I'm Not Dead
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I'm Not Dead is the fourth album by pop singer Pink, released in North America on April 4, 2006 (see 2006 in music); it was released a day earlier in most other territories. Pink worked with producers and songwriters Billy Mann, Josh Abraham, Max Martin, Luke Gottwald, Butch Walker and Mike Elizondo. The tracks 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 including the head-turning lead single "Stupid Girls" which became a top 5 single in the UK and Australia and a top 20 single in the United States [1]. The album's second single, "Who Knew", became a top 10 single in the United States peaking at 9 [2] and the album's third single "U + Ur Hand" are credited for re-energizing the sales of the I'm Not Dead in the United States. [3]. Songs like "Nobody Knows", "Leave Me Alone (I'm Lonely)", "Dear Mr. President" and "'Cuz I Can" followed the success of the first three singles and became popular songs, without any remarkable chart performance.
I'm Not Dead has sold, so far more than 6.5 million records worldwide and has been certified 10x Platinum in Australia with more than 700,000 units sold. Also, it received a Platinum certification from RIAA as it has sold more than 1.3 million copies.
Description
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";[4] 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."[5]
According to Pink, she did not 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."[5] According to her, she wrote more than forty songs for the album on "everything I could possibly think of."[6]
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.[7] She stated that "Who Knew" is about "the death of friendship",[8] as well as friends of hers who died as a result of drug overdoses.[9] The song is about several people.[10]
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.[6] 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.[11] "Dear Mr. President" is an open letter to the president of the United States, George W. Bush;[10] 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."[6] The song was inspired by how Pink and producer Billy Mann 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."[10] 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."[12] 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."[10] She called the song "a funny take on 'I love you' ... I get really cramped ... But, every girl needs her space".[5]
"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.[12] 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."[13] "The One That Got Away" is, as Pink puts it, "the classic 'Is this the one? Or is the grass really greener?'"[8]
Pink described track thirteen, "Conversations with My 13 Year Old Self", as a "huge therapy session"[8] that addresses her "pissed-off, complicated" younger self.[6] 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."[8] "Fingers" is about her videotaping herself masturbating.[6] She said she probably didn't need to add to the number of songs about masturbation, but she couldn't help herself.[14] 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."[8]
Critical reception and awards
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The album had a positive critical reception, receiving a 70/100 score on Metacritic.[15]
Pink received the 2006 Glamour Magazine award for International Solo Artist of the Year, and in 2007, she won the MTV Australia Video Music Award for Best Female Artist and the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award (in Australia) for Favourite International. The same year, the album won in the Best International Album category at the Rockbjörnen Awards.
Chart performance
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, Missundaztood (2001) and Try This (2003); however, first-week sales for I'm Not Dead were lower.[16] I'm Not Dead was initially Pink's lowest seller in the U.S., and exited the Billboard 200 after twenty-three weeks.[citation needed] It reappeared at number 198 in late December 2006.[citation needed] As of December 2007, it had sold 1.15 million copies.[17]
I'm Not Dead debuted at number three in the United Kingdom selling 39,892 copies and was the ninth best-selling album of 2006 in the UK, with over 848,000 copies sold;[18] it was certified three times platinum by the BPI in January 2007 for shipments to stores of 900,000 copies. By May 20, 2007, the album had surpassed sales of one million. It spent eighty-four weeks in the top seventy-five. It sold more than 1.125 million copies. As of October 12 it re-entered the UK top 100 album chart at 99 [19].
In Australia, after twenty-six weeks of release, I'm Not Dead ascended to number one to become Pink's first number-one album;[20] it returned to number one in its sixty-first week on the Australian ARIA chart.[21] The album spent a record sixty-two consecutive weeks in the top ten,[20] May 10, 2008.</ref> Pink's most successful album in Australia,[20] it was the second best selling album of both 2006 and 2007, and the number-one selling album by an American or a female artist in each year, and achieved 5 top 5 singles. [22][23] According to Australian-chart.com, On the week of 16/06/08, the album re-entered the charts at number 35 resulting in the album's 94th week on the Australian charts. Since re-entering the ARIA album chart, the album has continued on to its 99th week as of July 21, 2008. In its 100th week on the charts I'm Not Dead was certified 9 times platinum with shipments of 630,000 copies. As of July, 2009, the album is still charting and has had the second longest run in history behind Shania Twain's 'Come on Over'. On the 17th of May, 2009 I'm Not Dead was certified 10 times platinum in Australia with shipments of over 700,000 copies. The album re-entered the top ten once again in its 149 week on the chart.
In Canada, the album debuted at number two with 13,000 copies sold in its first week,[24] and the CRIA certified it platinum for shipments of more than 100,000 copies [25]. In New Zealand, the album reached number one in its thirty-seventh week on the chart. It reached the top ten in eighteen countries[citation needed] number one in Germany,[citation needed] and was certified gold, platinum or multi-platinum in more than seventeen countries.[citation needed]
Promotion
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 had peaked at number nine by mid September. It reached the top ten in other countries, including Australia and the UK. The next single, "U + Ur Hand", 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. The fourth single, "Nobody Knows", was released outside the U.S. in November and reached the top forty in the UK and Australia.
The song "Dear Mr. President" attracted publicity, and there was belief among fans that it would be released as a single, but Pink said she would not release "Dear Mr. President" as a single because she did not want people to think it was a publicity stunt.[26] In Belgium, an acoustic version of the song was released as a download 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, where it became the fifth top five hit from I'm Not Dead.
The seventh single, "'Cuz I Can", was released as a digital download in Australia, and it reached the top twenty on the digital tracks chart.[27]
Touring
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 returned 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.[citation needed] The Australian leg of the tour was set at a record-breaking thirty-five arena shows, selling around 307,000 tickets — it became the most successful arena tour in Australian history by a female artist in Australia.[21] Pink broke another record by being the only female artist to play seven consecutive sold-out shows in Sydney.[citation needed] 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.
Other promotion
On March 28, 2006, the official website for MTV previewed the album in a section titled The Leak, where one can listen to an album one week before its release in stores.[citation needed] The same month, Pink performed songs from the album during a live performance broadcasted by MTV in New York.[citation needed] The bonus track "Fingers" was used on a cellphone commercial in Taiwan and Korea,[citation needed] and "Long Way to Happy" was featured in an episode of MTV's The Hills.[citation needed] "Who Knew" was a song used in promotion for the ABC television show October Road in March 2007; the consequent increase in download sales of the song was responsible for its appearance on the U.S. Hot 100.[28] The song "I'm Not Dead" was used in an episode of the last season of the television show Charmed.[29] "Dear Mr. President" was used during the closing of to the fourth season finale of the series The L Word.
On December 4, 2007, an edition of the album titled I'm Not Dead: Platinum Edition was released.[30]
Track Listing
# | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Time | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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1. | "Stupid Girls" | Pink]], Billy Mann, Robin Mortensen Lynch | Billy Mann | 3:17 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2. | "Who Knew" | Pink, Max Martin, Lukasz Gottwald | Max Martin, Dr. Luke | 3:28 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
3. | "Long Way To Happy" | Pink, Butch Walker | Butch Walker | 3:49 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
4. | "Nobody Knows" | (Mann, Pink) | Billy Mann | 3:59 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
5. | "Dear Mr. President" (featuring Indigo Girls) | (Pink, Mann) | Billy Mann | 4:33 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
6. | "I'm Not Dead" | (Pink, Mann) | Al Clay, Billy Mann | 3:46 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
7. | "'Cuz I Can" | (Pink, Martin, Gottwald) | Max Martin, Dr. Luke | 3:43 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
8. | "[[Leave Me Alone (I'm Lonely)" | Pink, Walker | Butch Walker | 3:18 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
9. | "[[U + Ur Hand)" | Pink, Martin, Gottwald, Rami | Max Martin, Dr, Luke | 3:34 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
10. | "Runaway" | Pink, Mann | Josh Abraham, Billy Mann | 4:23 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
11. | "The One That Got Away" | Pink, Mann | Billy Mann | 4:42 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
12. | "I Got Money Now" | Pink, Mike Elizondo | Mike Elizondo | 3:55 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
13. | "Conversations With My 13 Year Old Self" | Pink, Mann | Billy Mann | 3:50 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
14. | "I Have Seen The Rain" (Hidden Track) | Pink, Mann | Pink | 3:30 | - | "Heartbreaker" | Pink, Kara DioGuardi, Greg Wells | Greg Wells, Kara DioGuardi | 3:29 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
"Centerfold" | Pink, Greg Kurstin, Cathy Dennis | Greg Kurstin | 3:18 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
"Fingers" | Pink, Billy Mann | Billy Mann | 3:44 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
"Disconnected" | 3:45 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
"Crash And Burn" | 4:20 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
"Words" | 2:53 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
"U + Ur Hand" (Bimbo Jones Remix) | 4:08 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
"U + Ur Hand" (Beatcult Remix) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
"Who Knew" (Bimbo Jones Radio Edit) | 8:01 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
"U + Ur Hand" (Beatcult Remix) | Insert non-formatted text here
Charts and certifications
Notes:
Personnel
Notes
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