Jagged Little Pill

Jagged Little Pill
Studio album by Alanis Morissette
Released	June 13, 1995
Recorded	1994–1995 at Westlake Recording Studios and Signet Sound, Hollywood
Genre	Alternative rock, post-grunge
Length	49:11
Label	Maverick, Reprise
Producer	Glen Ballard
Alanis Morissette chronology
Now Is the Time (1992) Jagged Little Pill (1995) Space Cakes (1995)
Singles from Jagged Little Pill
"You Oughta Know" Released: July 6, 1995 "Hand in My Pocket" Released: October 31, 1995 "Ironic" Released: February 27, 1996 "You Learn" Released: July 9, 1996 "Head over Feet" Released: September 16, 1996 "All I Really Want" Released: December 1995

Jagged Little Pill is the third studio album by Canadian recording artist and songwriter Alanis Morissette. Morissette's first internationally released album, and her first studio album after the three year hiatus following her break with MCA Records, it became a commercial and critical success, selling over 33 million copies worldwide. Co-written with the album's producer, Glen Ballard, who introduced a pop sensibility to Morrisette's bitter angst, Jagged Little Pill produced six singles, including the Grammy nominated "Ironic".

Morissette started recording the album after moving to Toronto, Canada until she travelled to Los Angeles where she met the producer Glen Ballard, who was the only producer for the album. The album had charting success worldwide, peaking at number one in her native Canada for 24 weeks (three weeks in late 1995, an unbroken 19-week run in 1996 and two separate weeks later in the year) as well as reaching number one on the U.S. Billboard 200, staying there for twelve non-consecutive weeks. Until and by 2009, the album had sold over 33 million units/copies worldwide, topping the charts in ten countries, including the UK, Sweden, Australia, New Zealand, Finland and the Netherlands among them and even ranked in the top 100 on the countries' best selling of all time lists. Billboard further ranked the album as the number one Best Selling album of 1990's.

During the last three years of the 1990's, the album was nominated nine times in the Grammy Awards. Morissette won five awards out of nine there. In 1996, she won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year, making her the youngest artist in history to win the title at age 21 until fourteen years later. She also won Best Rock Album. Her single "You Oughta Know" won two grammys, Best Female Rock Vocal Performance & Best Rock Song, the same song was also nominated for Song of the Year, as well as herself being nominated as Best New Artist in the same year.

Jagged Little Pill received general acclaim from music critics, with many praising the album's talent and lyrical content. The album received many accolades. In October 2002, Rolling Stone ranked it number 31 on its Women In Rock - The 50 Essential Albums list, and in 2003 the magazine ranked it number 327 on its list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. The album also holds a title in The Definitive 200 Albums list, in which it is placed at number 26.

Background

Neither of Morissette's first two albums (Alanis and Now Is the Time) achieved much success outside of Canada. In 1993 after leaving MCA Records Canada, Morissette moved from her home town of Ottawa to Toronto. Living alone for the first time in her life, she met with a bevy of songwriters, but the results frustrated her. A visit to Nashville a few months later also proved fruitless. Morissette began making trips to Los Angeles and working with as many musicians as possible, in the hopes of meeting a collaborator. During this time, she met producer and songwriter Glen Ballard. According to Ballard, the connection was "instant", and within 30 minutes of meeting each other they had begun experimenting with different sounds in Ballard's home studio in San Fernando Valley, California. Ballard and Morissette penned their first song together, called "The Bottom Line". The turning point in their sessions was the song "Perfect", which was written and recorded in 20 minutes. Morissette improvised the lyrics on the spot, and Ballard played guitar. The version of the song that appeared on Jagged Little Pill was the only take that the pair recorded.

Morissette later revealed that during her stay in L.A., she was robbed on a deserted street by a man with a gun. After the robbery, Morissette developed an intense and general angst and suffered daily panic attacks. She was hospitalized and attended psychotherapy sessions, but it didn't improve her emotional status. As Morissette later revealed in interviews, she focused all her inner problems on the soul-baring lyrics of the album for her own health. According to Morissette, Ballard was the first collaborator who encouraged her to express her emotions.

Development and recording

Morissette in Prague

The demo recording sessions started in 1994 at Ballard's home studio and included only Morissette and the producer, who recorded the songs as they were being written. Ballard provided the rough tracks, playing the guitars, keyboards and programming drum machines, and Morissette played harmonica. The duo sought to write and record one song a day, in twelve- or sixteen-hour shifts, with minimal overdubbing later. All of Morissette's singing on the album respects that rule, and it was recorded in one or two takes each. The tracks that were redone later in a professional studio using the original demo vocals.

The first song to be shown to A&R and record company people was "Perfect", with a simple arrangement containing only Morissette's vocals and Ballard's acoustic guitar. In 1995, around the time that Morissette penned a deal with Maverick Records, the couple took the demos to a studio and started building some new band arrangements for some of them. During the overdub sessions, Flea and Dave Navarro (then Red Hot Chili Peppers bandmates) appeared at the studio, discovered Morissette's work, and offered to play on "You Oughta Know".

There are seven known outtakes from the recording sessions: "Keep the Radio On", "Bottom Line", "Beautiful Intent", "Aura", "No Avalon", "Superstar Wonderful Weirdos", and an alternate take of "Ironic" with a lyric change ("It's like ice cream on a freezing day" instead of "It's a black fly in your chardonnay").

Music

Jagged Little Pill is a very different album to Morissette, who before the album, had sung dance-pop music. From her previous albums Alanis and Now Is the Time, the album had generated more dance and bubblegum pop genres. But with this album, it reached more rock music, including post-grunge, rock, alternative rock and even acoustic rock music. Lyrically, most of the songs were written by Morissette and Glen Ballard. A lot of her lyrics talk about broken relationships, hurt, rage and confusion of a woman, according to Ultimate-Guitar.com.

According to G.Pop.net, tracks like "All I Really Want" and "Right Through You" talk about frustration in her life. Both songs are alternative rock songs. Her song "Ironic" talks about irony in her life. "You Oughta Know" talks about a sudden split with a man who has fallen for another woman. The song "Perfect" talks about parents over-demanding in children. "You Learn" talks about life being a learning experience. It is a slower pop rock version. The song "Head over Feet" is a love song talking about people who treat her like a "princess". "Mary Jane" talks about a girl who suffers from depression. "Wake Up" talks about Alanis' cry to the apathetic world.

Release and reception

Critical response

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic
Entertainment Weekly	(C+)
Melody Maker	(7/10)
Q
Robert Christgau	(B+)
Sputnikmusic

Jagged Little Pill was released on June 15, 1995 in the United States, until a worldwide release after that. Jagged Little Pill first received general acclaim from most music critics. Stephen Thomas Erlewine from Allmusic gave it a very positive review, giving it four-and-a-half out of five stars. He mostly complimented the album's standout talent saying "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." He later finished saying "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." Robert Christgau gave it a B+ grade, mainly praising it saying "But with help from six or seven arrantly effective songs, she's happy to help 15 million girls of many ages stick a basic feminist truth in our faces: privileged phonies have identity problems too. Not to mention man problems." David Browne from Entertainment Weekly gave it a favorable review just. He said "Jagged Little Pill, is much harder to swallow. What sounds arresting on a single grows wearing over a full album. Producer-co-songwriter Glen Ballard's arrangements are clunky mixtures of alternative mood music and hammy arena rock, and the 21-year-old Morissette tends to wildly oversing every other line." John Hyperbole Hanson from Sputnikmusic had said "It’s one of the most varied pop/rock albums I own, and its also one of the most emotionally powerful to boot". When listing the album at 45 on the "100 Best Albums of the Nineties", Rolling Stone commented: "Jagged Little Pill is like a Nineties version of Carole King's Tapestry: a woman using her plain soft-rock voice to sift through the emotional wreckage of her youth, with enough heart and songcraft to make countless listeners feel the earth move".

Commercial response

Generally, Jagged Little Pill was one of the most successful albums in the 1990's. The album peaked at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200, being certificated 16X Platinum, selling over 16 million copies in North America itself. After this, it was ranked at number one best selling album of the 1990's. The album also peaked at number one on the Canadian Albums Chart, selling over 2 million copies there, being certificated 2X Diamond. Jagged Little Pill was very successful worldwide as well. In the Oceania, the album had debuted at number forty-six in Australia, and rose to peak at number one, staying there for ten consecutive weeks. It was certificated 14X Platinum, selling over 900,000 copies there. It is currently the 4th best selling album in history in that country. The album had debuted at number 46 in New Zealand, then later rose to number one, staying there for 11 non-consecutive weeks. The album had been certificated 14X Platinum, selling over 200,000 copies there. It is currently the 14th best selling album in music history in that country.

In Europe, the album had peaked at number six on the French Albums Chart, staying in the charts for 37 weeks there. It was certificated Platinum in that country. The album had debuted at number 46 in the United Kingdom, and peaked at number one, and stayed in the charts for a total of 145 weeks on the charts. The album was certificated 10X Platinum, selling over 3 million copies in that country. Overall, the album sold 33 million copies worldwide, becoming one of the most successful albums in music history.

Morissette had later toured for the album, with promotion as well. It was told that due to the success of the album, Morissette had toured the worldwide for a total of 18 months for the album. A DVD and VHS was released, under the title Jagged Little Pill, Live. That had received positive reviews from music critics as well. The tour had spanned from different countries (which was eventually featured on the VHS) where she had travelled to Australia, New Zealand, Germany, United Kingdom, South America, Asia, United States and her native Canada. It had won a Grammy Award for Best Long Form Music Video.

Singles

• "You Oughta Know" was released as the album's lead single. The song was written by Alanis and Glen Ballard. The song was originally supposed to release in Canada and the U.S. only, however Maverick Records released the single worldwide. The song became an instant hit worldwide, peaking at number six on the Hot 100 and 20 in Canada. The song also peaked at number four in Australia and 25 in New Zealand. A music video shot for the single, featuring Morissette in a desert. The song won two Grammy Awards.
• "Hand In My Pocket" was released as the album's second single from the album. After "You Oughta Know", the single received more attention worldwide. The song had peaked at number 1 on many U.S. Rock Charts, but failed to enter the Hot 100. The song peaked at number one in Canada, number 13 in Australia and number seven in New Zealand. A music video was shot for the single as well.
• "Ironic" was released as the album's third single. "Ironic" became Morissette's most successful and known single to date, as it peaked at number one in Canada and in many rock charts in the U.S. The song peaked at number four on the Hot 100. The song also managed to peak in the top ten in Europe, Australia and New Zealand. The song released a music video with Morissette singing in a car. The song was nominated for one Grammy Award.
• "You Learn" was released as the album's fourth single. The song was a more moderate single after the success of "Ironic". The song was released outside of Canada, not even peaking in the country. The song peaked at number six on the Hot 100, number 20 in Australia and number 13 in New Zealand. A music video was featured for the single.
• "Head over Feet" was released as the album's fifth single. The song was only released in the UK and U.S. area, although getting a promotional release in Australia only. The song peaked at number seven in the UK, but didn't manage to chart in the U.S. Hot 100 nor her native Canada. The song became a smaller success.
• "All I Really Want" was released as the sixth and final single off the album. The single was released outside of the U.S. and peaked at number 40 in Australia and 59 in the UK. The song became an unsuccessful finish for the album.

Legacy

Social impact and acoustic re-release

As of 2009, it has sold 33 million copies worldwide.

In 2005 Morissette re-released an acoustic version of the album, Jagged Little Pill Acoustic, on the tenth anniversary of the original album's release. This album was originally sold through Starbucks' Hear Music brand in an exclusive six-week deal that ended on July 26, 2005. For the duration of this partnership, music retailer HMV boycotted the sale of Morissette's entire catalogue in Canada. It is one of the most successful 1990's albums in music history. The album was released on June 15, 2005, ten years to the day after the original United States release. The artwork of the acoustic version is similar to the original version, but is sepia tinted instead.

Accolades, nominations and awards

The album was nominated for six Grammy Awards in 1996, and Morissette won "Best Female Rock Vocal Performance", "Best Rock Song", "Best Rock Album", and "Album of the Year" (she won all but "Best New Artist" and "Song of the Year"). Up until 2010 she was the youngest person to receive the Album of the Year award, at age 21. Later that year, she embarked on an 18-month world tour in support of Jagged Little Pill, beginning in small clubs and ending in large venues. In 1997 she was nominated for two more Grammy Awards: "Record of the Year" and "Best Music Video, Short Form" for "Ironic". The video Jagged Little Pill, Live, which chronicled the bulk of the tour, won a 1998 Grammy Award for "Best Long Form Music Video". In 1998, Q magazine readers voted Jagged Little Pill the 19th greatest album of all time. In 2003, the album was ranked number 327 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

Track listing

All lyrics written by Alanis Morissette, all music composed by Alanis Morissette and Glen Ballard.

No.	Title	Length
1.	"All I Really Want"	4:45
2.	"You Oughta Know"	4:09
3.	"Perfect"	3:08
4.	"Hand in My Pocket"	3:42
5.	"Right Through You"	2:56
6.	"Forgiven"	5:00
7.	"You Learn"	4:00
8.	"Head over Feet"	4:27
9.	"Mary Jane"	4:41
10.	"Ironic"	3:50
11.	"Not the Doctor"	3:48
12.	"Wake Up"	4:54
13.	"You Oughta Know (Alternate Take)" / "Your House" (hidden track which appears on all CDs & Cassette tapes releases)	8:13
Total length:		57:23

Personnel

The following people contributed to Jagged Little Pill:

• Alanis Morissette – harmonica, vocals
• Glen Ballard – guitar, keyboards, programming, producer, engineer, mixing
• Dave Navarro – guitar on "You Oughta Know"
• Basil Fung – guitar
• Michael Landau – guitar
• Joel Shearer – guitar
• Lance Morrison – bass on "Perfect", "Right Through You", "Forgiven", "Mary Jane", "Ironic", "Wake Up"
• Flea – bass on "You Oughta Know"
• Michael Thompson – organ
• Benmont Tench – organ

• Rob Ladd – percussion, drums
• Matt Laug – drums
• Gota Yashiki – groove Activator on "All I Really Want"
• Ted Blaisdell – additional engineering
• David Schiffman – additional engineering
• Victor McCoy – assistant engineer
• Rich Weingart – assistant engineer
• Chris Fogel – engineering and mixing
• Francis Buckley – additional mixing
• Jolie Levine – production coordination
• Chris Bellman – mastering
• Tom Recchion – art direction, design
• John Patrick Salisbury – photography

Charts and certifications

Chart (1995)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard 200	1
Top Canadian Albums	1
Chart (1996)	Peak position
Australian Albums Chart	1
Austrian Albums Chart	2
Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders)	1
Belgium Albums Chart (Walliona)	2
Dutch Albums Chart	1
Finnish Albums Chart	1
French Albums Chart	6
German Albums Chart	3
Hungarian Albums Chart	10
New Zealand Albums Chart	1
Norwegian Albums Chart	3
Portuguese Albums Chart	26
Swedish Albums Chart	1
Swiss Albums Chart	2
UK Albums Chart	1

End of decade charts

Chart (1990–1999)	Position
U.S. Billboard 200	1

Certifications

Region	Certification	Sales/shipments
Argentina (CAPIF)	Platinum	60,000x
Australia (ARIA)	14× Platinum	980,000^
Austria (IFPI Austria)	2× Platinum	100,000x
Brazil (ABPD)	2× Platinum	500,000*
Canada (Music Canada)	2× Diamond	2,000,000^
Finland (Musiikkituottajat)	2× Platinum	65,860
France (SNEP)	Platinum	300,000*
Germany (BVMI)	2× Platinum	1,000,000^
Netherlands (NVPI)	4× Platinum	400,000^
Norway (IFPI Norway)	Platinum	50,000*
Poland (ZPAV)	Gold	50,000*
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)	Platinum	50,000x
United Kingdom (BPI)	10× Platinum	3,000,000^
United States (RIAA)	16× Platinum	16,000,000^
Summaries
Europe (IFPI)	7× Platinum	7,000,000*
Worldwide		33,000,000
*sales figures based on certification alone ^shipments figures based on certification alone xunspecified figures based on certification alone

See also

• List of best-selling albums worldwide
• List of best-selling albums in the United States
• List of best-selling albums in the United Kingdom
• List of best-selling albums in Australia

External links

• Jagged Little Pill (Adobe Flash) at Radio3Net (streamed copy where licensed)
• Jagged Little Pill (U.S. Version) (Adobe Flash) at Myspace (streamed copy where licensed)