Thank U
| "Thank U" | |
|---|---|
| Song |
"Thank U" is a song written by Alanis Morissette and Glen Ballard for Morisette's fourth album, Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie (1998). It was released as the album's lead single on October 6, 1998 (see 1998 in music).
Background and writing
Morissette wrote "Thank U" after returning from a trip to India in 1997. The song expresses the heartfelt gratitude which she felt at the time.[1] The lyrics, such as "thank you terror" and "thank you frailty," lend the song a mingled sense of cynicism, hope, and worldliness.
"Thank U" is a pop rock song composed in the key of C major. It is written in common time and moves at a moderate tempo of 80 beats per minute. The song uses a simple chord progression alternating between a tonic C major chord and dominant G major chord.[2]
Chart performance
The excitement generated sent the single to number two on the U.S. Hot 100 Airplay chart almost immediately and helped the song peak at number seventeen on the Billboard Hot 100; this was strong, but not as successful as the multiple hits from Jagged Little Pill (1995), Morissette's previous album. (The eligibility rules for the Hot 100 were changed midway through the single's chart run.) "Thank U" is Morissette's most commercially successful post-Jagged Little Pill single. The single was nominated for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 2000 Grammy Awards.
Cover versions and parodies
"Thank U" was covered by British musician Steven Wilson, of Porcupine Tree fame (who jokingly changed the line "How about them transparent dangling carrots" to "How about changing a line 'cause it don't make sense"), and sold as the limited-edition single Cover Version 1. Blackfield, one of Steven Wilson's bands, has regularly played the song on their tour in support of their second album. It also appears on their Live DVD Blackfield-NYC
Jennifer Saunders parodied Morissette and "Thank U" with a song called "Bless U," a tribute to thesaurus, dictionaries, spell check and other word referencing methods. The clip showed Saunders as a singer called Aimless Morris Minor, dressed in a flesh-coloured body-suit to make it appear as if she were naked. At the end of the sketch Saunders's comedic partner Dawn French stuck the pubic hair of the suit onto Saunders's face. This clip was shown as a sketch on French and Saunders 1999 Bank Holiday Special.
Mo Collins from MADtv parodied "Thank U" with a song called "Wash Me."
Music video
The music video featured a nude Morissette, with long hair shrouding her breasts, walking and being embraced by strangers in a variety of public locations, such as in the street, at a supermarket, and on a subway car. The video for "Thank U" was not well-received. Slight modifications to the video were made before broadcasting by MTV in India and certain other Asian countries. Subsequent replays, however, aired the video in its original format. In May 2001, the video was voted #66 on VH1's 100 Greatest Videos [3].
Track listing
- "Thank U" (album version) – 4:19
- "Pollyanna Flower" (unreleased bonus track) – 4:07
- "Uninvited" (demo) – 3:04
Charts
| Chart (1998) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia[4] | 15 |
| Austria[4] | 10 |
| Canadian Singles Chart[5] | 1 |
| Netherlands[4] | 8 |
| New Zealand[4] | 2 |
| Norway[4] | 3 |
| Sweden[4] | 49 |
| Switzerland[4] | 18 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100[5][6] | 17 |
| U.S. Billboard Modern Rock Tracks[5][6] | 12 |
| U.S. Billboard Adult Top 40[5] | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Top 40 Mainstream[5] | 2 |
| UK Singles Chart | 5 |
| United World Chart | 2 |
References
- ^ http://members.aol.com/am69dana/sfijm.html Members.aol.com
- ^ Sheet music for "Thank U". Hal Leonard Corporation. 1998.
- ^ [1] VH1: 100 Greatest Videos
- ^ a b c d e f g "Alanis Morissette - Thank U (song)". dutchcharts.nl.
- ^ a b c d e "Alanis Morissette - Billboard Singles". All Music Guide and Billboard.
- ^ a b "Alanis Morissette - Artist Chart History - Singles". Billboard.