Alanis Disentangled
Cover Story
Alanis Disentangled
Editor's Note: The following is an enhanced version of the article that appeared in the print edition of the March IM, and includes content not published in the print edition.
In 1995, Canadian singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette (Local 47, Los Angeles) released Jagged Little Pill, and the album quickly grew into a phenomenon. Its chart-topping first single, "You Oughta Know," became an anthem for women scorned and struck fear into the heart of more than one unfaithful man. Fans fell hard for her lyrics-driven, emotionally raw brand of alternative rock, while critics attached labels to Morissette that ranged from angry and bitter to bold and revolutionary. The album sold 30 million units worldwide and garnered four Grammy awards, including Album of the Year and Best Female Rock Vocal Performance. Through it all we couldn't help but wonder: how much staying power did this 20-year-old musician really have?
This month, at the age of 33, Morissette will be inducted into the Canadian Music Industry Hall of Fame, and will be honored at the Canadian Radio Music Awards with a Lifetime Achievement Award. She has a thriving acting career, appearing in both television and film, and this year will release her newest album, Flavors of Entanglement, her fourth since Jagged Little Pill's release. Some thirteen years since "You Oughta Know" invaded the airwaves, those who wondered about Morissette's longevity have gotten their answer. She's here to stay.
Hardly Overnight
Like so many stars who seem to appear out of nowhere, Morissette was hardly an overnight success. Growing up in Canada and Germany, she played the piano, wrote songs, and studied dance. At 10, she joined the cast of the hugely popular children's television program You Can't Do That on Television, and with the money made from the show, she and a friend started their own record company. She funded an independent single called "Fate Stay With Me," and when her time on the show was over, signed a recording contract with MCA Canada.
In 1991, Morissette released her first album, Alanis, and won a Juno Award for Most Promising Female Artist. Her follow-up album, Now Is The Time, was released in 1992. Though she was gaining ground as a songwriter, she still didn't feel as if she'd truly found her own voice. It wasn't until she moved to the US in 1994 that her career started falling into place. There she met Glen Ballard of Local 47, who would go on to produce Jagged Little Pill.
"I was 19 when I first felt that writing was a channeled experience," Morissette recalls. "It had a lot to do with where I was at then, having met Glen, moving from Canada, and moving away from any preconceived notions I had of how songs 'should' be written. It was a beginning of a new way to approach songwriting all together."
That new approach proved to be just what she needed, and the result of her collaboration with Ballard catapulted her into the mainstream and gave her global visibility. It also put her in the crosshairs of critics, who were all too willing to categorize the young performer. "It's difficult to overcome that. Being one-dimensionalized feels very violent," she says. "I've gone from being singularly angry, to singularly spiritual, to singularly—well, lately I guess they call me a party girl! Thankfully, times change. Labels change. The funny thing is, they're all true. They're all a part of who I am. They just don't all exist on their own, or all at one time."
Following the success of her first album, Morissette spent the better part of the next decade turning out critically acclaimed work that was eagerly devoured by her fans. Her follow-up to Jagged Little Pill, 1998's Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie, debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 Chart and earned her two more Grammys, including one for her single "Uninvited," which reached number one on Billboard's Top 40. Later albums Under Rug Swept and So-Called Chaos introduced Morissette to new audiences; the single "Everything" from So-Called Chaos was a mainstay on the Adult Top 40 chart and a remix of "Eight Easy Steps" became a dance club hit.
Varied Stages
Despite her success as a musician, Morissette has not abandoned the acting career she began as a kid. She has appeared in the television series Sex and the City and Nip/Tuck, and on the silver screen in films such as De-Lovely and the controversial Dogma, in which she portrayed God. On stage, she was a cast member of The Vagina Monologues and starred in the off-Broadway play The Exonerated as death row inmate Sunny Jacobs.
Morissette's life as an actor and her familiarity with the world of film often intersect with her musical pursuits, and she has contributed a number of songs to film soundtracks over the course of her career. She received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Original Song for "Wünderkind" from the film The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and recorded the song "Let's Do It (Let's Fall in Love)" for De-Lovely's soundtrack.
In October, she began work on the sci-fi feature Radio Free Albemuth, based on the 1985 book of the same name. The film is scheduled for release in June. "This is my first lead film role, and it's very exciting," she says. "I'm also writing a book, which is part autobiographical, part anecdotal, part travel log. I'd like motherhood to be down the road at some point."
Her upcoming Lifetime Achievement Award and Hall of Fame induction are perfect opportunities, she says, to work on being more receptive to praise. "I'm trying to become more comfortable with recognition," she says. "It's something I've had a little shame about in the past. Instead of just hanging my head and saying, 'Aw, shucks,' I want to be able to be proud and take it!
Recent 'Entanglements'
Her most recent project is the upcoming Flavors of Entanglement, an electronica-tinged album co-written and produced by British musician and producer Guy Sigsworth. The two wrote nearly two dozen songs together, with 13 of them making the final cut. Though Morissette has stayed true to her familiar, autobiographical writing process, she did change that process slightly, gleaning a sort of catharsis from her songwriting as she experienced transition in her personal life.
"I write in my journals constantly," she explains. "And that's where my songs come from. One album typically consists of two full journals—going into this project, I had six! When it came time to start writing, though, I was going through something that was very personal, very intense and immediate. I had to deal with it in order to keep my head above water, so I began writing from that place."
"All of the songs were written in real time," she continues. "This record helped me through some fragile moments. Every song was like a life raft."
She says that those six journals might one day make their way into her music, or they may just be something she keeps for herself. "It all depends on where I'm at, what's relevant," she says. "I could go back to them someday."
Because this would be her first studio album in nearly four years, Morissette wanted to bring new sounds and styles to her work, while still embracing uniquely human themes like the struggle we all face in finding our place in the world. To do this, she blended Eastern-inspired percussion with an electronic vibe, and overlaid it all with her poetic and deeply personal lyrics. She takes a hard look at human behavior and the choices we all make in songs such as "Visions of Violence," and "Straightjacket." "It's a Bitch to Grow Up" explores the often cyclical nature of learning, while "Giggling Again for No Good Reason" celebrates the freedom of reaching a turning point in life.
"I think what most pleased me about the process of making this record was how insulated we all were—by the end it was just the three of us, Guy Sigsworth, our engineer Andy Page, and me," Morissette recalls. "We were just so ensconced; it was just pure art with no influence from the outside world."
That insulation is reflected throughout the album, she says, and is most apparent on the song "Moratorium," which she is playing on her current tour. "That song really shows Guy and Andy's influence," she says. "Sonically, they have a far more technical sensibility than I do, and that's why I wanted to work with them. It's a great marriage of our two styles."
Global Perspective
Morissette sees herself as a global citizen, and is deeply devoted to causes that are near to her heart, most notably those related to environmental concerns. She supports Reverb, a nonprofit organization that helps musicians and music fans to achieve environmental sustainability through carbon-neutral initiatives. Her Feast on Scraps live CD and DVD inserts were printed on recycled paper, at a time when this was not the industry standard. In fact, Morissette paid for the printing out of her own pocket.
Her perspective on the world spills over into her music; the song "Underneath" on Flavors of Entanglement reflects Mahatma Gandhi's belief that "you must be the change you want to see in the world," by exploring the relationship between the microcosmic self and the macrocosmic world.
In addition to her environmental work, she is passionate about protecting the rights of women as well as artists, and has published a number of articles and spoken to Congress on behalf of those affected by legislation in these areas. Like the AFM, she is interested in finding a solution to the growing problem of piracy.
"I think there needs to be a balance," she says. "There is a fine line between overly protecting oneself and one's work, and being so flexible that you lose your self-respect. What I mean by that is it's necessary to protect yourself, but when you're trying to share music with as many people as you possibly can, there has to be some flexibility to make that possible."
She continues, "Studies show that as many as 80% of people out there are willing to pay for music. Eighty percent is significant. People in general are willing to compensate artists for their expressions. I think that all we can really do is work hard to make sure that places to buy music legally are easy for people to find and use."
Morissette is clearly an older, wiser, and more mature version of the young girl who first bared her soul to us on Jagged Little Pill. The story she has to tell has changed a bit, but at her core, she is still the same artist, struggling with the same issues we all face. "As long as each record I make is a brilliant representation of where I'm at, then I've done my job," she says. "I've learned to equate success with happiness. And by that measure, I'm very successful right now."
