Backstage at the MTV Video Music Awards in 2006, Pink was adamant that her protest song "Dear Mr. President" would never be a single. "Although, I'm sure France and Germany would like it to be," she added.
But who knew? I was surprised to see a video for the song pop up on VH1 this week, which might indicate that the fine folks at Zomba, Pink's record label, might have decided to release it as a single after all.
Written by Pink and Billy Mann (and featuring the Indigo Girls), "Dear Mr. President" is a bold statement about Pink's feelings towards the current U.S. president and his politics. She sings, "Dear Mr. President, Come take a walk with me. I'd like to ask you some questions if we can speak honestly. (. . .) What kind of father would take his own daughter's rights away? And what kind of father might hate his own daughter if she were gay? You've come a long way from whiskey and cocaine."
That's some powerful stuff coming from a mainstream pop artist. But maybe Pink is really not so mainstream after all in terms of her creativity.
There is a candor and fearlessness about her music that is truly genuine and make her stand out from the pack. She has carved out a unique (and slightly contradicting) niche for herself that enables her to put out slick pop tunes like "U + Ur Hand," but also bolder and more reflective pieces such as "Dear Mr. President" and "Waiting For Love."
And the best thing of all is probably that her record label fully supports her and might even release "Dear Mr. President" as a single, which potentially could set off a radio talkshow firestorm of Dixie Chicks-like proportions.
