| "Love Ballad" | ||||
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| Single by Tove Lo | ||||
| Released | 5 November 2012 | |||
| Recorded | 2012 | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Length | 3:28 | |||
| Label | Self-released | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
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| Producer(s) | The Struts | |||
| Tove Lo singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Love Ballad" on YouTube | ||||
"Love Ballad" is the debut single by Swedish singer Tove Lo. It was co-written by Lo, Ludvig Söderberg and Jakob Jerlström, and was produced by her co-writers under their production name The Struts. In 2012, after signing a publishing deal with Warner/Chappell Music and co-writing songs for artists including Girls Aloud and Icona Pop, Lo decided to become an independent singer to keep her most personal songs for herself.
She eventually sent "Love Ballad" to Swedish radio stations on 15 October 2012. It was digitally released on 5 November 2012. The track was later included on Lo's debut extended play Truth Serum and her debut studio album Queen of the Clouds, both of which were released in 2014. "Love Ballad" is a pop song with drum instrumentation; its lyrics detail the protagonist's exaggerated ways of showing affection to a romantic partner. Critics described it as an "ode to falling dangerously in love with someone" and a parody of love songs.
The song drew the attention of music blogs and received positive reviews from some critics but failed to chart anywhere. A music video for the song, which Motellet Film and Lo directed, was released on 5 October 2012. It shows the singer covered in black paint and performing acrobatics in the middle of a road and on a football field. Lo performed the track several times, including on the Swedish campaign Musikhjälpen and at Notting Hill Arts Club in London, United Kingdom.