Quickly catching up, and just wanted to say that in any rate, these are my least favorite words. It bothers me when people say this. Not specific to you @Maki just a general observation.
Also, what's this about Push You Away being password protected? On what version is that? Cause it's completely available in HQ in the Funhouse Tour: Live in Australia CD/DVD.
Also it's gone too soon.
So... "Stop Falling" was that classic @Lost Boy? Well, thanks for calling it that, but what happened to most of the voters and the lack of higher scores? (taste @savilizabeths and @P'NutButter, and even @abael is with me this time) @Verandi, as usual, showing lack of appreciation for P!nk ballads.
I can't believe that "Love Is Such a Crazy Thing" and "Leaving for the Last Time" are still in, it's a very positive surprise (watch them go next, so I can fume).
"Stop Falling" is in my top 10 (even top 5) P!nk song ever, and "Gone to California" is just a few places behind. I consider both of them among her career highlights. @Untouchable Ace is cancelled... out of all the songs, THAT is what you decide to give your 0 to???
"Gone to California" is the brilliance of "M!ssundaztood", and a song that I adored upon first listen, yet you put in the bottom two of its songs, while "Respect", "Catch-22" and the title track are still in - is this a joke?
Wait at ATRL having much more taste by placing "Gone to California" in the non-singles rate at #14 (with almost 7,75 as its average). Such an honest and emotional song, and a fantastic execution.
Bravo @Sprockrooster for mentioning the trip hop vibe of the song - it really is a unique track that has stunningly beautiful production, with some R&B influences, too.
And nobody else scored these two wonders a 10? I'm surprised. Honestly, I thought at least @Lost Boy would give a 10 to "Gone To California" and @P'NutButter a 10 to "Stop Falling".
To say that both deserved better is a major understatement.
Two magnificent ballads leaving, yet some of the cheap, uptempo 'bops' still being in is massive injustice.
WAIT! THERE'S MORE?! I'm already like that!
If "Funhouse" is losing it's first track, then I'm afraid (and literally mad) that...
..."Why Did I Ever Like You" could be leaving next.
See with 'Stop Falling' I could not get past the production which was like terrible karaoke, I was triggered.
It wasn't going to touch the top 100 so what's the harm.
I should have just rated a live version, that would have been better.
I would like it noted that in my opinion Can't Take Me Home is losing songs not because of it's quality, but because it's a style so different to the rest of her discography.
Quickly catching up, and just wanted to say that in any rate, these are my least favorite words. It bothers me when people say this. Not specific to you @Maki just a general observation.
It bothers me, too, but I'll keep saying it (there are a few more songs where that can apply). And I'm pretty sure that you said the same thing once or twice here (don't get it as a bad thing lol)
See with 'Stop Falling' I could not get past the production which was like terrible karaoke, I was triggered.
It wasn't going to touch the top 100 so what's the harm.
I should have just rated a live version, that would have been better.
I'm still sad about it, still not sure what bothered so many voters. I just can't understand how a song like that couldn't attract an amount of high scores, let alone receive nothing. At least the vocal delivery and emotions are worth a few points, but that's just how I see it.
But it's pointless to argue about opinions (unless you are @Verandi and @JMRGBY88, that is a bit fun), so let's just leave it there.
I would like it noted that in my opinion Can't Take Me Home is losing songs not because of it's quality, but because it's a style so different to the rest of her discography.
Yeah, I completely agree.
When you think of 'P!nk', the first thing that comes to your mind surely isn't her R&B debut. But I still stand that it's a pretty amazing album.
I would like it noted that in my opinion Can't Take Me Home is losing songs not because of it's quality, but because it's a style so different to the rest of her discography.
Most definitely! I get that some people didn't really grow up in that era nor care for that kinda time capsule RnB sound which dates it a bit, similar to how Teen Pop of that era sounds nothing like before nor after it. But the songs on debut are mostly fantastic. In-fact she got some pretty top notch material that wouldn't have sounded out of place on a Destiny's Child, Toni Braxton, TLC album at the time.
107. Could've Had Everything
Average score: 6.37
Highest score: 10 (@Maki)
Lowest score: 2 (@Laurence)
My score: 8
Ddd, poor 'Could've Had Everything' might just have the least amount of commentary in the entire rate with only four submissions, so cut to me frantically trying to find anything to talk about to fill the space here. As usual this was inspired by her constant on/off rocky relationship with husband Carey, and featured as a B-Side to the number one single 'So What'. It's an odd but great choice to accompany such a brash song with something much more melancholic with a much more atypical P!nk mood to it. There's nothing really wrong with it, but it also doesn't leave much of an impression too until the halfway mark, in which a small horn section comes cutting through before some great wailing ad-libs.
The best thing about this is absolutely the atmosphere it creates, but it was perfectly placed as a b-side and eventually bonus track.
Commentary Corner:
@abael: (5) Can a Pink song have too much Pink on it? Somehow this track does.
@Maki: (10) How can a bonus track be this good? This is AMAZING! Definitely in my top 3 P!nk bonus tracks/B-sides. Can't believe that I wasn't astonished by it the first time I heard it. It's just a quality tune that's unbelievably good throughout. Her voice has a sadder tone here and I adore when she sings like that, for example in the verses. The production is on point, as well as the use string instruments (and the general music arrangement). But that middle-8 is something else; when she gets to the crescendo during it, I can't breathe properly. Another example why I wish she recorded/released more songs with Eg White
@R27: (4) This pretty listless and doesn't really go anywhere. There's nothing offensive about it, but there's nothing notable about it either.
106. How Come You're Not Here
Average score: 6.42
Highest score: 9 (@Lost Boy )
Lowest score: 3x2 (@sapnu puas, @nikkysan)
My score: 9
'How Come You're Not Here', to me, is one of P!nk's very best up-tempo songs. It hits the ground running, raises a few smiles whilst it goes and basically is a complete storm from start to finish. To my surprise my NINE was the highest score? And the only reason I didn't give it full marks is because it can be a little bit too abrasive for me sometimes.
Vocally this may be one of my favourite performances of her ever? Her delivery is just incredibly smarmy and full of character, and is easily the best she's sounded for me since the rasp left. Especially live, this song just takes off unlike anything else on the album.
I'm also a total sucker for the Funhouse on steroids vibe it gives off, those demented bells and the LeEeEeets play hide and seek middle eight still manage to give me shivers. What a song. It's melodrama and absurd theatre in song form.
P!nk told The Independent on Sunday that she'd been waiting "years" to write the song. "You know, we had that break-up, and that second verse is my favorite second verse that I've ever written," she said. "'I heard some rumors about another girl. I heard she's cute but she stores nuts like a squirrel. That's all cool. I'll wait right here till you get bored. And she gets carded for beer...'" (laughs). "That kind of shit I have in my back pocket. It's so easy to go back there."
When speaking to Spotify about the song, P!nk said that she thought of it "as a cartoon, almost, where he's left, and I'm like, looking under the bed 'cause I'm completely delusional and he's hiding behind a stop sign and I'm like, 'I see you!' and I'm chasing after him the whole song and he's running away and I'm like, 'But I'm awesome!'" which... is obviously inspired by the INCREDIBLE 'Please Don't Leave Me'. I totally see what she's going for here.
Also! Willow, plays bells on this song. "She's actually quite talented for a 13-month-old!" P!nk laughed to MTV News. "There was a basket of shit, and she came over and pulled out the bells and started banging on them, and I was like, 'Record it!'" Commentary Corner:
@R27: (3.5) Haven't listened to this much, but I can see it becoming unbearably annoying , so let me preemptively tank it.
@savilizabeths: (6) “I don’t really dislike this, but I definitely wouldn’t say I like it. She sounds like she’s yelling on a lot of this album, and this song is an offender with that chorus. It both works and doesn’t at the same time.”
@Maki: (8.5) Someone on this forum said that this sounds like a “Funhouse” leftover, and it actually does (the ‘sword fight’ sounds and whistles definitely add to that). The ‘abrasive’ vocal effect works and you can tell that she’s mad in the song. It’s great and nicely produced track, but not one of my favorites here. @JMRGBY88: (4.5) I feel like this is what a machine would produce if you taught it how to create a P!nk song.
@Laurence: (6) This falls a bit flat due being sandwiched between two awesome tracks. Should have been deleted. Also the are you hiding in the closeth? Homophobia much? Just kidding.
@rick: (8.5) Was this a Funhouse Holdover because I definitely hear fairground music?
@Sail On: (8.75) This is so bouncy, I feel like taking a long skip off a short pier myself.
@abael: (7) Pink goes rock and it's great, but not exactly my taste.
@Verandi: (8) Verses are 11/10, but the chorus is a mess.
@Reboot: (5) Another quite noisy song on this album.
@P'NutButter: (8) this track doesn't seem well liked with the fans, but it reminds me of the I'm Not Dead era in the best way.
'Could've Had Everything' is an obvious bonus track, it's just there. But I bloody love 'How Come You're Not Here', it's noisiness is part of it's charm.
I might have been a bit too harsh on "How Come You're Not Here," but I'm very pleased to see both tracks leave. And of course P!nk would love that terrible squirrel line.
This might be my first shock in the rate, but considering how Try This is doing I'm not that surprised. It's just a shame that Can We Pretend is still in.
On the other hand, Could've Had Everything and Why Did I etc etc are easily the only bad b-sides from Funhouse so yeah bye.
Nooo! Not another absolute gem leaving. "Could've Had Everything" is criminally underrated, out of all the songs, that is the one that's leaving? Not even in the top 100? Such a damn shame.
I can totally see how one can easily forget about the song (as the lack of commentary suggests), but after a few plays, "Could've Had Everything" became one of my favorite P!nk songs ever (probably in my top 15).
That middle-8 is one of her career highlights.
"How Come You're Not Here" is also underrated, but to a lesser extent. It's definitely not the song that should be going next from "The Truth About Love". It displays the abrasive and loudness of the album really well.
I loved your write up for it, @Lost Boy, and that live performance is absolutely amazing!
"Slut Like You" is still in? How?
The artwork for "Could've Had Everything" is beautiful, but the way.
Most definitely! I get that some people didn't really grow up in that era nor care for that kinda time capsule RnB sound which dates it a bit, similar to how Teen Pop of that era sounds nothing like before nor after it. But the songs on debut are mostly fantastic. In-fact she got some pretty top notch material that wouldn't have sounded out of place on a Destiny's Child, Toni Braxton, TLC album at the time.
Funny thing we discuss her debut so much recently, because... ...Happy Birthday P!nk !
No, not Alecia Moore, but P!nk.
Today marks exactly 20 years since P!nk, as we know her today, was 'born' and made her debut!
August 1st, 1999 is the day when she first appeared in public as under that name, with her signature (at the time) fuchsia pink hair. This very memorable appearance, complete with a cowboy hat, was just a beginning of the crazy outfits that she wore in the following years. The event was the first ever edition of Teen Choice Awards, where some big pop stars in the making, such as Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears, performed.
Here's how she looked:
See what's written on that outfit? Edgy...
P!nk didn't even have any music released, but the heads were already turning (see the lady in the back!)
20 years later, she's still amazing, perhaps in a different way, but she still has that recognizable essence.
Another fact or, better said, 'misconception' people have about early P!nk style is that she 'stole' the pink hair from Gwen Stefani.
While Gwen did dye her hair pink back in 1999 (starting with just highlights, as seen in the music video for "New", then going full pink), and she looked absolutely stunning with it, the photos above prove that P!nk already had pink hair in 1999, too.
People probably overlook the fact she appeared in public before her proper music debut in early 2000, and that is most likely the reason she's falsely accused of that.
And while I was doing some 'research', I stumbled across this: https://media.gettyimages.com/video...-at-vynyl-in-hollywood-on-14-video-id75666334
Her only other appearance (with photo/video evidence) before "There You Go" was released, that occurred on January 14th 2000 at Teen People Magazine Party, and includes her oldest interview I've ever seen.
That was basically her introduction in the magazine, and she performed the lead single for the first time (she was performing it during 1999, but most of the appearances weren't documented).
She even sings a snippet of yet to be released song during the interview, so cute!
Also, did you know that she was rocking this crazy hair color back in December 2000 at Billboard Music Awards:
Aw... the title track is my lowest remaining score from it (7,5 and that's not a low score at all), but I'm afraid that "Leaving for the Last Time" is, well... leaving.
This rate is all over the place for me, losing a 10 before a 2, I can't pick where it's going in the slightest. Good work also, @Lost Boy the artwork has been impressive, and is probably the biggest hurdle in wanting to host my own rate at some point.
It bothers me, too, but I'll keep saying it (there are a few more songs where that can apply). And I'm pretty sure that you said the same thing once or twice here (don't get it as a bad thing lol)
I hate y'all for paying Try This dust like this, especially when all these songs from her three most recent albums are still here waiting for the boot!
105. Private Show
Average score: 6.42
Highest score: 10x2 (@Maki, @tylerc904)
Lowest score: 3x2 (@Duppe, @Reboot)
My score: 8
I predict this will somewhat of a surprise to our regular posters, as nobody has really been calling for 'Private Show' and there's definitely worse still in. 'Private Show' is another one from the debut that P!nk didn't have a hand in writing, but she still manages to command it with her own charisma and charm. The gigilo line is something she'd definitely still front now, isn't it?
I think this is a highlight from the debut, but it isn't one I particularly return to and as with a lot of the album it's as far removed from standard P!nk as you could possibly get.
Commentary corner:
@rick: (7) I have fond memories of my grandmother hearing the word ‘gigolo’ and tutting under breath how ‘disgraceful’ it was. I knew then I was the black sheep of the family
@abael: (7) Nothing groundbreaking, but this is a lot of fun
@Music Is Life: (8.75) This is a bop. The chorus melody is so freaking catchy and I love it. Great song here. Um, but what’s a jigalo?
@Maki: (10) One of the main highlights of “Can’t Take Me Home”. I was so impressed the first time I heard it - it’s minimalistic, yet effective. The melody is perfect and the instrumental is a bit captivating, not matter how simple it is. This is one of the tracks that solidify the album as one of the best in R&B music (from my perspective). Gorgeous harmonies in the chorus, too. Such a well-crafted song and a ‘hidden gem’ from this album.
@R27: (8) You really don't hear the term gigolo used in a lot of pop songs these days.
@savilizabeths: (8) “This one is definitely fun. I enjoy the chorus a lot. P!nk really lets gross guys have it in her music and I love that.”
@The Hot Rock: (4) Seems that Private Show is just a Cursed song title.
P!nk tackles a new and beautiful topic for her: being a mother. Unless you count the three rats I look after, I can't relate to the challenge of parenting. Considering I grew up in a tough household with an abusive parent, I've actively shunned the idea of parentage and whether I would become that very thing I feared as a child. There's no escaping that with 'Circle Game' which is entirely about the pattern of parentage and how terrifying it is to grow from child to adult to parent, and still want to be a child yourself. You don't necessarily have to be a parent to understand that fear, and part of why I love this album so much is hearing P!nk tackle these morose questions that are clearly plaguing her.
Unfortunately I just don't really like the chorus, despite it thematically being a highlight of her entire discography. The verses are absolutely stellar and, especially if like me you listened through her discography recently to rekindle your thoughts, the sheer growth that the song represents next to songs like 'Family Portrait' makes me damn emotional. It also doesn't really help that it is sandwiches in between two other ballads, and I'm pretty sure I would be into this a lot more if it was a closer? As I said, there's a lot that this song brings up for me and I'm sure for all of us. The fact that she can still do this so long into her career is astounding.
Commentary corner:
@JMRGBY88: (10) This fucked me up in the same way as Barbies did but even more so when I listened to it from my mum’s view point as she really misses her dad and her mum is being incredibly difficult to the point where my mum has basically described herself as an orphan and I ended up crying on the bus while listening.
@P'NutButter: (10) by far the best track on this album, her vocals are insane!
@abael: (8) She got me! After the first couple lines l was ready to write this off as an insipid ballad, but she was able to sing me round to thinking this is brilliant. I don't know what note, what line won me over but she did it
@R27: (7) Two questions: 1) What Disney film is this from? and 2) Why am I lowkey getting my life to this?
@savilizabeths: (9) “The first time I heard this, I almost burst into tears in public. The best ballads combine heartfelt, gorgeous lyrics, emotive vocals and strings. This song has all of those. It really just captures how growing up feels. You can tell Pink is pouring out her emotions here. The second verses has some plucky strings that sound absolutely gorgeous. I just really feel this and I know I will continue to relate more and more to it as I grow.”
@Music Is Life: (9) This is a beautiful ballad. I love the verse melody on this. And whatever the instrument that comes in during the second verse, with the piano, I love that. This really shows off her voice which is always a good thing. Love this.
@Maki: (6.75) More AC ballads don't do this album justice. This is actually a really nice song, and her vocals are so clear, but this type of ballad isn't something that I would listen to willingly. The middle-8 is probably my favorite part. I wonder if this was an outtake from "Beautiful Trauma", it sounds similar to some of the ballads from it.
103. Courage Average score: 6.44 Highest score: 10 (@Sprockrooster) Lowest score: 2 (@savilizabeths) My score: 6
Give yourself a pat on the back if you instantly recognised this as the Sia co-write (She is a caricature at this point, isn't she?) of the album. Everything you'd expect from a Sia song is here from the empowering lyricism to the repetitive chorus, the double layered vocals and the marching drums. The first time I listened to this I got goosebumps from the piano, and I'm a sucker for the piano so I'll openly admit that's nothing to celebrate, so imagine my disappointment when it squandered such a brilliant little riff.
There's not really much to say about 'Courage' than... it's a great song that we've all heard a million times? Admittedly P!nk hasn't ever really done this kind of thing before, so it's easy to admit why she'd have fallen for it, and she never gets overpowered on her own songs. Even when doing covers, it becomes a P!nk song, and I'd argue that parts of this she does overpower the Sia-isms (Such as the brilliant oh-oh-ooooooooh middle-8) but it's not enough when that bloody wig keeps popping through my mind while listening to this. I'd have polished it a bit more and reworked the chorus, personally.
Commentary corner:
@JMRGBY88: (7) nowhere near as bad as everyone makes it out to be.
@Sprockrooster: (10) The only thing that impressed me instantly and deeply so far from this era. But I can see definitely tracks grow more on me.
@Verandi: (7) A Sia track I don't hate. Tired as fuck, but I have to keep what I can from this dumpster fire of an album.
@savilizabeths: (2) “So, I was listening to this on the train for the first time and just feeling mind numbingly bored. I thought the song was about to be over because it felt like it had been dragging on forever, until I looked down at my phone and realised I was only one verse and one chorus in with another two or so minutes to go. Yikes. It’s lyrics are so uninspired and the entire song sounds so bland. Can Sia just…stop already? She always seems to write songs on autopilot. Everything she writes just sounds so…her and that is not a compliment. No thanks.”
@Maki: (9.25) No matter how Sia-sounding and repetitive this is, I thoroughly enjoy it. The verses are more quiet and emotional, so that the powerful chorus comes The production is really good, with the pounding drums, although her vocals sound a bit muffled. The final 'today' ad-lib she sings at the end is amazing. Well, it actually is pretty repetitive to get even higher score, but that's totally fine.
@Music Is Life: (8.75) Would be a 9 if the chorus was just a little more interesting.
@tylerc904: (7) Every criticism about this being Sia on autopilot is 100% valid but I’m a sucker for a generic, anthemic chorus.
@abael: (6) Nice, but it lacks any real moment or warp of convention.