"You Learn" | ||||
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![]() US and Canadian cover art | ||||
Single by Alanis Morissette | ||||
from the album Jagged Little Pill | ||||
B-side | "You Oughta Know" (live Grammy version) | |||
Released | September 25, 1995 [1] | |||
Recorded | June 1994–April 1995 [2] [3] | |||
Length | 4:00 | |||
Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) | Glen Ballard | |||
Alanis Morissette singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"You Learn" on YouTube |
"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 (third in the United Kingdom). The lyrics state that valuable lessons are learned from poor decisions. The album title is taken from this song's line: "Swallow it down (like a jagged little pill)".
"You Learn" was first released in Japan in September 1995 and was issued worldwide throughout the following year, starting with the United Kingdom in February. The song received generally positive reviews from most music critics, many highlighting the song as an album standout. It was a commercial success globally, topping the Canadian RPM 100 Hit Tracks chart and entering the top 40 in Australia, Iceland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In Canada, it was the most successful single of 1996, according to RPM. A music video was shot for the single, showing Morissette walking through the streets.
During Morissette's stay in Los Angeles to record "You Learn" and other parts of Jagged Little Pill, she was robbed on an empty street by a man with a gun, after which she developed intense general anxiety and suffered daily panic attacks. She was hospitalized and attended psychotherapy sessions, to no avail. As she later said in interviews, Morissette focused all her inner problems on the soul-baring lyrics of the album, for her health. According to Morissette, Ballard was the first collaborator who encouraged her to express her emotions. [4]
Jagged Little Pill was not an instant success. To promote it, "You Learn" was chosen as the fourth single. Because the CD single includes a live version of "You Oughta Know" from the 1996 Grammy Awards as an A-side, Billboard credited the chart position to "You Learn"/"You Oughta Know". An acoustic version of the song from Morissette's live album Alanis Unplugged (1999) was released as a single in some countries in 2000. Another acoustic version was recorded for the album Jagged Little Pill Acoustic (2005).
"You Learn" received positive reviews from music critics, with many finding the lyrics' message positive. Stephen Thomas Erlewine, of AllMusic, highlighted it as an album standout, but separately gave the song two and a half of five stars. [5] Larry Flick from Billboard felt that "this could easily become Morissette's crowning hit, with its shrewdly R&B-flavoured shuffle beat and sugar-coated guitar scratching—not to mention its instantly hummable, almost anthemic chorus." [6] A reviewer for CultureFusion wrote, of the song, "It highlights the album fairly well, creating a mood of 'pissed but positive.' I guess it could be more 'devil may care' but that's not the point. It's another great track and was well worth the single status. Glad it's still popular!" [7] Music Week gave it four of five, describing it as a "mellower, more mainstream single". [8] John Murphy, of MusicOMH, wrote, "'You Oughta Know' and 'You Learn' have a lightness of touch that nicely balance[s] the darkness of the subject matter.'" [9] A reviewer for PopStasche wrote "After 'Right [t]hrough You' and 'Forgiven' display the vocal talent at hand, we're graced with the wonder of 'You Learn.' It provides a break from the fiery frustration yet still proves to have soul through its repetition and humility. There it goes again with its iconic beauty and all." [10]
"You Learn" was a worldwide success. The song was the album's third single to reach number one in Canada and peaked at number six on the Billboard Hot 100, charting high from strong airplay following "Ironic". It reached number one on the US Pop Songs chart and number seven on the US Modern Rock Tracks chart.
The song had debuted at number twenty-four on the UK Singles Chart and then fell to seventy-three. It started at number thirty-two on the Australian Singles Chart, and peaked at number twenty after five weeks, and stayed in the charts for twelve weeks in total. The song debuted at number thirteen on the New Zealand Singles Chart.
There were two music videos produced for the single. The original music video, directed by Liz Friedlander, starts with Morissette, hair in dreadlocks, handstanding in her apartment. She puts on a white sports jacket, leaves the apartment by the fire escape, and carelessly crosses the street, causing a multi-car accident and an ensuing riot. Morissette ignores the riot, walking on top of the cars that get in her way. After passing by a fire truck, Morissette arrives at an indoor basketball arena on a horse where she, now in a red jacket, successfully throws a ball passed to her into the basket. Morissette then exits the arena to the street and performs backflips through it. By the time she finishes, she is wearing a grey jacket. She randomly kisses a man on the same street and runs to an unfinished bridge, now wearing a green jacket. She jumps from the ledge, lands wearing a blue jacket, and soon engages in a pie fight with a group of people, including her touring drummer Taylor Hawkins. Finally, Morissette emerges in a boxing ring wearing a black jacket and boxing gloves and faces off with a woman in complete boxing gear. The woman punches her in the face, knocking Morissette to the mat. Morissette staggers to her feet, wobbly exits the ring and walks out of the gym as the video ends.
The video was shot in New York City's Meatpacking District. Filming took 23 hours in 10°[ clarification needed ] weather. It features the Twin Towers in a scene where Morissette does tumbling. Morissette also is never seen singing throughout the duration of the clip.
The second music video features Morissette with her band during a live performance. Some clips include her performing from the MTV Unplugged video. The live version was used instead of the album version.
"You Learn" was performed at her worldwide tour Jagged Little Pill Tour. It was performed at her Junkie Tour and the Australian leg as well. It was performed at her Under Rug Swept tour and her Flavors of Entanglement Tour. An acoustic version was featured for the single on her 2005 Jagged Little Pill Acoustic album. An instrumental version also leaked online. [11]
Because the CD single includes a live version of "You Oughta Know" from the 1996 Grammy Awards as an A-side, Billboard credited the chart position to "You Learn"/"You Oughta Know".
"You Learn (MTV Unplugged)" | ||||
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Single by Alanis Morissette | ||||
from the album MTV Unplugged | ||||
B-side | "Thank U (MTV Unplugged)" | |||
Released | 1999 (France and Europe) | |||
Recorded | September 18, 1999 | |||
Length | 4:22 | |||
Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) | Alanis Morissette | |||
Alanis Morissette singles chronology | ||||
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An acoustic version of the song appeared as the first track on Morissette's live album MTV Unplugged(1999) and was released as the second single, only in France and Europe, later that year.
Entertainment Weekly's Beth Johnson, in a review of the album, described the track as "rich", [12] while Robert Christgau highlighted it in his review of the album. [13]
The Bacon Brothers covered "You Learn" on their 2014 release, 36 Cents.
The American TV series Glee used this song in a mashup with Carole King's You've Got a Friend for the season six episode "Jagged Little Tapestry", a tribute to King's album Tapestry and Morisette's Jagged Little Pill. It was performed by Rachel Berry (Lea Michele), Santana Lopez (Naya Rivera), Brittany Pierce (Heather Morris), Tina Cohen-Chang (Jenna Ushkowitz), Quinn Fabray (Dianna Agron), and Kurt Hummel (Chris Colfer) with their alma mater high school's glee club.
"Your House" was recorded at Ebisu Garden Hall on November 4, 1995. "Wake Up" was recorded in Los Angeles on November 12, 1995.
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Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
Decade-end charts
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Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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New Zealand (RMNZ) [48] | Gold | 15,000‡ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [49] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
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Japan | September 25, 1995 | CD | [1] | |
United Kingdom | February 12, 1996 |
|
| [50] |
United States | July 9, 1996 |
| [51] |
Alanis Nadine Morissette is a Canadian and American singer, songwriter, and musician. Morissette began her music career in Canada in the early 1990s, releasing two dance-pop albums. She achieved global success with her alternative rock album, Jagged Little Pill (1995), which sold over 33 million copies and won Morissette four Grammy Awards including Album of the Year. It produced the singles "You Oughta Know", "You Learn", "Hand in My Pocket", "Ironic", and "Head over Feet". Jagged Little Pill propelled her to become a cultural phenomenon and has been included on several all-time lists.
Jagged Little Pill is the third studio album by Canadian-American singer Alanis Morissette, released by Maverick on June 13, 1995. Recorded in Hollywood at Westlake with production by Glen Ballard, it is Morissette's first album to be released worldwide. It marks a significant stylistic departure from the dance-pop sound of her first two efforts, Alanis (1991) and Now Is the Time (1992). She began work on the album after moving from her hometown Ottawa to Los Angeles, where she met Ballard. The pair 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.
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.
"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". Despite much speculation concerning whom the song is about, Morissette has never disclosed the person's identity and has never indicated an intention to do so.
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 outside of the United States 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.
"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.
"All I Really Want" is a song written by Canadian singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette and Glen Ballard, and produced by Ballard for Morissette's third album, Jagged Little Pill (1995). It was released by Maverick Records as the album's sixth and final single in the United Kingdom in November 1996, and in Australia in February 1997. The song is also the opening track of Jagged Little Pill. It was the last song written for Jagged Little Pill but originated from a song called "The Bottom Line", which was the first song Morissette wrote with Glen Ballard. The single peaked at number 14 on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart in December 1995, number 40 on the ARIA Charts in Australia and number 59 on the UK Singles Chart in December 1996.
"Hands Clean" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette from 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.
"Unsent" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette from her fourth studio album, Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie (1998). The lyrics were written by Morissette, who also composed the music with Glen Ballard. It was released as the album's third single on March 18, 1999. It was one of the few Junkie tracks on which she played her harmonica. Morissette directed the music video for the song. Without a chorus or hook, "Unsent" has an unconventional song structure. The lyrics consist of letters addressed to Morissette's former boyfriends and friends. The single became a moderate hit, reaching number nine in Canada, number 28 in New Zealand, and number 58 in the United States.
"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.
"Precious Illusions" is a song written, performed, and produced by Canadian singer Alanis Morissette for her fifth studio album, Under Rug Swept (2002). It released as the album's second and final international single on May 20, 2002. Its lyrics describe a conflict between idealism and realism, and its protagonist refers to her childhood fancies as "precious illusions" that she has distanced herself from with a feeling that reminds her of "parting with an imaginary friend".
"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 75 million records worldwide.
"Everything" is a song written and performed by Canadian singer Alanis Morissette. It was released on March 22, 2004, as the first single from her sixth studio album, So-Called Chaos (2004), on which it appears as the closing track. The song reached number three on the Canadian Singles Chart and number six in Italy and Spain. Although it reached only number 76 on the US Billboard Hot 100, it peaked atop the Billboard Triple-A chart and climbed to number four on the Billboard Adult Top 40. "Everything" also reached the top 20 in Australia, Austria, Norway, and Scotland.
Alanis Morissette – The Singles Box, commonly abbreviated simply as The Singles Box, is a compilation box set by Alanis Morissette, released on April 8, 1997, by Maverick. The set includes five of her six singles from 1995's Jagged Little Pill: "Ironic", "Hand in My Pocket", "Head over Feet", "You Learn" and "You Oughta Know", as well as live tracks and alternate versions of JLP tracks spread across five maxi-CDs. Also included in the box set is a short booklet of Alanis photos and other extras, including a note to her fans written by Morissette herself.
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