Alanis Morissette
Biography
Alanis Morissette was one of the most unlikely stars of the mid-'90s. A former child actress turned dance-pop diva, Morissette later transformed herself into a confessional alternative singer/songwriter in the vein of Liz Phair and Tori Amos. However, she bolstered that formula with enough pop sensibility, slight hip-hop flourishes, and marketing savvy to become a superstar with her third album, Jagged Little Pill.
Morissette was born in Ottawa, Canada, and began playing piano and writing songs during her childhood years. She also joined the cast of You Can't Do That on Television, a children's television program. Using money that she earned on the show, Morissette recorded an independent single, "Fate Stay with Me," which was released when she was only ten years old. Morissette then concentrated on a musical career after leaving the show's cast, signing a music publishing contract when she was 14. The publishing contract led to a record deal with MCA Canada, and Morissette moved to Toronto before releasing her debut album, Alanis, in 1991.
Alanis was a collection of pop-oriented dance numbers and ballads that found success in Canada, selling over 100,000 copies and earning the singer a Juno Award for Most Promising Female Artist. However, no other country paid much attention to the record. In 1992, Morissette released Now Is the Time, an album that closely resembled her debut. Like its predecessor, it was a success in Canada, even if its sales did not match those of Alanis. Following the release of Now Is the Time, Morissette relocated to Los Angeles, where she met veteran producer Glen Ballard in early 1994. Ballard had previously written Michael Jackson's hit single "Man in the Mirror," produced Wilson Phillips' hit debut album, and worked with actor/musician David Hasselhoff. The two decided to work together, and despite their shared experience with mainstream pop, they opted instead to pursue an edgier, alternative rock-oriented direction. The result was Jagged Little Pill, which was released in 1995 on Madonna's label, Maverick Records.
On the strength of the angst-ridden single "You Oughta Know," Jagged Little Pill gained attention upon its release in the summer of 1995. The song soon received heavy airplay from alternative radio outlets and MTV, sending the album into the Top Ten and helping it achieve multi-platinum status. Jagged Little Pill's subsequent singles -- "Hand in My Pocket," "All I Really Want," "You Learn," "Ironic," and "All I Really Want" -- kept the album in the Top Ten for an astounding 69 weeks, and Alanis Morissette was nominated for six Grammys in early 1996. She won several of those awards, including Album of the Year and Song of the Year.
While she never managed to replicate the success of Jagged Little Pill, Morissette continued to release well-received albums into the 21st century. Her much-anticipated follow-up, Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie, was released in the autumn of 1998, setting a record for the highest first-week sales by a female artist. An Unplugged set appeared a year later and featured a cover of the Police's "King of Pain," while 2002's Under Rug Swept saw Morissette writing and producing without the help of collaborators. So-Called Chaos followed in 2004. A year later, she took Jagged Little Pill on the road as an acoustic tour. Those tour dates led to the release of Jagged Little Pill Acoustic, an album originally (and tellingly) sold exclusively through Starbucks outlets. Morissette and her fans had grown up, and Collection -- an 18-track retrospective of her work -- followed in November 2005. But Morissette wasn't done, returning in 2008 with her seventh studio effort (and fifth international release), Flavors of Entanglement. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
Selected Discography
I've been listening, following, and loving her musical genuis talent since 1995 with jagged little pills release. She had her ups and downs like all other artist, but if you aren't even familiar with her music then you don't even know enough or have respectable grounds to judge, or down her or music in any which way. Your a true and great artist Alanis, keep it going!
Fateful and content fan. |
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Who would pull out their hair? That girlfriend sounds like she has problems.
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I think she is GOD! Atleast that's what she played in Dogma. I had a crazy girlfriend who pulled out her own hair when she got mad, and she listened to Alanis all the time! Guess God does work in mysterious ways!!
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She was a one album wonder. I love her album Jagged Little Pill
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LUV this song...luv the more accoustic versin. GREAT album...brin g s b a c k great memories from the good ol' high school days!
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Smart and fun. "supposed former infatuation junkie" is her strangest, and best.
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i love her she is such an inspiration to me. i love to sing and she is one of the artists who inspired me to sing the way i do.
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I think that she is amazing and she has shown through the years that even though she is famouse that that has not changed her.
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I will forever love Alanis! this is really the first artist i began to come of age with, I felt like she knew me, knew my heart, and listening to her music i felt like the lyrics were more like a conversation between two friends about life they often shared with one another! her music speaks to my heart and soul and for that i am eternally grateful.
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My girl!!!! I will forever love this woman who introduced me to angry words that you can express with music. She rocks, she rolls, she rules as far as I'm concerned. I love you babygirl!!! Keep me smirking and singing!@#
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honestly Alanis and Dolores dont sound all that similar at all to me. while both are nice to listen to Alanis a smooth voice when she wants too but tends to sing in a tougher tone than Dolores. Alanis is definatly the one that may have been inspired but weather or not that is true doesent realy matter they both rock.
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WRONG!!! Dolores has an original sound and vocal range achieved by few others. Dolores trumps any day. And she's sexy as heck too.
It would have to be Alanis that was inspired considering she was still a kid when Dolores's career was taking off. |
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Compare her voice to that of Dolores O'Riordan of the Cranberries. I wonder if one was inspired by the other? Both women are fine on the ears.
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Alanis Morisette is healing my body mind and soul. Find somebody that "speaks for you" things you feel and need and think. Enjoy it and allow the process to create new cells in your body through the joy it creates in you. Alanis is my hero! I can't get through one day without her artwork running through my spirit! Thank you Alanis Morisette.
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I saw Alanis on tour about a month ago -- WHAT an amazing live show and kick-a** band!!!! So great to see her and the guys tearing it up onstage. :D I *highly* recommend it...
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Its remarkable that she was a child star and now makes valid music as an adult.
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We have photos of Alanis in San Diego! Check them out at http://thede a d h u b . c o m / a l a n i s - m o r i s s e t t e - s a n - d i e g o - p i c t u r e s - a n d - t o u r - d a t e s /
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She has two other albums not listed here, cause they were only released in Canada and are out of production.
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One could argue that Alanis knew exactly what she was doing when she wrote a song called "Ironic" that doesn't contain a single ironic thing in its lyrics, which is ironic unto itself. I certainly wouldn't put it past her.
I always found her mildly irritating as a teenager, but since listening to her songs again on Pandora she's grown on me. |
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you know the only ironic thing about the song "ironic" is that she should've gotten a dictionary and learned the meaning of the word ironic before she wrote that song. there's not a damn thing in that song that's ironic...it' s all just unfortunate. but.....i digress...i can't take credit for acknowledgin g that because i heard a comedian spout that s**t out. but that is very comedic because nothings funnier than the truth! later folks.
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I love alanis, I've always rocked out to her. I don't care if no one else listens to Jagged Little Pill anymore, I still rock it loud and proud!
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she is the coolist of the coolist lots of luck with everything you do!!!!!
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That's because there are NO "Similar Artists"! Alanis is one of a kind. My absolute fave female vocalist!
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Awesome. I love almost all of her songs. "You Oughta Know" in Rock Band 2! Btw, is it just me or is there no section with "Similar Artists"?
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