"Dear Mr. President"
Single by Pink featuring Indigo Girls
from the album I'm Not Dead
A-side"Leave Me Alone (I'm Lonely)"
ReleasedApril 2, 2007 (2007-04-02)
Studio
  • The Magic Shop (New York City)
  • Three Sound Studios (Norcross)
Genre
Length4:33
LabelLaFace
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Pink
  • Billy Mann
Pink singles chronology
"Leave Me Alone (I'm Lonely)"
(2007)		 "Dear Mr. President"
(2007)		 "So What"
(2008)
Indigo Girls singles chronology
"Peace Tonight"
(1999)		 "Dear Mr. President"
(2006)		 "What Are You Like"
(2009)

"Dear Mr. President" is a song recorded by American singer Pink, featuring the Indigo Girls, for her fourth studio album I'm Not Dead (2006). It was written and produced by Pink and Billy Mann. The song is an open letter to the then-President of the United States, George W. Bush, criticizing several areas of his administration and terms in office, including the Iraq War, No Child Left Behind Act, opposition to same-sex marriage and the LGBT rights in general, perceived lack of empathy for poor and middle-class citizens, and his drinking and drug usage in college. Pink felt that it was one of the most important songs she had ever written.

Critically acclaimed, "Dear Mr. President" was released as the sixth and final international single from I'm Not Dead on April 2, 2007, by LaFace Records. A commercial success, it peaked atop the charts in Austria and Belgium, while reaching the top five in Australia, the Czech Republic, Germany and Switzerland.

Critical response

"Dear Mr. President" received mostly positive reviews from music critics. Entertainment Weekly's Chris Williams described the song "with its incongruous folkie social concern and Bush-baiting applause lines."[1] The Los Angeles Times' Natalie Nichols said that Pink taps her inner Ani DiFranco on the confrontational "Dear Mr. President".[2] The New York Times' Jon Pareles noted that the song is "well meaning", "hectoring" and that it "grow[s] even more sententious".[3] PopMatters praised the single with long overview:

Oh, and speaking of presidents, Pink's musical letter to the Commander-in-Chief ("Dear Mr. President") is just as topical. The Indigo Girls tag along for moral support and, with lyrics like "How can you say, 'no child is left behind' / we're not dumb and we're not blind" or "You've come a long way, from whiskey and cocaine", you just know that if she'd made the song a few years earlier, it would have been featured in Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 911. You also get the impression that this is personal for Pink, that she's not doing it to be trendy. On the lyric page for "Dear Mr. President", there's a picture of Pink in an oval frame. Red, white, and blue ribbons are tied to the frame and her father's dog tags share the reddish page."[4]

Rolling Stone's Barry Walters praises Pink for "writ[ing] a scathing letter in 'Dear Mr. President'" and "cooing righteous folk harmonies with Indigo Girls."[5] Sal Cinquemani was mixed, writing that "'Dear Mr. President', which cleverly uses George W. Bush's own words against him, pales next to Missundaztood's 'My Vietnam.'"[6]

Formats and track listings

Digital Single

  1. "Dear Mr. President" – 4:33
  2. "Leave Me Alone (I'm Lonely)" – 3:18
  3. "Dear Mr. President" [Live from Wembley Arena] – 4:45
  4. "Leave Me Alone (I'm Lonely)" [Live] – 4:44

UK Collector's Set CD1

  1. "Dear Mr. President" – 4:33
  2. "Dear Mr. President" [Live from Wembley Arena] – 4:45
  3. "Leave Me Alone (I'm Lonely)" [Live] – 4:44
  4. "Dear Mr. President" [Video] – 5:00

UK Collector's Set CD2

  1. "Dear Mr. President" – 4:33
  2. "Leave Me Alone (I'm Lonely)" – 3:18
  3. "Dear Mr. President" [Live] – 4:45
  4. "Live From Wembley Trailer" [Video] – 0:59

Germany Collector's Set CD1

  1. "Dear Mr. President" – 4:33
  2. "Dear Mr. President" [Live from Wembley Arena] – 4:45
  3. "Leave Me Alone (I'm Lonely)" – 3:18
  4. "Live From Wembley Trailer" [Video] – 0:59

Germany Collector's Set CD2

  1. "Dear Mr. President" – 4:33
  2. "Who Knew" [Live From Wembley Arena] – 3:29
  3. "Dear Mr. President" [Live from Wembley Arena] – 4:45

Australian Tour Collector's Set CD1

  1. "Dear Mr. President" – 4:33
  2. "Who Knew" [Live From Wembley Arena] – 3:30
  3. "Dear Mr. President" [Live From Wembley Arena] – 4:45
  4. "On The Road With Pink" [Video] – 10:00

Australian Tour Collector's Set CD2

  1. "Dear Mr. President" – 4:33
  2. "U + Ur Hand" [Live From Wembley Arena] – 4:39
  3. "Dear Mr. President" [Video] – 5:00
  4. "Live From Wembley Trailer" [Video] – 1:00

Remixes

  1. Offer Nissim Club Mix
  2. Offer Nissim Radio Edit

Personnel

Charts

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[28] 3× Platinum 210,000‡
Austria (IFPI Austria)[29] Platinum 30,000*
Canada (Music Canada)[30] Gold 40,000‡
Germany (BVMI)[31] Platinum 300,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Release dates and formats for "Dear Mr. President"
Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United Kingdom April 2, 2007 Digital download LaFace
Germany April 20, 2007 Digital download (EP) Sony BMG
April 27, 2007 CD
May 18, 2007 Maxi CD
Australia July 7, 2007 CD

See also

References

  1. ↑ William, Chris (April 3, 2006). "I'm Not Dead". EW.com. Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on January 13, 2016. Retrieved August 19, 2013.
  2. ↑ Nichols, Natalie (April 2, 2006). "Think of Pink as a spectrum". Los Angeles Times.
  3. ↑ Pareles, Jon (April 3, 2006). "Critic's Choice: New CD's". The New York Times.
  4. ↑ Huff, Quentin (May 17, 2006). "Pink: I'm Not Dead". Popmatters.
  5. ↑ Walters, Barry (April 4, 2006). "I'm Not Dead". rollingstone.com. Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on October 15, 2017. Retrieved August 26, 2017.
  6. ↑ Cinquemani, Sal (April 6, 2006). "Pink: I'm Not Dead". slantmagazine.com. Slant.
  7. ↑ "P!nk – Dear Mr. President". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved June 20, 2011.
  8. ↑ "P!nk – Dear Mr. President" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved June 20, 2011.
  9. ↑ "P!nk – Dear Mr. President" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved June 20, 2011.
  10. ↑ "P!nk – Dear Mr. President" (in French). Ultratip. Retrieved June 20, 2011.
  11. ↑ "P!nk Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved January 26, 2019.
  12. ↑ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Change the chart to CZ – RADIO – TOP 100 and insert 200740 into search.
  13. ↑ "Hits of the World – Eurocharts". Billboard. Vol. 119, no. 28. July 7, 2007. p. 51.
  14. 1 2 "P!nk – Dear Mr. President" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
  15. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 20, 2007" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved January 26, 2019.
  16. ↑ "P!nk – Dear Mr. President" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved June 20, 2011.
  17. ↑ "P!nk – Dear Mr. President". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved June 20, 2011.
  18. ↑ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 200729 into search. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  19. ↑ "P!nk – Dear Mr. President". Singles Top 100. Retrieved June 20, 2011.
  20. ↑ "P!nk – Dear Mr. President". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved June 20, 2011.
  21. ↑ "ARIA Charts – End of Year Charts – Top 100 Singles 2007". ARIA. Retrieved January 26, 2019.
  22. ↑ "Jahreshitparade Singles 2007" (in German). Retrieved January 26, 2019.
  23. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten 2007" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved January 26, 2019.
  24. ↑ "European Hot 100 Singles". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 13, 2009. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
  25. ↑ "Top 100 Single–Jahrescharts 2007" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
  26. ↑ "Swiss Year-End Charts 2007" (in German). Retrieved January 26, 2019.
  27. ↑ "Bestenlisten – 00er-Single". austriancharts.at. December 25, 2009. Archived from the original on October 20, 2012. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
  28. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2023 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  29. ↑ "Austrian single certifications – P!nk – Dear Mr President" (in German). IFPI Austria. Retrieved September 14, 2011.
  30. ↑ "Canadian single certifications – Pink – Dear Mr. President". Music Canada. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
  31. ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Pink; 'Dear Mr. President')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved July 13, 2012.
  32. ↑ "Dear Mr. President – Single". United Kingdom: iTunes Store. April 2, 2007. Retrieved May 20, 2023 – via Apple Music.
  33. ↑ "Dear Mr. President – Single" (in German). Germany: iTunes Store. April 20, 2007. Retrieved May 20, 2023 – via Apple Music.
  34. ↑ "Dear Mr.President/Basic" (in German). Germany: Amazon. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  35. ↑ "Dear Mr President (Version 2)". Sony Music Australia. Archived from the original on September 22, 2007. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
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