4 April 2013
I don’t remember the video for ‘Just Give Me A Reason’ being so weird and ugly: murky sets; Pink on a bed beside a giant teddy bear with scary glowing eyes; Nate Ruess looking like US comedian John Mulaney. We’ve had Nate Ruess at number one in Ireland before, as the lead singer of Fun (stylised with lower case and full stop as fun.) with soon-to-be Taylor Swift collaborator Jack Antonoff as bandmate, on the naff and awkward ‘We Are Young’.
‘Just Give Me A Reason’ has its share of US AOR naffness and awkwardness too. Pink, with giant creepy teddy bear, singing “You stole my heart / And I your willing victim” isn’t a great vibe, and the line “we’re not broken, just bent” could have done with a minute longer in the oven. Fair’s fair, though: I do find this track occasionally hits the heartfelt mark it’s clearly aiming for. The opening piano line and the chorus both give me a gentle prod in the feels, and Pink without the try-hard snark and gaudy schmaltz of her previous Irish chart-topper ‘So What’ sounds a lot more convincing and personable. I couldn’t say Ruess brings anything memorable to ‘Just Give Me A Reason’, and the whole thing can’t escape that urine-flavoured tang of naffness, but Pink’s strong performance here is reason enough for me.
