Simple Girl

Still, the plight of the U.S. soldier is never far from Pink's mind; she's one of those "unpatriotic" Americans who support the men on the ground — just not the commanders sending them to their possible deaths. This "patriotism" is probably why Pink opted to include a song written by her father as a hidden track on I'm Not Dead, fulfilling a lifelong promise to him that he never took seriously.

"['I Have Seen the Rain'] is a song my dad actually wrote in Vietnam," she says of the Loudon Wainwright III-style acoustic tribute to war veterans everywhere. "It's the first song I ever learned. We'd sing it at campouts. I would always tell my dad, 'I'm going to be rich and famous, and I'm going to record that song on one of my albums,' and he'd say, 'Yeah, right. '"

"I Have Seen the Rain" closes out the eclectic I'm Not Dead, an album that, while it might come off as uneven, speaks volumes about the type of woman Pink is — an artist, a reluctant pop star, and a certified boat-rocker. One has to wonder if she knows how to take the easy road anywhere. Does she?

"No — I'm trying, though," Pink says, laughing loudly. "I try to choose my battles now, instead of fighting all of them."