It’s 1995, and you’ve got your new rollerblades on, ripping through the neighborhood streets with your Walkman in your pocket and headphones over your ears. A friend gives you a new cassette to listen to. The label says Jagged Little Pill by Alanis Morissette.
You are unfamiliar with her work, but “You Oughta Know” would become an instant classic. People may have told you, “You live, you learn.” You didn’t take it to heart until you heard Alanis Morissette pour her heart and soul into this thirteen-track classic album. “Jagged Little Pill” was her third studio album and by far the most successful of her career!
Alanis Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill Impact
If the movie Back to the Future were made today, we would be going back 30 years to the year 1995. There is an excellent chance that Marty McFly’s mother, Lorraine, would have been listening to Jagged Little Pill, especially if she was going through it with either George or Biff. Alanis Morissette was able to reach women of all ages, navigating various life situations in a catchy way that also appealed to men, allowing them to enjoy her music as well.
Jagged Little Pill spent 12 weeks at number one on the Billboard charts on its way to going 16 times platinum! Out of the 13 tracks on the album, six of them hit the top 100 on the charts. The most successful being “You Oughta Know,” which tells the story of a woman’s vengeful feelings towards her ex-boyfriend after their breakup. Rumor has it that the song was about Dave Coulier, best known for his role as Joey Gladstone on the popular family sitcom Full House. Yeah, that’s right! The “Cut it out” guy! And please don’t call him Uncle Joey, I challenge you to find a clip of them calling him Uncle, but I digress.
Five more tracks would follow, topping out in the top 100. “Hand in My Pocket,” “You Learn,” “Ironic,” “Head Over Feet,” and “All I Really Want” would contribute to this becoming one of the greatest albums of all time. In fact, Jagged Little Pill is ranked in the top 4% of all albums ever released, ranking at 31 on Apple Music and 69 according to Rolling Stone. It sold 33 million copies worldwide and remains one of the most successful albums by a female rock artist ever!
Alanis Morissette’s third album would go on to win five Grammy Awards. The list would include Best Album of the Year, Best Rock Album, and Best Female Rock Vocal Performance. This doesn’t come as a surprise, given that it produced six hit singles. Not many albums have more than two hit singles, and this one managed to triple that number.
In an era of attitude in America, Alanis was able to stand out in her own right. Her music videos were constantly running on MTV and VH1 (yes, at one point they did play music videos), and her music was all over the radio waves. Today, if you go on Spotify, four of her top five streamed songs are on this classic album.
Final Thoughts
Isn’t it ironic that lashing out about an ex-boyfriend would bring you the most success? Alanis Morissette proved you can achieve success through venting. This timeless album is still a banger thirty years later. Fellas, if you meet a woman and Jagged Little Pill is her favorite, there are two takeaways: she has great taste in music and proceed with caution. At the beginning, you were rollerblading with your Walkman in your pocket, and by the end of the album, you will have one hand in your pocket and the other flicking a cigarette!
