Listened to: MP3
Today we’re going to talk about a female singer-songwriter who’s breakout album of heartfelt lyrical confessions became one of only five albums to stay in the top ten of Billboard’s Hot 200 albums list for over a year, and which won Album of the Year, shocking everyone who expected it to go to the hot commodity R&B songstress of the time, and which made the singer-songwriter the youngest person to ever win Album of the Year. And no, that doesn’t mean we’re talking about Taylor Swift (but, yes, all those comparisons are true. Scary how similar, huh?). Nope, today we discuss Jagged Little Pill by Alanis Morissette (whose R&B rival was Mariah Carey’s Daydream).
I must confess, I forgot how much I loved this album until Beyonce performed “You Oughta Know” on the Grammys, and from that day on I was eagerly awaiting giving it a re-listen today. From the opening chords and almost spoken beginning lines of “All I Really Want”, I remembered how good it felt to revel in Alanis’ anger. Those high harmonies on the chorus, and those deep overdubs on the bridge really hit in a special place for me, and the sonic atmosphere just reminds me of being 8 years old, listening to the radio in the basement while putting together Lego models. Those heaving breaths have even found their way into my own performances, though I barely realized it until now. Even on record, you can tell the way Alanis truly throws herself into every song, unlike most reserved, choreographed performers today. When she’s done with a song, you can feel her just drained.
“You Oughta Know” opens with an almost trembling opener, gaining strength to say a big “Fuck You!” to the Uncle Joey that betrayed her (according to popular rumor). Nothing feels better than ripping into your ex’s new lover, and to be quite honest, I think the best way to do it is to make a record where you admit you went down on your ex in a theatre. That’s probably an awkward explanation he has to make at home. Also, I love the Enya-esque bridge. “And every time I scratch my nails down someone else’s back, I hope you feel it” is enough to make me feel bad for every break-up I’ve ever had.
What really makes these two tracks, and indeed the whole album, special, is that Alanis wasn’t allowed to say “Fuck You” rather than “Feel sorry for me”. Even “Perfect”, one of the softer tracks, shows Alanis as a strong girl, whose heart may have been broken, but even halved has so much beauty in it. Those who write Alanis off as just angry really oughta take a deep look at “Perfect”. “Hand In My Pocket” almost irremovable from it’s fantastic video, and in the best way possible. Both are etched into my childhood in such a way that to dissect them would be criminal. “Right Through You” is where Alanis gets more biting and vicious. You can feel her tearing at the song’s subject with a tenacity that’s almost terrifying. “Forgiven” is a musically dynamic track worthy of Aerosmith as much as Janis Joplin. Alanis seems to exorcise more demons on this track alone than Kate Bush does on all of Hounds Of Love (which is saying something, as I think Hounds of Love is a great album).
“You Learn” was every middle school girl’s anthem in my part of 90’s American suburbia, and I’ sure it’s not just my area. The track possesses and inspiring yet deeply hurt feel that I only wish I could master. To combine two emotions so strong is a gift. “Head Over Feet” is one of the few tracks I actually enjoyed better on Alanis’ 2005 acoustic reworking, but even on the original, it’s brilliant. A track that never fails to touch me, though fails to get much recognition elsewhere, is the Joni Mitchell-esque “Mary Jane”. “Ironic” might be my favorite track on the album, though, simply because it showcases Alanis’ vocal abilities the best, and you can’t help but fall in love with her a little bit here. It’s just a beautiful song, great lyrics, and one of the best choruses from the 90’s, perhaps second only to “With the lights out, It’s less dangerous”.
“Not The Doctor” seems to forgoe the harsh guitars of it’s previous “angry” tracks to really showcase Alanis’ bitter lyrical sting. The album closes on “Wake Up” which is one of the more mellow track, but in a mystical way. Like how Buckley’s Grace closes on “Dream Brother”, Morissette too chooses to end her album with an ethereal after-ture of her masterpiece.
To sum up, Jagged Little Pill is not only one of the best albums of the 90’s, but one of the greatest albums of all time. As much as I love Taylor, an the comparisons are there, between the two of them, this is the far superior album. To anyone who’s ever hurt, this is the album to listen to. Get angry, get emotional, and let Alanis into your heart like she opens up hers and lets you in. After all, she is God.
-Mike
Tomorrow is a day I dread. That’s right, the 4 and a half hour #276: Anthology of American Folk Music. Yippee!
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