“Who Knew” by Pink

“Who Knew” was a hit single from Pink’s album “I’m Not Dead.”

Pop/rock star Pink has carved a unique niche for herself by flying upside down high above an arena audience while belting out an anthem without missing a beat. But in “Who Knew,” a major hit that predates her flashy acrobatics, she presented a more reflective side as she sang about losing someone too soon.

Alecia Beth Moore, known professionally as Pink, released the song on her 2006 album “I’m Not Dead.” While a guest on “The Kelly Clarkson Show” last year, Pink reflected on the teenage trauma that inspired the song — losing a dear friend to a heroin overdose.

Pink recalled the tragedy that inspired her hit song “Who Knew” on The Kelly Clarkson Show.

He was the closest of several friends who died from an overdose, she told Clarkson. “I loved him very much and his name was Sekou. But the thing that I love about the song now, after all these years, is that I never get tired of performing it, and it’s taken on so many different meanings over the years. It was about my grandmother at one point. It was about my dog,” she continued. “I’ve lost people, so it’s always sort of fresh in my heart.”

Because the song doesn’t deal in specifics, many of her fans have likely found that “Who Knew” expresses a grief experience that fits their situation. The song has received more than 323 million plays on Spotify.

The most poignant aspect of the song, of course, deals with the shock of a losing someone unexpectedly. The first verse sets the relationship and the protagonist’s expectations, beginning with the lines:

You took my hand, you showed me how

You promised me you’d be around

The chorus continues the story with the protagonist struggling to accept the loved one’s death:

  If someone said three years from now you’d be long gone

  I’d stand up and punch them out ’cause they’re all wrong

  I know better ’cause you said forever and ever, who knew?

The second verse transitions to the universal craving for another conversation, another hug:

I wish I could touch you again

 I wish I could still call you, friend

I’d give anything

And finally, in the bridge, Pink expresses another common impulse in the grieving process; making a commitment to remember the one who has died, with the expectation of meeting them again:

 I’ll keep you locked in my head

 Until we meet again

Until we, until we meet again

And I won’t forget you, my friend.

Although the lyrics are sad, the music is anything but somber. Pink constructs an up-tempo rock melody that delivers the emotional lyrics with a punch, complete with a hooky chorus that demands multiple replays.

Because the lyrics travel universal territory, it’s easy to see why the song resonates with so many people. When Clarkson said “it kinda sucks” to have experienced so much loss, Pink observed that loss is unavoidable, and music helps us process it. “We need music for that,” she said. “I need music to help me through my feelings.”