Alanis Nadine Morissette is a Canadian and American singer, songwriter, and musician. She began her music career in Canada in the early 1990s with two dance-pop albums. In 1995, she released the alternative rock album Jagged Little Pill, which sold more than 33 million copies globally and propelled her to become a cultural phenomenon. Morissette won the 1996 Grammy Award for Album of the Year among other accolades, and the album was adapted into a 2018 rock musical. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has Jagged Little Pill on their 200 Definitive Albums list, and it appeared on various editions of Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Albums of All Time" guide. Its lead single, "You Oughta Know", was also included on Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" list.
Jagged Little Pill is the third studio album by Canadian-American singer Alanis Morissette, released on June 13, 1995, by Maverick and her first album to be released worldwide. It marked a significant stylistic departure from dance-pop sound of Morissette's first two albums, Alanis (1991) and Now Is the Time (1992). Morissette began work on the album after moving from her hometown Ottawa to Los Angeles, where she met producer Glen Ballard. Morissette and Ballard had an instant connection and began co-writing and experimenting with sounds. The experimentation resulted in an alternative rock album that takes influence from post-grunge and pop rock, and features guitars, keyboards, drum machines, and harmonica. The lyrics touch upon themes of aggression and unsuccessful relationships, while Ballard introduced a pop sensibility to Morissette's angst. The title of the album is taken from a line in the first verse of the song "You Learn".
"Ironic" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette, released in February 1996 by Maverick and Warner Bros. as the third single from her third studio album, Jagged Little Pill (1995). It was written by Morissette and Glen Ballard, and was produced by him. The lyrics present several unfortunate situations that are described as "ironic"; this has led to debate as to whether any of these match the accepted meaning of irony.
"You Oughta Know" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette, released as the lead single from her third studio album, Jagged Little Pill (1995), on July 6, 1995. After releasing two studio albums, Morissette left MCA Records Canada and was introduced to manager Scott Welch. Morissette began working on new music after moving from her hometown of Ottawa to Toronto, but made little progress. In Los Angeles, she met producer Glen Ballard, with whom she wrote songs including "You Oughta Know".
MTV Unplugged is the first live album by Canadian singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette, released by Maverick Records in the United States on November 9, 1999. It comprises songs performed by Morissette on the television program MTV Unplugged. Twelve tracks were included on the album, but Morissette also performed "Baba", "Thank U" and "Your House" during the live taping. These were later released as B-sides on the "King of Pain" single release. The first single, "That I Would Be Good", was moderately successful, and two other tracks, "King of Pain" and "You Learn" were released as singles outside North America. As of March 2012, the album has sold 673,000 copies in the U.S.
"Head over Feet" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette, taken from her third studio album Jagged Little Pill (1995). Written by Alanis and Glen Ballard, and produced by Ballard, it was released as the album's fifth single in July 1996 and presented a softer sound than the previous singles from the album. "Head over Feet" talks about being best friends and lovers with someone at the same time, with Alanis thanking them for their manners, love and devotion.
Leslie Howe is a Canadian musician and record producer based in Ottawa, Ontario. He has been a member of the bands One to One, Sal's Birdland and Artificial Joy Club, and produced Alanis Morissette's early pop music albums.
Jagged Little Pill Acoustic is a re-recorded studio album by Alanis Morissette. It is a largely acoustic retrospective version of her highly successful third album, Jagged Little Pill (1995); the songs are stripped-down versions of the originals, though producer Glen Ballard has augmented them with studio production effects to create an alternative pop album. The album was released by Maverick Records in the United States on June 13, 2005, available only at North American Starbucks outlets until July 26, 2005, when it was made available in other retail stores. This limited availability led to a dispute between Maverick Records and HMV Canada, who retaliated by removing from sale Morissette's other albums for the duration of Starbucks' exclusive month-long sale. The album's single in the U.S. was "Hand in My Pocket". The cover artwork is a sepia-toned tribute to the cover of the original Jagged Little Pill.
Alanis is the debut studio album by Alanis Morissette, released only in Canada on April 17, 1991, by MCA Records Canada. Morissette recorded the album with Leslie Howe, who also produced her second album Now Is the Time (1992), and it was certified platinum.
"You Learn" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette from her third studio album, Jagged Little Pill (1995). It was written by Morissette and Glen Ballard, the album's producer. Maverick and Warner Bros. Records released the song as the album's fourth single. The lyrics state that valuable lessons are learned from poor decisions. The album title is taken from this song's line: "Swallow it down ".
"Thank U" is a song by Canadian-American recording artist and songwriter Alanis Morissette from her fourth studio album, Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie (1998). The song was written by Alanis Morissette and Glen Ballard, who produced her previous album, Jagged Little Pill (1995). Morissette wrote the song after she came back from a trip to India. Maverick and Reprise Records released the song as a single on October 12, 1998.
"Hands Clean" is a song recorded by Canadian singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette, for her fifth studio album, Under Rug Swept (2002). It was written, composed, and produced by Morissette and released as the album's lead single in January 2002. It features a shuffling, largely acoustic-rock framework. Lyrically, "Hands Clean" caused controversy, since it is reportedly the singer's recollection of a forbidden sexual relationship she shared with a much older man when she was approximately 14 years of age.
"Hand in My Pocket" is a song by Canadian recording artist and songwriter Alanis Morissette from her third studio album, Jagged Little Pill (1995). The song was written by Morissette and Glen Ballard and was released as the second single from the album on October 16, 1995 by Maverick and Reprise, five months after the album release. The song received generally favorable reviews from music critics, who applauded Morissette's songwriting.
"Too Hot" is a dance-pop and new jack swing song co-written by Alanis Morissette and Leslie Howe, and produced by Howe for Morissette's debut album, Alanis (1991). It was released as the album's first single in May 1991.
"Walk Away" is a pop-dance and freestyle song co-written by Alanis Morissette, Leslie Howe, Louise Reny and Frank Levin, and produced by Howe for Morissette's debut album, Alanis (1991). Its protagonist sends a warning to her boyfriend who "never think[s] twice before [he] break all the rules", telling him "I'll walk away and say good bye if you don't want me anymore ... if I don't get the love we had before". It was released to radio and television as the album's second single in 1991, but it was not given a commercial release. The promotional single for the song includes a radio edit only. The song charted at number 35 in Canada. It was also featured in the film Problem Child 2.
"Feel Your Love" is a pop-dance and new jack swing song co-written by Alanis Morissette and Leslie Howe, and produced by Howe for Morissette's debut album, Alanis (1991). Its protagonist tells a boy she has "got this thing" for him, and that "it's drivin' me right out of my mind ... I wanna feel your love; you know this waitin' for you boy I can't stand". Morissette's brothers Chad and Wade provided some of the song's backing vocals. It was released as the album's third single in 1991 and was the second commercial single release after "Too Hot". The single charted at number 24 in Canada.
"An Emotion Away" is a pop-dance song co-written by Alanis Morissette, Leslie Howe and Serge Côté, and produced by Howe for Morissette's second album Now Is the Time (1992). Its protagonist tells someone who "completely took [her] heart by surprise" that "love is just an emotion away". It was released as the album's first single in 1992 and reached number twenty-four on the Canadian singles chart. "An Emotion Away" was the most successful single from Now Is the Time, which sold moderately. Leslie Howe engineered and mixed the song. The B-side on the cassette single was "When We Meet Again", another track from Now Is the Time.
"No Apologies" is a pop-ballad song co-written by Alanis Morissette, Leslie Howe and Serge Côté, and produced by Howe for Morissette's second album Now Is the Time (1992). It was released as the album's second single in 1993 and was Morissette's first ballad to be released as a single. It received radio and video play but was not given a commercial release, and it did not cause sales of Now Is the Time to significantly increase, although it did reach number 14 on the Canadian pop chart. Leslie Howe engineered and mixed the song, and a promotional single for it includes the album version and a radio edit.
The discography of Canadian-American singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette comprises 10 studio albums, three live albums, six compilation albums, two extended plays, 46 singles, 12 promotional singles, six video albums, and 41 music videos. She has sold more than 85 million albums worldwide.
