Alanis Morissette - Jagged Little Pill
Alt Rock – June 13, 1995 – 13 songs, 57 mins
REID
Reflection on review 100:
Wow. Is probably the best descriptor. This whole thing started because I wanted a more meaningful, structured way of consuming and sharing music.‘There’s SO MUCH out there. How can I possibly get the most out of it and have fun doing it?’ Here we are, two and a half years later. A few things have changed and others evolved but the driving force remains the same – a thirst for new tunes!
To the followers:
Thanks for your continued support!
Once TSR got off the ground, one of the earliest ideas was to create an app. Wouldn’t it be super cool for others to take our lead and explore music in a similar fashion? I tell you this because this was never about us. It was and always has been about sharing the wealth and continuing to find new favourites.
If you ask me, the best was in the 90’s and early 2000’s. But to those that say there’s no good music nowadays, I say you’re not looking hard enough.
To the boys:
I want to say, ‘I wouldn’t want to do this with anyone else’. Because it’s true. But the more accurate statement is ‘I couldn’t do this with anyone else.’ It takes an incredible amount of passion and dedication to do this week in and week out. I’m already so proud of where we are and am excited for the future. We were best buds before but this has made us immeasurably closer.
Here’s to the next 100!
For Alanis:
Released in June of 1995, Jagged Little Pill was positioned nicely for a 1988 baby like me. While I was living that boys rule, girls drool lifestyle, clinging to Backstreet Boys and N Sync on my yellow portable cassette player, my sister was ordering Alanis’ third album off Columbia House. Showing me the ropes, as she so often has. If it wasn’t playing on that new, state of the art CD-player in our living room, it’d almost definitely be on Rick Dees or Casey Kasem’s top 40 countdown. That was a different time. There were no streaming apps or immediate access. You either heard it on rotation or bought a copy. Our Volkswagen erupted when Alanis came on. I may not have understood at the time but this girl had it.
The album’s reputation precedes itself. Amongst the most impressive accolades are 33 million records sold, the recipient of countless awards including five Grammys, ranked number 69 (nice) on Rolling Stone’s Greatest Albums of All Time List (2020), an acoustic re-release (2005), a 20th anniversary re-release (2015) and a stage adaptation. Quite possibly the craziest feat is the universal love. EVERYONE loves Alanis. This is unprecedented in the world of social media.
Of the twelve songs including five smash singles, JLP can be seen as a microcosm of one in particular – You Learn. At the time, Alanis is a young woman trying to make a name for herself in the cutthroat music industry. At 21, she’s wise beyond her years. Her songwriting is exquisite and the genuine connection you feel listening to her sing her own lyrics is truly special. You feel the ferocity (You Oughta Know), confidence (Hand In My Pocket), femininity (Right Through You), humility (Ironic) and tenderness (Mary Jane). She makes the words on the paper come to life and it all ties back to her past, proving there’s no substitute for experience. On top of all that, she co-wrote the album with her producer, Glen Ballard. Her fingerprints are on every second of this album and she deserves all the credit.
Before I wrap this up, I must highlight hall of fame worthy quotes and phrases. Some are amazing on their own, others are just so memorable due to Alanis’ incredible delivery.
‘And every time I scratch my nails down someone else’s back I hope you feel it, Well, can you feel it?’ - You Oughta Know
‘And what it all comes down to, Is that I haven’t got it all figured out just yet.’ - Hand In My Pocket
‘You took a long hard look at my ass, And then played golf for a while.’ and ‘You took me out to wine dine sixty-nine me, But didn’t hear a damn word I said.’ – Right Through You
‘In the name of the father, The skeptic and the Son.’ - Forgiven
‘You live, you learn. You love, you learn, You cry, you learn. You lose, you learn.’ – You Learn
‘You’re my best friend, best friend with benefits.’ – Head Over Feet
(Fun fact – my good pal, Blanchard, tells me this is the first time the phrase was ever used in pop culture. I love the story and don’t want to know different if not true, k thx.)
‘I hear you’re losing weight again, Mary Jane. Do you ever wonder who you’re losing it for.’ - Mary Jane
From singalongs with my Mom and sister as an eight-year old to blogging about it at 34; Jagged Little Pill stands the personal test of time. That love seems universal. 21-year-old Alanis Morrisette from Ottawa made a lasting impact and continues to inspire the next generation.
Overall Rating: 9.5/10
Favourite Song: You Oughta Know
ROZ
One hundred. One. Hundred. By God we’ve done it. Pop the champagne and toss out a few too sweets because the boys of Too Sweet Reviews have rolled over our review count into the triple digits. Who better to choose for our one-hundredth album than 1990’s and Canadian music icon Alanis Morissette and her 1995 hit album Jagged Little Pill? It only seems fitting.
Moving away from the dance-centric sound heard in previous albums Alanis and Now Is The Time - albums that seem to have been lost in time as well - Jagged Little Pill served as the medium through which nineteen year old Alanis could channel her coming-of–age teenage angst and raw, unabated frustration and anger. The alternative and grunge rock sensibilities of the album served as the perfect match for both Morissette’s songwriting as well as the overall tone of the record, which spanned across many hard hitting topics that were at the core of the young woman's life. Frustrations throughout a tumultuous relationship (All I Really Want), the fallout of an ugly breakup (You Oughta Know), the sexual exploitation by a seedy piece of shit record executive (Right Through You), pushback on a conservative guilt-ridden upbringing (Forgiven); JLP pulled no punches and undoubtably had parents of the 90’s clutching their pearls and shaking their heads. It was truly a paradigm shift for women in rock that paved the way for many future female artists.
The harnessing of Morissette’s talent was made possible in part by her synergistic relationship with JLP producer Glen Ballard who’s proficiencies in the studio, presence in the recording sessions and veteran work ethic created the perfect environment for the young Alanis to thrive. This resulted in many tracks being written in a short amount of time and with very few takes, again a reflection of the connection between the two artists. 90’s drum machines, noisy guitar arrangements and Alanis’s harmonica swirled together to create everything from the emotionally charged, grunge-infused All I Really Want to the laid back playfulness of Hand In My Pocket. Did I mention that the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Flea did the bass on You Oughta Know? This album simply has it all. Catchy, rebellious, introspective, thought–provoking; Jagged Little Pill scratches every single itch and leaves no stone unturned. There’s a reason why it’s sold 33 million copies worldwide and took home all those Grammy’s - it’s just that damn good.
Jagged Little Pill is a time capsule that sends you back to a decade where the music was raw, the internet was in its infancy and the future seemed, well, bright. Oh how silly we were. In that vein, this 100th review can be seen as a time capsule as well; a look back at the past two and a half years here at Too Sweet Reviews, a way to reflect on all of the time and effort that Reid, Lundi and I have sunk into this little blog and the growth that it has had. From jot notes on a text document, to an Instagram page, to a website, to a podcast; where does it stop? Damn well if I know. What I do know is that the core values of TSR still hold true, and I am having an absolute blast as I navigate this vast music landscape with my two best friends. Hello one hundred - now here’s to a thousand more.
Overall Rating: 9.5/10
Favourite Song: Hand In My Pocket
LUNDI
Album one hundred. One zero zero.
Jagged Little Pill. J L P.
Sweet. T O O sweet.
Endless thanks to our readers for joining us on this venture. To Reido and Roz I love you both. Here’s to the next 100. But first, Alanis Morissette.
Jagged Little Pill has always held a special place in my musical world and with it having sold over 33 million copies worldwide I’m clearly not the only one that holds it in high regard. The album ventures into a rare territory of collective love that so very few artists get to experience. Even the greatest bands in the world have their detractors but I can’t recall ever meeting someone who wholeheartedly dislikes this record. Maybe I have the Canadian blinders on but aside from TSR’s second choice for review 100, Fleetwood Mac’s Rumors, I don’t see an album out there that gets the pure admiration no hate mix received with JLP. That in itself is a testament to how special Alanis’ third record is. It did just the right things at just the right time to become something exceptional that has lasted generations.
Alanis’ vocals are the leading factor in this albums cultural love and thanks to insight from The Ringers 60 Songs that made the 90’s podcast, I have a greater understanding of why that is so. See nineties bands always wanted to sound larger than life. The punk, the grunge, the alt rock, it was all meant to be listened on maximum volume. Mixing engineers had a task and that was to max everything at 10 and go. Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Hole, Garbage, all their music was designed to feel like you are immersed amongst reverberating instruments and vocals in a large room. The concert effect. While JLP still feels like a great alt rock album, it strategically pans back it’s instruments to a single speaker leaving only the bass undoctored vocal centred which allows Alanis’ performance to sit on top of the music so to speak. This puts the star of the show squarely at the forefront and gives the lasting impression that Alanis is singing right next to you in the same room. This in turn develops an intense emotional connection with the listener on early listens, one that so many still have to this day. It’s a technique that has since been often duplicated due the success but was very rarely used in the mid 90’s. This key creative decision is a major reason JLP both vaulted to Album of the Year and has stood the test of time. Obviously it helps that Alanis’ fierce vocal is absolutely incredible and uniquely powerful but the minds at work behind JLP knew what they had and utilized her voice to unlock the star power within the artist. You need time on your side but talent usually wins out. When you mix both, this is what you get.
Pill also largely plays the part of an excellent coming-of-age record focusing once again on establishing an emotional connection. While often described simply as a break up album due largely in part to the success of You Oughta Know, JLP is actually so much more. The record is vast look a the life of a woman finding her true self as songs explore faith, friendship, family, youth and growing up. It does an excellent job of capturing the mix of confusion and anger at this stage of one’s life that we all go through. Morissette describes a chaotic yet authentic lifestyle that never feels stale even to this day despite the vastly different world we live in. Her cathartic release of energy is just so powerful. It’s completely soul bearing. At the ripe age of 21 she managed to create this lasting piece of art, one that is surely timeless.
Sorry to The Tragically Hip and Neil Young but Alanis Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill is the greatest musical creation to come out of Canada. On top of that it’s one of the best 90’s and Alt-Rock albums ever and still absolutely kicks ass today. This coming of age album has matured like a fine wine.
Overall Rating: 9.4/10
Favourite Song: You Oughta Know