Alanis Morissette
Alanis Morissette is a Canadian-American singer-songwriter known for her emotive lyrics and distinctive sound, which blends rock and pop influences. Born to Hungarian parents who relocated to Canada after the Soviet occupation in 1956, Morissette began her career in entertainment at a young age, appearing on the Canadian children's show "You Can't Do That on Television." She released her debut album in Canada in 1991, but it was her 1995 American breakthrough, "Jagged Little Pill," that catapulted her to fame. The album features candid and often raw lyrics that explore themes of love and heartbreak, with the hit single "You Oughta Know" gaining significant attention for its provocative content. This song, among others, faced censorship due to its explicit references, yet it resonated deeply with audiences and contributed to Morissette's widespread popularity. At the 1996 Grammy Awards, she received multiple accolades, including Album of the Year. Over the years, she has released five additional albums, solidifying her status as a prominent figure in the music industry.
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Alanis Morissette
Identification: Canadian alternative rock music performer
Significance: Although early in her career some of Alanis Morissette’s song lyrics were considered too offensive to broadcast on radio stations or rock video television shows, she enjoyed great commercial success
Morissette’s Hungarian parents settled in Canada after the Soviet Union occupied their country in 1956. As a child Morissette attended Roman Catholic schools. When she was eleven, she appeared in the popular Canadian children’s television program You Can’t Do That on Television. In 1991 she released her first record album in Canada. Her early recordings did not possess the hard-edged lyrics and raw guitar licks that would later bring her notoriety and fame.
In 1995 Morissette released her first American album, Jagged Little Pill . Morissette wrote all the album’s song lyrics herself. Many of these songs express her bitterness about love lost. She ran into trouble with some of her lyrics to the hit song “You Oughta Know,” in which she blurts, “Is she perverted like me / Would she go down on you in a theatre.” Another line in this song bluntly asks, “Are you thinking of me when you f—— her?” Because of these blatant sexual references, the song was censored for mainstream radio airplay and for video viewing on the Music Television channel (MTV). “You Oughta Know” was a huge hit and was played numerous times daily on the radio and MTV. At the 1996 Grammy Awards ceremonies Morissette won awards for best album of the year (Jagged Little Pill), best rock album, best female rock vocal, and best rock song (both “You Oughta Know”). Public controversy over her song lyrics helped her to sell millions of albums. She has released five subsequent albums.
Bibliography
Fournier, Karen. The Words and Music of Alanis Morissette. Santa Barbara: Praeger, 2015. Print.
Meltzer, Marisa. Girl Power: The Nineties Revolution in Music. New York: Faber, 2010. Print.
O'Dair, Barbara. Trouble Girls: The Rolling Stone Book of Women in Rock. New York: Random, 1997. Print.
Tomashoff, Craig. You Live, You Learn: The Alanis Morissette Story. New York: Berkley Boulevard, 1998. Print.