People are quick to characterize P!nk’s music as simply pop. These people wouldn’t exactly be wrong — her music is pop, in the broadest sense of the word. What makes her songs so special, though, is the way she mixes pop with other genres. We all know the song “So What,” where she famously calls herself a rock star. But she isn’t just a rock star either — she also sings ballads … and R&B … and country … the list goes on. This week, I revisited P!nk’s 2008 record Funhouse, where she masterfully incorporates genres spanning the musical spectrum, in what I would argue is her most ambitious album to date.
The album does in fact kick off with “So What,” the pop rock hit about her separation from Carey Hart. P!nk didn’t come to play with this lead single off Funhouse — her powerful voice is on full display here, and it lends itself well to a breakup anthem like this one. “So What” is fun, gritty and intentionally provocative. Funnily enough, P!nk and Hart were actually back together (for the moment) by the time the album was released, and P!nk has publicly said how much she enjoys singing “You’re a tool” right to his face — an opportunity few of us get to have. “Sober” follows “So What” on the album and was the second single. Although it’s another pop rock track, it’s very different from “So What” — it’s softer and less angry, but also very much singable. “Sober” helps round out the album by showing the different sides to P!nk’s pop rock style.
“I Don’t Believe You” is Funhouse’s first ballad and includes soft rock influences throughout, further adding to the range shown in this record. P!nk has made her emotional attachment to this song known as well: “It’s the most heartbreaking song I’ve ever written,” she told the Los Angeles Times. “I’ve never been there before. I’ve never been in that much pain before as I was that night. That was tough, that was the darkest.” With “One Foot Wrong,” P!nk transitions into a more bluesy rock sound which works with the change in subject matter; this song’s about a bad acid trip and “also about losing control and how easy it is to lose the plot in life and teeter on the edge.”
“Please Don’t Leave Me” is the third single off the album. According to P!nk, it’s about asking for love in spite of one’s faults. “I’m trying to be better. We’re all a work in progress,” she has said about the song. This complexity shines through in the lyrics: “I forgot to say out loud / How beautiful you really are to me / I can’t be without / You’re my perfect little punching bag,” she sings during the bridge. In “Bad Influence,” P!nk admits to feeling like that’s what she is to the people around her. She goes for a more conversational vibe during the verses and a snappy chorus.
Next is the title track, a lyrically engaging track that embodies the album’s central theme. Despite lacking the level of interest lended by P!nk’s vocals in the other songs, it’s still well worth the listen, especially upon learning of its inspiration: “I hadn’t been at my house in a really long time since Carey and I had broken up. I had to go there one night and I had to crawl through the doggy door because I didn’t have a key. Just walking through the halls, it was like a museum. It was just crazy.” “Crystal Ball” is P!nk’s dip into acoustic, where she takes a softer tone and showcases yet another style she can do with ease; “I am proud of the songwriting, melody and vocals on that song. I recorded it in one take and we didn’t mix it. It just went straight to master. It was all about a vibe and not about perfection or being polished,” she explained.
“Mean” is Funhouse’s hidden gem, a Carrie Underwood-esque country rock track about the souring of a relationship and one of my personal favorites from this album. “It’s All Your Fault” is the record’s return to P!nk’s classic pop rock sound. It has a catchy chorus, but it isn’t a standout — the electronic effect during the bridge doesn’t do the song any favors either. “Ave Mary A” (a play on “Ave Maria”) is an example of harder rock than we see on the rest of Funhouse and is its only bit of social commentary; according to P!nk, “it’s a song about how fucked up the world’s become.” The final song on the album is “Glitter In the Air,” a slow love ballad that continues to build on the range already established by its predecessors.
When describing the album’s title, P!nk said “Funhouse” is “a metaphor for being in love and for life.” I think that metaphor extends even further; funhouses are known for the element of surprise, and P!nk’s Funhouse is the same way — each track brings something different to the table, showing us that P!nk has conquered just about every genre and can’t be placed in a box. She’s more than just simply pop.
Test Spins is a weekly throwback column reviewing and recommending classic and underrated albums from the past. It runs every Friday.
Sydney Levinton is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences. She can be reached at [email protected].