“Can We Pretend” by P!nk (Ft. Cash Cash)

Pink’s “Can We Pretend” not only features a nostalgic vibe of desiring the lighthearted emotions of days past. In the song, Pink also expresses a desire for aspects of the present to be different. She is singing directly to her significant other, apparently one she has been with for a considerable length of time. And she is asking him to “pretend” that they once again share a carefree love as well as “pretend” that their minds were more in congruence in the here and now.

The song begins with Pink reminiscing on a time they shared. She wishes that she and her boo could reclaim some of their feelings from that era. Apparently these memories are from her early twenties, which were approximately two decades prior to the song’s release. During that time, it also seems they traveled to Los Angeles together to get away from their “daddy issues”. The things about that era she longs for in particular are the mystery, affection and closeness which highlighted their relationship back then.

All Pink wants is for her lover to pretend that now is then. In other words, she wants him to make her feel like she is once again “22” years old, which as aforementioned was a more exciting, carefree version of Pink. She also wants to regain the optimism they shared in times past.

And as far as the present is concerned, there are also aspects of it she wants to imagine differently. For instance she desires that both she and her partner liked the president, which implies that political disputes are present in their relationship. She also wishes they agreed more on the minute details of life, such as fashion. This would seem to indicate that their relationship has reached a place where disagreement is the norm. However, what Pink is expressly fighting against through these proposed changes in outlook is the boredom that has come to define her current reality.

NOTE: While the line “Can we pretend that we both like the president?” might appear that political disputes exist in their relationship, it could also mean something different. Maybe the fact that they both just don’t like the president (Donald Trump).

It is possible Pink is dissing Donald Trump with that line. However, within the overall context of the song and the chorus it really sounds as though one of them likes the president (Trump) whereas the other doesn’t.

Facts about “Can We Pretend”

• P!nk co-wrote “Can We Pretend” with her collaborators Cash Cash (Alexander Makhlouf, Samuel Frisch and Jean Makhlouf).
• OneRepublic’s Ryan Tedder also took part in the writing of the song. He is therefore also credited as one of the writers.
• The production of “Can We Pretend” was done by Ryan Tedder and Cash Cash.
• P!nk released this tune on April 11, 2019. It is the third single from Hurts 2B Human, which is Pink’s her eighth studio album. “Walk Me Home” and “Hustle” were the first two singles released from Hurts 2B Human.
• “Can We Pretend” marks Pink’s first time of working with Cash Cash. None of the members of Cash Cash contributes vocals to this song.

Who are Cash Cash?

They are an electronic music group from America. As of today (April 13, 2019), the group consists of Samuel, Jean and Alex. The latter two are brothers.