Head over Feet

"Head over Feet"
Single by Alanis Morissette
from the album Jagged Little Pill
Released	September 16, 1996
Format	CD single
Genre	Pop rock, alternative rock
Label	Maverick
Writer(s)	Alanis Morissette, Glen Ballard
Producer	Glen Ballard, Alan Menken
Alanis Morissette singles chronology
"Ironic" (1996) "Head over Feet" (1996) "All I Really Want" (1997)

"Head over Feet" is a song written by Alanis Morissette and Glen Ballard, and produced by Ballard for Morissette's third album, Jagged Little Pill (1995). It was released as the album's fifth single (sixth in the United States) in 1996 (see 1996 in music) and presented a softer sound than the previous singles from the album. "Head over Feet" became Morissette's first number-one hit on Billboard's U.S. Adult Top 40 chart and topped the Top 40 Mainstream chart, but it was her first song not to enter the top 20 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart. In the United Kingdom, it was her first top ten single, and it reached the top 20 in Australia.

A live version of "Head over Feet" is featured on the album Alanis Unplugged (1999), and an acoustic version of the song was recorded for the album Jagged Little Pill Acoustic (2005).

Track listing

1. Head Over Feet
2. You Learn (live)†
3. Hand in My Pocket (live)†
4. Right Through You (live)†

†recorded on March 6, 1996 at Wings Stadium, Kalamazoo, Michigan

Music video

There are two versions of the single's video: the "Head" version and the "Feet" version (played in Europe and Asia). Clips of both videos are featured on the DVD Jagged Little Pill, Live (1997).

Harmonic structure

"Head over Feet" has a harmonic structure that is unusual for its genre. The choruses are in a different key than the verses. Each verse is in the key of C major, whereas each chorus is in the key of D major. As a result, at the end of each chorus the song is forced to modulate down a major second (which is uncommon in rock music).

Alanis' vocal range in this song spans from a G3 to a B4.

Charts

Chart (1996)	Peak position
UK Singles Chart	7
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Airplay	3
U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary	27
U.S. Billboard Adult Top 40	1
U.S. Billboard Modern Rock Tracks	25
U.S. Billboard Top 40 Mainstream	1
Canadian Singles Chart	1
Chart (1997)	Peak position
Australian ARIA Singles Chart	12

Certifications

Country	Certification	Sales
Australia	Gold	35,000+

References

• "Alanis Morissette - Artist Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved August 23, 2006.
• "Alanis Morissette - Billboard Singles". Allmusic. Retrieved August 23, 2006.
• "Alanis Morissette". Mariah-charts.com. Retrieved August 23, 2006.