Fleeing The Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

"Fleeing The Ribbon Cutting Ceremony" is the second single from British rock singer and songwriter Romo's debut album Eve. The single was released July 28, 2008 and became Romo's second #1 single, on the heels of the #1 debut of Eve on the album charts.

Background and writing
"Fleeing The Ribbon Cutting Ceremony" uses abstract lyrics, a simplistic structure, and a poetic tone to describe intense feelings of shame for one's self and his or her contributions to society. The "ribbon cutting ceremony" in the song's title (referred to as an "unveiling" in the song) is intended as a metaphor for a large gathering of people.

Some believe the song could be about suicide. The song begins with the narrator announcing the listener will see her "at the gates", a possible reference to the afterlife, while it ends with a dramatic buildup that concludes with "and I'm gone", which could refer to the act of death itself. Speculation heavily arose following the release of the single's music video, which features Romo fleeing a murder scene where Romo herself is revealed to be the victim.

The song's style has been widely compared to Luke Ramada.

Track listings
CD1 1. Fleeing The Ribbon Cutting Ceremony 2. Face For Rehab (Flip & Fill Remix) 3. Shoebox/Fuck Off Lover Boy Medley (Live)  CD2 1. Fleeing The Ribbon Cutting Ceremony (EC Shattered Glass Motomix) 2. Fleeing The Ribbon Cutting Ceremony (IP's Scizzor Snip and Bleeding Lips Electrofuck) 3. Fleeing The Ribbon Cutting Ceremony (Sleazy Scissor Snip Wop Bop Edit) 4. Caroline Fleeing The Ribbon Cutting Ceremony (Romo vs. Nathan King) 5. I Lived For The Ribbon Cutting Ceremony (Romo vs. Amy Marshall)

Promotion
As the single was to be released on the same week as Clubland remixes of S*F and Izzy's "Secret Room" and Kelly West's "Everytime My Heart Breaks" (both of which were canceled), Romo decided to jump on the bandwagon and included a Flip & Fill remix of her debut single as a B-side on CD1. Also included on the CD1 is a live medley of Emily Henning's "Shoebox" and Taylor Brookes' "Fuck Off Lover Boy", which was improvised during a live performance during the week of the big World War III incident of which Brookes and Henning were a part of.

The single was given its first play on June 16, 2008, the same day promo copies were distributed to radio. The next week, shortly before the "World War III" incident centered around pop singer China, Romo accused her of making her a "slave" for being asked on multiple occasions to walk her dogs.

Other trouble Romo got into during the course of the promotion included locking herself out of her own car and attending a birthday party for a friend's nerdy brother who ends up sexually humiliating her.

The single's artwork featured Romo posing in front of mirrors. CD1 bears notable similarities to the artwork for Esmeralda Dimuzio's single "Framed".

Chart performance
"Fleeing The Ribbon Cutting Ceremony" entered the Urapopstar Top 40 Singles Chart at #7 on downloads only on the week of July 27, 2008, selling 25,558 downloads. The following week it climbed to #1 after its first week of physical sales, selling 74,223 copies. The single sold a total of 263,411 copies.

With this single, Romo became only the eighth artist to reach #1 with her first two singles, a feat previously accomplished by Gasp, Ryan Simmonds, Chloe Mayo, Nerina, Andrea Twain, Mars/Venus, and Emily Henning. This does not count London, who charted with Venom before she reached #1 with her first two solo singles.

The single also became Romo's first #1 on the airplay chart, charting ten spots higher than the peak of "Face For Rehab".