Format CD single
7" single Length 4:58 Writer(s) Pink
Scott Storch | Genre Contemporary R&B Label Arista | |
Released December 17, 2002 (2002-12-17) | ||
"Family Portrait" is a song written and composed by Pink and Scott Storch for Pink's second album Missundaztood (2001). The song is about relationships and her family that was about to fall to pieces, portraying the conflict through the eyes of her as a child. It was released as the album's fourth and final single in December 2002. It peaked in the top 20 in both the U.K. and U.S.
Contents
Background
"Family Portrait" is composed in the key of C minor. It is written in common time and moves at a moderate 88 beats per minute. The song is divided into four-measure phrases with an i-iv-III-ii-V chord progression.
Pink told Q magazine that the song got her into trouble with her mother. The singer commented: "She went to the National Enquirer. We laugh about it now, but it wasn't the best way to address family problems."
Critical reception
The single received positive reviews from the critics. Paul Matthew from UKMIX gave the song 4 out of 5 stars, saying that it is strong, catchy and different from anything she had released to date. Dr. Bruce L. Thiessen praised the song's stripped down nature, stating that 'Pink has never been afraid to show her true colors. The haunting, yet urgently importuning nature of the music matches and magnifies the meaning. The intensity of every earnest guitar strum and run echoes the sense of longing for familial harmony expressed in the chorus. Pink's voice on “Family Portrait” further reflects the urgency underlying the song.' Malaimport from StudyMode.com gave Pink the credit for the song in his article, 'Pink positioned the audience to understand and accept her representations of pain and frustration was clear through the uses language choices and imagery devices such as repetition and use of strong and forceful words.'
Cultural impact
According to Pink's father, James Moore Jr., during an E! Entertainment's E! True Hollywood Story, this song has been unofficially named the national anthem for young kids who have been through the harsh effects of divorce of their parents: "I have got letters from parents thanking us from this song." The song, which she wrote and composed in collaboration with Scott Storch, was still going strong as of late April 2012, with millions of hits on YouTube and millions of albums sold from Missundaztood. "It took me a while to listen to 'Family Portrait' without getting emotional," Pink's mother told E! True Hollywood Story. Although the song addresses how Pink struggled through her parents's divorce, it is also addressed to kids, to encourage them to talk with their parents about how they feel about their divorce.