This page uses Creative Commons Licensed content from Wikipedia (view authors). |
"Dear Mr. President" | |
---|---|
Single by P!nk featuring Indigo Girls from the album I'm Not Dead | |
P!nk singles chronology | |
← Previous | Next → |
"Nobody Knows" | "Leave Me Alone (I'm Lonely)" |
I'm Not Dead track listing | |
← Previous | Next → |
"Nobody Knows" | "I'm Not Dead" |
"Dear Mr. President" is a song by P!nk featuring the Indigo Girls, and was recorded for P!nk’s fourth album, I'm Not Dead. The song is an open letter to then President of the United States, George W. Bush. 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. P!nk felt that it was one of the most important songs she had ever written.
Background
Prior to the album's release, P!nk talked to MTV about the song, explaining that, "I hope the president is proud of the fact that we live in a country where we can do things like that, where we can have dissent, talk, communicate and share our opinions. I also think it's pretty narcissistic to think that one of my songs will be heard by the president of the United States, but hey, that would be really cool."[1]
Speaking to Songfacts about the collaboration, Amy Ray of the Indigo Girls stated:
“ | I think her co-writer, Billy Mann, who has produced and co-written with her a lot, they came up with the idea together of having us do 'Dear Mr. President' with her and approached us. And we were big P!nk fans even then, so we were kind of flabbergasted, actually, like, Wow! We didn't even think she knew who we were. It was a big surprise.
But then it all made sense. We got together with them and did the song. And P!nk's an awesome person. She's just really a really great person and such a great artist. When you're in the studio with her and you hear her sing with no band and no effects—there's nothing else going on except for her voice—it's just quite amazing. Her voice is tremendous. It was just really cool. And they were like, 'We've been listening to Indigo Girls for 30 years.' Who knew? And then I had a song that I wanted her to sing on, so we invited her to the studio and she came and met with us at our studio when we were working in Santa Monica.[2] |
” |
In January 2017, P!nk was asked by a fan via Twitter if she would release an updated version of "Dear Mr. President" in lieu of the controversial election of Donald Trump as president, to which she replied, "There aren't words for this shameful person."[3]
Controversy
When P!nk appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! to promote the album, she thanked Kimmel prior to performing the song because many radio stations would not even let her talk about it because of its anti-Bush lyricism: "I have to thank you so much (because) you’re the only show that’s not afraid of letting me sing 'Dear Mr. President.' [...] I can’t even speak about it on radio."[4] She added that:
“ | It’s a questioning song. I think that’s one of my more intelligent songs. Mostly, I write in a sort of way—I think this, you think that, go to hell, you're wrong. But with 'Dear Mr. President,' it's, 'These are my questions, they’re not theoretical. I think they’re questions that a lot of people probably have and we could probably use some answers. I feel, you know, there's some opinions mixed in there subtly, but mostly it's just questioning. | ” |
The unofficial ban prompted speculation that P!nk's music would be boycotted on radio, similarly to the Dixie Chicks, who were vocal onstage about their opposition to Bush's presidency and the Iraq War.[5]
While promoting her fifth studio album, Funhouse, P!nk provided some further clarification on the background of the song: "It wasn’t just like, 'I’m going to just do something political. I’m going to attack Bush.' It was a questioning song. It was sung in an innocent way. I actually toured it all over the world and the only place I got booed was Anaheim."[6]
Release
P!nk stated that "Dear Mr. President" would never be released as a single in the United States, because "it was too important to be perceived as a publicity stunt."[7] It was, however, released as a single in Europe, Australia and Canada on December 21, 2006.
Critical reception
The song received mostly positive reviews from music critics. Entertainment Weekly's Chris Williams praised "Dear Mr. President" for "its incongruous folkie social concern and Bush-baiting applause lines."[8] The Los Angeles Times' Natalie Nichols wrote that P!nk "taps her inner Ani DiFranco on the confrontational 'Dear Mr. President.'"[9] The New York Times' Jon Pareles noted that the song is "well meaning," "hectoring," and that it "grow[s] even more sententious."[10] PopMatters similarly praised the song, writing:
“ | Oh, and speaking of presidents, P!nk’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 P!nk, that she’s not doing it to be trendy. On the lyric page for 'Dear Mr. President,' there’s a picture of P!nk in an oval frame. Red, white, and blue ribbons are tied to the frame and her father’s dog tags share the reddish page.[11] | ” |
Rolling Stone's Barry Walters praised P!nk for "writ[ing] a scathing letter in 'Dear Mr. President'" and "cooing righteous folk harmonies with Indigo Girls."[12] Sal Cinquemani of Slant was mixed, writing that "'Dear Mr. President,' which cleverly uses George W. Bush's own words against him, pales next to M!ssundaztood's 'My Vietnam.'"[13]
Live performances
P!nk performed "Dear Mr. President" live for the first time on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on April 10, 2007. The song was also performed during the I'm Not Dead Tour, and was later included on the tour's DVD, Live from Wembley Arena London, England. It was also performed on select dates of the Funhouse Tour, although it was not included on the tour's subsequent DVD release.
In 2012, P!nk performed it at the iTunes Festival in London; the performance was later included on an EP featuring recordings from the concert. She also sang it the following month during her VH1 Storytellers special, although the performance was an online exclusive.[14]
Music video
The video of P!nk's performance of the song live from Wembley Arena was added to the VH1 line-up of videos.
Track listing
- Digital Single
- "Dear Mr. President" – 4:33
- "Leave Me Alone (I'm Lonely)" – 3:18
- "Dear Mr. President" [Live from Wembley Arena] – 4:45
- "Leave Me Alone (I'm Lonely)" [Live] – 4:44
- UK Collector's Set CD1
- "Dear Mr. President" – 4:33
- "Dear Mr. President" [Live from Wembley Arena] – 4:45
- "Leave Me Alone (I'm Lonely)" [Live] – 4:44
- "Dear Mr. President" [Video] – 5:00
- UK Collector's Set CD2
- "Dear Mr. President" – 4:33
- "Leave Me Alone (I'm Lonely)" – 3:18
- "Dear Mr. President" [Live] – 4:45
- "Live From Wembley Trailer" [Video] – 0:59
- Germany Collector's Set CD1
- "Dear Mr. President" – 4:33
- "Dear Mr. President" [Live from Wembley Arena] – 4:45
- "Leave Me Alone (I'm Lonely)" – 3:18
- "Live From Wembley Trailer" [Video] – 0:59
- Germany Collector's Set CD2
- "Dear Mr. President" – 4:33
- "Who Knew" [Live From Wembley Arena] – 3:29
- "Dear Mr. President" [Live from Wembley Arena] – 4:45
- Australian Tour Collector's Set CD1
- "Dear Mr. President" – 4:33
- "Who Knew" [Live From Wembley Arena] – 3:30
- "Dear Mr. President" [Live From Wembley Arena] – 4:45
- "On The Road With P!nk" [Video] – 10:00
- Australian Tour Collector's Set CD2
- "Dear Mr. President" – 4:33
- "U + Ur Hand" [Live From Wembley Arena] – 4:39
- "Dear Mr. President" [Video] – 5:00
- "Live From Wembley Trailer" [Video] – 1:00
Lyrics
Dear Mr. President, |
Charts
Chart (2006–09) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australia (ARIA) | 5 |
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40) | 1 |
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders) | 1 |
Belgium (Ultratip Wallonia) | 3 |
Canadian Hot 100 | 55 |
Czech Republic (Rádio Top 100) | 2 |
German Singles Chart | 3 |
German Airplay Chart | 1 |
Netherlands (Single Top 100) | 43 |
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) | 11 |
Slovakian IFPI Chart | 48 |
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan) | 18 |
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade) | 3 |
Year-end charts
Chart (2007) | Rank |
---|---|
Australian Singles Chart | 41 |
Austrian Singles Chart | 3 |
Belgian Singles Chart (Flanders) | 16 |
German Singles Chart | 13 |
Swiss Singles Chart | 8 |
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/Sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA) | Gold | 35,000^ |
Austria (IFPI Austria) | Platinum | 30,000
|
Germany (BVMI) | Platinum | 300,000^ |
Summaries | ||
^shipments figures based on certification alone |
Personnel
- Vocals – P!nk and Indigo Girls
- Backing vocals – Emily Saliers and Amy Ray
- Mixing – Al Clay
- Pro tools – Christopher Rojas
- Guitar – Emily Saliers
- Production coordinator – Lana Israel
References
- ↑ Pink Pens An Open Letter To President Bush On New Album - MTV
- ↑ Amy Ray of Indigo Girls : Songwriter Interviews
- ↑ Pink: Will She Update 'Mr. President' for Donald Trump? | Billboard
- ↑ Jimmy Kimmel Live - Pink - Video Dailymotion
- ↑ Pink’s attack on Bush banned from radio stations · PinkNews
- ↑ Pink Discusses 'So What' And 'Dear Mr. President' | popdirt.com
- ↑ Welcome to P!nk Fans! - On Election Day, P!nk’s “Dear Mr. President” Performance Is Especially Relevant
- ↑ I'm Not Dead - Entertainment Weekly
- ↑ Think of Pink as a spectrum - latimes
- ↑ Critic's Choice - New CD's - NYTimes.com
- ↑ Pink: I'm Not Dead | PopMatters
- ↑ I'm Not Dead - Rolling Stone
- ↑ Pink I’m Not Dead | Album Review | Slant Magazine
- ↑ P!nk Storytellers - Dear Mr. President - PET - YouTube