Pink: The Discography Rate ∞ WINNER!

he / him
Sober.png

04. Sober

Average score: 9.59
Highest score: 11
@The Hot Rock
10x22
@soratami @AllGagaLike @Reboot @Lost Boy
@P'NutButter @Daniel_O @kal @rick @Sail On
@playboy69 @tylerc904 @Hurricane Drunk @Laurence
@Robsolete @Sideout @Remorque @sapnu puas @Maki
@happiestgirl @LiK @Music Is Life @HollyDunnSomething
Lowest score: 6 @əʊæ


I don't wanna be the girl who laughs the loudest
Or the girl who never wants to be alone
I don't wanna be that call at 4 o'clock in the morning
Cause I'm the only one you know in the world that won't be home

There's an unwritten pop rule that songs titled 'Sober' have to be artistic peaks of some kind, and lucky for us P!nk's submission is considered one of hers. Written by P!nk and Kara DioGuardi, the song is a soaring midtempo about our vices and setting ourselves free from them. Continuing the trend of deeply affecting second singles that don't quite go for the jugular like her leads, instead burrowing into the bone with slow and melodic bliss, 'Sober' went on to become one of her biggest hits.

Inspired by a party in which she was, you guessed it, sober, P!nk had this to say:


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?'.

And it's nice to see that side of her for once as, despite the darkness that comes through, it's an actually really strong sentiment about actually not succumbing to it. P!nk is very, very good at balancing emotions so that you never really get an overtly simplified take, and for every moment here addressing her weaknesses there's another celebrating her ability to see the true clean self behind it.

Also there's the fact that it is regularly given the most incredible of live performances, usually swinging from the rafters while doing so. It really helps amp up the tension of the song, I'm not sure I'll ever get over her Funhouse tour performances of this. I'll never see a live show the same ever again.




Commentary corner:

@The Hot Rock: (11) Didn't expect my 11 to show up somewhere that wasn't I'm Not Dead but here we are. Her best. Also had an iconic performance at the VMAs with acrobatics that were surprising before they became expected from her. (Not sure when this became a more prevalent thing but I remember being blown away when I saw it while watching.)

Video isn't on Youtube but it's HERE

@Reboot: (10) This is a stunning song. The lyrics really speak to me. And those lyrics! An amazing song all-round.

@sapnu puas: (10) all of the ballads on this album are exceptional / why are songs called sober always top tier? Come thru miss Lorde and Kellegend.

@Maki: (10) Whew, now this is one of my favorites, like ever. In my top 5 P!nk songs for sure. Everything about it is perfect: the melody, lyrics, instrumental, her voice (of course) and production. The chorus just soars and is so emotionally delivered. I get chills every time it gets to that middle-8. I’m such a sucker for string instruments, and this uses them in the best possible way (that outro!). And those operatic vocals, brilliant! Stunning and powerful masterpiece. She has yet to top this masterpiece (not counting the songs from albums prior to “Funhouse”).

@rick: (10) What a chorus

@Laurence: (10) I like this too. Funhouse starts off pretty strong and I'm quite familiar with it (my butch phase), just kidding. This is just strong for her I guess and I like it.

@tylerc904: (10) This was my favorite P!nk for years, and while I’ve chilled on it a bit – it’s still a fucking knockout. Danja proving some serious versatility on this one.

@Music Is Life: (10) This has always been one of my favorite songs by her. I can’t really explain why I’ve loved it since I first heard it, besides the fact that it’s obviously amazing. I can’t believe Danja produced this, I never would’ve guessed listening to his other work, but the production work he did is amazing. Her vocals really shine through here, she honestly sounds almost broken, which fits the song perfectly. I still feel like her voice is underrated. And the outro is devastatingly glorious. I would love to see this win.

@savilizabeths: (9) “The moody production on this is beautiful, and the guitars sound amazing. It’s such an emotional yet disconnected song. I love the high background vocals (I think they’re vocals) in the back on the second verse, and I love the occasional use of strings. It’s a really well made song with a lot of passion behind it.”

@R27: (8.25) I had misinterpreted the central lyric at the time of its release and thought sue was surprised at how good she feels sober. Now I see the lyric, and by extension the song for what it means. The high may be great, but the self-loathing that follows is harder to swallow.

@abael: (8) I don't exactly know why this isn't scored higher. Pink performs with authenticity and production backs her well. I guess something composition-wise doesn't do it for me.
 
he / him

Pinkfunhouse.png


Funhouse
7.76


Eliminations

04. Sober
06. I Don't Believe You
11. Please Don't Leave Me
16. It's All Your Fault
18. So What
24. Glitter in the Air
25. Funhouse
36. Bad Influence
39. Ave Mary A
46. Boring
53. This Is How It Goes Down
83. One Foot Wrong
84. Crystal Ball
88. When We're Through
89. Mean
107. Could've Had Everything
108. Push You Away
115. Why Did I Ever Like You?

Highest averages

9.70 @Music Is Life
8.93 @Lost Boy
8.89 @savilizabeths
8.51 @Maki
8.44 @soratami

Lowest averages

6.50 @The Hot Rock
6.61 @Sideout
6.72 @abael
6.89 @əʊæ
6.89 @Daniel_O



 
Sober.png

04. Sober

Average score: 9.59
Highest score: 11
@The Hot Rock
10x22
@soratami @AllGagaLike @Reboot @Lost Boy
@P'NutButter @Daniel_O @kal @rick @Sail On
@playboy69 @tylerc904 @Hurricane Drunk @Laurence
@Robsolete @Sideout @Remorque @sapnu puas @Maki
@happiestgirl @LiK @Music Is Life @HollyDunnSomething
Lowest score: 6 @əʊæ


I don't wanna be the girl who laughs the loudest
Or the girl who never wants to be alone
I don't wanna be that call at 4 o'clock in the morning
Cause I'm the only one you know in the world that won't be home

There's an unwritten pop rule that songs titled 'Sober' have to be artistic peaks of some kind, and lucky for us P!nk's submission is considered one of hers. Written by P!nk and Kara DioGuardi, the song is a soaring midtempo about our vices and setting ourselves free from them. Continuing the trend of deeply affecting second singles that don't quite go for the jugular like her leads, instead burrowing into the bone with slow and melodic bliss, 'Sober' went on to become one of her biggest hits.

Inspired by a party in which she was, you guessed it, sober, P!nk had this to say:


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?'.

And it's nice to see that side of her for once as, despite the darkness that comes through, it's an actually really strong sentiment about actually not succumbing to it. P!nk is very, very good at balancing emotions so that you never really get an overtly simplified take, and for every moment here addressing her weaknesses there's another celebrating her ability to see the true clean self behind it.

Also there's the fact that it is regularly given the most incredible of live performances, usually swinging from the rafters while doing so. It really helps amp up the tension of the song, I'm not sure I'll ever get over her Funhouse tour performances of this. I'll never see a live show the same ever again.




Commentary corner:

@The Hot Rock: (11) Didn't expect my 11 to show up somewhere that wasn't I'm Not Dead but here we are. Her best. Also had an iconic performance at the VMAs with acrobatics that were surprising before they became expected from her. (Not sure when this became a more prevalent thing but I remember being blown away when I saw it while watching.)

Video isn't on Youtube but it's HERE

@Reboot: (10) This is a stunning song. The lyrics really speak to me. And those lyrics! An amazing song all-round.

@sapnu puas: (10) all of the ballads on this album are exceptional / why are songs called sober always top tier? Come thru miss Lorde and Kellegend.

@Maki: (10) Whew, now this is one of my favorites, like ever. In my top 5 P!nk songs for sure. Everything about it is perfect: the melody, lyrics, instrumental, her voice (of course) and production. The chorus just soars and is so emotionally delivered. I get chills every time it gets to that middle-8. I’m such a sucker for string instruments, and this uses them in the best possible way (that outro!). And those operatic vocals, brilliant! Stunning and powerful masterpiece. She has yet to top this masterpiece (not counting the songs from albums prior to “Funhouse”).

@rick: (10) What a chorus

@Laurence: (10) I like this too. Funhouse starts off pretty strong and I'm quite familiar with it (my butch phase), just kidding. This is just strong for her I guess and I like it.

@tylerc904: (10) This was my favorite P!nk for years, and while I’ve chilled on it a bit – it’s still a fucking knockout. Danja proving some serious versatility on this one.

@Music Is Life: (10) This has always been one of my favorite songs by her. I can’t really explain why I’ve loved it since I first heard it, besides the fact that it’s obviously amazing. I can’t believe Danja produced this, I never would’ve guessed listening to his other work, but the production work he did is amazing. Her vocals really shine through here, she honestly sounds almost broken, which fits the song perfectly. I still feel like her voice is underrated. And the outro is devastatingly glorious. I would love to see this win.

@savilizabeths: (9) “The moody production on this is beautiful, and the guitars sound amazing. It’s such an emotional yet disconnected song. I love the high background vocals (I think they’re vocals) in the back on the second verse, and I love the occasional use of strings. It’s a really well made song with a lot of passion behind it.”

@R27: (8.25) I had misinterpreted the central lyric at the time of its release and thought sue was surprised at how good she feels sober. Now I see the lyric, and by extension the song for what it means. The high may be great, but the self-loathing that follows is harder to swallow.

@abael: (8) I don't exactly know why this isn't scored higher. Pink performs with authenticity and production backs her well. I guess something composition-wise doesn't do it for me.

Should've been top 2.
 
He / Him / His
I’m no P!nk fan but everything in this top 5 is fucking stellar so well done everyone and to @Lost Boy for the love being poured into this.

When I first met one of my now-best friends at university, we’d initially only really knew each other through other people and spoke to one another about our shared love of groups like A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul when we sere in social situations and that was the dominant music played. One night, whilst pre-drinks at mine were underway downstairs, she came up to my room and I was listening to ‘Don’t Let Me Get Me’ whilst I got ready and she burst through the door, completely awe-struck because (having had a fucking rough childhood and dealing with a lot of the issues and emotions painted in the track) it was so close to her heart still and she said she’d never met anybody that not only enjoyed the track but also sort of related to it on a personal level. That was sort of the night things really kicked off with each other and we still regularly spin it together, channeling all of that teen angst that sort of sits under the surface but never really goes away. I absolutely adore it and it’ll always have a special place in my heart.

That said, ‘Who Knew’ for the win as few things in Pop manage to channel that spiralling chaos in the immediate realisation of losing somebody in the way that last chorus does and it’s fucking incredible.
 
"Don't Let Me Get Me" is amazing and quite deserving in the top 5, but, as much as I love it, I just wanted the production to be slightly better.
It's one of those songs that evokes some odd nostalgia and makes me wish I was a teen during the late 90's/early 00's and not late 00's/early 10's


And "Sober" is a masterpiece in every sense of that word. By far my favorite out of the songs in the top 5. That chorus and middle-8 are insane. Such a pity it just missed the top 3 because I really wanted to see it win.
Here's Kara DioGuardi talking more in detail about writing and recording the song. It's a really interesting, captivating and quite funny story worth a listen:

As already said, P!nk already came up with the line and (sort of) title of the song about being sober. However, these two ended up drunk while the song was written and recorded - that is hilarious!
Kara dscribing creating "Sober" as her best record session is a triumph. She needed (and needs) to work more with P!nk.
 
Funhouse being a great album and my second highest rated, yet still being the third lowest rater... Rating 1-10 certainly means different things to different voters I guess.
 
Even though the only song out of the top three that received a 10 from me is "Who Knew", I would be here for "U + Ur Hand" winning, just for a non-obvious winner,

And @The Hot Rock, after me and @kal, you awarded the best 11 - amazing pick! I'm also surprised that "Sober" didn't get multiple 11's.
 
he / him
Who-Knew.png

03. Who Knew
Average score: 9.73
Highest score: 11x5
@AllGagaLike @Verandi @Sail On @Remorque @HollyDunnSomething
10x23
@Lost Boy @Sanctuary @JMRGBY88 @nikkysan @The Hot Rock
@Sprockrooster @soratami @Reboot @kal @rick
@playboy69 @abael @Robsolete @Sideout @sapnu puas
@LiK @Music Is Life @Maki @əʊæ @Duppe @savilizabeths
Lowest score: 5.8 @Untouchable Ace @tylerc904

That last kiss, I'll cherish, until we meet again
And time makes it harder, I wish I could remember
But I keep your memory, you visit me in my sleep
My darling, who knew?

Going into the rate, this was the one to beat. Having took the trophy more than once before, I couldn't conceive a time in which this didn't sweep. What I didn't expect is for the averages to be so monumentally tight that every little scoring difference shifted the top three around, only for this to actually settle down in third position. I've seen a few people claim they didn't give this eleven as they knew it'd win, so I've no doubt as to why it may have missed it... especially as one more eleven instead of a ten would have pushed this to win.

What is there to say about this that hasn't been said before? A masterful take on grief and loss, tied up within a powerhouse chorus that has aged like a fine wine. Still considered her greatest moment by fans and critics alike, 'Who Knew' induced whiplash by following the brash 'Stupid Girls', but would go on to become one of her biggest hits - in particular spending 36 weeks in the Hot 100.

I find the real power of this is in the incredible vocal delivery, and the fact it clearly acknowledges the pain and frustration you feel once we face death. It's natural to feel angry when someone leaves, and it's a pain that is almost impossible to voice as we all go through it in so many different ways, and yet she managed to do it here. A masterpiece.

I will leave it to P!nk to summarise the song, in her own powerful words:


"My life was insane, I was [in her youth] out of control and doing lots of stupid things. Some of my friends were selling crack, and I got into drugs too. I've always been honest about that, although I don't like going into details. I've got lots of young fans and I wouldn't want to give them any ideas. I found a friend dead from a drug overdose when I was 14. He was a male friend, not a boyfriend. Most of the people at the funeral were just children. It should have been a wake-up call for me, but it wasn't.

Commentary corner:
@Verandi: (11) Usually it's incredibly hard for me to pick an 11 in rates, but this one was set in stone from the beginning. A classic, a masterpiece, a way too relatable piece of music. When she's good, she's very very good.

@tylerc904: (10) I remember this being on radio/TV for aaaaages before it peaked in the U.S. it was her first big hit since Pill. Deserves all the praise it gets really.

@sapnu puas: (10) will probably win but it’s what she deserves. Even people who aren’t particularly fond of Pink can’t deny its brilliance. What a fucking song!

@Maki: (10) I’m sure this one will get far in this rate and that is obvious, since it’s so well written and performed. I have to be honest, it grew on me over time, but it was enough to get a 10. The last chorus is pure amazingness!

@R27: (10) Admittedly, I'm rooting for something else to win, but that is more so another song can have a chance to shine, and not reflection of this song’s quality. I remember instantly connecting with this song and would frequently belt it out on my family's little karaoke machine. The way her voice cracks during the last chorus still hits me everytime. A true classic.

@Reboot: (10) I loved Who Knew back in the day, and for a very long time I considered it one of my favourite ever songs. I think I related it to a teenage crush at the time, but I can’t remember the specifics. That said, when I listened to the song again it didn’t hit me as hard as I thought it would. I expected I’d be hit with some wave of nostalgia, but I wasn’t. As a result, I can’t give it my 11 even though I thought I would. But the song is still very beautiful.

@savilizabeths: (10) “This is pretty universally loved as far as I can tell, and it’s worth that praise. It’s got that classic, emotionally charged powerful chorus that P!nk does so well. The production is really pretty, I love the subtle strings. How many times can I comment on strings? This song is both delicate and strong. It’s so well done."

@rick: (10) Tears streaming down face emoji. Stunning

@abael: (10) Just the classic Pink Power Ballad that would be the cornerstone to many of her successful tracks

@JMRGBY88: (10) devastating.

@The Hot Rock: (10) Actually thought this was going to be my 11 when coming into this rate but something else snatched it. It was close. An emotional powerhouse.

@nikkysan: (10) A masterpiece and one of her finest ballads. I have memories of listening to this on repeat with my family in long car trips and even back then I knew this was a special song.




 
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