Maybe it’s her brightly dyed hair combined with a loud, rebellious attitude that makes Pink seem smarter and more acceptable to listen to than her pop princess contemporaries.
But really, Pink is not smarter. She might not be as dumb as Britney to marry a white trash wannabe rapper, but when comparing Pink to say, Christina Aguilera, it’s clear her lyrics are no more masterful or poetic. Pink simply has a different attitude.
On Pink’s latest album, “I’m Not Dead,” the first single, “Stupid Girls,” once again sets Pink apart from the pack. But again, this has little to do with the actual music or lyrics of the song and more that Pink purposely seeks to separate herself from the rest.
Pink rallies against tiny-dog-carrying, Fred-Segal-shopping girls who rely on their looks rather than their brains. And she asks, “What happened to the dreams of a girl president / She’s dancing in the video next to 50 Cent.” While perhaps a better message for young girls than Aguilera’s “Dirrty,” complaining about skanky females is nothing new, and Pink’s lyrics have no more witticism than any Destiny’s Child song.
This is not to say that Pink’s music is bad – instead that in order to appreciate her, you can’t have any illusions to her music having a higher level of sophistication beyond any other pop.
Pink’s true talent comes from her ability to transcend pop genres with more ease than almost any other artist. From dance pop to mall punk, her voice can range from diva belting to raspy growling. On “I’m Not Dead,” this chameleon voice allows Pink to switch from glittery club-thumping hip-hop beats to a folksy duet with the Indigo Girls. And with this change in styles comes very different shades of Pink. She goes from a couldn’t-care-less attitude to a heartfelt cry against the president.
In the past, Pink records have been too far on the dance side or too far on the punk side. “I’m Not Dead” finally finds Pink in an almost-perfect balance (she should have ditched one or two of the slower ballads).
Although Pink is not above or smarter than other pop artists, she does perhaps have a bit more to offer. She tries to say nothing and everything; she tries to be a materialistic bitch and an activist hippie – all in the same record.
These contradictions ultimately make Pink more interesting. Crying about stupid girls might not be the most important political song, but it is honest.
