"There You Go" and "Most Girls" were two great records that could have been made by any girl if they, too, were produced by Babyface. Pink recognized this fact and was determined that she would be the star of her second album, not the producer. Taking more control in the songwriting and production she stepped out of the LaFace shadow - with much resistance from that production team/label - and created a distinct personality that was as vibrant as the no longer necessary fuschia hair color she had once worn in an attempt to stand out.
For once, individuality paid off in the weird world of popular music and the album and accompanying singles sold buckets full and the press that had previously derided her began to sing her praises for daring not to be Britney/Jessica/Christina/Beyonce/Avril/etc and for stretching the boundaries of what girls in pop could be in the new millennium.
Embolden by her success, she pushed up the edge for the follow-up album, "Try This", bringing in Tim "Rancid" Armstrong as co-writer along with the returning Linda Perry, and recording one of the horniest duets ever recorded with Peaches. The result, "Oh My God", guaranteed a parental warning sticker and probably made Tipper Gore look back fondly on any lesbian experimentation she may have had in college.
"Oh My God" may be explicit but it's never gratuitous. Filthy in its frankness yet not pornographic - not to my ears, at least - it's like stumbling upon a bedroom window while stepping into an alley for a quick whiz. You know you shouldn't be a part of this experience but everyone is having so much fun and... well, you have to pee anyway.
Okay, maybe it is pornographic. But you can dance to it and how often can you say that about "that"
"Try This" only sold a million and the label guys said, "We told you so", and probably began constructing an imaginary video for "Oh My God".
And that is why Pink is my favorite young(er) pop star.
Try This
No comments:
Post a Comment