God Is A DJ
by Pink

Album: Try This (2003)
Charted: 11
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This club banger was the first of many collaborations between Pink and songwriter Billy Mann, who bonded over their shared Philadelphia roots (Pink, born Alecia Moore, grew up in Doylestown, which is around 30 miles north of Philly).

    Mann was already a fan of his hometown girl when he met her in Los Angeles. Soon, he had her in mind when he was writing songs. "I had the hook of 'God Is a DJ' in my head, which felt perfect for Alecia," he told Variety in 2017. "We met at noon in LA and within 15 minutes, we were drinking whiskey, smoking and it was all Philly. We finished 'God Is a DJ' together and [the friendship] began."
  • The song is about making the most of out of life, which is reflected in the lyrics, "You get what you're given, it's all how you use it." Pink told Seventeen magazine what the sentiment means to her. "I've kind of had the ugly duckling syndrome since I was little... but you take what you got and use it. You know whatever it is, you find something that works for you and go for it," she said. "We all have our issues. But I think that's really important with girls - there's something we're all good at and it would be so much better if we concentrated on what we're good at and not what society wants us to be like, look like, talk like, act like. I think that everyone's gotten really comfortable, but women still have a long way to go as far as our fight for equality - especially in other parts of the world."
  • Pink also told Seventeen the meaning behind the album title, Try This. "I love doing different things," she said. "I don't wake up and say, 'Okay, I'm gonna try to be different today.' But I just love it when people aren't afraid to stand up and do whatever the hell they want to. So I'm basically saying, 'Get off your ass - try this.'"
  • Pink sang this on the December 6, 2003 episode of Saturday Night Live.
  • This was used in the 2004 movie Mean Girls in a montage of Cady (Lindsay Lohan) getting ready for the Mathletes championship and the rest of the girls (along with Damian) primping for the Spring Fling dance. The song was also featured on the official soundtrack album.
  • "God Is A DJ" is also the title of a 1998 trance-disco single by the British group Faithless.
  • In the Jake Scott-directed music video, Pink and her roommates reluctantly roll themselves out of bed and immediately start getting ready to go clubbing in Los Angeles. On the way there, they cause a scene on the subway, with Pink flirting with passengers and dancing down the aisle. Once they reach the Studio 54-style nightspot, they cut to the head of the line, where Pink bribes the stoic, glammed-out bouncer to let them inside to dance the night away. Scott also directed the videos for R.E.M.'s "Everybody Hurts" and Radiohead's "Fake Plastic Trees."
  • Aside from Billy Mann, Try This, Pink's third studio album, featured collaborations with Linda Perry of 4 Non Blondes fame (who also wrote Pink's early hit "Get The Party Started") and Rancid frontman Tim Armstrong. For her subsequent album, I'm Not Dead, Pink enlisted Mann as her main songwriting partner.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Frankie Valli

Frankie ValliSong Writing

An interview with Frankie Valli, who talks about why his songs - both solo and with The Four Seasons - have endured, and reflects on his time as Rusty Millio on The Sopranos.

The Girl in That Song

The Girl in That SongFact or Fiction

Billie Jean, Delilah, Sara, Laura and Sharona - do you know who the girls in the songs really are?

Michael Schenker

Michael SchenkerSongwriter Interviews

The Scorpions and UFO guitarist is also a very prolific songwriter - he explains how he writes with his various groups, and why he was so keen to get out of Germany and into England.

Actors With Hit Songs

Actors With Hit SongsMusic Quiz

Many actors have attempted music, but only a few have managed a hit. Do you know which of these thespians charted?

Charles Fox

Charles FoxSongwriter Interviews

After studying in Paris with a famous composition teacher, Charles became the most successful writer of TV theme songs.

Rock Revenge Songs

Rock Revenge SongsMusic Quiz

John Lennon, Paul Simon and Lynyrd Skynyrd are some of the artists who have written revenge songs. Do you know who they wrote them about?