Just Like a Pill

2002 single by Pink

"Just Like a Pill" is a song by American singer Pink. It was written by Pink and Dallas Austin and produced by Austin for the singer's second studio album, Missundaztood. The lyrics of the song deal with getting out of painful relationships with a subtheme about drug abuse. The song was released worldwide as the third single from Missundaztood in June 2002 and was a commercial success, peaking at number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States. It also performed well internationally, reaching number one on the UK Singles Chart and peaking within the top 10 in 12 additional countries.

"Just like a Pill" was written by Pink and Dallas Austin, who also produced and arranged the song. Pink said in an interview that the song shows "part of who I am", referring to her documented problems with drugs. "Just like a Pill" is set in the key of A major with a moderate pop rock tempo in common time. The song follows a chord progression of A–Fm–D–E, and Pink's vocals span from E3 to C5.

The song was generally well received by contemporary music critics. NME called it "the third best track off her killer last album". Drowned In Sound's Robert Luckett commented that it is "a fascinating record this is a record with a[n] edge, a kind of pot boiling over at any moment, ready to go off at any time vibe." He also wrote "it obeys the pop industry's well dusted rules for a hit." Stylus Magazine's Todd Burns, in his review of the album, compared "Just like a Pill" to the other singles from the album, "Don't Let Me Get Me" and "Get the Party Started", writing "The guitars sound much more integrated into the work and the overall song works far better." The song was shortlisted by Digital Spy as a nominee for the best single of 2002, finishing third in the vote to Red Hot Chili Peppers' "By the Way" and Liberty X's "Just a Little".

+ Release dates and formats for "Just Like a Pill" Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref. (Reference) United States June 10, 2002 Contemporary hit radio Arista United Kingdom September 16, 2002 CD, cassette Arista, Bertelsmann Music Group, BMG Denmark September 30, 2002 CD Sweden