Hm, what can I rant about this week? There’s a new Far East Movement song in the Top 10, but “Like a G6” doesn’t really inspire me to listen to it (well…yet). I could review “Black and Yellow”, but fuck the Steelers. Hey, there’s another P!nk song, that works.

I’ve never really been a P!nk fan. I mean, sure, as a genre-hopping pop performer, she’s been able to put out consistently decent material, but I’ve never felt particularly drawn to her. Part of that might be that I’m a guy, since while P!nk’s songs aren’t gender exclusive, there’s an implication of “I’m writing for girls” in just about every song she’s released. Not that it’s a problem, but it does make her fairly one-dimensional as an artist, which is both a good and bad thing.

And so we arrive at “Fuckin’ Perfect”, the other “new song enticement” for fans to buy her Greatest Hits…So Far!!! compilation. P!nk’s voice has always been great for “this is who I am” songs; she’s the right mix of talented enough to be a pop star while being imperfect enough to show vulnerability. It’s made her startlingly poignant, and without that, songs like “Don’t Let Me Get Me” and “Sober” would feel hollow. Once again on “Fuckin’ Perfect”, P!nk’s voice is right on target.

“Fuckin’ Perfect” seems like it was made with going on a greatest hits comp in mind. The pop-drum beat and acoustic guitar (which make up the backbone of the music) don’t feel particularly 2011, but oddly retro for a time that shouldn’t be retro yet. The melody in the verse isn’t anything especially original, but for the song, it works pretty well. Line by line, these lyrics aren’t that great, but as a whole, they really convey the vulnerability of the song.

But “Fuckin’ Perfect”‘s best part is, without a doubt, the chorus. P!nk’s delivery on “Pretty, pretty please/Don’t you ever, ever feel” feels absolutely genuine and heartfelt. The music’s pretty strong, too; the beat becomes singular and focused, and the production never pushes too hard. On the second repetition, some strings come in to add a nice touch.

Most pop songs tend to eat it in the second verse, but “Fuckin’ Perfect” actually has a really strong one. It’s a call to stop beating up on yourself for any reason, and to overcome your challenges. A little hokey, yeah, but P!nk’s delivery sells it. To avoid some of the copy and paste nature of the second verse, the strings from the chorus come back in (good choice by veteran producer Max Martin).

The bridge is another “I’m P!nk” affair, and because she actually has a personality, it’s got a good chuckle or two (her enunciation on “They don’t get my hair” and the muttered “Why do I do that?” at the end particularly stand out). But the last chorus is the best part of the song. The beat hits a little harder, the usual vocal double tracks are great, and the instrumentation pulsates. The other great thing about P!nk’s voice is that, when she wants to, she can actually belt, and the end of “Fuckin’ Perfect” is better for it.

So yeah, overall, I really do like “Fuckin’ Perfect”. It actually sounds like a genuine “be yourself” song (more on that in a minute), the production is pretty solid, and it’s fairly catchy. At the same time, though, it could be better. It’s a little too overproduced; more organic instruments could flesh it out more, and playing with the dynamics a little bit would make the chorus hit harder. Overall, still a great song.

Hearing a sincere “be yourself” song was nice. Somewhere around November of last year, everyone got it in their head that “Yay! You’re you!” was an instant ticket to the top. It started off well enough with Bruno Mars, but then Ke$ha got in on the act with her bullshit “We R Who We R”. And now, Katy Perry’s fake, plastic “Firework” is fucking everywhere, taking it from a tolerable song to one I absolutely abhor. If someone else releases a “This is who I am” song, I swear…

"Born This Way" single release date: February 11th, 2011. Friday.

…help…