A Lesson in Romantics

Mayday Parade was formed in the winter of 2005 following the merger of two local Tallahassee bands, Kid Named Chicago and Defining Moment. In June 2006, their EP Tales Told by Dead Friends was released. The band followed the 2006 edition of Warped Tour, selling copies of the EP to people in line. By the end of summer, the group had sold 10,000 copies of the EP. Fearless label president Bob Becker said the group: "were really believable, they were obviously good musicians, and they were really tight sounding. And we already knew they were hard-working." Tales Told by Dead Friends was re-released through Fearless on November 7. ==Composition and recording==

All of the songs on A Lesson in Romantics were written while touring after Warped Tour. The songs are about: "being in a relationship while you're on the road, and the different hardships that come with that." The band originally did not want the song to be on the album, but was encouraged by the label to have it on the record. Mayday Parade went into the studio in January 2007. Recording took place at Tree Sound, located in Atlanta, Georgia until February 2007. The band worked with producers Zack Odom and Kenneth Mount, "When I Get Home, You're So Dead" from Tales Told by Dead Friends Having 18 songs to choose from, they selected 12 tracks for the album, about 7-8 songs they considered "standouts that we all agreed on." ==Release==

Lancaster left the band in April 2007, Lenzo and Bundrick filled in for Lancaster's vocals, while Garcia and Betts performed Lancaster's guitar parts. Garcia said this change made the guitars "sound more clear" and not "clutter[ed]"; on the other hand, the group found it hard working out who should sing Lancaster's parts. On April 4, "Black Cat" was made available for streaming via Hot Topic's Myspace profile. On April 13, the release of A Lesson in Romantics was announced. Between early May and late June, the band went on tour with support from Bedlight for Blue Eyes, Driver Side Impact, and Sick City. The track listing was revealed on May 18. On June 6, the band made "When I Get Home, You're So Dead" available for streaming via their Myspace profile. "Jamie All Over" was made available for streaming on June 19, via AbsolutePunk. A Lesson in Romantics was made available for streaming through AOL, and was released the following day through Fearless Records. Mayday Parade appeared at Dirt Fest in Birch Run, Michigan, before touring as part of the 2007 edition of Warped Tour from mid July to early August. In August, the band went on tour with Olympia and Sound the Alarm. The music video for "When I Get Home, You're So Dead", directed by Marco de la Torre, was filmed in September. In late September 2007, the band supported Paramore in Japan and Australia. The band went on a co-headlining tour with Madina Lake in October and November. The "When I Get Home, You're So Dead" music video was released on November 14, and the single was released on December 3. The band went on the Manwhores and Open Sores Tour alongside All Time Low, Every Avenue, and Just Surrender in January 2008. Between late January and late March, the band went on a package tour alongside Emery, As Cities Burn, Pierce the Veil and Cry of the Afflicted. In April and May, the band went on the Explosions In Your Pants Tour with support from My American Heart and the Graduate. A music video was filmed for "Jamie All Over" in May, and the single was released on May 20. Mayday Parade went on the 2008 edition of Warped Tour, playing all summer-long for the first time. through MTV on July 21. The song was released to radio on September 2. In October and November, the band supported All Time Low on the Compromising of Integrity, Morality, & Principles in Exchange for Money tour. A music video for "Miserable at Best", directed by Mark Staubach, was released on January 9, 2009, on the band's Myspace. Reissues A Lesson in Romantics was reissued on April 28, 2008, featuring an acoustic version of "Three Cheers for Five Years", as well as "One Man Drinking Games". A white vinyl edition was released a year later, on August 28, 2012. On January 1, 2017, the band launched a website under the name, alessoninromantics.com, teasing a 10 year anniversary tour for the album. On January 27, a new music video was released for "Black Cat", directed by Max Moore. A 10th anniversary edition of the album featuring demos was released on March 17. A UK leg of the tour is set to take place in September. The band also did commentary for every track on the album. Producer Kenneth Mount criticized the band on Twitter for not giving Lancaster credit in commentary, "I'm slightly confused why mayday parades commentary for lesson in romantics never mentions Jason Lancaster at all, voice of 50% of the album... Jason also recorded all his vocals naked for a lesson in romantics , that should totally make the commentary. I've waited ten years for that". ==Reception and legacy==

A Lesson in Romantics is considered a fan favorite. Daniel Thompson of Music Emissions wrote that: "every song is spectacular on this album and is a potential hit." idobi Radio included the album on their best of 2007 list. "When I Get Home, You're So Dead" was ranked at number 194 on the New York Posts 2007 list of best songs to download. In 2008, the music video for "When I Get Home, You're So Dead" was nominated at the MTV Video Music Awards for Best Rock Video and Video of the Year. The album was number 42 on Rock Sounds The 51 Most Essential Pop Punk Albums of All Time list. It was also listed as one of the 25 most influential albums that define emo by Alternative Press. Cleveland.com ranked "Jamie All Over" at number 66 on their list of the top 100 pop-punk songs. TJ Horansky of Sleep On It said the album was an influence on his band. Reflecting on the record, Derek Sanders said, "There's something really special about A Lesson In Romantics, and it's crazy to think back to the time when we recorded it and how young we were. Obviously, we had no idea where that record was going to take us, but it's got really strong songs and possesses that magic that can be so hard to capture in the studio." ==Commercial performance==

A Lesson in Romantics debuted at number 8 on the Billboard Heatseekers Albums chart, The album also charted on the Independent Albums chart, peaking at number 31. The album would later become the band's biggest selling album, selling over 200,000 copies. A Lesson in Romantics and "Miserable at Best" were certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America in December 2017. "Jamie All Over" was certified platinum by the RIAA in March 2024. ==Track listing==

All songs written by Mayday Parade. ;Bonus tracks ==Personnel==

Personnel per 2008 reissue booklet. Mayday Parade • Derek Sanders – lead vocals • Jeremy Lenzo – bass guitar, backing vocals • Alex Garcia – lead guitar • Brooks Betts – rhythm guitar • Jake Bundrick – drums, backing vocals Additional musicians • Jason Lancaster – co-lead vocals and guitar on all songs • Natalie VanLandingham – additional vocals on "Jersey" • Daniel Lancaster – additional vocals on "Jamie All Over" Production • Zack Odom – producer, engineer • Kenneth Mount – producer, engineer • Mark Needham – mixing • Steve Hall – mastering • Kyle Crawford – art, design ==Charts==