''Can't Take Me Home'' is the debut
studio album
An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...
by American singer and songwriter
Pink
Pink is a pale tint of red, the color of the Dianthus plumarius, pink flower. It was first used as a color name in the late 17th century. According to surveys in Europe and the United States, pink is the color most often associated with charm, p ...
. It was released on April 4, 2000, through
LaFace Records, two years after disbanding of the
girl group Choice
A choice is the range of different things from which a being can choose. The arrival at a choice may incorporate Motivation, motivators and Choice modelling, models.
Freedom of choice is generally cherished, whereas a severely limited or arti ...
, where Pink served as a soloist. An
R&B and
dance pop record, ''Can't Take Me Home'' was produced by
Kevin "She'kspere" Briggs,
Babyface,
Kandi Burruss, Terence "Tramp Baby" Abney,
Daryl Simmons, and
Tricky, while Pink shares songwriting credits on seven out of thirteen tracks.
L.A. Reid served as the
executive producer
Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the production of media. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights or royalties). In film ...
of the record. Lyrically, most tracks on the album speak about relationships.
The album was a commercial success, peaking in the top ten in album chart of Australia and the top twenty in the United Kingdom and Canada. In the United States, it peaked at the 26 spot in the
''Billboard'' 200 chart. Retrospectively, It was certified
double Platinum in Canada, Australia and the United States, and Platinum in the United Kingdom and New Zealand. ''Can't Take Me Home'' received mixed-to-positive reception from contemporary
music critics
Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on ...
, with some of them comparing style of the record with those of
Destiny's Child
Destiny's Child was an American girl group whose final lineup comprised Beyoncé, Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams (singer), Michelle Williams. The group began their musical career as Girl's Tyme, formed in 1990 in Hou ...
,
Aaliyah
Aaliyah Dana Haughton ( ; January 16, 1979 – August 25, 2001) was an American singer, actress, dancer, and model. Known as the " Princess of R&B" and "Queen of Urban Pop", she is credited with helping to redefine contemporary R&B, p ...
and
TLC. Later, Pink revealed her dissatisfaction with the music direction of the album, her personal image during its promotional campaign and the lack of
creative control she was offered.
Three singles supported the release of ''Can't Take Me Home''. "
There You Go" and "
Most Girls" received huge commercial success, both landing inside the top ten in the charts of Australia, Canada, New Zealand the United Kingdom and the singer's homeland, United States. where they peaked at numbers 7 and 4 respectively. The third single, "
You Make Me Sick", was less successful worldwide, but it peaked at nine spot on the United Kingdom single chart. Following the commercial success of the singles from the album, Pink won the New Female Artist of the Year award at the 2000
Billboard Music Awards
The ''Billboard'' Music Awards are honors given out annually by '' Billboard'', a publication covering the music business and a music popularity chart. The ''Billboard'' Music Awards show has been held annually since 1990, with the exception of ...
.
Background
In 1995, Pink and two other teenage girls, Sharon Flanagan and
Chrissy Conway, formed the R&B group
Choice
A choice is the range of different things from which a being can choose. The arrival at a choice may incorporate Motivation, motivators and Choice modelling, models.
Freedom of choice is generally cherished, whereas a severely limited or arti ...
. A copy of their first song, "Key to My Heart", was sent to
LaFace Records in
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
, Georgia, where
L.A. Reid overheard it and arranged for the group to fly there so he could see them perform. Afterward, he signed them to a recording contract with the label. The group relocated to the label's then-headquarters in
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
to record an album. Despite it failing to see a commercial release, their song "Key to My Heart" appeared on the soundtrack to the 1996 film ''
Kazaam''. During a Christmas party, Reid gave Pink an ultimatum: "go solo or go home." Choice subsequently disbanded in 1998.
After Choice disbanded, Pink signed a recording contract with
LaFace Records and began working on her first solo album with producers like
Babyface,
Kandi Burruss and
Tricky Stewart.
Composition
Overview
Sonically, ''Can't Take Me Home'' is a
dance-pop and
R&B record. In terms of its sound, it received comparison with the works of
TLC, especially their 1999 record ''
FanMail'' — both albums share same team of producers and L.A. Reid as the executive producer.
Recording sessions for the album took place in
Unique Recording Studios, New York City.
''Can't Take Me Home'' was produced by
Kevin "She'kspere" Briggs, Babyface,
Kandi Burruss, Terence "Tramp Baby" Abney,
Daryl Simmons, and Tricky. Pink co-wrote seven out of thirteen tracks on the album. Lyrically, the main themes of the record are love and relationship.
Songs
The album opens with "Split Personality", a "schizoid" track, where Pink sings about her mental condition: "You don't know me well enough to label me sick, or even disturbed / When you break it down I'm just two girls / Everybody's got insanities / I got a split personality."
"Let Me Let You Know" is an "affecting ballad", where Pink uses "
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey ( ; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Songbird Supreme" by ''Guinness World Records'', Carey is known for her five-octave voc ...
warbling."
"
There You Go" was found similar to "
Bills Bills Bills" by
Destiny's Child
Destiny's Child was an American girl group whose final lineup comprised Beyoncé, Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams (singer), Michelle Williams. The group began their musical career as Girl's Tyme, formed in 1990 in Hou ...
and "
No Scrubs" by TLC with its theme about
female empowerment and independence, which are being touched once again in "
Most Girls".
Release and promotion
Album was released on April 4, 2000, through
LaFace Records. To promote the record, Pink was billed as a supporting act on the North American leg of
NSYNC
NSYNC ( ; also stylized as *NSYNC or N Sync) was an American vocal group and pop boy band formed by Chris Kirkpatrick in Orlando, Florida, in 1995 and launched in Germany by BMG Ariola Munich. The group consists of Kirkpatrick, JC Chasez, ...
's
No Strings Attached Tour throughout the summer of 2000. Pink also performed "Most Girls" at the
2001 American Music Awards.
Singles
"
There You Go" was released as the
lead single from the album on January 18, 2000. Following its release, it received positive receptions from the music critics, who called it "edgy".
It first entered the
''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart on the issue dated March 4, at the twenty fifth spot.
Six weeks later it peaked at number seven.
Additionally, it peaked at number 2 on the
Dance/Club Songs and the
Pop Songs charts,
and number 4 on the
Rhythmic radio chart.
It was certified Gold by
RIAA
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
for shipment of 500 thousands copies in the United States.
Elsewhere, it peaked inside the top ten in the charts of eight more countries, including second spot in Australia, where it eventually received Platinum certification by
ARIA
In music, an aria (, ; : , ; ''arias'' in common usage; diminutive form: arietta, ; : ariette; in English simply air (music), air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrument (music), instrumental or orchestral accompan ...
for shipment of 70 thousands copies. It also gained Platinum certification in the United Kingdom and Gold in New Zealand. The accompanying
music video
A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...
for "There You Go" was directed by
Dave Meyers and debuted via
The Box in late November 1999.
"Most Girls" was released as the second single from the album on June 6, 2000. it proved to be even more successful than the lead single, reaching top ten position in six countries, including top position in Australia, where it was eventually certified double Platinum by ARIA, where it was eventually certified Gold.
In the United States, it debuted at number 85 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart on the issue dated August 12, 2000.
Three months later, it rose up to number four,
becoming her highest charting solo single in the States until 2008, when she topped the chart with "
So What". "Most Girls" was also her first single to top the Rhythmic radio chart.
As of November 2010, it sold out 95 thousands copies in the United States.
The third single, "
You Make Me Sick", impacted American radio stations on November 27, 2000, as the album's third and final single. It was less successful than previous, only reaching thirty third spot in the United States.
However, it peaked inside the top ten in the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Netherlands. It was eventually certified Gold in Australia. As of November 2010, it sold out 93 thousands copies in the United States.
The accompanying
music video
A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...
for "You Make Me Sick" was filmed in late 2000 and was directed by
Dave Meyers."You Make Me Sick" was featured in the 2001 film and the soundtrack for ''
Save the Last Dance''.
Other songs
"Split Personality", which was not released as a single, was featured in the 2001 film ''
The Princess Diaries''.
Critical reception
''Can't Take Me Home'' received mixed-to-positive reviews from
music critics
Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on ...
.
Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and former senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of multiple artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance ...
, the senior editor of
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
, found the album similar to the works of TLC, but he complemented Pink's vocal performance, saying, that "she may not be able to deliver ballads with assurance and soul just yet, but she never over-sings". Commenting on the album's content, he wrote: "While there are no bad cuts on ''Can't Take Me Home'', there aren't any knock-out punches, either."
Robert Christgau
Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and later became a ...
also gave a positive review, grading it B+. He commented: "When she admits to the loss of her slurred "cherry" in the finale, you can only wonder how sexy she'll be when she shows pink for real". ''
NME
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...
'' gave a positive review on the album, grading it six out of ten. saying: "Sadly, Pink's debut is a little samey and suffers from the diva disease that modern R&B acts
..are helping to stamp out."
''
Q'' also gave a positive review, giving it four out of five stars.
''
Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...
'' gave the album a mixed review, grading it C+. They were critical towards its originality, saying: "''Home''
..sounds as familiar as your doorbell; there's hardly an original musical moment on it".
''
Jam!'' and
MTV Asia also gave mixed reviews; the latter gave album the grade five out of ten, saying that "Pink's music is typical stuff, stuff that puts her in the same vein as current R&B". They added: "At the end of the day, I guess it still comes down to her hair color and streetwise attitude. After all, music is not always the main reason why an artist becomes hip and popular all of a sudden.".
''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason.
The magazine was first known fo ...
'' gave a mixed review, giving it two and a half out of five stars. They wrote: "Her debut has one awesome single in "There You Go", whose wronged-woman sass is set to a stop-start groove so bling-bling it redeems a chorus", continuing: "Beyond that, though, every melismatic groan, every clipped harmony, every post-Timbaland beat, every synth setting is copped from some R&B hit of the last eighteen months." They concluded their review, saying that "
inkmakes a pretty good
Monica, but we already have one of those."
Accolades
On the
2000 MTV Video Music Awards she was nominated in the Best New Artist category. On 2000
Billboard Music Awards
The ''Billboard'' Music Awards are honors given out annually by '' Billboard'', a publication covering the music business and a music popularity chart. The ''Billboard'' Music Awards show has been held annually since 1990, with the exception of ...
, Pink was honored with New Female Artist of the Year for commercial performance of the album and its single. She was also nominated for Female Hot 100 Singles Artist and Female Artist of the Year. On 2001
Brit Awards she was nominated for Best International Female Solo Artist and
Best International Newcomer categories. On
2001 American Music Awards, Pink received nomination
Favorite Soul/R&B New Artist.
Commercial performance
''Can't Take Me Home'' received moderate commercial success worldwide. In the United States, it debuted at number 26 on the
''Billboard'' 200 chart. It is Pink's only studio album to not enter the top ten of the chart.
It spent fifty nine weeks on chart, and ranked number 66 on
''Billboard'' Year-End chart 2000 on the chart.
It also ranked at number 89 on ''Billboard's'' Year-End chart in 2001.
''Can't Take Me Home'' also entered the
R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart, peaking at number twenty three.
It spent fifty five weeks on the chart and was ranked eighty seventh on ''Billboard's'' Year-End chart in 2000. Eventually, ''Can't Take Me Home'' was certified double Platinum by RIAA for shipments of two million copies in the United States.
In Canada, the album peaked at number nineteen, while peaking at number 4 on the Canadian R&B Albums chart. It was the thirty third best selling album in Canada of 2000
and 177 in 2001.
It reached double platinum status by
Music Canada
Music Canada is a non-profit Industry trade group, trade organization that was founded 9 April 1963 in Toronto to represent the interests of companies that record, manufacture, produce, and distribute music in Canada. It also offers benefits to s ...
for shipments of 200,000 copies in the country.
In Australia, the album peaked at number ten and topped the Australian R&B Albums chart. It was the 32nd best-selling album in Australia in 2000 and eventually it was certified double platinum by ARIA for shipments of 140,000 copies in the country.
[ In New Zealand, ''Can't Take Me Home'' peaked at number twelve. and ranked forty-fourth best-performing album of 2000.] It was eventually certified Platinum by Recording Industry Association of New Zealand for shipments of fifteen thousand copies. In the United Kingdom, the album peaked at number thirteen and was certified Platinum by British Phonographic Industry
BPI (British Recorded Music Industry) Limited, trading as British Phonographic Industry (BPI), is the British recorded music industry's trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards; is home to the Mercury Prize; co-owns the Official Charts C ...
. It ranked at number 67 on the British year-end chart of 2000 and at number 176 in 2011. It also reached number three the UK R&B Albums chart.
Elsewhere, the album reached number 48 in Belgia, 58 in Netherlands, 85 in Germany, 23 in Ireland and 26 in Scotland.
Retrospective commentary
Despite ''Can't Take Me Home''s success, Pink felt dissatisfied and constrained by her lack of creative control and being marketed to a teen audience as an R&B singer. Her father, Jim Moore, said in an October 2000 MTV News interview that Pink expressed interest in experimenting and showcasing her versatility on her forthcoming album. She sought to create an album reflective of the musical influences with which she grew up, resembling the music of Annie Lennox and Method Man.
Tired of being marketed as another cookie cutter pop act, as well as eager both to be seen as a more serious songwriter and musician and to perform the type of music she wanted to, Pink took her sound in a new direction and sought more artistic or creative control during the recording of her second album, '' Missundaztood''. She recruited Linda Perry, former singer of 4 Non Blondes. Perry co-wrote and co-produced the album with Dallas Austin
Dallas L. Austin (born December 29, 1970) is an American songwriter, record producer, and film producer from Columbus, Georgia.
Biography
Early life
During a 2019 interview with DJ Vlad, Dallas Austin detailed previously unknown or unconfir ...
and Scott Storch, and according to VH1's ''Driven'' program, Antonio "LA" Reid of LaFace Records was not initially content with the new music Pink was making. Reid was concerned about Pink departing from her R&B sound, alienating an audience who was expecting another album like ''Can't Take Me Home''. Her desire for more creative control met with resistance, but Reid failed to persuade Pink to record more R&B songs. After a vigorous dispute, he relented and gave Pink "the opportunity to fail". The album, named ''Missundaztood'' because of Pink's belief that people had a wrong image of her, was released in November 2001. Kate Sullivan of '' Spin'' called Pink's direction on the album "a rebellion against the producer-driven machinery that created her 2000 debut, ''Can't Take Me Home''".
Most critics praised the musical departure from contemporary music and altering the industry's perception of Pink as an artist. Robert Hilburn
Robert Hilburn (born September 25, 1939) is an American pop music critic, author, and radio host. As music critic and editor at the ''Los Angeles Times'' from 1970 to 2005, his reviews, essays, and profiles have appeared in publications worldwide ...
wrote for the ''Los Angeles Times'' that Pink's reinvention (and its potential commercial impact) was initially questioned, but was later "a move industry observers now applaud as brilliant". In her 2019 book, ''White Negroes'', Lauren Michele Jackson compared Pink's rebellious artistic transformation with Janet Jackson's '' Control'' (1986). According to Jackson, Pink's choice to leave the black
Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...
-dominated R&B industry would "ultimately keep her apart from her peers". In a 2021 retrospective, Arielle Gordon of ''Stereogum
''Stereogum'' is a daily Internet publication that focuses on music news, reviews, interviews, and commentary. The site was created in January 2002 by Scott Lapatine.
''Stereogum'' was one of the first MP3 blogs and has received several awar ...
'' said that Pink's opposition to her label's pressure to remain an R&B singer "somehow wrestled autonomy of her image and sound in an industry practically fueled by harnessing complete control of their young, primarily female stars."
Due to Pink's opinion on the album, she had not performed its songs from 2001 until her 2013 The Truth About Love Tour.
Track listing
Notes
* signifies a vocal producer
* signifies a co-producer
Sample credits
*"Let Me Let You Know" contains elements from "Cease the Bombing", written by Neal Creque, performed by Grant Greene.
Personnel
* Pink
Pink is a pale tint of red, the color of the Dianthus plumarius, pink flower. It was first used as a color name in the late 17th century. According to surveys in Europe and the United States, pink is the color most often associated with charm, p ...
– vocals
* Terence "Tramp Baby" Abney – keyboards, producer, drum programming
* Babyface – producer
* Harold Frasier – producer, keyboards
* Steve "Rhythm" Clarke – producer, drum programming
* Will Baker – vocal arrangement
* Steve Baughman – assistant
* Kerren Berz – strings, string arrangements
* Elliot Blakely – assistant
* Paul Boutin – engineer
* Jason Boyd – arranger
* Kandi Burruss – producer, backing vocals
* Josh Butler – engineer
* Ralph Cacciurri – assistant
* Chris Champion – engineer
* Rob Chiarelli – mixing
* Chrissy Conway – backing vocals
* Lysa Cooper – stylist
* Sharon A. Daley – A&R
* Regina Davenport – artist coordination
* Kevin "KD" Davis – mixing
* Blake Eiseman – engineer
* Daniela Federici – photography
* Paul Foley – engineer
* Sherree Ford-Payne – backing vocals
* John Frye – engineer
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
References
{{Authority control
2000 debut albums
Albums produced by Tricky Stewart
Albums recorded at Unique Recording Studios
LaFace Records albums
Pink (singer) albums