I'm Not Dead

Untitled

I'm Not Dead is the fourth album by pop singer Pink, released in North America on April 4, 2006 (see 2006 in music), six years to the day that Pink released her debut album Can't Take Me Home; it was released a day earlier in most other territories. Pink worked with producers billymann, Josh Abraham, Swedish hit maker Max Martin, and Luke Gottwald, Butch Walker and Mike Elizondo co-wrote the tracks, which range from the intrinsically personal to political. The album was originally titled Long Way to Happy, after the song of the same name, but Pink changed her mind because she thought I'm Not Dead made a stronger statement that this was a comeback album. The album yielded seven singles: "Stupid Girls", "Who Knew", "U + Ur Hand", "Nobody Knows", "Leave Me Alone (I'm Lonely)", "Dear Mr. President" and "Cuz I Can". Australia was the album's most successful territory, going eight times platinum, making it one of the highest selling albums of all time, and culminating in the most successful tour in the history of the nation.

Description

The album is mostly dominated by pop and Blue-Eyed Soul, with some electronica music present in the bonus track "Fingers". Pink said she titled the album I'm Not Dead because "It's about being alive and feisty and not sitting down and shutting up even though people would like you to"; she said it came from "the awakening" and how "it felt good to feel again ... I turned twenty-five and I just kind of woke up and realized I have so much to learn, whereas before I thought I knew everything. That's definitely a huge part of that title."

She said that she didn't expect to be very emotionally involved in the making of the album because the experience of making her last, Try This (2003), was "draining", but that she was "forced to be almost emotionally involved" by her collaborators, such as Billy Mann. "I guess I was just kind of at that place where I felt like I kind of had something to add to the world", she said. "I feel like there's a hole and I know how to fill it, people aren't talking trash anymore. I was just feeling really creative and really emotionally available again, and it came out great." According to her, she wrote more than forty songs for the album on "everything I could possibly think of."

Pink was inspired to write opening track "Stupid Girls", in which she deplores the lack of good role models for young girls while encouraging them to cultivate independence, after she noticed many such girls aspire to be like female pop icons, particularly those near her Los Angeles home. "There's a certain thing the world is being fed, and my point is there should be a choice", Pink said. She stated that "Who Knew" is about "the death of friendship", as well as friends of hers who died as a result of drug overdoses. The song is about several people.

The third song, "Long Way to Happy", is based on a poem about sexual abuse Pink wrote when she was thirteen years old. "I know a lot of people that have been abused and/or molested and/or fucked over by someone close to them. And I'm no exception. And that's that song", she said. (See also pedophilia and child sexual abuse in songs.) The ballad "Nobody Knows" describes feelings that one can have but not show to the outside world, and Pink has named it the most vulnerable track on the album. "Dear Mr. President" is an open letter to the president of the United States, George W. Bush; the song's format is a series of rhetorical questions for the President, specifically pertaining to how he really feels about issues such as war, homosexuality, homelessness and drug abuse.

According to Pink, the sixth and title track, "I'm Not Dead", is her first "subtle" and "poetic" self-written song: "Usually it's very much more cartoon-y and blunt, the way I write songs. I don't really know diplomacy or subtlety." The song was inspired by how Pink and producer billymann felt about the end of their working relationship: "We were scared to move on from each other, after seeing how much that little bit of time together changed us, and how scary change is." In "'Cuz I Can" Pink says she plays by her own rules boasts about her "bling", a contrast to the anti-consumerist content of "Stupid Girls". Referring to the song, she called herself "a walking contradiction" and "a hypocrite sometimes." This theme is echoed in "Leave Me Alone (I'm Lonely)", which deals with contradictory feelings about a relationship; Pink said "That's how I live my life. I'm a walking conflict." She called the song "a funny take on 'I love you' ... I get really cramped ... But, every girl needs her space".

"U + Ur Hand", the ninth track, is a kiss-off song addressed to a man who is trying to seduce Pink; it became a fan favorite before the release of the album, when it was leaked to the internet. Pink said of song such as "Runaway" that "It's been especially hard for [my parents] hearing me write about things they never knew about ... My mom's like, 'Were you really that angry? Was I really that in denial? Was I really that bad a parent?' 'No, Mom - you were great. You didn't try to run me over with your car. I made it up.' But by writing all of it down and sharing it with the world, I've broken with most of it." "The One That Got Away" is, as Pink puts it, "the classic 'Is this the one? Or is the grass really greener?'"

Pink described track thirteen, "Conversations with My 13 Year Old Self", as a "huge therapy session" that addresses her "pissed-off, complicated" younger self. She said of writing the song, "I needed a hug, and I get it ... now. If I tried to hug my 13-year-old self, she'd try to kick my ass, and then she'd collapse and cry." "Fingers" is about her videotaping herself masturbating. She said she probably didn't need to add to the number of songs about masturbation, but she couldn't help herself. The final song on the album, the hidden track "I Have Seen the Rain" was written by and features Pink's father, James T. Moore. He wrote it when he was a soldier in the Vietnam War, but according to Pink "it's still relevant today. It's a soldier's cry." She had always wanted to record it with him and learnt to harmonize with it. She said of its recording, "He was so nervous, it was the most adorable experience for a father and daughter to share."

History

Release and chart performance

The album was leaked to file sharing networks on March 25, eleven days before its release date, most likely from a promotional CD. On March 28 the official website of MTV previewed the album in a section titled The Leak, where one can listen to an album one week before it comes out in stores. The album sold 126,000 copies in its first week in the U.S. and debuted at number six, a higher debut position than those of Pink's last two albums, M!ssundaztood (2001) and Try This (2003); however, first-week sales for I'm Not Dead were lower. I'm Not Dead was initially Pink's lowest seller in the U.S., and exited the Billboard 200 after just twenty-three weeks. It reappeared at number 198 in late December 2006 and has stayed in the chart ever since. It had sold just over 1,000,000 copies

I'm Not Dead debuted at number three in the United Kingdom and has not left the top sixty since its release. The album was the ninth best-selling album of 2006 in the UK, with over 848,000 copies sold, and it was certified three times (900,000 copies) platinum in January 2007. By May 20 2007 the album had surpassed sales of over one million. The album finally fell out of the Top 75 on the chart dated November 12 2007 where it charted at 78. The album spent 84 weeks in the Top 75 and sold over 1,125,000 copies.

In Australia, after twenty-six weeks of release, it ascended to number one to become Pink's first number-one album. As of August 2007 it was certified eight times platinum by ARIA with 560,000 copies shipped. It has become the most successful album in Australia for Pink. I'm Not Dead was the second best selling album of 2006 in Australia, and the number-one selling album by an American or a female artist. The album is highly tipped to take out top honours for the number one album of 2007. On its sixty-first week on the Australian ARIA chart, I'm Not Dead repositioned itself at number one. After spending 62 consecutive weeks in the top 10 ARIA announced that I'm Not Dead has spent the most consecutive weeks in the top 10 in the history of the ARIA album chart , it has spent 68 non-consecutive weeks in the top 10. As of December 31, I'm Not Dead had re-entered the charts at Number 41.

In Canada the album debuted at number two with 13,000 copies sold in its first week. It has sold over 100,000 copies and was certified platinum. In New Zealand the album reached number one on the week of the 28th July. It was the album's 37th week on the chart, despite being released over a year earlier. In the rest of the world the album performed well, reaching the top ten in eighteen countries and number one in Germany, and being certified gold, platinum or multi-platinum in more than seventeen countries. The album had a positive critical reception, receiving a 70/100 score on Metacritic.

In November 2007 rumors of a re-release of the album were confirmed. On December 4, 2007 I'm Not Dead is going to be re-released and is called I'm Not Dead: Platinum Edition.

It was announced on Australian radio on November 9, 2007 that a deluxe edition of the album may be released in Australia on December 10. The special edition, that would have coincided with a physical single release of either 'Cuz I Can or Long Way To Happy (as well as Christmas sales), was to be a 4-disc set including the standard album, the I'm Not Dead live DVD with added official music videos from all singles released from the album, an I'm Not Dead concert audio disc and an exclusive disc of rareties, b-sides and remixes. This would have been the fourth format of the album released in Australia following the stardard edition, tour edition and the limited numbered edition; however, on December 9, 2007, Sony BMG in Australia announced that it had cancelled both plans for the 4-disc deluxe edition of the album (that was to be released in time for Christmas) as well as any further physical singles from the album. Representatives from the record company did not rule out any further radio singles. Reasoning behind the cancelled releases were directed at a mixture of causes, namely the time period of the album's success - reports suggest that a cooling-off period would be wise in time for a new Pink album; and the release and immediate success of the "P!nk Box"[5] - a box set containing her three most recent albums as well as the Pink: Live in Europe DVD. The P!nk Box debuted at #13 on the Australian Album Chart to a Gold certification.

Singles

Before "Stupid Girls" was chosen as the album's lead single, videos were shot for it and "U + Ur Hand", which became the third single. Released in February–March 2006, "Stupid Girls" reached number thirteen on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 — becoming Pink's biggest hit since 2002 — and the top five in the UK and Australia. It was the subject of considerable discussion, with Pink attending The Oprah Winfrey Show to discuss what she called the "stupid girl epidemic"; in the song she deplores the lack of good role models for girls while encouraging them to cultivate independence. The song was nominated for a Grammy Award for "Best Female Pop Vocal Performance" (see Grammy Awards of 2007).

"Who Knew" was released as the second single in May 2006 and initially failed to chart on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, but it later debuted at number ninety-five in March 2007. It was re-released in the U.S. in June 2007, and climbed all the way to number nine by the middle of September 2007. It also reached the top ten in other countries, including Australia and the UK. It received a Golden Tape in Germany for being number one on MTV's TRL for twenty days. The music video for the next single, "U + Ur Hand", reached number one on MTV's TRL in America; the single itself took three months to chart on the Hot 100 and peaked at number nine in April 2007. It reached the top twenty across most of Europe and Australia during August–September 2006. In October, 2007 an article leaked of the Grammy Awards. The entry-list of the Grammy's of 2008 shows that Who Knew could get a nomination for Record of the Year and Song of the Year. The fourth single, "Nobody Knows", was released outside the U.S. in November and reached the top forty in the UK and Australia.

Pink performing in October 2006 on the I'm Not Dead Tour.

The song "Dear Mr. President" attracted publicity, and there was popular belief that it would be released as a single. During a promotional visit to Australia, Pink appeared on the TV show Rove Live and said that the track would never be released commercially, despite unexpected radio airplay in some markets. Pink mentioned during a radio interview in Seattle on Kiss 106.1 that she would not release "Dear Mr. President" as a single because she didn't want people to think it was a publicity stunt. In Belgium an acoustic version of the song was released as a download-able single in late 2006, and it reached number one on the Ultratop chart. In the UK "Dear Mr. President" was released as a download-only single with "Leave Me Alone (I'm Lonely)". It reached the UK top forty, also charting in the top five in Australia. "Dear Mr. President" became the fifth top five hit in Australia from I'm Not Dead.

The track Cuz I Can has been released digitally as the 7th official single from I'm Not Dead in Australia. It has so far peaked at #14 and is still currently active in the charts.[6]

It was additionally mentioned on Australian radio that "Long Way To Happy" may be released as a physical single in Australia around the Christmas period - this would result in a total of 8 singles being released from the album.

Other promotion

In March 2006 Pink performed songs from the new album during a live performance broadcasted by MTV in New York. The bonus track "Fingers" was used on a cellphone commercial in Taiwan and Korea, and "Long Way to Happy" was featured in an episode of MTV's The Hills. "Who Knew" was used in promotion for the ABC television show October Road in March 2007; which positively increased its download sales, making it appear the U.S. Hot 100. The song "I'm Not Dead" was used in an episode of the last season of the television show Charmed. "Dear Mr. President" was used during the closing of to the fourth season premiere of the series The L Word.

Tour

Main article: I'm Not Dead Tour

Pink began her North American I'm Not Dead Tour on June 24 2006 in Chicago (IL), and it ended in Dallas (TX) after twenty shows.

She started her European tour on September 8 of the same year in Istanbul; it ran for fifty-two shows and was scheduled to end in Milan on December 21. A DVD of a concert on this leg of the tour, Pink: Live from Wembley Arena, was released in April 2007.

In 2007 Pink headed back to the U.S. to accompany Justin Timberlake on his FutureSex/LoveShow tour.

She began her sold-out Australian tour in April 2007, and additional dates were scheduled to meet high demand. The Australian leg of the tour was finally set at a record-breaking thirty-five shows, selling around 307,000 tickets. It became the most successful tour in Australian history by a female artist in Australia. Pink broke another record by being the only female artist to play seven consecutive sold-out shows in Sydney.

Sony BMG Australia released a special tour edition of I'm Not Dead on March 17, 2007. It contains the original album including two bonus tracks and a DVD that features live performances and music videos.

Track listing

1. "Stupid Girls" (Pink, Billy Mann, Robin Mortensen Lynch) – 3:17
2. "Who Knew" (Pink, Max Martin, Lukasz Gottwald) – 3:28
3. "Long Way to Happy" (Pink, Butch Walker) – 3:49
4. "Nobody Knows" (Mann, Pink) – 3:59
5. "Dear Mr. President" (Pink, Mann) featuring Indigo Girls – 4:33
6. "I'm Not Dead" (Pink, Mann) – 3:46
7. "'Cuz I Can" (Pink, Martin, Gottwald) – 3:43
8. "Leave Me Alone (I'm Lonely)" (Pink, Walker) – 3:18
9. "U + Ur Hand" (Pink, Martin, Gottwald, Rami) – 3:34
10. "Runaway" (Pink, Mann) – 4:23
11. "The One That Got Away" (Pink, Mann) – 4:42
12. "I Got Money Now" (Pink, Mike Elizondo) – 3:55
13. "Conversations with My 13 Year Old Self" (Pink, Mann) – 3:50
14. "Fingers" (Pink, Mann, Christopher Rojas) – 4:13 (non-U.S. bonus track; includes thirty seconds of silence on non-UK version)
15. "Centerfold" (Pink, Greg Kurstin, Cathy Dennis) – 3:20 (UK bonus track, with seventeen seconds of silence)
16. "I Have Seen the Rain" (James T. Moore) featuring James T. Moore – 3:29 (hidden track)

Bonus DVD - DualDisc DVD side

1. Entire Album in 5.1 Surround Sound & Enhanced Stereo
2. Preview of the Live in Europe Concert DVD
3. Interview with P!nk
4. P!nk Presents: The Stupid Girls
5. "Stupid Girls" music video
6. "Stupid Girls" outtakes & bonus photos

Australian Tour Edition - CD/DVD set

• CD

14. "Fingers" (non-U.S bonus)

15. "I Have Seen the Rain"

16. "Who Knew" (Bimbo Jones radio edit) marked as no. 15 on album cover

17. "U + Ur Hand" (Beatcult remix) marked as no. 16 on album cover

• DVD

1. "Stupid Girls" – video
2. "Who Knew" – video
3. "U + Ur Hand" – video
4. "Nobody Knows" – video
5. "Dear Mr. President" – live video
6. "Leave Me Alone (I'm Lonely)" – live video
7. "Stupid Girls" – making the video
8. "U + Ur Hand" – making the video

U.S. Platinum Edition - CD/DVD set

• CD

14. "I Have Seen the Rain"

15. "Heartbreaker"

16. "Centerfold"

17. "Fingers"

18. "U + Ur Hand" (Bimbo Jones Remix)

• DVD

1. "Stupid Girls" – making the video
2. "Stupid Girls" – video
3. "U + Ur Hand" – making the video
4. "U + Ur Hand" – video
5. "Who Knew" – video
6. "Nobody Knows" – video
7. "U + Ur Hand" (Live From Wembley Arena London, England)
8. "Who Knew" (Live From Wembley Arena London, England)
9. "Dear Mr. President" – video
10. "Just Like A Pill" (Live From Wembley Arena London, England)
11. "Dear Mr. President" (In Studio Performance) P!nk featuring Indigo Girls

Single B-sides

• "Heartbreaker" ("Stupid Girls")
• "Disconnected" ("Who Knew")
• "Crash & Burn" ("U + Ur Hand")
• "Words" ("Nobody Knows")

Charts and certifications

See also: Pink discography

Chart (2006/2007)	Peak position	Total weeks
Australia Album Chart	1	85
Ö3 Austria Top 40	1	70
Belgium Album Chart	3	58
Billboard 200 (U.S.)	6	63
Billboard Digital Albums (U.S.)	7
Billboard Comprehensive Albums (U.S.)	6	57
Canada Album Chart	2	72
Czech Republic Albums Chart	19	66
Denmark Albums Chart	13	15
Estonia Album Chart	6
Europe Charts	1	72
Finland Albums Chart	3	39
France Albums Chart	7	71
Germany Albums Chart	1	71
Greece International Albums Chart	2	24
Hungary Albums Chart	9

Chart (2006/2007)	Peak position	Total weeks
Ireland Albums Chart	9	72
Italy Albums Chart	31	42
Japan Albums Chart	19
Netherlands Albums Chart	5	18
New Zealand Albums Chart	1	51
Norway Albums Chart	4	11
Poland Albums Chart	39	3
Portugal Albums Chart	28	1
Russia Albums Chart	1
South Korea Albums Chart	20	5
Sweden Albums Chart	7	49
Switzerland Albums Chart	1	71
UK Album Chart	3	81
World Album Chart	2	69
World Album Chart (Year-End Chart 2006)	10
World Album Chart (Year-End Chart 2007)	23

Country	Certification	Sales/shipments
Australia (ARIA)	8× platinum	560,000+
Austria (Media Control Europe)	Platinum	30,000+
Belgium (Ultratop/Nielsen)	Platinum	50,000+
Brasil (ABPD)	-	15,000+
Canada (CRIA)	Platinum	100,000+
Denmark (IFPI/Nielsen)	Gold	15,000+
Estonia (Pedrobeat)	Gold	5,000+
Europe (IFPI)	2× platinum	2,800,000+
Finland (IFPI)	Gold	15,000+
France (SNEP/IFOP)	Platinum	245,400+
Germany (Media Control)	3× platinum	600,000+
Hungary (MAHASZ)	Platinum	10,000+
Ireland (IRMA)	2× platinum	30,000+
Italy (FIMI)	Gold	75,000+
Japan (Oricon)	-	55,000+
New Zealand (RIANZ)	2× platinum	30,000+
Russia (NFPF)	3× platinum	60,000+
South Korea (RIAK)	-	2,000+
Sweden (GLF)	Gold	30,000+
Switzerland (Media Control)	2× platinum	60,000+
UK (BPI)	3× platinum	1,145,500
U.S.(RIAA)	Platinum	1,097,982
World (Media Traffic)	2× platinum	5,652,000 6,075,900(+7,5)

Awards

2006

Awards ceremony	Award
Glamour Magazine	International Solo Artist of the Year (Pink)
MTV Video Music Awards	Best Pop Video ("Stupid Girls")
MTV Golden Tape	Twenty days at #1 on TRL ("Who Knew")
Yahoo Online Music Video Awards	Best Fun Video ("Stupid Girls")

2007

Awards ceremony	Award
Rockbjörnen Awards	Best International Album
MTV Australia Video Music Awards	Best Download ("Who Knew")
MTV Australia Video Music Awards	Best Female Artist
Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards (Australia)	Favourite International

Personnel

• Pink: Producer, vocals, backing vocals, keyboard, piano
• Adem Hawkins: Song mixing
• Al Clay: Song mixing
• Amy Ray: Backing vocals
• Andy Timmons: Guitars
• Beth Cohen: Backing vocals
• Billy Mann: Backing vocals, guitars, piano, orchestra arranged, drums
• Butch Walker: Backing vocals, additional programming, guitars, bass
• Christopher Rojas: Mixing, keyboard programming, violins, drum programming, guitars, bass, backing vocals
• Dan Chase: Keyboard programming, drum programming
• Dan Warner: Electric guitars
• Emily Saliers: Backing vocals, guitars
• Fermio Hernandez: Assistant mix engineer
• Geoff Zanelli: Guitars, bass, synthesizer
• Jeff Phillips: Guitars
• Joey Waronker: Drums
• John Hanes: Additional Pro Tools engineer
• Justin Meldal-Johnsen: Bass
• Lasse Mårtén: Drums
• Lee Levin: Drums
• Leon Pendarvis: Orchestra arranged, conducted
• Lukasz Gottwald: Guitar programming, drum programming
• Max Martin: Keyboard programming, Guitar programming, drum programming
• Mike Elizondo: Additional programming, keyboard programming, keyboard, guitars
• Niklas Olovson: Drum programming, bass
• Molecules: Guest MC
• Mylious Johnson: Drums
• Pete Wallace: Keyboard programming, drum programming, guitars, piano, percussion
• Rafael Moreira: Guitars
• Robin Lynch: Guitars
• Roc Raida: DJ
• Serban Ghenea: Song mixing
• Shawn Pelton: Drums
• Steven Wolf: Additional programming, tamborine
• Tim Roberts: Assistant mix engineer
• Tom Lord-Alge: Song mixing
• Tom Talomaa: Assistant mix engineer
• Tom Coyne: Mastering
• Thom Cadley: 5.1 mixing
• Mark Rinaldi: Assistant 5.1 mixing
• Mark Wilder: 5.1 mastering

Production

• Production coordinator: Lana Israel