Alanis's Serious Music

On June 13, 1995 — 30 years ago Friday after next — Canadian pop singer/songwriter Alanis Morissette released her third album. The LP veered away sharply from her previous dance-pop work and more into grunge and angst-rock.

“Jagged Little Pill” would go on to sell 33 million copies in the U.S., win five Grammy Awards and define a generation of independent female musicians.

Her First Album of Serious Music

Ottawa-born Alanis Morissette learned to play piano at age six and appeared in five episodes of a Canadian children’s sketch-

comedy TV show, “You Can’t Do That on Television” while she was in junior high.

During her high school years, Morissette recorded two albums of bubblegum-type dance pop, writing all of the music herself and with help from her producers. The first sold well but the second, not quite so much. So her label canceled her contract.

After graduating high school, Morissette moved to Toronto and then to Los Angeles and began working with famed record producer and songwriter Glen Ballard, who had worked with Michael Jackson on his “Bad” and “Dangerous” albums and had then become the producer for Wilson Phillips.

Morissette at age 13

Ballard drastically changed the type of music Morissette wrote and the type of lyrics she wrote. She began drawing on the anxiety issues she had suffered and her experience with relationships: She had become sexually active at age 14.

Morissette signed with a small, independent label — Maverick Records, owned by Madonna — released “Jagged Little Pill” and hoped it would attract enough attention to help her sign a major recording contract. Instead, Los Angeles radio station KROQ-FM discovered the hard-rocking and profane first single from the album — “You Oughta Know” — and placed it into heavy rotation.

Despite the prominent F-bomb, the single became a big hit, spending five weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Modern Rock chart. It never made the Hot 100 because Maverick didn’t release it as a physical single — it was released for airplay only. The only way for listeners to own the song was to buy the album. This, naturally, goosed Morissette’s album sales.

Two more singles from the album would hit the Top 10 in 1996: “Ironic” and “You Learn.” “Jagged Little Pill” would go on to sell 33 million copies — at the time, the most by a female solo artist. It would be nominated for nine Grammy Awards and would win five, including Album of the Year.

Two of Morissette’s next three albums over the next seven years would also spend time at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album chart.

The Five Singles From 'Jagged Little Pill'

You Oughta Know

RELEASED: Not as a physical product

Peaked at No. 1 on the Modern Rock chart

Fans still speculate over who inspired Morissette to write this ode from a scored ex-girlfriend. She won’t say, but actor Dave Coulier — who you might remember from “Full House” — has said it was about a relationship they had in 1992. He had been 33. She was 18.

“I was writing it to get it out of my body,” Morissette said. “If I didn’t speak about it, I would have gotten sick. It was very cathartic.”

Ballard says Morissette’s flaming vocal was captured on the very first take. The backing track was aided by guitarist Dave Navarro and bass player Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Not surprisingly, perhaps, a number of radio stations edited certain lines out of the single.

You Learn

RELEASED:

Sept. 25, 1995

Peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100

Not long after Morissette arrived in L.A., she was robbed at gunpoint. She suffered from panic attacks and wrote this song to help work through her trauma. “You Learn” would be the biggest-selling single in Canada in 1996.

Hand In My Pocket

RELEASED: Not in the U.S.

Peaked at No. 1on the ModernRock chart

“Hand In My Pocket features harmonica by Morissette herself. The song was to be used as the opening theme song of the TV series “Dawson’s Creek” until Morissette had second thoughts and withdrew it from consideration.

Head Over Feet

RELEASED:

Not in the U.S. Peaked at No. 3 on the Hot 100 radio airplay chart

Morissette says she learned that relationships aren’t always passionate or sexy. “I’ve kind of realized that it’s actually sexier when there’s less drama.” She wrote this song about being in love but not being obsessed with a relationship.

All I Really Want

RELEASED:

Nov. 25, 1996

Peaked at No. 14 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart

Morissette and Ballard were working on this song when their label asked them to rush over to sign a contract. “My sweater is on backwards and inside out” was real: She wore that and sweatpants to the Maverick Records offices.

Ironic

RELEASED: Feb. 27, 1996

Peaked at No. 4 on the Hot 100

Morissette and Ballard wrote 20 songs in 20 sessions. Twelve would make it onto the album. This one was written over chipped salads and iced tea at an L.A. lunch bistro.

Much humor has been made of the fact that Morissette cites example of irony that are not, in fact, ironic. “Yes,” Morissette says, “I’ve now learned the definition of irony ...” “Not that I don’t deserve a little slap on the wrist for my malapropism. I always tell people that I’m the smartest stupid person you’ll ever meet.”

At one point, Morissette considered dropping “Ironic” from the album. Ballard talked her out of it. For his part, Ballard has a degree in English. “We were just trying to make each other laugh,” he said.

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Copies sold worldwide according to BestSellingAlbums.org.