On This Day in Pink History… 12th March 2007 Leave Me Alone (I’m Lonely) was released
Leave Me Alone (I’m Lonely) was released as a single from Pink’s fourth studio album, I’m Not Dead. It was written by Pink and co-written and produced by Butch Walker.
In the beginning of February 2007, before its official release as a single, the song was put on the B-list of BBC Radio 1. It debuted on the UK Singles Chart at number 60, and it rose to number 34, her lowest-peaking UK single at that time.
Leave Me Alone (I’m Lonely) is often performed at concerts, in which Pink will get the crowd to ‘dork dance’.
The music video consists of performances from Pink’s I’m Not Dead Tour. The video mostly includes shots of performances of Leave Me Alone (I’m Lonely), but it also includes clips of performances of songs such as Stupid Girls, Fingers, The One That Got Away and U + Ur Hand.
On This Day in Pink History… 7th February 2006, Stupid Girls was released
In 2006, Stupid Girls was released as the lead single from Pink’s fourth studio album, I’m Not Dead. The song was written by Pink, Billy Mann, Niklas Olovson and Robin Mortensen Lynch and produced by Billy Mann and MachoPsycho.
The single entered the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart at number twenty-four, the week’s highest debut and the highest debut of Pink’s career (later topped by her 2008 single, So What). It climbed to number thirteen, becoming Pink’s eighth top twenty single in the United States and her highest peaking single since “Just Like a Pill” (2002). Its peak on the Top 40 Mainstream airplay chart, however, did not match that of most of her previous singles. “Stupid Girls” remained on the Hot 100 for sixteen weeks, and it reached the top twenty on the Pop 100 and appeared on the Adult Top 40. It received airplay in nightclubs, peaking inside the top twenty on the Hot Dance Club Play chart. “Stupid Girls” was certified Gold by RIAA in February 2008.
The single was a bigger chart hit elsewhere—it reached number two on the Canadian Singles Chart, and on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart, it entered at number four and is certified gold for sales of over 35,000. It was ranked number thirty-ninth on ARIA’s top 100 singles of 2006 list. It also peaked at number four on the UK Singles Chart, becoming Pink’s highest charting single in the UK since “Feel Good Time” (2003). It reached the top ten in most countries in Europe.
“Stupid Girls” was nominated in the category of Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 2007 Grammy Awards.
The single was praised by Harry Potter author J. K. Rowling on her official website. She wrote, “‘Stupid Girls’, is the antidote-anthem for everything I had been thinking about women and thinness.” About.com praised the song and highlighted it: “she has rarely been as pointed in her socio-political views as in the hit “Stupid Girls” (…) “Stupid Girls” is musically a dance/hip hop gem.” Allmusic praised her delivery when she’s taunting and teasing this song and it was titled as one of the standouts on album. Entertainment Weekly noted that this song has some verve. The Guardian was less positive noting that her vocals are superficial as the starlets she attacks. LA Times wrote that this song fuses many genres greatly and called it “hilarious feminist romp.” Jon Pareles was favorable: “the pop-reggae of Stupid Girls snidely dismisses the bimbos she sees everywhere, though she apparently has studied their habits closely.” PopMatters was positive: “On “Stupid Girlz”, she rails against the idea that women have to choose between being smart and being sexy, as if the two are mutually exclusive. Pink makes the case that women can be all that and more—”Girls with ambition,” she sings, “That’s what I want to see”. She sounds bewildered and exasperated when she says, in the frequently quoted lines:
What happened to the dream of a girl president? She’s dancing in the video next to 50 Cent They travel in packs of two or three With their itsy bitsy doggies and their teenie weenie tees
What could have easily been a rant turns into an adept social critique. The way she sings it, the problem isn’t 50 Cent’s video, it’s the idea that dancing in the video is the extent of a woman’s aspirations. The bit about the “itsy bitsy doggies” suggests a disdain for elitism and excess that makes you wonder if Gwen Stefani’s “Rich Girl” made Pink see red. It’s got the same playfully articulate vibe as George Clinton’s “Some of My Best Jokes Are Friends”. By the way, for those keeping score, the United States is on its forty-third consecutive male president. Female presidents? Zilch. Female rump shakers in music videos? Countless. Don’t look now, but it seems like Pink’s got a point.” Sal Cinqeman was favorable, too: “As always, Pink’s ragged vocals are better than she’s often given credit for and there’s still a rebel sensibility, at least lyrically, on the catchy lead single “Stupid Girls” (“Where, oh where, have all the smart people gone?” she begs, lambasting “porno paparazzi girls”—which would have made for a more fun title—the way she took aim at Britney two albums ago).” Rolling Stone praised the collaboration with Lilth Fair and added that she takes on ‘stupid girls’ with these lyrics “What happened to the dream of a girl president?/She’s dancing in the video next to 50 Cent.” Feminist website Feminspire were considerably more critical, naming the song in 2014 as one of “the top ten most sexist songs that aren’t rap or hip hop from the last 20 years”. Author Noor Al-Sibai remarked that: “Pink shits on these women who are too stupid to break out of the chains of patriarchy by harshly judging their promiscuity and blaming them for ‘giving in’ to sexist tropes. Because obviously, women are to blame for their sexist objectification.”
On This Day in Pink History… 21st December 2006, Dear Mr President was released
Dear Mr President was recorded for Pink’s fourth album, I’m Not Dead. The song, featuring Indigo Girls, is an open letter to then President of the United States, George W. Bush, written by Pink and Billy Mann. The song criticizes several areas of Bush’s administration and terms in office, including the Iraq War, No Child Left Behind Act, disapproval of equal rights for homosexuals, lack of empathy for poor and middle class citizens, Bush’s strong religious beliefs, and Bush’s drinking and drug usage in college. Pink felt that it was one of the most important songs she had ever written.
The song received positive reviews by music critics. Bill Lamb noted that Pink has rarely made songs about social problems: “the searing anti-Bush “Dear Mr. President” (…) “a folkie singalong” (…) The Indigo Girls lend their sizable instrumental and background vocal punch” and he highlighted it.Robert Christgau noted that Pink thinks “Bush did coke and teens care about the homeless.” Entertainment Weekly described Dear Mr. President “with its incongruous folkie social concern and Bush-baiting applause lines.” Los Angeles Times said that Pink taps her inner Ani DiFranco on the confrontational “Dear Mr. President.” NY Times noted that the song is “well meaning” and “hectoring” and that it grows even more sententious. PopMatters praised the single with long overview: “Oh, and speaking of presidents, Pink’s musical letter to the Commander-in-Chief (“Dear Mr. President”) is just as topical. The Indigo Girls tag along for moral support and, with lyrics like “How can you say, ‘no child is left behind’ / we’re not dumb and we’re not blind” or “You’ve come a long way, from whiskey and cocaine”, you just know that if she’d made the song a few years earlier, it would have been featured in Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 911. You also get the impression that this is personal for Pink, that she’s not doing it to be trendy. On the lyric page for “Dear Mr. President”, there’s a picture of Pink in an oval frame. Red, white, and blue ribbons are tied to the frame and her father’s dog tags share the reddish page.” Rolling Stone told that Pink writes a scathing letter in “Dear Mr. President” (“You’ve come a long way from whiskey and cocaine!”) and critic praised “cooing righteous folk harmonies with Indigo Girls.” Sal Cinquemani was mixed: “”Dear Mr. President,” which cleverly uses George W. Bush’s own words against him, pales next to Missundaztood’s “My Vietnam.”
Wikipedia
A music video was released with the single of a live performance of Dear Mr President, recorded in the UK on the I’m Not Dead tour.
On This Day in Pink History… 27th September 2006, The I’m Not Dead (arena) Tour started
On 27th September 2006, Pink played in Zurich, Switzerland, which kicked off the beginning of the I’m Not Dead arena Tour.
The tour supported Pink’s fourth studio album, I’m Not Dead, and she played in Europe and Australia, while also opening for Justin Timberlake in USA in January 2007.
However, this was not the start of the I’m Not Dead tour, as Pink had played a club tour in USA in summer 2006. Following the Australian arena tour (2007), Pink then returned to Europe to play smaller venues and festivals. South Africa and Asia was also included in the 2007 tour.
This Pink History article will focus on the arena tour throughout Europe and Australia, as well as the opening of Justin Timberlake’s FutureSex/LoveShow Tour.
Setlist:
‘Cuz I Can
Trouble
Just like a Pill
Who Knew
I’m Not Dead
Lady Marmalade
Stupid Girls
There You Go
God Is a DJ
Fingers
Family Portrait
Redemption Song
The One That Got Away
Dear Mr. President
What’s Up
U + Ur Hand
18 Wheeler
Don’t Let Me Get Me
Leave Me Alone (I’m Lonely)
Encore
Nobody Knows
Get The Party Started
The show was recorded in December from London’s Wembley Arena for a live DVD which was released in 2007. The performances of Lady Marmalade and Redemption Song are not on the DVD. The DVD contained bonus features including: On Tour With Pink, Photo Gallery & Audio Tracks (Crash & Burn and U + Ur Hand Bimbo Jones remix).
The tour produced two music videos; Dear Mr President was a video of the live performance of the song, and Leave Me Alone (I’m Lonely) was a music video containing clips from the tour.
On This Day in Pink History… 28th August 2006, U+Ur Hand was released
Pink reportedly wanted “U + Ur Hand” to be the second single from I’m Not Dead, but “Who Knew” was released as the second and “U + Ur Hand” was instead released as the third. The single had success in Europe, reaching number ten in the UK, number four in Germany and number 11 in France; it peaked inside the top ten on the European Hot 100 Singles chart.
Pink wrote the song with Max Martin, Luke Gottwald, and Rami to mock the men who would flirt with her in clubs. The title refers to the line “looks like it’s just me and my hand tonight,” which was a phrase she’d heard guys using.
On This Day in Pink History... 