Face For Rehab

"Face For Rehab" is the debut single from British singer Romo's debut album Eve. The single was released April 28, 2008 to download outlets and May 5, 2008 physically. It introduced the singer as a dark, alternative pop vocalist with philosophical undertones, though she would ultimately undergo a drastic change in direction by the end of the year.

As a result of the single's massive promotional campaign, "Face For Rehab" upstaged Arwyn Knight, the front-runner on her week of release, with a debut at #15 on downloads (besting Knight's #22 entry) followed by an upset at #1 with its physical release.

The title is based on the expression "face for radio".

Background
Though Romo had written several demos to shop to various labels, once signed to Michael Jones Management she was asked to write a "lead single"-type track. Romo wanted to appear radio-friendly, but without coming off as overtly commercial; one such example of her attempt to break boundaries was with the song's poetic opening ("O venomous envy, how I loathe your wrath ..."). She thought she would be able to achieve a breakthrough with gripping lyricism about subjects that mattered to her audience, to "encourage the listener to keep listening to find out what happens next". This technique employed by Romo has become definitive of her art.

Writing and inspiration
The lyrics of "Face For Rehab" are about the role of hard-partying celebrities in the corruption of teenage girls who go out to excessively do drugs, get drunk, and have sex. The song also claims girls follow the lead of their idols and peers out of sheer jealousy, hoping to fit in with the crowd without realizing the consequences. For that reason, the verses take the form of a hypothetical conversation between Romo and a celebrity personified as "envy" and "jealousy".

The song mentions the popular social networking site Facebook, which commonly features pictures of teen girls' drinking binges. Romo herself has a Facebook account, and felt appropriate to mention the site for exposing private lives of young party girls.

Romo says the song and its writing style were influenced by Buffi, who remains one of the singer's primary influences. The single's artwork campaign was also inspired by artwork for several Buffi singles, particularly those from the Pill Queen era.

Track listings
CD1 1. Face For Rehab 2. Asylum (Alexis cover)  CD2 1. Face For Rehab (Indigo Peak's Cocaine Sniffup) 2. Face For Rehab (Alesha's Cocaine Mademoiselle Remix) 3. Face For Rehab (coco novak's Diamond Junkie Edit) 4. Face For Rehab (Amy's Drugs & Alcohol are THE SHIT Remix) 5. Face For Rehab (Sleazy Slip Up Pills Pop Edit) 6. Face For Rehab (Tiara's NO! NO! WE WON'T GO! Mix) 7. Face For Rehab (Sophie's Been There Remix) 8. Face For Rehab (Daddy Thinks I'm Fine Mix) 9. Face For Rehab (EC's French Cocktail & Fine Cigar Mix)  DOWNLOAD EP 1. Face For Rehab (Main Version) 2. Face For Rehab (Instrumental) 3. Asylum (Alexis cover) 4. Romo interviews a wall (Phil from ...Fat Lady Sings cover) (iTunes exclusive)<BR>

Promotion
The single premiered on April 2, 2008, the same day promo copies were distributed. It was made available to radio beginning April 7.

Romo's promo introduced her tendencies to make sarcastic, sardonic remarks to her fellow peers, in addition to revealing intimate secrets surrounding herself and acts she used to sing backup for. She signed on to be opening act on Arwyn Knight's tour despite her harsh criticism of her management of Wired Records; the two have since become fierce rivals.

She noted she would likely perform on a few shows "if there are even any music shows on TV anymore, most of them are bloody canceled"; she performed "Face For Rehab" on URAPS Idol 9 on April 27 and on Urabeachstar on June 8.

Chart performance
On May 4, 2008, "Face For Rehab" entered the Urapopstar Top 40 Singles Chart at #15 on downloads only, surprisingly beating the front-runner on the week of her release, Arwyn Knight's "Stain Glass Window", which came in seven spots lower at #22. The following week, Romo's single upset Arwyn again, selling 72,123 copies against Arwyn's 68,343 and earning the #1 spot with her debut release. The single sold 285,776 copies total and was certified platinum.

"Face For Rehab" broke the record for biggest jump to #1, previously held by K' and Kelly's "By Your Side" which climbed 7-1 in October 2004. A month later, the record was broken again when Ben Johnston climbed from #16 to #1 with "Tell Me When The News Comes On"; the current record-holder is Jon Farley's "Dirt Bomb Bang! Bang!" which climbed from #21 to #1 in September 2008.

On April 27, 2008, it entered the airplay charts at #36 and has since reached #11. It has also reached #4 on TRL and #7 on Box Breakers.

"Face For Rehab" ranked #38 on Urapopstar's top selling singles of 2008.

References in other media

 * Romo's third single "Schizo Pop" contains two obscure references to the lines, "Bitter jealousy's aftertaste lingers in my throat" and "Would you see me fall victim to the socialites' conformity?" In between these two allusions, Romo sings, "Deja vu hits me six months after Face For Rehab". "Schizo Pop" was commercially released six months to the week "Face For Rehab" was first released.
 * The cover art was parodied by It's Not Over Until The Fat Lady Sings for the cover of their single "Daddy Didn't Say Thank You/Give It To Me".