Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | ||||
Studio album by | ||||
Released | November 3, 1998 | |||
Recorded | 1997–1998 | |||
Studio | Royaltone (Los Angeles, California) | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 71:50 | |||
Label | ||||
Producer | ||||
Alanis Morissette chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie | ||||
|
Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie is the fourth studio album and second internationally released album by singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette, released by Maverick Records in the United States on November 3, 1998.
Inspired from her trip to India over late 1996 and early 1997, the album cover contains phrases from five precepts, a basic code of ethics of the followers of Buddhism. [4]
The first single from the album, "Thank U", reached the top 20 of the US Billboard Hot 100. Morissette promoted the album with worldwide touring. The album gets its name from a lyric in the track "So Pure".
Morissette expanded her musical palette on this album with world sounds from Middle-Eastern spiritual music to trip-hop, moving away from the straightforward post-grunge of her previous work. She experimented with more complex and unconventional songwriting, often deviating from traditional verse-chorus structures. This approach resulted in a richer, more textured sound that incorporated new musical ideas while still maintaining her characteristic vocal style and introspective lyrics.
The album was positively received by critics and performed well commercially, breaking the record for album sales in its first week by a female artist.
Morissette wrote "Thank U" and "Baba" after her trip to India in 1997. The protagonist of "Baba" goes on a spiritual pilgrimage to India where she encounters a guru who, like many spiritual teachers in India, is referred to as "Baba". The word "Baba" means "father" in the Hindi language. Morissette opened most of shows during the Junkie era with the song, and it was featured as an opener during her 2002 tours. It has been seldom played since then. "Baba" opened Morissette's performance on the television show MTV Unplugged in 1999, but it was excluded from the CD release Alanis Unplugged . Another live version of "Baba" was released on the No Boundaries: A Benefit for the Kosovar Refugees CD.
In a 2012 interview with fans, director Kevin Smith confirmed that "Front Row" was partially inspired by a phone conversation he and Morissette once had. They were mutually attracted to each other but never actually dated. His suggestion of naming the reasons they were not a couple became part of the lyrics.
As with her previous album, Morissette did an extensive amount of touring in-support of this one. In the fall of 1998, she embarked on a club tour across North America, with select appearances in Europe, Asia and Australia. The North American leg of the tour included opening act Chris Whitley.
Guitarist Nick Lashley and bassist Chris Chaney remained for this album's touring from the previous years, although there were several new band members. The band now incorporated a keyboardist, Deron Johnson, and welcomed guitarist Joel Shearer (from the Jagged Little Pill recording sessions) and drummer Gary Novak. Morissette herself continued playing guitar (more than on previous tours), as well as her signature harmonica. She also started playing the flute live, during the song "That I Would Be Good".
In January 1999, the Junkie Tour kicked-off, lasting through July, then returned from October through December. Opening acts included Garbage and Liz Phair, among others. The worldwide tour had alternating setlists for every leg, but included the usual set openers and closers. The concert introduction music was a track from DJ Shadow, entitled "Building Steam with a Grain of Salt".
During the tour, Morissette wrote the song "Still" for the Kevin Smith film, Dogma . This song was performed live for the first time in July at Morissette's VH1 Storytellers special. After that special, she performed in front of thousands during the Woodstock '99 concert festival in New York. Unlike the previous tours, Morissette focused mainly on performing songs that had been released and didn't perform any new songs, aside from a couple of B-sides during the second half of the year.
In May, Morissette and Tori Amos announced the "51⁄2 Week Tour" which filled the touring void in August and September before "The Junkie Tour" re-commenced. The tour would be a joint venture, as they both co-headlined the bills. Toward the end of the tour, Morissette recorded her MTV Unplugged concert special. During the final weeks of "The Junkie Tour", keyboardist Deron Johnson left the band and was replaced, and Gary Novak took a temporary leave and was replaced as well.
Morissette announced a summer 2000 mini-tour, called The One Tour , which saw her enlisting a different fan in each city as her own ‘local ambassador’, to guide her during the daytime and show her the best that the region has to offer (food, history, culture, music, language, and more). These local guides were selected after having won Z.com’s online contest. The One Tour kicked-off on July 7, 2000 with a rare performance in Beirut, Lebanon, before continuing on to Europe, stopping in countries and cities she had never (or rarely) performed in, namely Belgium, Croatia, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal and Switzerland. This was followed by shows in Tel Aviv and Caesarea, Israel, and a final stop on July 22nd in Istanbul.
On August 17, 2000, Morissette gave a special performance in Los Angeles at the Museum of Tolerance. Two months later, in October, she participated in a televised special from the Navajo Nation in Arizona. This was filmed as the premiere episode of a series on MSN and DirecTV, called Music in High Places ; in addition to acoustic performances, Morissette learned about key moments in Navajo history, as well as Navajo cultural practices, traditions and music. She also explored the local wilderness and went into nature, studying, meditating and reflecting with elders and spiritual leaders.
The Navajo Nation special was Morissette's final date of the year, and her final promotion connected to Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie, before she started work on her follow-up record, Under Rug Swept .
In November 2023, Morissette also announced The Triple Moon Tour with 33 live dates in the United States for the summer 2024 with the Joan Jett and the Blackhearts as support act, commemorating 25th anniversary of the album. [5] However, aside from the traditional "Thank U" number, she performed only "Heart of the House" as full performance, the other few songs were performed as segues. [6]
The first single from Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie, "Thank U", was released to US radio in October 1998. It charted considerably high in initial airplay because of the anticipation for the album, but many critics and listeners who had pigeonholed Morissette as an angry woman were surprised by the song's calm and serene feel. Released in November, the album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 with the highest first-week sales for a female artist at the time, selling 469,054 copies in its first seven days. She held this record for two years, until being outsold in first week sales by Britney Spears' Oops!...I Did It Again which sold 1.3 million copies in 2000. It held the number-one spot for an additional week, before falling to eighth place in what is generally a busy shopping period because of the holiday season. Over the next few weeks sales for the album slowly declined, and then faltered drastically. After 28 weeks, the album had fallen off the Billboard 200, and as of September 2008 it had sold 2.6 million copies in the US, [7] less than a fifth in sales of that of Jagged Little Pill .
Though not an official single release in the US, "Joining You" became a modest hit on the Modern Rock Tracks chart; it was released as the album's second single in the UK and Europe. "Unsent", the second US single, peaked outside the top 40 on the US Billboard Hot 100. The third single "So Pure" made the top 40 in the UK as well as certain airplay charts in the US, though not the Billboard Hot 100. None of the singles revived significant interest in the album.
There had been many songs performed live during the tour in support of Jagged Little Pill , and during festivals in between albums that did not appear on the album. It was never specified if those songs were supposed to be included or not, but one of the songs did make its way through, "Can't Not" which was first performed live on January 12, 1996, along with "King of Intimidation" & "No Pressure Over Cappuccino". This version of "Can't Not", however, was slightly more mellow—and differed from the demo version previewed on the home video, Jagged Little Pill, Live . The song "King of Intimidation" (also previewed on the video) was never released on any album until the Jagged Little Pill 2015 deluxe edition, but appeared in a live clip along with the original "Can't Not" live clip on 2005's The Collection DVD.[ citation needed ]
"No Pressure Over Cappuccino" was another song that popped up from the previous tours, but not until 1999's live album, Alanis Unplugged . This song was previewed on the above-mentioned video, but only in acoustic form. That version is mistakenly believed to be a studio demo, but it is merely an acoustic version performed with the band. The final song previewed on Jagged Little Pill, Live is "Death of Cinderella"; Alanis debuted the song live on December 6, 1995. It had never been released until the Jagged Little Pill 2015 deluxe edition. Other songs include "Gorgeous", "London", "Pray for Peace" (a.k.a. "She Gave Me a Wink") which has never been released but she played it for the first time in concert on October 18, 1997, and two untitled songs that fans refer to as "The Weekend Song" (or "I Don't Know") which debuted in concert on February 4, 1996, and "After A Year Like This One" on July 12, 1996. A live version of "London" appeared as a B-side to the "Joining You" and "Unsent" singles. The studio version was later released on the Jagged Little Pill 2015 deluxe edition with "Gorgeous" as well. Both songs debuted in concert on June 8, 1997. [8]
Aside from the songs written and performed during concerts 1995–1997, there were songs specifically written for Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie. "Pollyanna Flower" was released as a B-side to "Thank U", while "These Are The Thoughts" appeared on the single to "Joining You" (and later on Alanis Unplugged). "Can't Not" was originally intended to be a B-side, but Morissette and Ballard decided to put it on the record. Another song left off the album was "Princes Familiar", whose studio version has yet to surface. It has only been released in live, acoustic form on both Alanis Unplugged and The Collection. [9]
Over the past several years, demos of songs have leaked online. These demos include:
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Entertainment Weekly | B+ [12] |
Los Angeles Times | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
NME | 6/10 [14] |
Q | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Rolling Stone | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Slant Magazine | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Spin | 7/10 [18] |
USA Today | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Village Voice | A− [20] |
Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie was acclaimed by music critics.
Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic called it a "clear step forward" and concluded that "Morissette is a weird acquired taste, due to her idiosyncratic vocals and doggedly convoluted confessionals – but [the album] certainly confirms that she doesn't quite sound like anyone else, either." [11]
The Village Voice 's Robert Christgau commented that he felt "privileged to listen along with all the young women whose struggles Morissette blows up to such a scale." [20]
Ken Tucker from Entertainment Weekly complimented Morissette's new style and wrote that "Morissette has used her year-plus recording hiatus and newfound star status wisely, in pursuit of a way to make a vulnerable, openhearted album in the face of intense commercial expectations." [12]
Slant Magazine critic Sal Cinquemani complimented Morissette's songwriting and concluded that while the album "is nearly 15 minutes too long (did an ode to her mother, the sweet 'Heart of the House,' really need to be made public?)... not one moment of Junkie's 70-plus minutes is less than captivating." [17]
Despite the B+ grade from Ken Tucker in 1998, fellow Entertainment Weekly music critic David Browne was much harsher. In the Spring 2000 Tenth Anniversary issue of Entertainment Weekly, in a retrospective article discussing popular music in the 1990s, Browne wrote "Musically speaking, easy targets abounded--does anyone beyond family remember Hammer's gangsta makeover or Vanilla Ice's live album? At least we could laugh at those, whereas the decade's foremost clunker--Alanis Morisette's Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie--was corporate grunge and victim-culture whining incarnate." [21] It was also listed amongst "the worst albums ever" by Q magazine. [22]
In the United States, Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 with 469,000 copies sold in its first week. The album broke the record for sales in its first week by a female act, surpassing Lauryn Hill's The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill which opened with 423,000 copies. This would be later surpassed in 2000 by Britney Spears with the release of her second album Oops!...I Did It Again selling 1.3 million copies in its first week. In the New Zealand Albums Chart, it was Morissette's second consecutive number one album, and was certificated 2× Platinum by RIANZ, selling over 30,000 copies. The album also debuted at number one in Switzerland, and stayed in the charts for thirty-one weeks. It was certified Platinum in that country. The album entered at number one in Norway, staying there for three weeks. It was certificated platinum there as well. It also peaked in the top ten in many countries, including the United Kingdom, Australia, France, Sweden, and other European countries. The album has sold 2,604,000 copies in the United States as of March 2012. [23] The album sold 2.2 million copies worldwide on its first week of release and over 5.2 million copies worldwide within a month. [24]
"Thank U" received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, and "So Pure" was nominated in the category of Best Female Rock Vocal Performance.
The album itself won a Juno Award for Album of the Year. The third single So Pure won the award for Best Video.
In the honor of its 25th anniversary of the album, the album is scheduled to be re-issued and titled as "Thank U Edition" on September 6, 2024 via Rhino Records on vinyl, featuring new cover artwork. It was available on the streaming platforms since June 21, 2024. [25] The reissue contains 5 bonus-tracks, which were previously released as B-sides on different singles of the album:
All lyrics are written by Alanis Morissette; all music is composed by Morissette and Glen Ballard, except where noted
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Front Row" | 4:13 |
2. | "Baba" | 4:29 |
3. | "Thank U" | 4:18 |
4. | "Are You Still Mad" (Alanis Morissette) | 4:04 |
5. | "Sympathetic Character" (Alanis Morissette) | 5:13 |
6. | "That I Would Be Good" | 4:16 |
7. | "The Couch" | 5:24 |
8. | "Can't Not" | 4:35 |
9. | "UR" | 3:31 |
10. | "I Was Hoping" | 3:51 |
11. | "One" | 4:40 |
12. | "Would Not Come" | 4:05 |
13. | "Unsent" | 4:10 |
14. | "So Pure" | 2:50 |
15. | "Joining You" | 4:24 |
16. | "Heart of the House" (Alanis Morissette) | 3:46 |
17. | "Your Congratulations" (Alanis Morissette) | 3:54 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
18. | "Uninvited" (demo) (Alanis Morissette) | 3:02 |
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Argentina (CAPIF) [63] | Gold | 30,000^ |
Australia (ARIA) [64] | 2× Platinum | 140,000^ |
Austria (IFPI Austria) [65] | Platinum | 50,000* |
Belgium (BEA) [66] | Gold | 25,000* |
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil) [67] | Gold | 150,000 [68] |
Canada (Music Canada) [69] | 4× Platinum | 400,000^ |
Chile [63] | Gold | |
Czech Republic [63] | Gold | |
Denmark (IFPI Danmark) [63] | Platinum | 50,000^ |
Finland (Musiikkituottajat) [70] | Gold | 20,846 [70] |
France (SNEP) [71] | 2× Gold | 200,000* |
Germany (BVMI) [72] | Platinum | 500,000^ |
Hong Kong (IFPI Hong Kong) [63] | Platinum | 20,000* |
Indonesia [63] | Gold | |
Ireland (IRMA) [63] | 3× Platinum | 45,000^ |
Italy (FIMI) [63] | 2× Platinum | 200,000* |
Japan (RIAJ) [73] | Platinum | 200,000^ |
Malaysia [63] | Gold | |
Mexico (AMPROFON) [63] | Gold | 100,000^ |
Netherlands (NVPI) [74] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
New Zealand (RMNZ) [75] | 2× Platinum | 30,000^ |
Norway (IFPI Norway) [76] | Platinum | 50,000* |
Philippines (PARI) [63] | Gold | 20,000* |
Portugal (AFP) [63] | Platinum | 40,000^ |
Singapore (RIAS) [63] | 2× Platinum | 30,000* |
Spain (PROMUSICAE) [63] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
Sweden (GLF) [77] | Platinum | 80,000^ |
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland) [78] | Platinum | 50,000^ |
Taiwan (RIT) [63] | Gold | 25,000* |
Thailand [63] | Gold | |
United Kingdom (BPI) [79] | Platinum | 300,000^ |
United States (RIAA) [80] | 3× Platinum | 3,000,000^ |
Summaries | ||
Europe (IFPI) [81] | 2× Platinum | 2,000,000* |
Worldwide | — | 8,000,000 [82] |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
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). To underscore this transformation and establish herself on the international stage, Morissette adopted her full name professionally, moving beyond her previous single-name moniker "Alanis". This deliberate change in both musical direction and personal branding signaled a new chapter in her career, setting the stage for her breakthrough international debut. 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".
So-Called Chaos is the sixth studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette, released on May 18, 2004, through Maverick Records. It was preceded by the single "Everything" on April 13, which went on to become Morissette's lowest peaking song on the US Billboard Hot 100 at number 76. The album was met with mixed reviews from critics upon release, with some calling it her most accessible record since Jagged Little Pill (1995) while others criticized the project's confusing messages and felt the singer had lost what made her a cultural icon of the '90s.
"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.
"Uninvited" is a song by Canadian recording artist and songwriter Alanis Morissette, released as a single from the soundtrack of City of Angels in February 1998, becoming Morissette's first new recording since her international debut album, Jagged Little Pill (1995). Morissette wrote the song and co-produced it with Rob Cavallo. "Uninvited" is driven by four piano notes and builds to an instrumental climax, and haunting atmosphere accompanied by cryptic lyrics.
Under Rug Swept is the fifth studio album and third internationally released album by Canadian singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette. Released by Maverick Records in the United States on February 26, 2002, and in the United Kingdom a day earlier, it was the first album Morissette had written and produced all on her own. It debuted at number one on charts in 12 countries, including the United States and Canada, and produced the singles "Hands Clean" and "Precious Illusions". Sales, however, did not match those of Morissette's previous two studio albums.
"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".
Basil Glen Ballard Jr. is an American songwriter, lyricist, and record producer. He is best known for co-writing and producing Alanis Morissette's 1995 album Jagged Little Pill and Dave Matthews Band's 2001 album Everyday. As a songwriter, he co-wrote songs including "All I Need", "Man in the Mirror", "Hold On", "Hand in My Pocket", and "Believe". As a producer, he has worked with No Doubt, Shelby Lynne, Goo Goo Dolls, P.O.D., Annie Lennox and others.
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.
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.
"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.
"Joining You" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette from her fourth studio album, Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie (1998). It was released as the album's second single on January 3, 1999. The song distinctly is composed of a verse and chorus in two distantly related keys: C minor and E minor, respectively. "Joining You" peaked at number 16 on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.
"So Pure" is a song written and produced by Alanis Morissette and Glen Ballard for Morissette's fourth album, Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie (1998). It was released in Japan as the album's second single on March 10, 1999, and as the third single worldwide in June 1999. One line in the song, "supposed former infatuation junkie", inspired its album's title. A special "radio friendly remix" was featured on US promotional singles and was only commercially released on the Australian domestic single.
"That I Would Be Good" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette that was first included on her fourth studio album, Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie (1998). An acoustic live version of the song was recorded during a session for MTV Unplugged on September 18, 1999. The live version was released as a single in Europe in 1999 and in Canada on February 8, 2000.
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.
Flavors of Entanglement is the seventh studio album, fifth international release and last Maverick Records release by Canadian singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette. The album, which was originally set for an April release, came out on May 30, 2008, in Germany, Benelux, and Ireland, internationally on June 2, and in the United States on June 10. It was produced by Guy Sigsworth. Flavors won Pop Album of the Year prize at the 2009 Juno Awards. The album gets its name from a lyric in the track "Moratorium".
Such Pretty Forks in the Road is the ninth studio album by Canadian-American singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette, released on July 31, 2020, through Epiphany Music and Thirty Tigers in North America, and by RCA and Sony Music in Europe. It is Morissette's first studio album in eight years, following 2012's Havoc and Bright Lights.