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All I Really Want
Things Alanis really wants: Some patience, deliverance, a soul mate, to meet a kindred, some peace, a wavelength, some comfort, some justice and a few other odds and ends. Things Alanis doesn't really want: An angry voice, your apathy and the corrupted ways of this land. The leadoff track from Jagged Little Pill sets the tone: The Robin Sparkles-esque pop of previous albums was out and confessional alt-rock was the order of the day. "All I Really Want" was one of six singles to tumble out from this double diamond selling album.
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You Oughta Know
The new Alanis broke out big in 1995 thanks to this classic tune. "You Oughta Know" features our heroine tearing Mr. Duplicity to shreds with instrumental assists from Flea and Dave Navarro. Legend has it that this cut, the lead single from Jagged Little Pill, is directed at Full House star Dave Coulier. The comedian has confirmed the story, but Alanis remains tight lipped on the subject. Joey Gladstone talk aside, "You Oughta Know" was a breakout hit and latched itself to Top 40 and rock radio. The intense tune also scored a pair of Grammys and earned a shiny twelfth place trophy in VH1's countdown of the best songs of the 90s. If that's not enough, odds are someone's wailing out the lyrics to this in at least one karaoke bar as we speak.
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Perfect
One of the non-singles on the record, "Perfect" offers up commentary on society's pressure on kids to be flawless and fantastic. "I'll live through you/I'll make you what I never was/If you're the best, then maybe so am I," sings Alanis adopting the tone of a pushy parent with an unhealthy need for by proxy validation. The singer would know a thing or two about pressure at a young age. The award collecting songstress kicked off her career early on in life and also appeared in a handful of episodes of the kids TV classic You Can't Do That On Television. (Yes, she did get slimed.)
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Hand In My Pocket
"What it all comes down to/Is that everything's gonna be fine, fine, fine," sings the superstar recording artist on this hit. She's not wrong about things being fine, fine, fine. "Hand In My Pocket" hit the coveted #1 slot on the Canadian singles chart and earned the same distinction in the U.S. on the alternative chart. This collection of contradictions and self-affirmation features a sweet slice of harmonica and a video that plunks the Ottawa talent in the middle of a stylishly shot parade. This track was originally selected as the theme to Dawson's Creek, but Alanis nixed the use by the time the show launched on The WB. Their loss was Paula Cole's gain.
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Right Through You
Once again, Alanis takes aim at a jerk that underestimated and undervalued her. Like the title suggests, this song picks apart a goober that Alanis can see right through. Revenge comes when "Mr. Man" scans the credits for his name and wonders why it's not there. This villain's meal ticket taste betrays him and he's left starving.
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Forgiven
Alanis touches on a themes of faith and indoctrination on track six on this landmark album. "We all needed something to cling to," sings the arena-filler on this big sprawling track. The Recording Academy gave this record their blessing. Jagged Little Pill earned the Album of the Year Grammy in 1996 and would go on to nab the Juno in that category a few weeks later.
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You Learn
Which "You Learn" video do you prefer? The one where Alanis roams the streets, hangs with horses and nails a surprise basket or the one where she and her band perform live and get to hijinx? Both have their merits. (The latter features the presence of a pre Foo Fighters Taylor Hawkins.) This ode to perseverance and self discovery was one of four tracks from Jagged Little Pill to top the Canadian singles chart. Oddly, "You Oughta Know" sputtered out at the #20 spot.
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Head Over Feet
Arguably the most bubbly tune to appear on the album, "Head Over Feet" is a tenderhearted love song that features Alanis outlining what this special person has provided in her life. "You've already won me over in spite of me," she sings. This track went to #1 domestically and cracked the #3 spot south of the border.
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Mary Jane
Alanis reaches out to a woman in distress on the ninth song from Jagged Little Pill. "Don't censor your tears," she advises the titular Mary Jane.
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Ironic
We'll get this out of the way right now: No, the situations presented in "Ironic" aren't really ironic. It's the talking point everyone brings up when looking back at this #1, but does it really matter? It's still a first rate tune that was accompanied by a great video that could double as an Orphan Black prequel. Toss in a Juno Award as the year's best song and "Ironic" can boast a pretty great (if overlooked) legacy.
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Not The Doctor
"I don't want to be adored for what I merely represent to you," proclaims Alanis on "Not The Doctor". There's little in the way of medical advice in the lyrics, but that doesn't mean this isn't a worthy woozy little number.
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Wake Up
Alanis aims to jostle a passive party awake in this pseudo album closer. "Wake Up" features the singer-songwriter rebuking someone that has an attraction to the path of least resistance. "There's no fundamental excuse for the granted I'm taken for," sings the Canuck mega-seller.
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You Oughta Know (Alternate Take)
Jagged Little Pill caps off with an alternate take of "You Oughta Know" but the real point of interest is the hidden track tucked into that slot on the album. The emotional a capella offering "Your House" boasts a remarkable vocal performance from Alanis and is too nice of a song to deserve "hidden" status. It's a treat to discover.
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