(Recommendations are in red.)"11 years. Wow. 15 if you count from the day I signed my record contract. I was a 16 year-old, punk-a** little know-it-all, me-against-the-world, I-will-beat-you-down brat. Really I just needed a hug - and some gas money," is how P!nk introduces her first collection of greatest hits. Compiled onto one disc, LaFace / Jive Records really did a great job at selecting the singer's massive hits, and the inclusion of the new songs is definitely a wise move on their part.
I had liked P!nk ever since she really came to everyone's attention for good in 2002 with her smash single "Get The Party Started" from her 2001 sophomore album M!ssundaztood. I liked her enough that I realized that she was here to stay, and I asked for (and received) that album for Christmas of that year. After listening to that and realizing I liked every song, it was obvious that P!nk would do no wrong, and this F****n' Perfect (haha, corny pun, I know) collection really proves that.
1. Get The Party Started - Taken from her M!ssundaztood album (released in 2001), this is P!nk's signature song. No matter how annoying and repetitive it may be at times, there's no denying the song's catchy chorus and take-no-prisoners verses.
2. There You Go - The only song on this collection to be taken off her debut album, Can't Take Me Home (released in 2000). Can't Take Me Home was more of an R&B-driven album, and the only reason I can think of for this being the only song from that album to be featured here is because it is her most popular song from that album. It also has that angry tone from P!nk that we can still hear today. It's a shame that this was the only CTMH song on this greatest hits collection, seeing as there are far more better track from that album that were chosen as singles (where's Most Girls or even You Make Me Sick?).
3. Don't Let Me Get Me - Another overwhelmingly successful single from her M!ssundaztood album, Don't Let Me Get me is one of those songs you have to be in the mood to listen to. I know I say it a lot, but it's true. It's a great song, but after a while it can get under your skin. You've been warned.
4. Just Like A Pill - This is what I'm talking about! My favorite single taken off of her M!ssundaztood album, it's got killer verses and a catchy chorus. I could easily put this song on repeat and not get tired.
5. Family Portrait - A heartbreaking account of the story of divorce, told through one child's eyes. Released as the final single from her M!ssundaztood album, it's a powerful and melodic R&B tune.
6. Trouble - The only song taken from 2003's Try This, my favorite P!nk album. Although this rebellious song, the lead single for Try This, won P!nk a 2004 Grammy for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance, the album underperformed and is P!nk's lowest selling album to date.
7. Stupid Girls - In 2006, almost three years after Try This commercially flopped, P!nk returned to the music scene with her song Stupid Girls, which was accompanied with a controversial, VMA-winning music video. It's a comical and satirical song that pokes fun at (and criticizes) various famous "Stupid Girls" (notably Jessica Simpson, Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton, and Mary-Kate Olsen). Though it isn't one of my favorite songs from her I'm Not Dead album, it's a good listen every now and then.
8. Who Knew - Another song from I'm Not Dead, this song was actually released twice in the U.S., once in 2006 as the album's second single, and then again in 2007, as the album's fourth single. It's a touching song about losing someone close to you and dealing with that in everyday life. It's a great song, but (like most singles from I'm Not Dead), it was a tad overplayed.
9. U + Ur Hand - Often credited with providing a surge in sales for her I'm Not Dead album, this comical song is P!nk's (not-so) subtle way of telling a guy at the bar that she will not be going home with him. It's probably the only single from I'm Not Dead that I can still listen to to this day.
10. Dear Mr. President (featuring Indigo Girls) - Taken off her comeback album, I'm Not Dead (2006), I think this is the one P!nk song that truly makes me cringe. It's P!nk's letter to (ex)-President George W. Bush. Don't get me wrong, it's beautifully written, and I agree with the points she makes here, but this song really is not P!nk at all. The message and style is, but there's just something about it that isn't right. It wasn't even released as a single in the U.S., so its appearance on the U.S. edition of this collection puzzles me. And the addition of Indigo Girls definitely does not sit well with me. Sorry, P!nk!
11. So What - That's more like it! After waiting two and a half years, P!nk returned to the scene with her Funhouse album in October of 2008, with this song as its lead single. It's the angry, feisty, and fun P!nk that we all know and love, and I wouldn't trade it for the world.
12. Sober - A more mellowed out P!nk sings to us about being independent, and having nobody to lean on or turn to. It's a pretty personal, dark slow song, but it works for her, and it's a great listen.
13. Please Don't Leave Me - Another take-it-or-leave-it song from Funhouse, this song shows P!nk begging and pleading for her lover not to leave her.
14. Funhouse - I love this one! It's a funky, original song about the past and how things have changed. It never fails to disappoint, and is really worth a listen.
15. I Don't Believe You - Another great song from Funhouse. P!nk shows her vulnerable side, and you can really hear the emotions in her voice when she sings here. It's a fantastic, heart-wrenching song that will give you chills every listen.
16. Glitter In The Air - I'm not a huge fan of this one. It really gained attention when she performed this at the Grammys, but this song really does nothing for me.
17. Raise Your Glass - A new song for this collection, this massive hit in the U.S. is about letting free and just being yourself. It's got a great message, and it's really catchy.
18. F****n' Perfect - The second newly recorded song for this collection is great. It's an emotional song which finds P!nk telling the listener "Don't you ever, ever feel / Like you're nothin' / You're F****n' Perfect / To me". It's awesome to listen to when you're feeling down about yourself.
