Pink’s “Who Knew” Lyrics Meaning

The song “Who Knew” is an ode about the loss of a very close friend of the narrator (Pink). The singer reminisces on the moments they shared together and is apparently still in shock about this person’s death. The reason for her shock is that she never expected to lose the person, especially after they had promised to forever be there for each other.

You can view the lyrics, alternate interprations and sheet music for Pink's Who Knew at Lyrics.org.

Pink expresses her distress as she states that if someone had told her she’d have lost the friend, she would never have believed it. The song highlights how important this person was and how she trusted them to always stick around, but as death is no respecter of persons, there was nothing she could do to prevent it.

The singer recalls the time they spent together and regrets that she didn’t make good use of it because she never thought a day like this could come so quickly. Her pain after the loss is quite evident as she longs to do anything just to turn back the hands of time. The bridge however sees Pink consoling herself with the fact that she will keep their memories close until they meet in the afterlife. She’s confident that she will not forget about her friend but will miss and cherish every moment spent. She asks “Who knew?” to emphasize on how unplanned death can be.

“Who Knew” is Autobiographical

Pink has disclosed that she wrote the song specifically for a friend of hers that died from a drug overdose.

Lyrics of "Who Knew"

Music Video

The music video to this song, which was shot in Los Angeles, was directed by B. Lazzaro, R. Hales and S. Bayer under the collective name Dragon.

Release Date of “Who Knew”

LaFace Records released “Who Knew” on 18 May 2006. It served as the second single from Pink’s album “I’m Not Dead”.

Success

 “Who Knew” charted around the world, which included peaking at number 5 in Britain and number two in Australia. The song also went double-Platinum in the land down under.

It was also noticeably successful in Pink’s native United States, topping Billboard’s Adult Top 40 and Mainstream Top 40 charts, as well as scoring a 9 on the Hot 100.

Did Pink write “Who Knew”?

Of course she did! The lyrical composition of this song was a collaborative effort between Pink and famed songwriters Dr. Luke and Max Martin.

The latter two artists also produced the track.

6 Responses

  1. Jeff Lundy says:

    Nothing i have ever watched or listened to makes me cry as hard as Pink’s “Who Knew” thank u Mrs.Alecia Moore.

    • Caprice says:

      It’s so raw… The pain is fresh & new all over again. For me, It describes the loss of my best male friend & the torture of “living” without them… Thank you Pink xo

  2. Matt says:

    I always think of Pink, Who Knew, in my own life, as an ode to a younger version of myself. Who knew my life would be so traumatic.

  3. Longhorns says:

    My ex passed away this year October 6th 2022. He was clean out of rehab and contacted me saying he wanted to work things out but I was to scared to go back to him and i was also pregnant. He went back to it and passed away 😢 I miss him so much. He was a goofy person and left me with so many memories. I’m so glad I met him and experienced his love. He pushed me so hard to be independent. I will forever thank him for that. I love you J.A.M

  4. Anonymous says:

    Just lost a beloved friend….”Who Knew?”

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