Alanis Bites Down and Swallows Hard on Jagged Little Pill

In honor of Alanis’ third studio album Under Rug Swept I look back on where it all started. Jagged Little Pill was a rare album. Out of nowhere came this very apparently angry yet creative woman who sung songs yet told stories at the same time. Her lyrics defined her thoughts instead of eluding to them. The world would soon get to know Alanis – until that time occurred, we were left with first impressions.

The GOOD –

First impressions. Alanis clearly asks, “do I stress you out? My sweaters is on backwards and inside out and you say how (emphasis on “how”) appropriate.” She’s here, she’s angry, she has a message, she’s inquisitive, she rants, she vocalizes, so deal. By using a harmonica – an instrument very rarely heard from in most modern day rock tunes – Alanis also brings a little bit of soul to her music. Her lyrics amplify that soul to the point that not only does she sound like she’s sharing with us a little bit of her own soul, she’s also reaching for and touching our own.

Second impressions. Alanis goes from wearing her sweater inside out to posing life questions such as “is she perverted like me, will she go down on you in a theater” and “will she have your baby, I’m sure she’ll make a very excellent mother.” If that’s not enough, she states “It was a slap in the face, how quickly I was replaced and are you thinking of me when you f*ck her?” When Alanis wants revenge. She gets revenge. I can imagine some guy popping in the first CD made by his ex (Alanis) and then becoming horrified that he’s basically detailed as a loser and perhaps even sexually impotent. Bet his male friends had to buy him one round.

Overall Impressions. I could continue to count upwards on the number of “impressions” Alanis gave me upon the first time I listened to her album – but that would be in a sense a futile attempt. Each of her tracks are different yet are combined together by her unique voice, her creative approach, and her “in your face” delivery. Much of her career has surrounded the various vocalizations she utilizes in her songs – and Jagged Little Pill is where it all began and where it is most apparent. Not a song goes by, where Alanis is not ending one word, a sentence, or even a breath with a different tone from which it began. Like Tori Amos she uses the mere sound of her breath to carry an emotion – which only proves that sometimes you don’t need words or music – just plain air passing through your lips has enough strength to carry your message.

The Messages. Besides being angry at past lovers, Alanis also explores her own religion, how Ironic life is, Mary Jane, and even how it feels to walk around an empty apartment – even if it ends in despair. In each song her words are prominently displayed above her music – something of which shifts in her second and third studio album. In fact, her words are so clearly defined and heard throughout the course of the CD that one might wonder if the background music was recorded on a local Casio keyboard. It has very little importance in the scheme of things and the album could do very well if it was simply just tracks of just Alanis’ voice. Check out the hidden track at the end of the album to see just how clear and ironically beautiful her voice can be when accompanied by nothing.

Okay, There Is Music. Granted I mentioned in the previous paragraph that Alanis could succeed by her voice alone – but there are a few tracks in this album that are brought more to life by little additional touches such as a harmonica and a flute. This adds a light spice to the album – since you normally don’t hear a flute or a harmonica in any sort of rock music. You hear electronic guitars, electronic keyboards, a drum set, and of course a electronic bass. Never a flute and especially never a harmonica. But Alanis blends them in with great success. And, she plays them too. For a moment they take you out of the realm of her voice and show for a brief second in time that Alanis is just as musical as she is lyrical.

The BAD –

Ssssnake. Alanis sat silently to sing sad songs slowly so she could be successful. Besides money, power, and fame – being popular also means access to the best equipment. Being that this is Alanis’ first studio album – even if she was signed by Madonna – her album slightly suffers from poor mixing. It didn’t affect me the first or second time around – but recently I’ve noticed an abundance of hissing emitting from the CD. It only seems to occur whenever Alanis sings a word contains a “S”. This may not be a problem on most home stereo systems – but try listening to the album while wearing headphones. Over time the hissing can become very distracting.

Hide those Innocent Ears. Alanis is not a rocker for the youngsters. She is, by far, much better than the rap or heavy metal that they normally listen to when you are not looking – but Alanis does go into detail about her various sexual mishaps and even uses cuss words in her lyrics. I introduced that statement just so no one picks up this album (if they haven’t already – it sold around 13 million CDs!) and thinks that they could leave Alanis to care for their children. Granted she's not some lame Britney Spears who’s music seems to be more innocent, all the while she prances around executing her dance movies in perhaps the skimpiest clothing line I’ve ever seen on an ex-Mouseketeer. You can’t have your cake and eat it too I guess. Trust be told, I’d rather leave my offspring in the care of Alanis than Spears. At least then, they’ll get a lesson in poetry and creativity and not simply rhyming cool words.

The OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS –

I can hardly believe that no one has ever heard of Jagged Little Pill. It was a fixture in time a few years back – and since Alanis continues to be popular today her flame has yet to burn out. However, just in case you say “Alanis who?”, check out Jagged Little Pill first. Explore her inner anger and her inner creativity. Then check out Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie. There you’ll explore her religion more, her inner thoughts, and her inner fears. If you have the opportunity, see the movies City of Angels and Dogma to check out some of her side projects in-between albums. If you become really seriously attracted to Alanis, check out her brief appearance on the Dave Matthews Band release Before These Crowded Streets. Finally, if you are still hooked – check out Under Rug Swept. Alanis goes from being angry, to being spiritual, to simply being a rocker. Under Rug Swept and Jagged Little Pill are very similar – except in URS, Alanis has benefited from time. Time to grow her voice, calm down her vocalizations a tad, and create a better balance between her voice and her music. The flute and the harmonica may be gone – but Alanis has not.

The BOTTOM LINE IN OVER 30 WORDS –

Jagged Little Pill was a revolution. No album in recent history created such a storm nor swarm of individuals clamoring for a piece of it. And, Alanis deserved every minute of it. Her album was in your face rock. Lyrically challenging. And, above all, more creative than anything else ever released that year. She created her own world, her own stories, her own music. From listening to her anger, to hearing about actions in a movie theater, to hearing how ironic life is and being a Catholic is – Alanis had guided us through each step. She’s not a four bar singer who can’t wait to get to the chorus. Each of her words, in each place, have a particular meaning. An overall meaning. Some will hit home. Other may fade off into oblivion. No matter which, Alanis is not bound to be forgotten anytime soon. Anyone ever heard of Courtney Love?

The TRACKS –

1. All I Really Want
2. You Oughta Know
3. Perfect
4. Hand In My Pocket
5. Right Through You
6. Forgiven
7. You Learn
8. Head Over Feet
9. Mary Jane
10. Ironic
11. Not The Doctor
12. Wake Up
13. Untitled