#98 P!nk, "So What"



I guess I just lost my husband
I don't know where he went
So I'm gonna drink my money
I'm not gonna pay his rent

Another song I wanted to be able to place higher than I am, "So What" hasn't demanded return plays from me in the second half of the year the way that some other songs have. It's hard for me to pinpoint me--by rights, a combination of "U + Ur Hand" and "Who Knew" should have been able to rank much higher than this in the countdown. Maybe those previous hits are just so strong, though, that "So What" ends up paling in comparison, fantastic video and live performances or not; to this day, "Who Knew" is probably the song with the greatest ability to draw out an emotional reaction in me, and something like that is hard to live up to. Still, "So What" is a great party-type track, with stomping and jangling beats, a taunting verse melody, and a chorus celebrating being single concealing a core of post-breakup emotional breakdown. As much fun as it is to sing along with and jump up and down to that chorus, "So What" is essentially different from "Since U Been Gone," with which is shares songwriters: "Since U Been Gone" really is celebrating the end of a relationship, while "So What" is only pretending to, in hopes that maybe that can make you forget the pain. P!nk's voice, emotional as always, contributes immensely to giving the song that special power; when she actually sings proper total ballads, her throaty voice makes them almost too much--it's best when put with a little bit of a beat, as in "So What," the darkly dramatic and pounding "Ave Mary A," or maybe the best track from her latest album, the heartwrending "It's All Your Fault," where P!nk sings some of the best lines of the year ("it's all your fault/you called me beautiful").

Find it on: Funhouse

Followers