The Truth (Kris Allen song)
Encyclopedia
"The Truth" is a song by American recording artist Kris Allen
Kris Allen
Kristopher Neil "Kris" Allen is an American musician and singer-songwriter from Conway, Arkansas, and the winner of the eighth season of American Idol...
, from his self-titled debut album
Kris Allen (album)
Kris Allen is the major-label album debut from the American Idol season 8 winner Kris Allen. The album was released on November 17, 2009 in the US...
. The song was written by Train
Train (band)
Train is an American pop rock band from San Francisco, California, formed in 1994. The band currently comprises a core trio of Patrick Monahan , Jimmy Stafford and Scott Underwood ....
frontman Pat Monahan and its producer, Toby Gad
Toby Gad
Tobias "Toby" Gad is a Los Angeles-based hit producer and songwriter from Germany, perhaps best known for co-writing Fergie's Grammy nominated hit song "Big Girls Don't Cry" as well as co-writing and producing Beyoncé's worldwide #1 hit "If I Were a Boy", and The Veronicas multi-platinum #1...
. The single version of the song, which features Monahan, was released as the album's second single on May 11, 2010.
Background
In an interview with Entertainment WeeklyEntertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
, Allen divulged details about the single version of the song. According to Allen, it was his label's idea to switch the song up, stating, "Their idea was that Pat wrote the song, so why not get him involved in it in some way. And obviously Train is doing really well right now, and I don’t think that can be ignored. Everyone thought it was a good idea." Allen also stated it never crossed his mind to feature Monahan, commenting, "It wasn’t that type of song where you say, 'We need someone else on this.' Now that it’s done, I hope it does really well, man. I really do." He also said the song was not written as a typical duet, so the feature was not meant to come off as a duet, as listeners may think of the song as a breakup ballad between two men, therefore Monahan was added on the bridge.
When asked about the controversy over his fans feeling that he was victimized in the released of the single, he responded,
The people at 19 and the people at Jive have been great. I'm not gonna say there haven't been things that have happened, some conflicts. Not bad stuff — I think it's just general stuff that goes on between artists and labels or whatever. Questions that come up. I'm very new to this. But it's really nice to have fans who care about you, who want you to be done right, and for the label and management to treat you right. I think they felt like I wasn't being cared for and being respected. And I appreciate them worrying about that. But I feel like I am. I really do.
Music video
The music video premiered on August 17, 2010 on VH1VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
, and premiered on Kris' website on August 18. The video begins at a desert where Allen is seen on a bed and he walks away from the bed. Throughout the video, Monahan is shown singing at a different location of the desert. At the end of the video, Allen is singing and playing his piano in a glass filled candle lanterns, finishing the song.
Critical reception
Bill Lamb of About.comAbout.com
About.com is an online source for original information and advice. It is written in English, and is aimed primarily at North Americans. It is owned by The New York Times Company....
gave the single a mixed review, complimenting the song's mainstream pop appeal and Allen's powerful vocals, but criticizing the song's ordinary lyrics and sound. He noted that while both "Live Like We're Dying
Live Like We're Dying
"Live Like We're Dying" is a song performed by American recording artist Kris Allen. The song serves as the lead single from his self-titled major label debut album. The song was originally recorded by Irish pop band The Script as a bonus track and B-side in select territories on their self titled...
" and Allen's song choices on American Idol
American Idol (season 8)
The eighth season of American Idol premiered on January 13, 2009, and concluded on May 20, 2009. Judges Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, and Randy Jackson continued to judge the show's contestants, along with Ryan Seacrest as host. The season introduced Kara DioGuardi as the fourth judge on the Idol...
fit his talents impeccably, "The Truth" makes him sound "almost like a Daughtry wannabe losing all of his own performance personality in the process." Even though Lamb thought it was wise to feature Monahan to capitalize on the success of "Hey, Soul Sister
Hey, Soul Sister
"Hey, Soul Sister" is a song by the American rock band Train, written by Patrick Monahan, Amund Bjørklund, and Espen Lind. It was released as the lead single from the band's fifth studio album, Save Me, San Francisco. The song reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and is their highest...
", he complained that it is difficult to distinguish Monahan from the lead vocal and questioned the artistic relevance of his presence on the track. Lamb also criticized the production and songwriting, calling the lyrics "bland", and said the production "adds no new life to words or music." He recommended Allen unleash his vocal power shown in the song "on something more unique to him as an artist."
Chart performance
"The Truth" debuted at #37 on the U.S. BillboardBillboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks
Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks
Adult Top 40 is a variation on the United States Billboard charts...
chart for the week of June 5, 2010.
Charts
| Chart (2010) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Adult Top 40 (Adult Pop Songs) | 17 |
Credits and personnel
- Songwriting - Pat Monahan, Toby GadToby GadTobias "Toby" Gad is a Los Angeles-based hit producer and songwriter from Germany, perhaps best known for co-writing Fergie's Grammy nominated hit song "Big Girls Don't Cry" as well as co-writing and producing Beyoncé's worldwide #1 hit "If I Were a Boy", and The Veronicas multi-platinum #1...
- ProductionRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
– Toby Gad - Arrangement, instruments and programming – Toby Gad
- Drums – Robin Diaz
- Violins – Jim Sitterly, Larry Greenfield
- MixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
– Serban Ghenea; John Hanes (engineered for mix), assisted by Tim Robbins
Source
Release history
| Region | Date | Format |
|---|---|---|
| United States | May 11, 2010 | Digital download Music download A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment... |
| June 1 , 2010 | Mainstream radio |