Torch Song
by AFI

Album: Crash Love (2009)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This is the opening track of AFI's eighth studio album, Crash Love. The anthemic, dramatic song seems to be about the end of a romantic relationship, as frontman Davey Havok sings:

    Leave me to grieve that nothing's lost, nothing's lost
    Leave me, but when you leave, know nothing's lost, nothing's lost
  • Lyrically, this is a literal "torch song" (i.e., a sentimental love song in which the singer laments an unrequited or lost love, where one party is either oblivious to the existence of the other, or where one party has moved on). The phrase comes from the term "to carry a torch for someone," which comes from the metaphor of a burning flame, to keep a fire burning. Examples of torch songs, which are generally sung by female vocalists, include the Dolly Parton-written Whitney Houston classic "I Will Always Love You" (a song that's often misinterpreted as being about people who will be together forever) and the 1955 Julie London hit "Cry Me A River," which later was recorded by Ella Fitzgerald, Joe Cocker, Susan Boyle and many others.
  • Following the chart-topping success of AFI's previous album, Decemberunderground, Crash Love only reached #12 on the US albums chart. Havok admitted he was kind of gutted by the relative commercial failure.

    In a 2025 episode of the HardLore podcast, he explained that making Crash Love was a "joyous" experience, in contrast with the process of creating Decemberunderground. Davey then lamented, "So to have it be completely ignored was particularly devastating, not just in light of our recent commercial success. So all of that conflated into a pretty painful experience."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

"Private Eyes" - The Story Behind the Song

"Private Eyes" - The Story Behind the SongSong Writing

How a goofy detective movie, a disenchanted director and an unlikely songwriter led to one of the biggest hits in pop history.

The Girl in That Song

The Girl in That SongFact or Fiction

Billie Jean, Delilah, Sara, Laura and Sharona - do you know who the girls in the songs really are?

John Doe of X

John Doe of XSongwriter Interviews

With his X-wife Exene, John fronts the band X and writes their songs.

Fire On The Stage

Fire On The StageSong Writing

When you have a song called "Fire," it's tempting to set one - these guys did.

Intentionally Atrocious

Intentionally AtrociousSong Writing

A selection of songs made to be terrible - some clearly achieved that goal.

Soul Train Stories with Stephen McMillian

Soul Train Stories with Stephen McMillianSong Writing

A Soul Train dancer takes us through a day on the show, and explains what you had to do to get camera time.