Jagged Little Pill
Alanis Morissette (1995)
The breakout album from You Can't Do That On Television alumni Alanis Morissette was released thirty years ago today. It was one of the most commercially successful albums of the 90's, selling over 17 million copies in the United States and over 33 million albums worldwide.
I tend to be late in discovering just about everything, but there are two pop culture phenomena where I was in at the ground floor. The first was The Simpsons, and the second is this album. I first heard of it when the music video for You Oughta Know premiered on MTV's 120 Minutes. It aired months before the album or any of its songs found mainstream success. When the music video was introduced, Matt Pinfield mentioned that Flea played bass and Dave Navarro played guitar on the track. I was pretty heavily into Red Hot Chili Peppers at the time, so hearing this made me sit up and pay attention. I loved the song and went out to buy the CD that weekend, and I played it more than almost any album in my collection.
Every song on Jagged Little Pill is excellent. The album produced six singles in the United States including You Oughta Know, All I Really Want, Hand In My Pocket, Head Over Feet, Ironic, and You Learn. It's impossible for me to pick a favorite, so I'm highlighting the fourth single that was released off of this album that seems to be overlooked these days.
I recommend getting your heart trampled on to anyoneI recommend walkin' around naked in your living roomSwallow it downWhat a jagged little pillIt feels so goodSwimming in your stomachWait until the dust settlesYou live, you learnYou love, you learnYou cry, you learnYou lose, you learnYou bleed, you learnYou scream, you learnI recommend biting off more than you can chew to anyoneI certainly doI recommend sticking your foot in your mouth at any timeFeel freeThrow it downThe caution blocks you from the windHold it upTo the raysYou wait and see when the smoke clearsYou live, you learnYou love, you learnYou cry, you learnYou lose, you learnYou bleed, you learnYou scream, you learnWear it outThe way a three-year-old would doMelt it downYou're gonna have to eventually anywayThe fire trucks are comin' up around the bendYou live, you learnYou love, you learnYou cry, you learnYou lose, you learnYou bleed, you learnYou scream, you learnYou grieve, you learnYou choke, you learnYou laugh, you learnYou choose, you learnYou pray, you learnYou ask, you learnYou live, you learn
