You Oughta Know

"You Oughta Know"
Single by Alanis Morissette
from the album Jagged Little Pill
Released	July 7, 1995
Format	CD single, cassette single, 12"
Recorded	1994
Genre	Alternative rock, Post-grunge
Length	4:09
Label	Maverick
Writer(s)	Alanis Morissette, Glen Ballard
Producer	Glen Ballard
Alanis Morissette singles chronology
"(Change Is) Never a Waste of Time" (1993) "You Oughta Know" (1995) "Hand in My Pocket" (1995) Audio sample file info · help

"You Oughta Know" is a song by Canadian recording artist and songwriter Alanis Morissette, for her third studio album Jagged Little Pill (1995). The song was written by Morissette and Glen Ballard and produced by Ballard. The song was chosen to be released as the lead single from the album by Maverick Records on July 7, 1995.

"You Oughta Know" received generally positive reviews from critics. Most did enjoy it and highlighted as a album track, but some said that the coarse language and strong vocal rage was "too much". As a debut single, the song did moderately well through the charts. The song peaked at number four in Australia and number twenty in Canada, while reaching the top forty in countries like Sweden, New Zealand, Belguim and the UK. Due to this success, the song won two Grammy Awards; Best Rock Song and Best Female Rock Vocal Performance. It was also nominated for a Grammy Award for Song of the Year, but did not win.

Music and lyrics

	Flea and I did that song together in the studio. It was already written with different instrumentation and we were asked to kind of re-write the music… A lot like a re-mix. The structure of the song was in place but there were no guide tracks, we just had the vocal to work from. It was just a good time and we basically jammed until we found something we were both happy with. Alanis was happy too.
—Dave Navarro talking about the conception of "You Oughta Know".

According to an ABC News article, "Alanis Morissette revealed that her angst-ridden hit 'You Oughta Know' was about her relationship with Dave Coulier". In an August 2008 interview to the Calgary Sun, Coulier admitted to being the ex-boyfriend portrayed in the song. According to him, he heard the song on the radio and noticed the singer seemed to be really angry. Upon discovering it was Alanis, he realized he had "really hurt" her and called her to patch things up. However, in October 2008, Morissette reiterated her refusal to identify the subject, commenting to a CanWest News Service journalist, "Well, I've never talked about who my songs were about and I won't, because when I write them they're written for the sake of personal expression. So with all due respect to whoever may see themselves in my songs, and it happens all the time, I never really comment on it because I write these songs for myself, not other people." Other celebrities have been rumored to be the lover in the song, including: Bob Saget, Coulier's co-star on Full House; Hockey player Mike Peluso of the New Jersey Devils. He played for the Ottawa Senators in 1992-93; Actor Matt LeBlanc, who appeared in the video for Morissette's single "Walk Away" in 1991; Musician Leslie Howe, the producer of Morissette's first two albums in the early 1990s. In 1997 the Boston Herald reported that Coulier "admitted the lines are very close to home. Especially the one about 'an older version of me' and bugging him in 'the middle of dinner.' He said she used to do that all the time."

Chart performance

"You Oughta Know" received moderate success worldwide. The song peaked at number twenty in Morissette's native Canada and number four in Australia, becoming a top ten success there. The song reached number twenty-five in New Zealand, albeit continuously leaving and re-entering the charts, due to the varied success of Jagged Little Pill at different times. The song peaked at number thirty-eight in Sweden and number seventeen in the Netherlands. It also peaked at the top spot on the U.S. Alternative songs, becoming Morissette's first number one. The song also peaked at number twenty-two in the United Kingdom.

Unusually, the song was only a modest hit in Morrisette's native Canada, peaking at #20 in RPM. Music journalists ascribed the song's underperformance to a resistance from Canadian radio programmers and audiences, because the song represented such a dramatic shift from Morrisette's established image as a dance-pop teen star. It was the only single from the album to underperform in Canada relative to other markets; every one of the album's subsequent singles peaked at #1 or #2 on the Canadian charts.

Music video

The music video was directed by Nick Egan. It features Morissette running and walking through a desert and in some scenes sitting on a chair outside. During each chorus, the video shows musicians Flea and Navaro performing along with Morrissette, who is singing with a microphone. The video received generally mixed reviews.

Cover versions and samples

"You Oughta Know" has been covered by several artists, such as Britney Spears (left) and Beyoncé Knowles (right).

In the 7th season of Australian Idol, airing 2009, contestant Lauren Streete sang a shortened version of the song, however, none of the lyrics were changed for censorship.^{[citation needed]} In the season 9 finale of Fox Television's American Idol (aired on May 26, 2010), Alanis Morissette sang a duet of "You Oughta Know" with finalist Crystal Bowersox. Bowersox sang the line about oral sex (originally "Will she go down on you in a theater") but re-written, presumably to make it "family friendly," as "Will she go down with you to the theater."^{[citation needed]} Alt-punk band Thousand Mona Lisas covered the song and included it as a hidden track on their 1995 album, "New Disease". Their version of the song received moderate airplay on alternative rock radio during the fall of 1995. Off the Beat released an a cappella cover in 1997.^{[citation needed]}

Corey TuT recorded a Trent Reznor-inspired version for Cover Me. The Killing Moon performed an alternative version for the cover compilation album Punk Goes 90's. The song was sampled by American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles during her "If I Were a Boy" performance at her 2009 I Am... Tour, as well as at the 2010 Grammys and the Glastonbury Festival 2011. Britney Spears performed the song during her 2009 The Circus Starring: Britney Spears tour. Mike Bruno of Entertainment Weekly wrote, "[...] she rocked it. What better way to silence the critics than to step up to the mic, say to hell with it all, and spew some of that bile. Hot, confident Britney, live vocals, a dash of rebellion…". After a number of Jonathan Coulton's fans compared her cover of "My Humps" to his cover of "Baby Got Back", Jonathan covered "You Oughta Know" himself. Narsha of the South Korean Pop girl group Brown Eyed Girls performed the song on the 2010 MBC Gayo Daejun (2010 MBC Music Festival). Richard Cheese and Lounge Against the Machine covered the song in a comedic lounge-music style on their 2005 album Aperitif for Destruction. Scala and The Kolacny Brothers covered this song as girls choir with piano accompaniment on their 2009 release, It All Leads To This. Haley Reinhart, Season 10 American Idol contestant sang this as the Judges Choice Song during Top 3 Week. Georgia Murray and her band performed a cover of "You Oughta Know" on episode 2 of CBC's Cover Me Canada.

Legacy

The single has been listed in different polls for their greatest tracks ever lists. "You Oughta Know" was ranked at number #12 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the 90's in December 2007. Allmusic noted the track as a highlight of the album. In 1996, the single was nominated for three Grammy Awards, winning the awards for Best Rock Song and Best Female Rock Vocal Performance but losing the Grammy Award for Song of the Year to Seal's song "Kiss from a Rose". The song is also a playable track in the music video game Rock Band 2.

Track listing

CD Single

1. "You Oughta Know"
2. "You Oughta Know" (The Jimmy the Saint Blend)
3. "Perfect" (Acoustic)
4. "You Oughta Know / You House (Acapella) [In some editions]

Charts

Chart	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)	4
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)	39
Canada (RPM)	20
Netherlands (Mega Single Top 100)	17
New Zealand (RIANZ)	25
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)	38
UK Singles (The Official Charts Company)	22
US Billboard Hot 100	6
US Pop Songs (Billboard)	7
US Alternative Songs (Billboard)	1

Notes

Preceded by "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me" by U2

Billboard Modern Rock Tracks number-one single July 22, 1995 – August 19, 1995

Succeeded by "J.A.R. (Jason Andrew Relva)" by Green Day