When P!nk let it slip that the music video her new single, Raise Your Glass, was going to include a gay wedding scene, a lot of people got excited, me included. If this were any other artist, I’d have just shrugged, but Pink isn’t just any artist. I adore her. I’ve spent the last 24 hours lurking on her website waiting for this music video to drop, and now it has, check it –
[If you can’t view the video, stream it on Pink’s website]
Pink explained the gay wedding scene by saying, “I threw my best friend’s wedding in my backyard. She is gay and it was a beautiful ceremony. At the end of it, her mom said, ‘Why can’t that be legal?’ and started crying. It was the most heartbreaking thing I’ve ever seen and that’s why I’m doing it in my video.”
So what do you think? My number #1 feeling is her use of multiple pairs of black-rimmed glasses and how that’s sorta funny, right? My #2 feeling is how the gay wedding is probably the least queer thing about this video, just tell me that your big homo heart isn’t aching for that ripped black sweater.
Pink seems to be turning up the homogayness with each new album release – escalating from political commentary in Dear Mr. President (ft. the Indigo Girls) and a sex scene with her doppelganger in Sober, to some man-on-man pashing and a button-pushing bedroom scene with a nun. While there are some confusing statements floating about regarding the singer’s own sexuality, there’s little denying that when it comes to LGBT rights, Pink’s on our side. It’s a stand that just two weeks ago was acknowledged by the Human Rights Campaign with the ‘Ally for Equality Award’.
The video is entertaining and all, but I’m not overly fond of the song itself. The first time I heard it I exclaimed “what the f*ck is this!?” and scrambled to change the radio station. Dramatic, I know. But with the recycled Max Martin beat and trashbag lyrics (“Party crasher, panty snatcher, call me up if you a gangsta”), I assumed that I was listening to Katy Perry, or Ke$ha. Not the artist who I (still) wholeheartedly believe is our generation’s greatest pop star.
What I do love about this song is its spirit. Underdog anthems are Pink’s best trick, and “Raise Your Glass” is her biggest call to arms yet (“Raise your glass if you’re wrong in all the right ways”). Pink’s forthcoming Greatest Hits… So Far record celebrates a catalog of music that celebrates individuality, and as the lead single this track makes perfect sense. It’s just a shame that it’s not her greatest hit… so far.
Ahhh! I dressed up as Rosie the Riveter this Halloween.
I think this is my favorite single of hers since “Misundaztood” dropped. It has similar themes but overall it’s more optimistic.
Definitely a workout playlist song.
jkfdljkla;fjdk;la. The last two paragraphs of this are exactly what I’ve been trying to say since I first heard this. Thank you.
AHHHHH! I love this so much! I’ve been waiting for the video to come out.
While indisputably (in my opinion) pink + Rosie the riveter = awesome, I do get somewhat annoyed at the whole thing with equating glasses with uncoolness. But really what with being gay and female, wearing nerdy glasses proudly is the least of my minorities.
I feel like it’s possible that the nerdy glasses are included as a joke, she does have a habit of taking the piss out of everything. I have no evidence, I just don’t want to believe that she’d go there. Anyone want to weigh in on this?
See, and my first thought during that whole prom scene was that she was poking fun at that douche Taylor Swift. (Sorry, was that a bit strong? Whatevs.) No?
I thought at first she was showing butch-femme couples in the prom scene. Then I realised she wasn’t and got sad. She should have though-a gay kiss and dyke dancing? LOVE.
Yeah, I could see her poking fun at Taylor Swift.
@BabyDyke — I didn’t see what you meant the first time I saw it, but I’ve gone back again, and I can see a bit of it. She should have taken the opportunity and jumped into it.
I just thought: “Raise your glasses?” maybe there is evidence for it being a joke
So there is only one thing in this video I DO. NOT. GET. The repeated scene where she is milking blindfolded mystery women with this weird plastic breast pump machine thing to feed the baby cow? (see 1:21 for reference) WTF I DON’T EVEN.
Me too! What is that? I assume it’s about a reversal of expectations (humans feeding baby cows, rather than children drinking cow’s milk) and how Pink is fighting to empower the outsiders? To me it was very evocative of hostage videos, with Pink as a terrorist. Regardless, it disturbed me.
But even if it has to do with hostage situations, why would you be giving hostages milk? And who are the outsiders when it comes to the dairy industry? Should we start a “Milk for All” campaign to be inclusive? Is being vegan not okay anymore? Why do I have so many questions?!
I could be wrong, but I took it as a sort of role-reversal between cows and people, like how would we feel if we were tied up and exploited for our milk at a Dairy Farm. I’m not sure how to address some of your questions but since she’s vegetarian (I don’t know about vegan) I think she’s trying to create awareness of our treatment of animals and sort of saying it’s okay to think about these things even if most people might not agree with you (as most people are not vegan). That’s a similar sentiment as what I gathered from the matador and Colonel Sanders scenes as well.
This makes sense, and I did not know she was vegetarian. Thank you for enlightening me.
update: apparently she eats fish. nevertheless i know she campaigns for peta
I’m guessing it’s addressing the fact that Americans have a strange obsession with dairy that’s completely unnecessary. I mean a.) we’re the only species that drinks milk from other animals when milk is produced by the body with the sole purpose of feeding infants and b.) the US has horrible customs when it comes to food processing in our treatment of animals. Maybe? I know she’s a big animal rights advocate.
Perhaps you could amend the first statement so that humans, and not Americans drink milk. I am not American and can vouch for the habit continuing across Western cultures.
I always think when I hear this argument that while yes it’s true we’re the only animal to consume the milk of another, we are also the only animal that freezes food, cooks food and grows food. We also flavour food, export food and process food. Sometimes being the only animal to do something isn’t that awful. We’re also the only animal that can fly to the moon. Not even bumblebees can manage that.
My grandparents owned a dairy farm. They never used hormones, their cows were free to roam in fields when not being milked and once passed their productive milking years were put out to pasture instead of turned into dog food (which may have had something to do with why they never made any money). So not all farmers indulge in disgusting practices as discussed here. Find an ethical source, it’s not impossible!
Yeah, the milking scene was a little disturbing to me and not just because I had flashbacks to pumping in a closet in my office building.
i think the commentary may mean that it makes about as much sense to hold women captive to provide milk for cows (for whom the milk is not suited) as it does the reverse. ever seen a working dairy farm and how they hook up the cows to machines to constantly produce milk? they force feed them hormones to make them lactate waaay past a normal amount of time. the poor things can barely walk with these huge artificially swollen udders, and then are confined in a small pen type space, hooked up to a machine that pumps their milk…for most of their days and lives, until they’re too old.
pink is a huge animal rights activist, and i think she sees (dairy) farming as enslavement.
Also, humans are the only species who consume any kind of milk past infancy/early childhood – and it’s not even human milk, but some other species’ milk which isn’t really suitable for our digestive systems
it’s all just whack.
My cats must be doing it wrong… they’ll happily drink (lactose-free) milk if I give it to them!
I’m afraid your view of the dairy industry is one that has been completely created by organizations such as PETA. As a fellow dairy producer, we know that in order for our animals to perform their best, we have to keep them as comfortable and healthy as possible. When you say that cows are “force fed hormones,” I can’t help but wonder where you are getting this information from. In my 20 years of dairy experience, I have yet to see a farmer force food down a cow’s throat. Also, if a cow produced more than she could handle, she would no longer be healthy, therefore not profitable to the dairy producer, so why would they do that to her in the first place? Also, when you say that cows lactate “waaaay past amount of time,” it first of all does not make sense, and second of all, what are you comparing normal to? Cows 50 years ago are clearly not going to produce as much milk due to the fact that genetic progress has been made, we feed cows much HEALTHIER feed now, and have increased cow COMFORT to a level at which they can optimally produce. As to your comment concerning the cows that “can barely walk with these huge artificially swollen udders,” I can’t help but wonder, have you actually seen this? Because if a cow can barely walk, I guarantee you they aren’t going to be able to make it to the parlor twice a day to be milked in the first place. I don’t mean to sound rude, but I know too many dairy farmers that put their heart and soul into the care of their animals, and do not deserved to be bashed by people that have no idea what actually goes on at a dairy farm.
Thank you for saying this! People just don’t seem to want to do their own reason rather than reading PETA babble.
i hate this song but i love this video. i’ll just mute it as i hum “dig a pony”.
p!nk ur song was realy really goood ur the best singer in australia or even in the world love yah always tia xxxxxxxxx
“The artist who I…wholeheartedly believe is our generation’s greatest pop star.”
Agreed. I feel like P!nk is way underrated. At least here in the states. She’s my favorite by far.
I love this video. And the song… I don’t know I like it a zillion times better than “So What”. At least lyrically. I love this line: “So raise your glass if your wrong in all the right ways.” I actually heard the song for the first time just now watching the video. So. I don’t know I kind of love it. Maybe it requires the video to be good. But it made me feel happy.
Plus she’s SO SEXY.
I like this better than “So What” as well. The lead singles on Pink’s more recent albums are the tracks that I enjoy the least – e.g. “So What” & “Stupid Girls”.
Yeah totally. I almost gave up on P!nk when I heard “So What” for the first time. Thank God the rest of the album sounded nothing like it. I’m still confused by the fact that “Funhouse” wasn’t the first single. It’s a great song.
P!nk is an honorary Australian, for realz. She’s super popular over here, as evidenced by how many shows she had. None of which I saw…
Next time!
Yep. Pretty much love her with all of my big homo heart. This vid/song is awesome and so is Austostraddle!
The nun part cracked me up.
i still remember when i was really hurt that her hair wasn’t pink anymore.
The day I realised she was a total and utter legend was when she came into the local gay bar I was in with her mates and her boyfriend and as it was so busy she sat on the stairs to watch the drag show, no big entrance, no demanding someone give up their seat for her, and people just left her alone, it was savage! Although I was trying to catch up to a girl I fancied at the time who had just left and I was walking briskly along and didnt realise that Pink was right in front of me and I nearly tripped over her, like nearly fell into her lap, oops, im smooth like that! Bizarre video though but I can see me and mine loving this song when we’re drunk, lots of raising of glasses will happen, along with lots of spilling of drinks! :-D
I have so much more appreciation for this song after seeing the video because I feel like I actually listened to/understand it. “If you are wrong in all the right ways” — like the somewhat mainstream view which tells us we’re wrong for all these things we believe but really we’re just for love, progress, and peace! How can that be wrong? C’mon! Love P!nk! and love how she had Carey Hart in there (and also Bucky Lasek)! My x-games-obsessed inner child is doing 360s right now.
I saw this video & fell in love with it yesterday, and then Crystal made it even better by talking about it and using the word ‘pashing’ in her description.
the nun part really is the best because you can see her mouthing “Thank You” and looking up afterward…P!nk knows what’s good, lol.
Dang, the video was taken down:( I has a sad.
Here’s a mirror: http://www.wat.tv/video/pink-raise-your-glass-official-362ur_2zicp_.html
A cow drinking the breast milk of human women…strange, alien, incorrect [Flip Side] A human drinking udder milk from a cow….strange alien, incorrect. Go Figure….
As a vegan (and athlete) convert of 6 years, I spent my life consuming a lot of milk, eggs and various other dairy products including stacks of meat (until I almost became diabetes type 2), I then watched the Michael Klaper video and converted….even Oxford University in a recently commissioned study [2010] bought to the forefront, just how much of a lie we have all been fed….protein requirement = 35/40g per day max, which can be sourced from plant based foods….including all known vitamins and minerals…we are just pawns of the money making establishment [farming subsidies] known as government, who pedal this tripe of “you need protein, meat and dairy”…
Pink will really touch a nerve of the giant dairy industry with this video and hope it really really hurts this industry that causes the suffering of millions of animals every year!!!
I loved it! I had to rewind the video to see what it was about since my daughter, a high school student, has educated me on farm factories. I NEVER KNEW. There isn’t, in my opinion, anything wrong with farming. My mother grew up on a farm, but her animals were treated well. Farm factories, however, are unbelievable and if Americans knew more about them, they would be outlawed. We just DON’T know. So, I love that she did that, the gay wedding, and btw, the lyrics are not “panty snatchers,” but “penny snatchers,” so she isn’t Katy Perry after all. She’s still the Pink we love! http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/campaigns/factory_farming/
The thing is though, we don’t tie cows to chairs, put on creepy X-eyed potato sack masks and blindfold them. It was a good thought to include animal rights but she could have gone about it in a less creepy/disturbing way.