Twenty years ago Saturday, Missundazstood, the album that made Pink a star, was released. Pink's main collaborator on the record, Linda Perry, says it's now a pop classic because the songs were "raw and honest" -- a result of her and Pink going on a "journey of trust" together.
Pink tapped Perry to work with her on Missundazstood because Bigger, Better, Faster, More!, the one and only album by Perry's band, 4 Non Blondes, was one of Pink's favorites. Perry tells ABC Audio that she knew they'd be great together..
"Y'know, Alecia's special," says Perry, using Pink's birth name. "So I knew what we were doing was going to be special because she's a very unique artist. And...the songs were so collaborative and natural."
"I told her, "You're going to sell 10 million records," and she laughed at me because she had only sold...less than two million on [her first album]," notes Perry. "And I said, 'You're going to sell 10 million records, if not more.' And she literally was like, 'You're crazy!' And I believe we're at 12 or 13 million on that record, could be more."
While Pink co-wrote three of Missundazstood's hits -- "Just Like a Pill," "Don't Let Me Get Me" and "Family Portrait" -- with others, Perry, who wrote the first single, "Get the Party Started," says the whole project was really hers and Pink's vision.
"The bulk of the record came from Alecia and I are going on this journey together of trust and exploring the possibilities without really knowing what we are doing," she recalls. "So I'm really happy and proud of that record."
"It is a classic record, because it's raw, it's honest, it's not a hugely a big production," says Perry. "It's really understated and the songs spoke for themselves."