he / him

19. Trouble
Average score: 8.66
Highest score: 10x14
@Sanctuary @soratami @Verandi @P'NutButter @kal @rick
@abael @tylerc904 @Hurricane Drunk @Laurence @Sideout @Remorque
@happiestgirl @Music Is Life
Lowest score: 2 @JMRGBY88
My score: 9.5
No attorneys to plead my case
No opiates to send me into outer space
And my fingers are bejeweled
With diamonds and gold
But that ain't gonna help me now
And so we kiss goodbye to her misaligned third album, Try This, by kicking out the Grammy winning lead single right after its follow up. Peaking at a measly #68 in the US, it marked a commercially worrying time for her despite it going on to win the Grammy for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance - an award that would become defunct right after that.
'Trouble' managing to claw its way up to here despite its relative simplicity is, to me, an enormous success. It never tries to be anything more than it is: a total personality-packed racket. From start to finish, she delivers one of the strongest distilled pop-rock songs of the time (keeping in mind this was the time of Avril Lavigne's much similar I-AM-PUNK campaign).
Apparently taken from Tim Armstrong and his band, Rancid, this was apparently passed on to her when it didn't make the cut for their album. He would go on to recreate this in 2012 (and it's so awful I'll just link it HERE) Honestly if you're not a big fan of this, give this a listen and... see what she turned out.
Speaking to MTV in 2003, he had this to say about her:
"All I know is that if people are gonna give me sh-- for working with the best woman vocalist in the world right now, then let them give me sh--," he said defiantly. "Pink is the sh--, and working with her has been all positive."
I do think P!nk doesn't get the credit she deserves for having consistently switched things up in her career to keep things excited. Despite the album being, admittedly, an admirably quickly made affair - this was a total revolution compared to the previous album; perhaps not characteristically, because P!nk has always put her personality at the forefront, but instead introducing this charismatic appeal to the masses. Before this we'd been shown both R&B P!nk and diary-entry P!nk, this would go on to inform the rest of her career in opening up that tongue-in-cheek rocker that isn't afraid to say what she wants to say... and raise a little hell while doing it.
Commentary corner:
@Verandi: (10) Imagine not loving this song. Imagine not screaming the words of this banger in your car. Imagine being proud to tank this song while your fave song is Beautiful Cause You Love Me. Imagine.
@P'NutButter: (10) Everything about this song is brilliant, the style, the humour, the video.
@rick: (10) 10/10. Impossible not to shout along
@Laurence: (10) Great track! I like this one a lot.
@tylerc904: (10) My personal runner-up. It came so close to snagging my 11 but ultimately one other song outranked it. I absolutely adore this. It’s 3 minutes of pure carefree fun.
@abael: (10) Describing Trouble as a return to form for Pink doesn't do it justice. This is waking up well rested after being pronounced dead 3 hours ago
@Music Is Life:(10) I used to just enjoy this, but not love it cause the chorus annoyed me a little. Now I see it as the absolute pop-punk JAM that it is! The melody on the verses is great, and the production rocks so hard, but still has just the little bit of pop that it needs. And when that part at 2:25 comes in with basically just her voice and drums, it’s a fucking moment. I can’t believe this wasn’t a HUGE hit everywhere. I love this.
@sapnu puas: (9) a deserved Grammy- I could not believe it! A bit too much guitar for the gays I guess?
@Maki: (9) The lead single (at least I consider it a lead single) which sums up most of the album; raspy voice, and rock, rebellious and angry tunes. That means it’s a perfect choice for a lead single, and it even won a Grammy?! Very catchy song and I love the middle-8, in all of its sparkling production. The song could’ve been twice as short or twice as long, but it still works.
@R27: (7.5) She does more telling than showing her, but who really cares when the track is this much fun?
@Reboot: (6) Catchy but basic. It’s kind of devoid of her personality.
@The Hot Rock: (5) Feels like the most ~conventional P!nk song on Try This. It's okay but not one of the best on here.
@savilizabeths: (4) “I don’t really like this that much? Am I alone in that? I really just don’t care for that chorus. It starts to annoy me pretty quick. Didn’t she win a Grammy for this? THIS? A choice, I guess.”
@JMRGBY88: (2) I’m sorry but I hate this song.
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