28, 2013 Genre Dance-pop ska pop Label RCA

"True Love" is a song written and recorded by American recording artist Pink from her sixth studio album, The Truth About Love (2012). It was written by Pink, Lily Allen (credited as her former marital name, Lily Rose Cooper) and Greg Kurstin, and features Allen.

The song was released as the album's second promotional single, following "Are We All We Are", in early 2013. It was released exclusively to Hungarian and Dutch radio. On April 29, 2013, it was announced that the song would be released as the fourth single. It officially impacted Italian radio stations on June 28, 2013. In the US, it impacted Hot/Modern/AC radio on July 15, 2013, before impacting Top 40/Mainstream radio one week later on July 23, 2013. The song was released in the UK on July 22, 2013.

Background

In late February 2012, Pink tweeted that she was currently in the studio, working on an upcoming studio album. In early June, she released a video saying that her first single from the album was to be called "Blow Me (One Last Kiss)". It was released in July. Her new album was named The Truth About Love and was released in September. Since then, she has released two other singles from the album: "Try", and "Just Give Me a Reason". Pink says that the song is about her relationship with Carey Hart and she finds the song funny lyrically. "True Love" was the third song from The Truth About Love to be leaked onto the internet, as "Here Comes the Weekend" was leaked the day before.

Critical reception

The song received mostly positive reviews from critics and was compared to the album's title track due to both songs revealing the positive and negative sides of love. In its review of The Truth About Love, Billboard called the song the album's "brightest moment" and added that it "deserves to be one of Pink's signature songs". Amy Sciarretto of PopCrush also gave a positive review of the song, saying, "The upbeat, hell yeah, high-five love song features Pink calling her lover an “a–hole” and saying she wants to slap his whole face. Again, a dysfunctional relationship, which is sung about over a resonant rhythm, makes the misery of love sound like a delight in Pink’s capable hands, er, voice." MSN Music also reacted positively to the song, calling it "feisty".

The New York Times complimented the song, as well as the album's title track, for recognizing "some nonstorybook sides of romance", and further praised "True Love" for being "bouncy" and upbeat. The Chicago Tribune gave a more critical review of the song, calling Allen's vocals "strangely subdued" and added that Allen was "tamping down Pink's strident, comical posturing". They also wrote that the collaboration "should've been a dream pairing, but falls flat". PopMatters also gave the song a mixed review, complimenting the song, as well as the title track, for "daring to reveal the truth about love", but added that "True Love" especially "cutesily examines why we hate those we love" and contains "brave" and "honest" material that is far too cliché.

Music video

According to Pink's official Facebook page, the music video for "True Love" was planned to premiere on July 1, 2013. The video was leaked online on June 30, on the website Direct Lyrics; however, a few hours later the video was released to her official VEVO account, a day earlier than planned.

The video directed by Sophie Muller (who also directed videos for "Trouble" and "I Don't Believe You") features Pink, her husband Carey Hart and her 2-year-old daughter Willow. It is the fourth music video that Hart appears alongside P!nk. The video is a melody of flashing and swirling colors. Pink stated that she has no time for a dramatic music video, (like her previous videos for "Just Give Me a Reason" and "Try", which show Pink's emotional and dramatic side) due to her being on her sold-out worldwide tour, backstage footage of which is featured in the video. Lily Allen was filmed separately, and during her short part in the song she is shown cutting vegetables and throwing them into a blender.

Covers and performances

Joelle Hadjia, a contestant on the fifth season of The X Factor Australia, performed the song in the fourth week of live performances, only to be met with negative comments from both the public and the judges, from whom Ronan Keating criticised her mentor, Redfoo, for "letting her coast with boring songs".