The 11 best P!nk songs

Why have a top 10 when you can have one more? Here are the 11 best songs by P!nk, ranked

P!nk recently made headlines for pledging to give away thousands of copies of books banned by Florida schools at her live shows. The move is typical P!nk, in the best way. This is the same artist who has made philanthropy and advocacy a central part of her career since the early 00s, and who dedicated an entire track on her 2006 album I’m Not Dead to calling out the many failings of the Bush administration. ‘Dear Mr. President’ is far more overtly political than the majority of P!nk’s discography, but themes of self-advocacy, individuality and overcoming are found across the singer’s nine albums. She’s always known how to write an anthem.

P!nk has found enormous chart success across her two-decade career, from her double-platinum debut album to her most recent record, TRUSTFALL, which reached No.1 on the UK Albums Chart. Her Summer Carnival shows, which kicked off last June, are enormous celebrations of her entire catalogue, from ‘Don’t Let Me Get Me’ all the way up to TRUSTFALL. But which are the tracks that audiences should be most excited to hear? We’ve done the tough work of selecting P!nk’s best 11 tracks of all time.

11. Try

(The Truth About Love, 2012)

If not the queen of pop rock anthems, P!nk is the strongest contender. One of her best is 2012’s ‘Try’, the second single from The Truth About Love. As across most of the album, she maintains that love is worth fighting for, no matter how it might burn you later on. The track follows a common P!nk structure: quiet verses in which the instrumental mounts up to a big, anthemic chorus, with P!nk hitting ridiculous notes ridiculously well. The formula is a winning one, but it’s also fairly familiar, and ‘Try’ is ultimately outstripped by some of the singers’ other anthems.

10. Just Like A Pill

(M!ssundaztood, 2001)

One of P!nk’s first pop rock successes, ‘Just Like A Pill’ sees P!nk lamenting a love that leaves her worse off. Early as she was in her career, the singer knew how to craft a great pop chorus: “I swear, you’re just like a pill: instead of making me better, you keep making me ill,” she sings. The song doesn’t rise to the heights of some of her later singles, but it does display her knack for an earworm.

9. So What

(Funhouse, 2008)

Carey Hart has inspired an impressive amount of great breakup songs for a man still married to the songwriter in question. Written whilst the couple were in a period of separation, ‘So What’ sees P!nk vent her frustrations about the situation. Unable to keep an entirely straight face, however, P!nk switches the song into a self-parody, deliberately bratty, with a fantastically noisy instrumental. She ultimately leads us into an unexpectedly raw bridge, before coming back with the big vocals for the song’s final chorus. The song’s music video, also delightful, sees her performing increasingly outrageous stunts and even features a cameo from Hart.

8. Raise Your Glass

(Greatest Hits… So Far!!!, 2010)

The perfect celebration of the singer’s first decade in music, ‘Raise Your Glass’ sees the singer cheerfully address her contingent of ‘underdog’ fans as “nitty-gritty dirty little freaks.” The individuality anthem performs messiness with a couple of clunky lines and a ‘let’s trash the place’ energy, but it’s a meticulous creation, and a spot-on lead single for P!nk’s 2010 compilation album. The ad-libs in this one are glorious – “Ah, f*ck,” curses P!nk when she comes in too early for the final chorus. She can also be heard in the background of the first verse imitating an electric guitar. “Why so serious?” she drawls in the pre-chorus. It couldn’t be more fun.

7. Turbulence

(TRUSTFALL, 2023)

The theatrical production does a lot here, but this deep cut from 2023’s TRUSTFALL soars up the list over classics thanks to its vulnerable lyricism. The song sees P!nk assuring her partner that he doesn’t have to be afraid of losing her, no matter how bad things might look. “The panic is temporary, but I’ll be permanent,” she sings. “So when it hits, don’t forget, as scary as it gets, it’s just turbulence.”

6. Who Knew

(I’m Not Dead, 2006)

There are many great P!nk songs that open with a jangly guitar and a kick drum. ‘Who Knew’ is a textbook example. P!nk softly reminisces about a lost love before diving headfirst into a ridiculously catchy pop-rock chorus. The song’s best moment is the outro, P!nk’s gritty, growly vocals walking ‘Who Knew’ across the line that separates a break-up track from a break-up anthem.

5. Walk Me Home

(Hurts 2B Human, 2019)

Is it a little Christian rock? If so, take us to church. P!nk finds refuge in a loved one in the lead single from Hurts 2B Human, singing their praises as she navigates the less happy parts of her life and the world around her. Her voice is so well-suited to this folk-stomp, Lumineers-inspired style of pop that it’s a shame she hasn’t done more of it. The songwriting is simple, as befits the instrumental, and bluntly impactful. “Say you’ll stay with me tonight, ‘cause there is so much wrong going on outside,” sings P!nk.

4. F**kin’ Perfect

(Greatest Hits… So Far!!, 2010)

Another of the singles that went straight to P!nk’s greatest hits album; she must have had some kind of premonition. Whilst ‘Raise Your Glass’ is infectiously fun, ‘F**kin’ Perfect’ is the true lead single of the two – an emotional summary of P!nk’s central message of acceptance, individuality and self-love that still manages to find time for a tongue-in-cheek middle-eight rap. The song also boasts one of her very best chorus melodies – a tough category to break into.

3. What About Us

(Beautiful Trauma, 2017)

In third place we have P!nk’s best big pop track. ‘What About Us’ sees P!nk doing what she does best: taking a complex, raw and emotional relationship dynamic and turning into a radio hit. “What about us? What about all the times you said you had the answer?” she asks her partner. The dance-pop chorus has a surprisingly folky feel that lends the song a versatility – it’s designed to be both danced to in clubs and screamed from rooftops. P!nk’s vocals are a bit over-processed (it’s not like she needs the help…) but that aside, it’s a perfect pop song.

2. I Am Here

(Beautiful Trauma, 2017)

‘I Am Here’ wasn’t a single, but it should have been. P!nk’s discography isn’t short on affirming albums but ‘I Am Here’ is the best of them all. The singer charms with a folk-pop instrumental and a call to embrace everything life throws at you. It would have been a fantastic track no matter when in her career it was recorded, but hearing it from a 38-year-old P!nk, now a wife and a mother and a woman with a whole lot of life experience from which to draw, gives the song an added poignance. It’s equally sad and joyful, with P!nk acknowledging life’s more imperfect aspects and the pain of loss, but ultimately deciding that just being alive is worth celebrating.

1. Just Give Me A Reason

(The Truth About Love, 2012)

Whoever suggested that P!nk and Nate Ruess should record a duet is owed a debt of gratitude. The two vocalists dazzle on what is one of pop’s best and most original love songs. P!nk speaks with maturity and frankness on ‘Just Give Me A Reason’ about the reality of a long-term relationship, expressing that marriage is not a happy every after, and that people can fall in and out of love many times over the course of a lifetime together. Not to be outdone by Ruess’ impressive falsetto, she also belts an inhuman note at the end of the bridge. Because she can. Because she’s P!nk.