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[[File:Alanis_Morissette_alanis_3581.jpg|frame]]
[[File:Alanis_Morissette_alanis_3581.jpg|frame]]


Alanis Morissette (b. June 1, 1974) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and the winner of seven Grammy awards. She began her path to fame by being on ''[[You Can't Do That On Television]]'', and then going to [[New York City]] to compete in ''[[Star Search]]''. Her first two albums were chock-full of horribly-produced, cheesy dance-pop with lame lyrics. [[Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking|She was the opening act for Vanilla Ice, too.]] She gained real international fame with the [[New Sound Album]] ''Jagged Little Pill'' and its follow-up ''Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie'', which were [[Surprisingly Improved Sequel|vast improvements]] over her previous material and introduced her [[Signature Style]] of catchy pop-rock combined with [[Motor Mouth|Motor Mouthy]], really wordy introspective lyrics.
[[Alanis Morissette]] (b. June 1, 1974) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and the winner of seven Grammy awards. She began her path to fame by being on ''[[You Can't Do That on Television]]'', and then going to [[New York City]] to compete in ''[[Star Search]]''. Her first two albums were chock-full of horribly-produced, cheesy dance-pop with lame lyrics. [[Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking|She was the opening act for Vanilla Ice, too.]] She gained real international fame with the [[New Sound Album]] ''Jagged Little Pill'' and its follow-up ''Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie'', which were [[Surprisingly Improved Sequel|vast improvements]] over her previous material and introduced her [[Signature Style]] of catchy pop-rock combined with [[Motor Mouth|Motor Mouthy]], really wordy introspective lyrics.


She is also [[God]]. Or at least, she played Her in ''[[Dogma]]''. Her website reveals she is going to star in [[The Film of the Book]] of ''[[Radio Free Albemuth]]'', a [[Philip K Dick]] novel.
She is also [[God]]. Or at least, she played Her in ''[[Dogma]]''. She also appeared in [[The Film of the Book]] of ''[[Radio Free Albemuth]]'', a [[Philip K. Dick]] novel.


Also, [[Never Live It Down|she doesn't understand]] the [[You Keep Using That Word|meaning]] of the word [[Irony|"ironic."]] Even if irony was simply any "amusing coincidence" (which is overly generous), most of the lines in the song are not - each one is either tragic, annoying, or inconvenient, but not ironic. The Irish comedian Ed Byrne did once describe [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nT1TVSTkAXg some qualifiers which would MAKE certain lines ironic] (such as the line about rain on your wedding day -- ironic if you're the weatherman). As American comedian [[George Carlin]] put this in one of his books:
Also, people think she doesn't understand the meaning of the word [[Irony|"ironic"]]. Sure, most of the lines in the song are not Verbal Irony, but that doesn't make them non-ironic - each one is either Situational Irony, Tragic Irony, or Cosmic Irony. People complained that they weren't ironic because they weren't Verbal Irony - which itself is a case of Situational Irony. The real irony, of course, is that ''all'' of the situations in the song are ironic - they just aren't examples of Verbal Irony. Which would mean that the song ''was'' about irony after all. Isn't It Ironic?


⚫
Besides, she released a [[Rearrange the Song|piano]]-[[Lyrical Dissonance|ballad]] [[Cover Version|cover]] of the Black Eyed Peas song [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRmYfVCH2UA "My Humps"], thus proving once and for all that she ''did'' understand it.
{{quote| "If a diabetic, on his way to buy insulin, is hit and killed by a truck, that is an accident. If the truck was carrying sugar, then he is the victim of an oddly poetic coincidence. But if the truck that hit him was carrying insulin, ''then'' he is the victim of irony."}}

The real irony, of course, is that ''none'' of the situations in the song are actually ironic. Which would mean that the song ''[[Parody Retcon|was]]'' [[Author's Saving Throw|about irony after all]].

⚫
Or at least, until she released a [[Rearrange the Song|piano]]-[[Lyrical Dissonance|ballad]] [[Cover Version|cover]] of the Black Eyed Peas song [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRmYfVCH2UA "My Humps"], thus proving once and for all that she ''did'' understand it.

=== Albums: ===


{{discography}}
* ''[[Old Shame|Alanis]]'' (1991)
* ''[[Old Shame|Alanis]]'' (1991)
* ''[[Old Shame|Now Is the Time]]'' (1992)
* ''[[Old Shame|Now Is the Time]]'' (1992)
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* ''Feast on Scraps'' (2002) (a combined CD/DVD release; the CD has nine previously unreleased songs that didn't make her other albums, and the DVD was filmed at a concert in [[Freestate Amsterdam|Rotterdam]])
* ''Feast on Scraps'' (2002) (a combined CD/DVD release; the CD has nine previously unreleased songs that didn't make her other albums, and the DVD was filmed at a concert in [[Freestate Amsterdam|Rotterdam]])
* ''So-Called Chaos'' (2004)
* ''So-Called Chaos'' (2004)
* ''Jagged Little Pill Acoustic'' (2005) ([[Exactly What It Says On the Tin|an acoustic remake of]] ''[[Exactly What It Says On the Tin|Jagged Little Pill]]'')
* ''Jagged Little Pill Acoustic'' (2005) ([[Exactly What It Says on the Tin|an acoustic remake of]] ''[[Exactly What It Says on the Tin|Jagged Little Pill]]'')
* ''[[Greatest Hits Album|Alanis Morissette: The Collection]]'' (2005)
* ''[[Greatest Hits Album|Alanis Morissette: The Collection]]'' (2005)
* ''Flavors of Entanglement'' (2008)
* ''Flavors of Entanglement'' (2008)
* Havoc and Bright Lights (2012)
* Havoc and Bright Lights (2012)


Also worth mentioning is "Uninvited," one of the major singles from the soundtrack of the film ''[[City of Angels (Film)|City of Angels]]''. It's never been released on any of her albums.
Also worth mentioning is "Uninvited," one of the major singles from the soundtrack of the film ''[[City of Angels (film)|City of Angels]]''. It's never been released on any of her albums.


"You Oughta Know" is featured in ''[[Rock Band]]'' 2, with "Ironic" and "Head Over Feet" available as DLC. All songs are on the old platform (guitar, bass, pro drums, one vocal part).
"You Oughta Know" is featured in ''[[Rock Band]]'' 2, with "Ironic" and "Head Over Feet" available as DLC. All songs are on the old platform (guitar, bass, pro drums, one vocal part).


{{creatortropes}}
----
=== Tropes related to the singer: ===

* [[Abusive Parents]]: "Perfect" is about parents who live vicariously through their kids and humiliate and berate them for not meeting expectations.
* [[Abusive Parents]]: "Perfect" is about parents who live vicariously through their kids and humiliate and berate them for not meeting expectations.
{{quote| We love you just the way you are / If you're perfect}}
{{quote|We love you just the way you are / If you're perfect}}
* [[AcCENT Upon the Wrong SylLABle]]:
* [[AcCENT Upon the Wrong SylLABle]]:
** "Uninvited" does this quite a few times. "I am flat''tered'' by your fascination with me"... "an unfor''tun''ate slight"... "must be somewhat hear''ten''ing"...
** "Uninvited" does this quite a few times. "I am flat''tered'' by your fascination with me"... "an unfor''tun''ate slight"... "must be somewhat hear''ten''ing"...
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** ''Under Rug Swept'' is a line from "Hands Clean".
** ''Under Rug Swept'' is a line from "Hands Clean".
** And ''Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie'' can be found in "So Pure".
** And ''Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie'' can be found in "So Pure".
* [[Award Bait Song]]: "Wunderkind" from ''[[The Chronicles of Narnia|The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe]]'', and "I Remain" from ''[[Prince of Persia the Sands of Time (Film)|Prince of Persia the Sands of Time]]''.
* [[Award Bait Song]]: "Wunderkind" from ''[[The Chronicles of Narnia|The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe]]'', and "I Remain" from ''[[Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time|Prince of Persia the Sands of Time]]''.
* [[Bowdlerise]]: "You Oughta Know" is a classic case of Bowdlerization not working. The song was very popular among teens, but of course, there's an F-bomb in it. At school dances and similar functions, the radio edit version would play where the offending word was simply muted. So what would happen when that spot in the song came up? Everyone in the room would shout out the offending word at the muted point.
* [[Bowdlerise]]: "You Oughta Know" is a classic case of Bowdlerization not working. The song was very popular among teens, but of course, there's an F-bomb in it. At school dances and similar functions, the radio edit version would play where the offending word was simply muted. So what would happen when that spot in the song came up? Everyone in the room would shout out the offending word at the muted point.
** To be fair, most radio stations played it such that it went, "When you ffffff- her." Which actually sounded good too.
** To be fair, most radio stations played it such that it went, "When you ffffff- her." Which actually sounded good too.
* [[Break Up Song]]: "You Oughta Know" is the most famous one, but there's also "Are You Still Mad" and "Hands Clean".
* [[Break Up Song]]: "You Oughta Know" is the most famous one, but there's also "Are You Still Mad" and "Hands Clean".
* [[Canada, Eh?]]
* [[Canada, Eh?]]
* [[Canon Dis Continuity]]/[[Fanon Discontinuity]]: Her first two albums.
* [[Canon Discontinuity]]/[[Fanon Discontinuity]]: Her first two albums.
* [[Catholic School Girls Rule]]
* [[Catholic School Girls Rule]]
* [[Cerebus Syndrome]]
* [[Cerebus Syndrome]]
* [[Friends With Benefits]]: "Head Over Feet" is the [[Trope Namer]].
* [[Friends with Benefits]]: "Head Over Feet" is the [[Trope Namer]].
* [[Godiva Hair]]: The music video of "Thank You".
* [[Godiva Hair]]: The music video of "Thank You".
* [[In the Style Of]]: The [[Black Eyed Peas (Music)|Black Eyed Peas]]' "My Humps" [[Rearrange the Song|as a]] [[Lyrical Dissonance|slow ballad]]. Also qualifies as a [[Funny Moments (Sugar Wiki)|Funny Moments]].
* [[In the Style Of]]: The [[Black Eyed Peas]]' "My Humps" [[Rearrange the Song|as a]] [[Lyrical Dissonance|slow ballad]]. Also qualifies as a [[Funny Moments (Sugar Wiki)|Funny Moments]].
* [[Isn't It Ironic?]]: The [[Trope Namer]], though not an example.
* [[Isn't It Ironic?]]: The [[Trope Namer]], though not an example.
* [[Mood Whiplash]]: ''Jagged Little Pill'' can induce this, as the themes and moods shift drastically from song to song.
* [[Mood Whiplash]]: ''Jagged Little Pill'' can induce this, as the themes and moods shift drastically from song to song.
* [[Motor Mouth]]: She has this obsession with fitting as many syllables as possible into a line...
* [[Motor Mouth]]: She has this obsession with fitting as many syllables as possible into a line...
* [[Neoclassical Punk Zydeco Rockabilly]]: Starting with ''Junkie'', Alanis incorporated electronic and world influences into her music. Which is not to say ''Jagged Little Pill'' wasn't already pretty genre-fusiony, with its combination of lots of drumloops and electronics filched from [[Beck (Music)|Beck]] with [[Post Grunge]] guitars.
* [[Neoclassical Punk Zydeco Rockabilly]]: Starting with ''Junkie'', Alanis incorporated electronic and world influences into her music. Which is not to say ''Jagged Little Pill'' wasn't already pretty genre-fusiony, with its combination of lots of drumloops and electronics filched from [[Beck (musician)|Beck]] with [[Post-Grunge]] guitars.
* [[New Sound Album]]: Both ''Jagged Little Pill'' and ''Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie''; the latter was an even larger departure.
* [[New Sound Album]]: Both ''Jagged Little Pill'' and ''Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie''; the latter was an even larger departure.
* [[Pass the Popcorn]]: "Front Row" makes a reference to this in the song's chorus:
* [[Pass the Popcorn]]: "Front Row" makes a reference to this in the song's chorus:
{{quote| "I'm in the front row/the front row/with popcorn/I get to see you see you close up."}}
{{quote|"I'm in the front row/the front row/with popcorn/I get to see you see you close up."}}
* [[Parody Retcon]]: Her infamous song "Ironic".
* [[Parody Retcon]]: Her infamous song "Ironic".
* [[Precision F-Strike]]: "You Oughta Know." Although the song has a number of sex references, none are as blatant as the line "Are you thinking of me when you fuck her?"
* [[Precision F-Strike]]: "You Oughta Know." Although the song has a number of sex references, none are as blatant as the line "Are you thinking of me when you fuck her?"
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* [[Signature Song]]: "You Oughta Know" and "Ironic".
* [[Signature Song]]: "You Oughta Know" and "Ironic".
* [[Stage Mom]]: "Perfect" is about this trope.
* [[Stage Mom]]: "Perfect" is about this trope.
* [[Stalker With a Crush]]: "Your House", the [[Hidden Track]] at the end of ''Jagged Little Pill''. It's a song about sneaking into her ex-boyfriend's house and smelling his clothes. And now you know why men get scared when they hear Alanis' voice or find out that their girlfriends listen to her music.
* [[Stalker with a Crush]]: "Your House", the [[Hidden Track]] at the end of ''Jagged Little Pill''. It's a song about sneaking into her ex-boyfriend's house and smelling his clothes. And now you know why men get scared when they hear Alanis' voice or find out that their girlfriends listen to her music.
* [[Subverted Rhyme Every Occasion]]: Alanis, in a show of support, altered the lyrics of her song "Ironic" to:
* [[Subverted Rhyme Every Occasion]]: Alanis, in a show of support, altered the lyrics of her song "Ironic" to:
{{quote| It's like ten thousand spoons when all you need is a knife,<br />
{{quote|It's like ten thousand spoons when all you need is a knife,
It's like meeting the man of my dreams... and meeting his beautiful ''husband'' }}
It's like meeting the man of my dreams... and meeting his beautiful ''husband'' }}
** What would be rhyming couplets in the chorus for "Hand In My Pocket" are instead jumbled so that the second line from couplet A is instead the second line in couplet B, and so forth.
** What would be rhyming couplets in the chorus for "Hand In My Pocket" are instead jumbled so that the second line from couplet A is instead the second line in couplet B, and so forth.
* [[Surreal Music Video]]: "You Learn".
* [[Surreal Music Video]]: "You Learn".
* [[Teen Idol]]: ([[Canon Dis Continuity|Where did you]] [[Old Shame|get that idea?]])
* [[Teen Idol]]: ([[Canon Discontinuity|Where did you]] [[Old Shame|get that idea?]])
* [[Unplugged Version]]: ''[[Exactly What It Says On the Tin|Jagged Little Pill Acoustic]]''
* [[Unplugged Version]]: ''[[Exactly What It Says on the Tin|Jagged Little Pill Acoustic]]''
* [[Word Salad Lyrics]]: While there might be a meaning behind it, "Thank U" has verses that qualify in this trope:
* [[Word Salad Lyrics]]: While there might be a meaning behind it,<ref>It's a pretty obvious meaning to This Troper: She's given up binge-eating processed foods, and wants a prize - the "ever-elusive kudo" - for doing so.</ref> "Thank U" has verses that qualify in this trope:
{{quote| How 'bout gettin' off of these antibiotics?<br />
{{quote|How 'bout gettin' off of these antibiotics?
How 'bout stoppin' eatin' when I'm full up?<br />
How 'bout stoppin' eatin' when I'm full up?
How 'bout them transparent danglin' carrots?<br />
How 'bout them transparent danglin' carrots?
How 'bout that ever-elusive kudo? }}
How 'bout that ever-elusive kudo? }}



{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}
{{Grammy Award for Album of the Year}}
⚫
[[Category:The Nineties]]
{{Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee}}
⚫
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]
[[Category:Actors]]
[[Category:Canada's Walk of Fame inductee]]
[[Category:Canadian Musicians]]
[[Category:Musicians]]
[[Category:Musicians]]
[[Category:Musicians of the 1990s]]
[[Category:Musicians of the 2000s]]
[[Category:Musicians of the 2010s]]
[[Category:Pages with working Wikipedia tabs]]
[[Category:Record Producer]]
[[Category:Reprise Records]]
[[Category:Reprise Records]]
[[Category:Alanis Morissette]]
[[Category:Singer-songwriter]]
[[Category:Music]]
[[Category:The Nineties]]

Latest revision as of 22:35, 8 March 2023

/wiki/Alanis Morissettecreator

Alanis Morissette (b. June 1, 1974) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and the winner of seven Grammy awards. She began her path to fame by being on You Can't Do That on Television, and then going to New York City to compete in Star Search. Her first two albums were chock-full of horribly-produced, cheesy dance-pop with lame lyrics. She was the opening act for Vanilla Ice, too. She gained real international fame with the New Sound Album Jagged Little Pill and its follow-up Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie, which were vast improvements over her previous material and introduced her Signature Style of catchy pop-rock combined with Motor Mouthy, really wordy introspective lyrics.

She is also God. Or at least, she played Her in Dogma. She also appeared in The Film of the Book of Radio Free Albemuth, a Philip K. Dick novel.

Also, people think she doesn't understand the meaning of the word "ironic". Sure, most of the lines in the song are not Verbal Irony, but that doesn't make them non-ironic - each one is either Situational Irony, Tragic Irony, or Cosmic Irony. People complained that they weren't ironic because they weren't Verbal Irony - which itself is a case of Situational Irony. The real irony, of course, is that all of the situations in the song are ironic - they just aren't examples of Verbal Irony. Which would mean that the song was about irony after all. Isn't It Ironic?

Besides, she released a piano-ballad cover of the Black Eyed Peas song "My Humps", thus proving once and for all that she did understand it.

Discography:
  • Alanis (1991)
  • Now Is the Time (1992)
  • Jagged Little Pill (1995)
  • Space Cakes (1995) (an acoustic EP released only in Japan)
  • The Singles Box (1997) (a box set released only in Australia containing five Jagged Little Pill singles and a bunch of live tracks)
  • Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie (1998)
  • Alanis Unplugged (1999) (a live album recorded from Alanis' appearance on MTV Unplugged)
  • Under Rug Swept (2002)
  • Feast on Scraps (2002) (a combined CD/DVD release; the CD has nine previously unreleased songs that didn't make her other albums, and the DVD was filmed at a concert in Rotterdam)
  • So-Called Chaos (2004)
  • Jagged Little Pill Acoustic (2005) (an acoustic remake of Jagged Little Pill)
  • Alanis Morissette: The Collection (2005)
  • Flavors of Entanglement (2008)
  • Havoc and Bright Lights (2012)

Also worth mentioning is "Uninvited," one of the major singles from the soundtrack of the film City of Angels. It's never been released on any of her albums.

"You Oughta Know" is featured in Rock Band 2, with "Ironic" and "Head Over Feet" available as DLC. All songs are on the old platform (guitar, bass, pro drums, one vocal part).

Alanis Morissette provides examples of the following tropes:
  • Abusive Parents: "Perfect" is about parents who live vicariously through their kids and humiliate and berate them for not meeting expectations.

We love you just the way you are / If you're perfect

"I'm in the front row/the front row/with popcorn/I get to see you see you close up."

It's like ten thousand spoons when all you need is a knife,
It's like meeting the man of my dreams... and meeting his beautiful husband

How 'bout gettin' off of these antibiotics?
How 'bout stoppin' eatin' when I'm full up?
How 'bout them transparent danglin' carrots?
How 'bout that ever-elusive kudo?


  1. ↑ It's a pretty obvious meaning to This Troper: She's given up binge-eating processed foods, and wants a prize - the "ever-elusive kudo" - for doing so.
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