FEATURE:
Vinyl Corner
Alanis Morissette – Jagged Little Pill
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THIS feature is quite timely…
IN THIS PHOTO: Alanis Morissette in 1995/PHOTO CREDIT: Kevin Cummins/Getty Images
as there is a lot going on regarding Alanis Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill. Morissette hosted/was involved with a livestream of the album a few weeks back, and the album itself turns twenty-five on 13th June. Morissette was due to tour the iconic album later this year but, as you can imagine, plans have changed radically. NME reported the news:
“The multiple Grammy award-winning singer revealed details of a world tour celebrating her landmark album’s 25th anniversary last year, with shows kicking off with support from Garbage and Liz Phair on June 2 in Portland, Oregon.
Today (May 9), Morissette revealed that the US leg of the tour has been postponed due to the ongoing coronavirus crisis.
“hi everyone,” she wrote on Twitter. “my North American Tour scheduled to begin in a few weeks is being rescheduled to Summer 2021 out of an abundance of caution. please hold on to your tickets as they will be honored for the new dates which we hope to announce very soon”.
Although Jagged Little Pill is Alanis Morissette’s third album, I sort of feel like it is a debut. Now Is the Time was released in 1992, but hardly anyone knows about it; Morissette was not really involved with the songwriting, and many people have not heard of the record; before that, in 1991, Alanis was released.
Jagged Little Pill was her debut international release. Like Radiohead following Pablo Honey with The Bends and Nirvana releasing Nevermind after Bleach, Jagged Little Pill was a seismic leap for Morissette and broke her into the mainstream. Released through Maverick, Morissette’s first album released outside of Canada was pretty much everywhere in 1995! I recall buying the album back then, and singles like You Oughta Know, Ironic, Head Over Feet and All I Really Want (released between 1995-1996) were ubiquitous. I had never heard of a voice like Morissette’s; her very honest songwriting and incredible powerful voice divided some, but I was transfixed. It seems strange to think that such a classic album received some mixed reviews back in 1995. I think it has found greater favour years on, as a lot of songwriters have been inspired by Jagged Little Pill, and the popularity and exposure of the songs have resonated through the years. It is a pity Morissette cannot tour the album on its twenty-fifth anniversary, but the Broadway musical received rave reviews, and there is still so much love and fascination for this remarkable record. If you can buy it on viny, then do so, as I think it is one of those albums that you need to experience in this format. It is amazing to think how far Morissette developed since her first two albums – these were mainly Dance, Pop and New Jack Swing-influenced albums. The fact that Morissette travelled to Los Angeles and met Glen Ballard opened up her horizons and was a hugely important move.
In a year when Grunge was in its final stages and Britpop was ruling the charts in the U.K., Jagged Little Pill does stand out. That said, artists like The Smashing Pumpkins and PJ Harvey were producing these quite raw and different-sounding records (it is hard to explain what I mean), and Morissette (with Ballard) spliced angsty lyrics and Post-Grunge sounds with a Pop flavour and sensibility. I feel Jagged Little Pill connected with so many people in 1995 because it sort of united the anger and energy of Grunge with the new wave of Post-Grunge and Pop that was prevalent; Jagged Little Pill is a very personal album, yet it is one that spoke to many people. Despite some slightly underwhelming reviews, Jagged Little Pill topped the charts in thirteen countries, and it is one of the best-selling albums of all-time. I will finish off with a couple of features/reviews that show why Jagged Little Pill is so celebrated and regarded. Out of the thirteen tracks on the album, seven were released as singles, but the remaining songs are very strong. I especially love Right Through You and Mary Jane, and I feel they could have been released as singles – maybe Maverick (and Reprise) felt that the album had seen enough singles spawned, and they were keen to leave it at that. Though Alanis Morissette followed up Jagged Little Pill with the incredible Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie in 1998, I still think Jagged Little Pill is her defining album.
This is what AllMusic wrote in their review:
“It's remarkable that Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill struck a sympathetic chord with millions of listeners, because it's so doggedly, determinedly insular. This, after all, plays like an emotional purging, prompted by a bitter relationship -- and, according to all the lyrical hints, that's likely a record executive who took advantage of a young Alanis. She never disguises her outright rage and disgust, whether it's the vengeful wrath of "You Oughta Know" or asking him "you scan the credits for your name and wonder why it's not there." This is such insider information that it's hard to believe that millions of listeners not just bought it, but embraced it, turning Alanis Morisette into a mid-'90s phenomenon. Perhaps it was the individuality that made it appealing, since its specificity lent it genuineness -- and, even if this is clearly an attempt to embrace the "women in rock" movement in alterna-rock, Morissette's intentions are genuine. Often, it seems like Glen Ballard's pop inclinations fight against Alanis' exorcisms, as her bitter diary entries are given a pop gloss that gives them entry to the pop charts. What's all the more remarkable is that Alanis isn't a particularly good singer, stretching the limits of pitch and credibility with her octave-skipping caterwauling. At its core, this is the work of an ambitious but sophomoric 19-year-old, once burned by love, but still willing to open her heart a second time. All of this adds up to a record that's surprisingly effective, an utterly fascinating exploration of a young woman's psyche. As slick as the music is, the lyrics are unvarnished and Morissette unflinchingly explores emotions so common, most people would be ashamed to articulate them. This doesn't make Jagged Little Pill great, but it does make it a fascinating record, a phenomenon that's intensely personal”.
I will wrap this up soon but, just as Jagged Little Pill prepares to celebrate twenty-five years, I think it is a great time to grab it on vinyl and, if you weren’t a fan in 1995, re-assess a brilliant album. I want to quote a snippet of an NME article from 2014 that was defending Jagged Little Pill; the feeling, I think, that some were still unsure about the album’s stature and brilliance:
“One of the reasons the album so struck a chord with millions is its broad thematic content. Morrissette tackles the rollercoaster of life head on, exploring religious hypocrisy, jealousy, parental expectations, drinking, mental illness, co-dependence, the patriarchy, friendship, self-esteem, infidelity and on. For the “young and the underpaid, who haven’t got it figured out just yet,” there was a ton of identification. And even though Morrisette was a middle-class white girl with a comfortable upbringing in a strict Catholic family, these themes are pretty universal. Everyone’s gone in the “wrong direction” at some time or other”.
I love Jagged Little Pill, and not only is it one of the best albums of the 1990s; I think it is one of the very best albums of all-time – I would put it in my top-fifty, for sure. I love its power and the instant appeal of the songs. Jagged Little Pill hasn’t dated, and, in fact, I do wonder why more artists have not been inspired by the record – even though quite a few have. Maybe it is so individual that it feels quite tricky to replicate. Although Alanis Morissette cannot take Jagged Little Pill on the road this year, we will be able to see the songs brought to life on stage…
IN 2021.