Alanis Morissette

Alanis Morissette grew up in Ottawa. Her father taught French, and her twin brother Wade is also a musician. As a child she appeared on the kids’ sketch show You Can’t Do That on Television, and in the early 1990s she released two dance-pop albums in Canada.

Then she moved to Los Angeles and met producer Glen Ballard, who let her use his studio and write her own way. Jagged Little Pill came out in June 1995 on Maverick, Madonna’s label. It was only expected to sell enough to justify a second album. Then KROQ, an influential Los Angeles rock station, started playing You Oughta Know, a furious break-up song with Flea and Dave Navarro of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Hand in My Pocket, You Learn and Ironic, her biggest hit, followed. The album won her five Grammys, including Album of the Year, and she was the youngest winner of that award at the time.

From Under Rug Swept (2002) she produced her records alone. In 2018 Jagged Little Pill became a stage musical, which went on to win two Tony Awards on Broadway. In 2026 she was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Play Jagged Little Pill in order, starting with You Oughta Know. For a different mood, try Uninvited, written for the City of Angels soundtrack in 1998.