Dear Mr. President
by Pink

Album: I'm Not Dead (2006)
Charted: 34
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Written by Pink with her collaborator/producer Billy Mann, this song is an open letter to the President of the United States at the time, George W. Bush. In the song, Pink asks questions covering many controversial issues, including war, homosexuality, the homeless, abortion, and drug abuse. It was released as a single in Europe, Australia and Canada, but was never released as a single in the US because Pink didn't want it to be interpreted as a publicity stunt.
  • Amy Ray and Emily Saliers of Indigo Girls sing on this track with Pink. They shared the political views expressed in this song - the Indigo Girls track "Pendulum Swinger" also takes on President Bush.

    In a Songfacts interview with Amy Ray, she talked about the collaboration: "We were big Pink fans even then, so we were kind of flabbergasted, actually, like, Wow! We didn't even think she knew who we were. It was a big surprise. But then it all made sense. We got together with them and did the song. And Pink's an awesome person. She's just really a really great person and such a great artist. When you're in the studio with her and you hear her sing with no band and no effects - there's nothing else going on except for her voice - it's just quite amazing."
  • Linda Perry's group 4 Non Blondes released a song with the same title in 1992. Perry wrote Pink's 2001 hit "Get The Party Started."
  • This appears on Pink's fourth studio album, I'm Not Dead, which sprung from an epiphany the singer had after an intense dream. She recalled to Variety in 2019: "I was 24 when I made I'm Not Dead. I remember I had a dream that I got shot in the head and I was stuffing newspaper into the back of my skull. I woke up completely freaked out and decided that my dream interpretation was that I had to start reading The New York Times. And I did, every day. Then I turned 25 and felt like I had just woken up. I became involved in causes like Peta. I thought, 'What's actually going on in the world? And what does it mean to be a girl? And what does it mean to be a woman? And who the f--k is this guy we're calling our president?' Then I wrote 'Dear Mr. President' and 'Stupid Girls.'"

Comments: 1

  • Mia Townshend from Brisbane, Queensland. AustraliaWhen I first heard Pinks song Dear Mr President I was so mad at George W. Bush. He could've done better. Pinks song has changed the way I view certain types of people.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

When Rock Belonged To Michelob

When Rock Belonged To MichelobSong Writing

Michelob commercials generated hits for Eric Clapton, Genesis and Steve Winwood in the '80s, even as some of these rockers were fighting alcoholism.

Mike Campbell

Mike CampbellSongwriter Interviews

Mike is lead guitarist with Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, and co-writer of classic songs like "Boys Of Summer," "Refugee" and "The Heart Of The Matter."

Protest Songs

Protest SongsMusic Quiz

How well do you know your protest songs (including the one that went to #1)?

Best Band Logos

Best Band LogosSong Writing

Queen, Phish and The Stones are among our picks for the best band logos. Here are their histories and a design analysis from an expert.

Michael Schenker

Michael SchenkerSongwriter Interviews

The Scorpions and UFO guitarist is also a very prolific songwriter - he explains how he writes with his various groups, and why he was so keen to get out of Germany and into England.

American Hits With Foreign Titles

American Hits With Foreign TitlesSong Writing

What are the biggest US hits with French, Spanish (not "Rico Suave"), Italian, Scottish, Greek, and Japanese titles?