I don’t know if you all know this, but mainstream music hasn’t really been my thing. I don’t think that’s it’s been a secret, for those of you who religiously follow this site, but it really, really hasn’t. You see, since as early as 2018, I was still listening to Christian music. Not that there’s anything bad with that. But the fact of the matter was that I was still listening to Delirious? and Carman, and since 2006, other bands and artists like Natalie Grant, Newsboys, Casting Crowns, Third Day, MercyMe, for KING & COUNTRY, Tenth Avenue North, Britt Nicole, Kari Jobe, Meredith Andrews, Chris Tomlin, Crowder, Lincoln Brewster, Phil Wickham, Francesca Battistelli, and Jeremy Camp to name a few. Some of these artists were indeed pop in musical nature, but to me were Christian first and foremost. So I didn’t consider them as pop- I instead considered them all as ‘Christian’ music. Not that ‘Christian’ should be a music genre, but the facts are the facts. CCM (or contemporary Christian music) is in fact a genre, and it is very isolated from the rest of the music industry. And I guess I might have been naïve, but I thought Christian music was so big, and that everything outside of Christian music was bad. Because songs weren’t talking about Jesus. To be fair though, in hindsight and looking back, songs that do not talk about Jesus but do speak about relevant, prevalent and confronting issues such as identity, self-worth, love, death, relationships, God, faith, doubt, other kinds of spirituality, sex, hurt, pain, betrayal, the wonder of the cosmos… songs about all of that without the explicit mention of God; they’re all not all bad songs. If the message of said song doesn’t point you directly to Jesus, but speaks about living a better life and improving upon your previous efforts as a person; do you think God used that song or that artist or that album, to maybe subtly draw listeners back to Him or at least to more focused conversations about religion and spirituality? I know, I know, I might be speaking blasphemy or heresy depending on who you talk to, whether you are a Catholic or a Protestant, or Conservative or a Progressive… but keep in mind that 3 years ago I was of a similar viewpoint. That Christian music is good and everything else is bad. I think I might feel like a broken record by the end of this blog series… but the truth of the matter is this: that it was virtually since Jon and I started this blog series, that I have had an appreciation for music that isn’t decidedly ‘Christian’ in nature. I’ve understood more about how God can move, and I’ve actually liked a few mainstream artists more than their Christian counterparts. I’ve realised that all music can be used to better our society, and to inspire ourselves and to further God’s kingdom; and I’ve also realised that the timeless artists and the iconic artists and the influential artists- predominately aren’t in the Christian music industry.
We’ve blogged about hopeful, inspiring and moving artists like John Mayer, Delta Goodrem, Avril Lavigne, Switchfoot, Needtobreathe, Amy Grant, Natalie Imbruglia, Hanson, Vanessa Amorosi, Snow Patrol, Pentatonix, Keith Urban, Jason Mraz, Jackie Evancho, Jennifer Lopez, Alicia Keys and Alanis Morrisette to name a few; but aside from a few artists like OneRepublic, Ed Sheeran, Kelly Clarkson, Carly Rae Jepsen and One Direction, pop (pop as a genre, but also popular artists who are always present on the charts!) hasn’t been represented that well within this list of 100. Not that we’re obligated to write about different genres to fill up a quota, and it’s not that other artists we have blogged about in the past aren’t of the pop variety musically. It’s just that when you look at the iTunes charts and the hot 100 charts and the Billboard 200 charts… virtually every single artist present, aren’t artists that were blogged about on Jon’s and my list. Artists like Miley Cyrus, Katy Perry, Ariana Grande, BTS, The Weeknd, Justin Bieber, Post Malone, Drake, Billie Eilish, Harry Styles, Megan Thee Stallion, Maroon 5, Lil Nas X, SZA, Luke Bryan, Dan + Shay, Jason Aldean, Kane Brown, Khalid, Imagine Dragons, Eminem, Cardi B, Chris Brown, Twenty One Pilots, Kendrick Lamar, Jonas Brothers, Eric Church and Panic At The Disco; have all been in the charts at one point or another. We’ve never blogged about any of them. Does this make us out of touch and our blog list bias and null and void? Well you be the judge, but I don’t think so. This is a subjective list, and one such list that we don’t need to answer anything for, except for answering to ourselves. There are a million of other subjective lists on the internet that are way different to this one if you would like to hear about the hip and cool artists of today (or you could read some blogs of the list of 50 artists that I blogged about earlier, and Jon is blogging about now); but let’s just say that these 100 artists, though I previously concluded that there wasn’t any running thread through the artists that seemed to connect them together, in fact do have something connecting them if I am to be brutally honest. And it is the lyrics. Each artist, I firmly believe, have their heart and essence of who they are, rooted in their lyrics. Sure the music is what instantly grabs a person, and draws them into a moving and heartfelt song… but I firmly do believe that it is the lyrics that can win someone over to a whole discography of an artist, and it is the lyrics that can change the world. I mentioned earlier that mainstream music isn’t my thing. Maybe it still isn’t- in that I will never really fully love and appreciate every single one of these artists in the top 100 list. But for this next artist who I am blogging about- singer/songwriter/pop/punk/rock artist Alecia Beth Moore (aka Pink)- it is this artist who makes me wonder. Perhaps artists in the top 100 aren’t that ‘bad’ that I’ve made them out to be.
With the above paragraphs being Jon’s thoughts and emotions while he as writing about Carly Rae Jepsen and One Direction respectively, the notion and feeling that I was in over my head and the notion that I was completely unprepared to tackle an iconic heavyweight of an artist like Pink, was what I was feeling as I was listening to these emotive and heart-warming and heartbreaking tracks. I knew for a fact that Pink was influential, and I needed to talk about her. That was a given- don’t ask me how I knew, because I just knew and it’s one of those things that is common knowledge. And it’s not that I hadn’t written about pop music before. I delved into Tori Kelly, Alessia Cara, Rachel Platten, Jess Glynne, Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato, Little Mix, Hailee Steinfeld, Dua Lipa, Sabrina Carpenter and Shawn Mendes (and too be fair, Selena, Demi and perhaps Little Mix deserved to be within this blog of 100 artists… but anyway!), but these were the pop stars of today. I was comfortable writing about them because there wasn’t that much to write about in the grand scheme of things. Or if there was, I could condense the words easily and have the blog still make sense. But for a discography like Pink’s, with the number of singles, albums and guest appearances that she has had over the years; well as I was jotting down notes (which I do for every blog), I became a bit overwhelmed and daunted by the enormity of it all. The fact that I was listening to an established artist who was a pop artist, and who more than likely wasn’t singing about anything deep (ok, that one was me extrapolating and I don’t know why I did that!), made me want to swap her out at the last minute. But the more I listened to these melodies, the more compelling and powerful and moving I found them. Despite the fact that Pink, like Avril Lavigne, swears quite a bit in her songs, there is substance here unlike what I assumed. I thought I was listening to an artist that had nothing much to say. But now I can confidently say that Pink does has something to say, and something profoundly important that will change the world if we stand up and listen. And once again, God has challenged me and reminded me that I shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. Or in this case, an artist by their appearance or by the reputation of the genre they’re perceived to be in. Pink may be rooted in pop music… but she’s stylistically and musically encompassing a lot of genres here. And as she imparts to us inspiring and relevant truths about the world we live in, and encourages us all to live life to the full and have people by our side so that we can be happy and satisfied beyond content; we are presented with an artist ahead of her time, and an artist showing us all that success isn’t in the things you do, but in the people you surround yourself with, and is also rooted in your morals, values, ethics and in what you believe.
When I first heard a Pink song in full, I didn’t know who she was, nor how profoundly important she was to the music industry at large. I think it was either “Try” or “Just Like Fire” that I heard first, I can’t remember- but I do know that my opinion of the track was pretty indifferent and apathetic. It was alright, but I thought I better not pursue listening to this artist any further than the odd song on the radio that I could not control, because this wasn’t a Christian artist and I didn’t want to be corrupted by the world. Yet it was only when Pink recorded her version of “A Million Dreams” in 2017 that I really began to take notice of the inspiring and powerful and thought-provoking artist that I seriously underestimated. I think that particular version of “A Million Dreams” has captivated me the most out of any version of any Greatest Showman song. And that’s saying something, because I love all the songs from The Greatest Showman. Anyway, I digress. The point is that it’s only recently within the last couple of years when I knew that Pink had to be included in this blog list. And it’s been around about a couple of weeks since I’ve been immersed in her music. What has eventuated is me unexpectedly listening to one of my favourite female vocalists ever, and an artist whom we all need to listen to… because Pink has some pretty profound, philosophical and deep things to say.
Originally a member of girlgroup Choice (with Chrissy Conway, who was formerly a member of CCM girl group ZOEgirl); Pink was given an ultimatum to go solo or to go home- an ultimatum by record executive and A&R representative L.A. Reid shortly after he signed Choice and saw them perform. I guess going solo was the right move for Pink (look at how famous she is right now!), but I can’t help but wonder what if she stayed in the group- how would her success have changed? Regardless, Pink’s success started with the 2000 album Can’t Take Me Home being certified double-platinum in the United States and spawning two Billboard Hot 100 top-ten songs: “There You Go” and “Most Girls”. The 2001 song “Lady Marmalade”, for the Moulin Rouge soundtrack, topped charts worldwide as well, while Try This in 2003 sold less than previous two albums (Can’t Take Me Home and Missundaztood), but earned her a Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance. The 2012 album The Truth About Love was Pink’s first Billboard 200 number one album; while Pink’s next studio albums, Beautiful Trauma (2017) and Hurts 2B Human (2019), both debuted at the top of the Billboard 200 chart, with the former becoming the world’s third best-selling album of the year of 2017. Pink has also sold over 100 million records all over the globe, and this means that she is one of the world’s best-selling music artists– her career awards, honours and accolades already amounting to three Grammy Awards, two Brit Awards, a Daytime Emmy Award and seven MTV Video Music Awards. Pink has also been presented with the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award in 2017, while she was also the second most-played female solo artist in the UK during the 2000’s decade, aside from Madonna. And while it seems like I’m relaying unrelenting fact after fact after fact with little to no context, or just to prove to you that Pink is influential (it does seem like I’m bombarding you with ‘facts’ doesn’t it?), this is by no means all that Pink has accomplished; and it is truly the lyrics in these heartfelt pop songs that inspire, move, comfort, heal, and make a difference in the world around us. If Pink had all of these awards, but her songs didn’t move and impact in the lives of people, lyric-wise… what good would her career be in that case?
A quick glance down Pink’s discography reveals 8 albums (with each of them being long at around approximately 15 tracks per album!) as well as 2 live/compilation projects and a slew of stand alone singles and guest spots. For a casual Pink fan, like myself a few weeks ago, you’d be overwhelmed and not sure where to start. Well, let me tell you, why don’t we start at the beginning? That’s a perfect place, don’t you reckon? And as far as Pink has outlined in the interview above with Variety, each album she has released has been personal to her, so it makes sense to dive into Pink’s discography in a linear fashion, am I right? So that we can see how Pink has grown in her songwriting prowess and her maturity as a singer? As far as a debut album goes, Can’t Take Me Home is solid, and stylistically extremely different from the rest of her career. This is an R&B album, which is what the label wanted… but Pink’s dream was to be in pop, hence the switch in genre starting from her second album- she basically said she wanted to switch genres or she walks from her label. Regardless the drama surrounding the release of this debut project, there are still a few gems and treasures here- though the album isn’t as polished and pristine as you’d expect. “There You Go”, the debut single, is raw and unapologetic out of the gate, with Pink delivering a no-nonsense R&B type break up song to her ex, which doubles up as an empowering anthem about self-worth and identity. As Pink fervently relays to her ex that she’s through with him and that she is fine without him, while working on loving herself; we are all encouraged to rid ourselves of toxic and negative people within our relationships- romantic or platonic. “Most Girls” is another R&B influenced melody (in fact, the whole album is R&B, which isn’t a bad thing, but it’s unlike the genre that Pink is in now!), whereby she earnestly recounts that she isn’t looking for the money or the fame, but for real love, that ‘…most girls want a man with the bling bling, got my own thing, got the ching ching, I just want real love…’; while “You Make Me Sick”, about another destructive and toxic relationship, rounds out the singles, and earnestly relays to us the notion again that we need to run from bad influences in our lives, because if we don’t we’ll be trapped, and feeling no way out. And as Pink has highlighted about her experience working on her debut album: “With Can’t Take Me Home, I wasn’t really in full control. It was really left up to the producers and my record company. I was in a bad relationship and had an attitude, so that’s what most of the songs were about”; we are met with an ok-ish release (though still a release I myself only glossed over!), but still a necessary release, as Pink released her true musical direction. The result is a sophomore album that is truly more reflective of who Pink is as a person and as an artist. For me, this release shows her what Pink could’ve been (another J.Lo), and this album is something I will revisit in the future, but as far as her career goes, other albums hit home more. Maybe it’s because it seems like she’s going through the motions here- and maybe she is.
Usually, bands and artists have sophomore slumps. Pink, in contrast, had her sophomore slump first, meaning that Missundaztood is the debut we can all pretend she had- this project is Pink’s best-selling album to date. “Get The Party Started”, a song that I’ve heard before… don’t know where; is a pop/dance melody about having fun and throwing a party, where Pink earnestly wants to throw a banger of a party, and something she and her friends will never forget. A song that celebrates life and life to the fullest, this silly song with hardly much meaning, reminds us that communing with people and being around people gives us happiness and life and vitality. Perhaps there is something about this song- maybe it’s meaning is that we all need people and we all need to be connected on some level. “Don’t Let Me Get Me”, a song about self-worth and identity, dives deep into Pink’s psyche, as she relays to us that she’s at war with herself and wishing she was someone else to be more popular. With the track outlining that we as people need to eventually be at peace with what we’re good at and our limitations, the track speaks volumes about our own insecurities, reminding us all that we need to run our own race and not compare ourselves to anyone else; while “Just Like A Pill”, with a rock sound akin to something Avril Lavigne would record, dives into heavy material lyrically, as Pink compares an ex to hard core drugs (or she could be singing about drugs as well), as she emphatically sings out that ‘…I can run, just as fast as I can, to the middle of nowhere, to the middle of my frustrated fears, and I swear, you’re just like a pill, instead of making me better you keep making me ill…’. Once again, the song is about a broken relationship (and also about the stark downsides of doing drugs!) and I reckon Pink sings so much about angst in her career (especially early on) because it’s still a universal language today- we all need a reprieve and we all need to know we’re not alone.
“Just A Pill”, though not offering up any solution as to how to get out of the relationship or the addiction, reminds us that we’re not alone, and that people care about our wellbeing. And for songs as deep as this- you can thank Pink and her wrestling management before the second album dropped, as “I had to fight for it. It wasn’t a choice with my marketing mind thinking, ‘Well, I’m going to totally switch directions.’ It was like, ‘I have to do this, guys. It’s in me and it’s in my heart and if I don’t get it out I am going to self-destruct, and I won’t be here to make another of your stupid albums. I have to talk about things that mean something to me and if you won’t let me do this, then you might as well drop me back behind the counter of McDonald’s cause I can’t go on.’” The change in musical direction and subject matter doesn’t mean that Pink has left her roots though, as R&B makes an appearance in the heartbreaking and personal “Family Portrait”, inspired by Pink’s parents’ divorce. It’s a song as real and impacting and emotional as NF’s “Let You Down”- again, it’s another song with no resolution, but provides comfort nonetheless- and a song whereby you don’t have to actually connect with the words to feel real emotion from this track (like myself, who has a loving family! While other songs on Missundaztood connect for me also, inclusive of “Respect” (a mid-tempo pop/R&B track about wanting men to stand up and respect all of the women in their lives), “Dear Diary” (where Pink gets really real with her diary, and confesses her fears and insecurities) and “Numb” (no, not Linkin Park’s song but an original that essentially relays the feeling of numbness in an unforgiving and tense relationship…which one should leave if they can!).
If you thought that Missundaztood peels back the layers of Pink’s innermost thoughts and is the most revealing that Pink gets… well let me tell you that it’s just the tip of the iceberg and as Pink progresses through her discography, she only becomes more and more real, and more and more vulnerable. “Trouble”, the lead single from 2003’s Try This, is a fun, pop/rock tune that declares Pink as ‘trouble’, possibly in reference to her always switching up the status quo with her songs musically (and this song also has an energetic and somewhat nonsensical music video with an appearance by Jeremy Renner!); while the heartfelt and explosive rock ballad “God Is A DJ” celebrates life and living it to the fullest- and is an empowering song especially for girls: “I’ve kind of had the ugly duckling syndrome since I was little… but you take what you got and use it. You know whatever it is, you find something that works for you and go for it. We all have our issues. But I think that’s really important with girls – there’s something we’re all good at and it would be so much better if we concentrated on what we’re good at and not what society wants us to be like, look like, talk like, act like. I think that everyone’s gotten really comfortable, but women still have a long way to go as far as our fight for equality – especially in other parts of the world.” Some would say that this song blasphemes God, but I say that it’s like a metaphor. I personally think that the words of ‘if God is a DJ, life is the dance floor’ means that life is an opportunity to live and live not being afraid nor scared nor embarrassed… and this song encourages us to take risks and to unequivocally rise to making a difference in the world around us. Perhaps I’m reading too much into this song?
“Last To Know”, the final single on the overall underappreciated and underrated album, failed to reach the Billboard 100 charts, although the track did perform and peak in other countries like Netherlands and Switzerland. As Pink savagely and bitterly disses her ex and throws shade on him massively, relaying that he should have called her instead of not showing up anymore, this is also indirectly a song whereby we need to pay attention to and purge the parasites from our lives; while the musically intense and head banging “Humble Neighbourhoods” pays tribute and homage to Pink’s past as a struggling musician, and relays that she’s thankful for all that she’s been given and for everything that has led her to this point. “Catch Me Sleeping”, a heartfelt ballad about the end of a relationship and the persona’s emotions during the ordeal, subtly implores us all to put our relationships at the forefront and not let it come to the scenario in this song; while the most emotional song on Try This is “Save My Life”, a song akin to Avril Lavigne’s “I’m With You”, as Pink emotionally dives deep into depression, mental health issues, and other heavy things- with the song culminating in the persona crying out to someone (God?) to save her life. it’s a desperate cry for help and maybe a blanket prayer, but it’s also a reminder that people are hurting and that we all do need help sometimes. In that case, I reckon this track may be one of the most hard-hitting and much needed songs of Pink’s career!
In 2006, Pink unveiled I’m Not Dead after a 3-year absence, and boy does she sound better than ever! “Stupid Girls”, a calling out of the lack of role models for strong, independent girls, is a parody and a spoof of young female celebrities in the 2000’s who appear to be not so bright, and in the music video, Pink parodies Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton, Jessica Simpson and the Olsen sisters (Ashley and Mary-Kate)… to great pushback. However, I reckon the song is quite clever, and the music video and the message inventive and needed as well. As Pink relays to us that These girls have dumbed themselves down to appear cute. How bad is that? And the way it is now, I feel that it’s just the one image of women out there which is being fed to society. There need to be more alternatives, options and examples about how you can be cool without the silly handbag and without acting like a bimbo. I can’t get my head around this: it is lucrative to dumb yourself down. I cannot believe that the smarter version of the truth is not more interesting. I refuse to be stupid to get somewhere or get something… I think it was important that I got a letter from the eating disorders body congratulating me on what I said and what I showed. These diseases – and they are diseases – are very, very unhealthy. The video started off being humorous, but the point is there that you don’t have to kill yourself to meet society’s ideal for beauty; we are reminded that inner beauty and your personality matters most of all, not any other outward appearance or semblance of being someone you’re not. “Who Knew” is another winner on I’m Not Dead, and is a heartbreaking mid-tempo guitar ballad that I think I must’ve heard once or twice on the radio back in the day, because it sounds so familiar!. In effect, the song is a contemplative song inspired by the death of Pink’s friend to drugs; as she speaks candidly about the transience of life and our own mortality. The fact is that we could die any day, so we should live life with no regrets and make each day count; while the lyrically graphic “U + Ur Hand” is another savage rock banger, this time with Pink ardently relaying that men who are undesirable and who don’t have respect towards women, should go home by themselves with their hand- as in masturbate because women won’t want them ever. It’s a song that is intense and brutal, but a wake-up call for those who need to look in the mirror and check their actions and their heart.
“Nobody Knows”, a hit in Australia but not in the U.S., and a brutal, emotional song that I’m sure everyone can relate to, is a track about feeling emotionally drained, and spiralling beyond belief, thinking that no one knows you except for yourself. The ballad is also a song that could be about depression- with Pink passionately relaying that ‘…baby, oh, the secret’s safe with me, there’s nowhere else in the world that I could ever be, and baby, don’t it feel like I’m all alone? Who’s going to be there after the last angel has flown and I’ve lost my way back home?…’, hopefully encouraging us all to reach out for help when we need to; while the political ballad “Dear Mr President”, directed to George W. Bush, is Pink at her lyrical best, and is similar in theme to Demi Lovato’s “Commander In Chief”- it’s a harrowing look at all the mistakes the president has done with a hopeful eye on the future. “Leave Me Alone (I’m Lonely)” speaks to the reality that we all need our own space once in a while, and that sometimes being by ourselves is therapeutic and cathartic, while the moving and no-nonsense “Cuz I Can” delves into autonomy and living by your own rules and no one else’s, a song that is as intense as it is confronting, yet also inspiring as it encourages us to live for our own mistakes and our own decisions rather than blindly following someone else just because. While the lyrically imagery-laden title track is full of mystery… I surmise that Pink is singing to her husband and praising his steadfastness and his loyalty despite her evolving and changing her musical sound and her values and morals.
Every Pink album is more honest and vulnerable than the previous one, and that’s no different on Funhouse, Pink’s 5th album, released in 2008, as evidenced in the interview about conducted in 2008. Inspired by her and husband Casey’s separation (don’t worry, they reunited in 2010 and are still together and in love even now!), the album is a bit of a downer thematically, musically and lyrically… but radio and the charts loved the album and many songs excelled in popularity. Lead single “So What” (also another Pink song I’ve heard before… maybe I know much more than I realise!), is an intense, rock headbanger, that speaks about dealing with a break-up and the crazy things you do to survive and to live (‘…so, so what? I’m still a rockstar
I got my rock moves and I don’t need you, and guess what? I’m havin’ more fun and now that we’re done, I’m gonna show you tonight, I’m alright…’), and reminds us all that every breakup is different and every way to cope is valid; while “Sober” detail’s Pink’s harrowing and unpleasant time at a party, and not even feeling up to drinking: I wrote a song called ‘Sober,’ which is actually really dark. I was at a party at my own house, I didn’t want to be there, I didn’t want anyone else there. And I had this line in my head saying, ‘How do I feel this good sober?,’ it’s not just about alcohol, it’s about vices, we all have different ones. We try to get away from ourselves, and find our ‘true selves’ and then we do these things that take us so far from the truth, I guess that ‘Sober’ is ‘How do I feel this good when it’s just me, without anything to lean on?’ [it’s] about the vices that we choose. I had this idea in my head, ‘like how do I feel this good sober?’ So I brought that idea to Danja and with this awesome girl Kara DioGuardi and we wrote this song, ‘Sober.’ And it’s a pretty telling song and then me and Tony Kanal and Jimmy Harry finished it, production-wise, threw some strings on it and made it a little bit darker and a little bit more rocky. The track reminds us that no amount of alcohol can numb the pain and the hurt we feel inside as people, and we all need to get to the root of the issue at hand, which can and most probably will lead to introspection, reflection and deep analysis of our own psyche.
“Please Don’t Leave Me” (with a disturbing music video) speaks about a love-hate relationship gone bad (about Pink and Casey’s marriage while they were separated) and speaks about how our dependence shouldn’t really be on one particular person; while the fun, jovial and joyous “Bad Influence” speaks about partying for partying’s sake, and is a track that is a happy-go-lucky melody without a message… and you need one of those songs from time to time. The title track, the heartbeat of the album, passionately reiterates the need to redefine the way we live and the meaning of life when we realise we don’t fit into the societal norms anymore (a song about living life on your terms as opposed to being told what to do), as Pink fervently cries out ‘…this used to be our funhouse, but now it’s full of evil clowns, it’s time to start the countdown, I’m gonna burn it down…’, while heartbreak and tragedy and a shift in family dynamics (Pink’s temporary split with Casey) once again forms the lyrical backbone of the piano led ballad “I Don’t Believe You”. The acoustic guitar led “Crystal Ball”, whereby Pink ardently relays that she would like to know where her future is headed, even if it is headed to disaster, because the ‘cracks in the crystal ball’ means that she’ll grow from the experience of adversity, is a song that is extremely personal to Pink herself: I am proud of the songwriting, melody, and vocals on that song. I recorded it in one take and we didn’t mix it. It just went straight to master. It was all about a vibe and not about perfection or being polished. I just love that song and I loved recording it. Me and Billy got in a room and lit some candles, had some wine, and threw up a guitar mike and two vocal mikes and just went with it. I don’t mix a lot of those songs. A lot of those songs on the record don’t get mixed. Some of them don’t even get mastered. I don’t want them touched…it’s so beautiful because it’s an energy. It’s nothing else but a raw vibe recorded; while both “Glitter In The Air” and “Ave Mary A” are album highlights as well, with the former being a sensual love song about the kind of pure love we should have for our partner, and the latter being a social commentary about political unrest, as Pink prays to Mary the mother of Jesus, and asks ‘…ave Mary A, where did you go? Where did you go? How did you know to get out of a world gone mad? Help me let go of the chaos around me, the devil that hounds me, I need you to tell me child, be still…’– a song similar in theme to Black Eyed Peas’ “Where’s The Love”.
Apart from Missundaztood, Pink’s next chart-topping album was her 6th– the release of The Truth About Love in 2012, which was her first #1 album in the U.S. And a listen (or many listens) to the songs reveal to us why an album like this has reached the global heights that it did. And also show us that Pink just keeps getting better as a singer and a songwriter as the years progress- the gap of 4 years was just her being a new mother and focusing on her newly restored marriage. First single “Blow Me (One Last Kiss)”, an intense, viciously ruthless pop tune, is Pink at her most witty and at her lyrical best, as she devastatingly calls out an ex and calls time on a relationship. Obviously not about her relationship with Casey, as they were back together again in 2010; this track which could be based on another relationship, or it could be entirely fictitious, as Pink encourages us all yet again to rid ourselves from those who bring us down (a common theme in most of her songs). “Try”, which was one of the first songs I’ve heard from Pink as I mentioned earlier in my blog, is one of Pink’s best, as the inspirational ballad fervently relays to us that sometimes taking a risk is worth it in the end, as ‘…where there is desire there is gonna be a flame, where there is a flame someone’s bound to get burned, but just because it burns doesn’t mean you’re gonna die, you’ve gotta get up and try, try, try…’; while “True Love” featuring Lily Allen on guest vocals, is a fun, sentimental and sappy love song, with Pink confirming her love for husband Casey. A pop ditty and an earworm that get stuck in your head in a very good way, Pink has delivered a pop song that is good and celebrates love in the truest form- unlike many other uninspiring and uninteresting tracks these days that say absolutely nothing! “Walk Of Shame” a single exclusively released to Australian radio, is a 2 minute rock tune that vividly describes the walk of shame (where a woman goes home with a hangover early in the morning after a night out with a guy), and subtly encourages us all to make better decisions as people; while “Are We All We Are”, a declaratory anthemic pop melody, encourages us to take the first step and be the change we would like to see in the world- similar in theme to Britt Nicole’s “Be The Change”.
Essentially the title track is summed up in this quote above by Pink herself, as the melody dives deep into the heart of the album, and vividly describes to us the truth about love itself, that love is messy but that’s the point of being alive and being a human in this broken world; while album closer “Good Old Days” is a ukulele prominent country inspired pop tune that is very nostalgic and sentimental about the 90’s, with Pink earnestly reminiscing about the ‘good old days’- not that these days ahead of us are bad, but that days gone by were enjoyable and special. Yet for all of the powerful and moving songs, that to me make The Truth About Love Pink’s most complete album to date; Pink’s number 1 single “Just Give Me A Reason” with Nate Reuss is probably the most popular song of her career. With the song being the most successful single from The Truth About Love, the tune topped the record charts in more than 20 countries worldwide and becoming Pink‘s fourth number-one hit on the Billboard Hot 100. According to the IFPI, the song was the fourth best-selling digital single of 2013 with 9.9 million copies sold worldwide. The song won the Billboard Mid-Year Award for Favorite Hot 100 No.1 Song, and garnered two nominations for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance and Song of the Year at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards. Musically and lyrically “Just Give Me A Reason” speaks about a couple on the cusp of breaking up, however there is hope at the end of the song, as Pink and Nate fervently relay to us that the couple can find their way back and can learn to love again.
With Pink working together with singer/songwriter Dallas Green for a collaborative project called Rose Avenue under the moniker of You + Me in 2014, and also releasing a myriad of singles afterwards as well, Pink’s next full length album Beautiful Trauma didn’t come until 2017. A gap of 5 years was a tad worrisome… but we need not fear, because this album is Pink doing what she is doing best- rocking out, giving us thought-provoking songs to chew on, and enjoying life to the fullest. Lead single “What About Us”, another political song along the veins of “Dear Mr President” and “Ave Mary A”, is as poignant as it is compelling and harrowing, with Pink directing the 5 minute piano ballad to Donald Trump, and asking him ‘…What about us? What about all the times you said you had the answers?…What about all the broken happy ever afters?…What about all the plans that ended in disaster? What about love? What about trust?…’; while the highly intense and provocative title track (complete with a disturbing music video starring Channing Tatum) speaks about an obsessive love towards someone, as Pink describes this love like a drug. As Pink also relays to us that we mustn’t be obsessive and so highly fixated on any one person or one thing, we are met with a song where the persona isn’t rooted in their own identity, and so they’re finding it in another. Pink passionately relays that we as people need to be secure in who we are first before we’re fully committed to another, and this song, weirdly, makes us remember this fact.
“Whatever You Want”, a pop/rock song with an acoustic guitar undertone, reminds us all that relationships are worth the risk and worth the fight, as Pink details her harrowing split and subsequent reconciliation with husband Casey, that Being with the same person for a really long time – we’re going on 16, 17 years now and we’ve grown up together – it’s work. But it’s beautiful, it’s worth it, otherwise we wouldn’t do it. It just punches me in the stomach every time I hear [this song]. My favorite line in that song is, ‘I feel like our ship’s going down tonight but you’re the one I want to sink with.’ Relationships are not cute. But they keep you busy; while “Secrets” (no, not the OneRepublic song of the same name!) is similar in theme to the OneRepublic song, and relays that sometimes secrets are necessary in keeping a part of yourself for yourself (like the public persona, and then keeping the private person away from fans). Yet Pink explains that she longs to be vulnerable and authentic with her fans, and this line of how much is too much to share, is explored in this song, and is a topic that I reckon needs to be discussed in general around the dinner table- the circumstances surrounding sharing x amount of information depending on whoever is around. The song reminds me of the movie Shrek, where Shrek says to Donkey that ogres are like onions and that they’ll share layers and layers with people depending on who they are. I think this song confirms that Pink reveals information like how Shrek does.
“Where We Go”, a light electric guitar led ballad, is a heartbreaking song that concludes that sometimes the best thing to do is to end the relationship and to put people out of their misery (a sad conclusion, but still a necessary song as it shows us that messy break ups are a part of life!); while the existential and spiritual leaning “I Am Here” is a piano ballad that probes and asks questions of where do we go when we die- and does provide us food for thought and a topic to talk about at the dinner table. Yet the emotional and vulnerable “Wild Hearts Can’t Be Broken” inspires us all as people; with Pink singing about finding strength in the face of adversity. As Pink eloquently relays to her fears and insecurities that ‘…there’s not enough rope to tie me down, oh, there’s not enough tape to shut this mouth, the stones you throw can make me bleed, but I won’t stop until we’re free, wild hearts can’t be broken…’, one can interpret this song as being directed to the devil; and this track is one that we all need to listen to and declare as we carry on with this life. With many also interpreting this song as an empowering anthem for women in light of the #MeToo campaign and the #TimesUp campaign, Pink performed this melody at the 2018 Grammy Awards– a year later, the album Beautiful Trauma, was nominated for a Grammy Award for the best Pop Vocal album.
A couple of years ago, Pink dropped her 8th album Hurts 2B Human, as she enlists probably the greatest number of guest vocalists that she’s ever employed, and throws a heart-warming and joyful party- a celebration of life and being human, despite the challenges and hurdles thrown our way sometimes. The lead single “Walk Me Home”, a call for help and assistance and a passionate admission of need, is as emotional and heartfelt as ever, with Pink eloquently asking an unseen person (a friend or her husband or even to God!) to ‘…walk me home in the dead of night, I can’t be alone with all that’s on my mind, so say you’ll stay with me tonight, ’cause there is so much wrong goin’ on outside…’, while “Can We Pretend” features electronic duo Cash Cash, and has Pink proposing that we all pretend that life is good and this world is a utopia- to cope with every bad thing happening in the world. Particular during COVID-19, this song hits home, as why wouldn’t you want to wish we were all in a parallel universe? But on some subliminal subconscious level, we know playing pretend will only last so long until we fess up to reality- and is this why we resonate with this song so much? The title track, with guest vocalist Khalid, is a optimistic, cautiously positive laid back acoustic type melody, as both Pink and Khalid earnestly and powerfully point out the benefits of being human and the benefits of being in community with others; while Pink sings her praises for this track also, revealing that When this song happened, it hit a string in me that just resonates. I feel like in 2019 if you’re present and not totally escaping your feelings and you’re looking around at what’s going on in the world, especially this country, it hurts. It f—ing hurts your heart. If you choose to remain open-hearted, then it’s just going to hurt for a while. I think that’s a good thing because that’s what creates change and I think we’re starting to see change and see people show up and fight back. Also, being a woman and Khalid being an African American male in America, it f—ing hurts. I also think it’s a really hopeful song. If you watch the news you think everybody hates each other, everybody’s an a—hole, everybody’s a douchebag — but that’s not true. A lot of us out there are not like that and a lotta people out there do have each other’s backs and that’s what it’s gonna take to usurp the bullsh— that’s happening. So that’s why I especially wanted Khalid to be on that record with me aside from I love his voice. I love who he is. He’s young and awesome and the sweetest person in the world. I always name the album after a song title and this one felt the most true to what’s going on right now.
“Love Me Anyway”, a song whereby Pink meshes the genres of pop and country together, features Chris Stapleton on guest vocals, and delves into the ever-true notion of second guessing ourselves and not believing that we are good enough for anyone to love us. As both Pink and Chris pose the question of the other person loving us even if we’re too far gone… could this be that this song is indirectly directed to God? “Hustle”, with Imagine Dragons’ frontman Dan Reynolds, is a no-nonsense high-octane, energetic diss to someone who is hustling someone else whereby the persona is fed up with the lies and the deception (and a song that we can claim and sing over the negative people in our lives!), while Pink also duets with Wrabel in the heartbreaking and emotional “90 Days”. A professional study from the Journal of Positive Psychology reveals that it takes 90 days for someone to completely ‘get over’ someone, and as such, Pink reveals to us that though sometimes she thought about completely throwing in the towel between herself and Casey, she ended up going to marriage counselling and the rest is history- the two are stronger than ever now. The haunting and mysterious ballad, with raw emotion and brutal honesty, is one of the most personal and emotional on the album- and as we are met by Pink at her most revealing, we are encouraged to do the work and make the effort to ensure our relationships don’t become shaky like Pink’s was all those years ago.
Full of life, vitality, emotion and hard truths for us to latch onto, Pink’s material is like a lifeline that can speak to us all and can help us all on this journey called life that we’re all living. And apart from these compelling 8 studio albums, Pink has revealed to us a smorgasboard of many, many other songs that hit us hard and maybe harder- possibly 2 albums’ worth of stand-alone singles and ‘extra’ tracks. “Raise Your Glass”, “F***in Perfect” and “Heartbreak Down” are singles from Pink’s greatest hits album Greatest Hits…So Far in 2010, with all three being empowering anthems and songs you can dance to- with a heart-warming message of being secure in your own identity, while “Cover Me In Sunshine”, a single from last year featuring Pink’s daughter Willow, is as beautifully sung as it is sweet, as mother and daughter sing about their love and devotion to one another. “All I Know So Far”, co-written with Justin Paul and Benj Pasek, is as inspirational as ever, as the powerful 2021 single imparts infinite wisdom, and knowledge that your self-worth comes from inside of you, that ‘…you throw your head back and you spit in the wind, let the walls crack, ’cause it lets the light in, let ’em drag you through hell, they can’t tell you to change who you are, that’s all I know so far, and when the storm’s out, you run in the rain, put your sword down, dive right into the pain, stay unfiltered and loud, you’ll be proud of that skin full of scars…’; while other Pink hits include “Lady Marmalade (with Christina Aguilera, Lil’ Kim and M’ya- the lead single from Moulin Rouge), “Bridge Of Light” (from Happy Feet 2 in 2011), “Just Like Fire” (from Alice through The Looking Glass in 2016), “Today’s The Day” (the theme song for Ellen in 2015), “A Million Dreams” (for the reimagined soundtrack of The Greatest Showman) and “Waterfall” (a dance anthem with Stargate and Sia in 2017). Pink also lends her vocals to “Bennie And The Jets” (with Elton John and Logic from Revamp: Reimaging the Songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin), “One Too Many” (with Keith Urban from The Speed Of Now Pt 1), “Setting The World On Fire” (with Kenny Chesney) and “Anywhere Away From Here” (with Rag’n’Bone Man); while “Halfway Gone” (for the documentary Served Like A Girl in 2017) celebrates women’s rights to be in the army, and is sung from the perspective of a man watching his wife or girlfriend go off to war. There are a host of other collaborations- namely with Eminem (which I have not listened to out of principle!), while Pink also reminds us to have a “Feel Good Time”, a song from Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle in 2003.
With Pink being named the Woman of the Year in 2013 by Billboard, we are met with an artist, a woman who has accomplished quite a lot without giving into the rat race, without selling her soul to the devil. Having received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2019; Pink, who is known for her adventurous hairstyles and has also named Madonna and Janis Joplin as her biggest musical influences, is an animal rights activist, and a campaigner for PETA- in 2015, she posed nude for PETA’s “I’d Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur”, campaign, Pink has also (according to Wikipedia) appeared on Forbes’ “The Celebrity 100” list at number 27, with earnings of $44 million. In 2011, she appeared on Forbes’ The Top-Earning Women in Music list at number 6 with earnings of $22 million, with an average of $1 million per show on the road. In 2009, Billboard put her number 6 on their “Money Makers” list, listing her earnings as $36,347,658. In 2013, she appeared on Forbes’ list of “Highest Paid Musicians”, with earnings of $32 million. In 2018, she appeared on Forbes’ list of “Highest Paid Female Celebrities”, with earnings of $52 million. And with that information, we can confirm that Pink is one of the richest celebrities in all of music right now… and judging from her songs and the platform, she is doing good with that fame. With the trend of pop stars being singers of lyrically simple party songs, Pink is a different breed of pop singer. She sings about what she is passionate about, she sings political songs, love songs, break up songs, party songs, introspective deep-thinking spiritual type of songs… Pink is all over the map in the best way possible, and I for one am glad I have blogged about her and I for one and glad I have listened to one of the most influential artists of this generation. A lot of people (I’m not saying all!), like to stay in their lane, not rock the boat and sing what they’re given by the songwriters. But Pink isn’t like the norm, and she challenges the status quo day and night. Is this reason for my assertion of her influence? Maybe, maybe.
There have been many, many times in this blog series that I have mentioned that an artists is only as influential as how their life is portrayed outside of the spotlight. For Pink, her time away from the spotlight has been becoming a mother, working on her marriage, recording various guest recordings for other artists, and more and more songwriting. Like Richard Marx, Pink’s legacy and icon status speaks for itself- and all of Pink’s songs are honest, emotional, real and authentic. There’s so many layers to her music- and I’d expect Pink to be recording for a long, long, long while yet. Early on I mentioned that mainstream music didn’t connect with me way back in 2018- now, let me say that I am a Pink fan and it’s because of her mostly that I am becoming more and more receptive to mainstream pop (with a message of course!). Sky’s the limit for Pink– perhaps it’s time to record a Christmas album, an acoustic album or a covers album? Either one of them or all would be great! So as we sit back and wait for Pink to release something new, let’s dive in deeper into Pink’s discography. For there is surely something we might’ve missed, and no doubt God will show me something completely different next time around. Or perhaps we will watch Pink’s latest documentary All I Know So Far? Well done Pink, for such a eclectic and vibrant career! I can’t wait to hear what God has in store for you next!
Does Pink make the list for you all when you write your own ‘Influential Artists of all Time’ list? Is there any song (other than “Get The Party Started”, “Stupid Girls”, “Who Knew”, “So What”, “Funhouse”, “Try”, “Just Give Me A Reason” and “What About Us”) that has impacted you on your journey through life thus far, or even your walk with God? Let us know in the comments. Till next time!