You Oughta Know: Jagged Little Pill, An Incredible Album

Alanis Morissette came to me as a blur of white across the television screen. She had the voice of an angel, and angst-ridden lyrics to match. Then, of course there was the fact that her music was above all other things rock n’ roll. And in the summer of 1995 nothing made me happier than a good rock song or album.

I was a freshman in college, and the grunge scene had by that time pretty much wrinkled up and fallen off the face of the Earth. Aside from a few remaining acts, the rock scene was in limbo. I was looking for something outside of Beastie Boys, Led Zeppelin, and Stone Temple Pilots to connect with. Up until that point, I’d been rather sexist when it came to music. Few women of the era really rocked. My entire outlook on music made a change for the better with the discovery of Morissette.

As with the rest of the world, it was the strikingly honest and angry song Your Oughta Know that led to my unearthing of Morissette. I was immediately drawn to her unique voice and the wholly appealing arrangement of the song. Not just that, but at age 18 it spoke to my heart. Men were swine—they clearly lacked the requisite two brain cells to rub together to breed though. Morissette, not much older that I, seemed to have a grasp of the world around her and her songs were a testament to her talent.

So I finally bought her Maverick debut Jagged Little Pill. Of course soon enough a seemingly unending flurry of hits found their way to radio. Morissette was a rarity. She was massively appealing not to mention absolutely gifted as a singer, songwriter and musician. While many young artists often rely heavily on the skills of an established producer, Morissette went into the studio with Glen Ballard at her side—not controller her every move. Ballard, a producer with a background that leaned toward pop, began a journey with the young Canadian. He and Morissette dropped all of their earlier pop guises and made a striking turn toward alternative rock. The album that resulted was of course the uber-popular Jagged Little Pill.

But selling sixteen million copies of an album does not mean that the person at the helm is talented. Morissette fortunately had the chops to go along with the mainstream success. You Oughta Know was not by far the only hit from the album. Consider the fact that Hand In My Pocket, All I Really Want, Ironic, You Learn and Head Over Feet sat atop a number of Billboard charts at various times throughout the years 1995 through 1997. That’s right—six of the twelve songs from her debut were hits. Those that were not are in all equally impressive. Jagged Little Pill is a classic album that can be enjoyed from start to end with no missteps and no apparent problems. Grammy agreed, awarding Morissette

This is an album that exposes a naked, angry, and bloody soul. Morissette may have been barely out of her teenage years at the time Jagged Little Pill was released, but she exhibited a great deal of honest rage and a fascinating breadth of emotion. She wrote songs from a personal place that most artists only hope to explore, much less write about. Certainly, the album is appealing to young women who in many ways can relate with Morissette. But men should also get the idea of the record and in turn enjoy it even it leaves them shriveled and shivering in their skivvies.

Jagged Little Pill takes listeners on a journey within themselves. The singer-songwriter-musician might be talking about her own experiences, but in doing so she speaks candidly on topics ranging from love lost, unrealistic expectations, and being satisfied with oneself to respect, learning from experiences, and seeing the irony in life. These are themes that should resonate pretty thickly in most populations of young adults. And this is, regardless of the uncomfortable frankness of her words, the reason why the album sold so well.

Even today, years after my initial exposure to Morissette and long since my last piteous bouts with angst, Jagged Little Pills touches me in all the right places. From the rousing album opener All I Really Want through the softer second half, it is hard not to be appreciative of this momentous effort. And while the thicker rock tracks were the ones that initially drew me to the album, it is the softer side of Morissette that makes me come back for more.

Morissette first exposes her tender side on Perfect. The topic is simple enough. We all are expected to be certain things in our lives. What happens if we are something less than perfect? What happens if we fail? Why does it matter? These are all questions that are probed throughout Perfect. The sparse, melodic offering may not possess the heavy guitars and drums that make for great listening on some of the other songs—but the effect is much more significant. Her words, on the other hand, are unforgettable:

I’ll live through you
I’ll make you what I never was
If you’re the best, then maybe so am I
Compared to him compared to her
I’m doing this for your own damn good
You’ll make up for what I blew
What’s the problem…why are you crying?

There are other songs equally as evocative. Hand In My Pocket possesses the most distinctive opening of any song on Jagged Little Pill. The muffled percussion and stop-and-go guitars make for a unique experience. Then, of course, it is also necessary to speak about Morissette’s voice. She has great command of her chords, able to one moment yelp and the next whisper. Hand In My Pocket represents a clean assimilation of the best elements of rock and pop.

Mary Jane, Head Over Feet, and You Learn also are particularly notable. But with that said, the all of Jagged Little Pill is perfect. Morissette seems to be free and unwieldy throughout the album. She may have felt in the past that she had to live up to expectations (she was a teenage pop idol in her native Canada), but with Jagged Little Pill she tossed pretense to the wind and in the end came out on top. Morissette (along with Boston) has the best selling debut album of all time. And for good reason…she is truly a talent.

Morissette has since her remarkable debut pulled together two albums. Neither has been near as striking as Jagged Little Pill. Certainly, there is something positive to be said about 1998’s Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie but 2002’s Under Rug Swept was a major disappointment. Hopefully in the future, Morissette can make a return trip to the depths of her soul and give the world one more incredible album. Hopefully…darn those high expectations.

Rating: 5/5 stars

Track Listing:
1. All I Really Want
2. You Oughta Know
3. Perfect
4. Hand in My Pocket
5. Right Through You
6. Forgiven
7. You Learn
8. Head over Feet
9. Mary Jane
10. Ironic
11. Not the Doctor
12. Wake Up
13. You Oughta Know [alternate take]

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Related Reviews:

Under Rug Swept (2002)
http://www.epinions.com/content_63227727492