The Words and Music of Alanis Morissette

This study analyzes the career, albums, and songs of Alanis Morissette and how they create a narrative about her personal growth. It challenges media portrayals of her that focused on anger or spirituality and views her work as a narrative of self-discovery and a journey through a series of failed relationships in search of a meaningful lifelong relationship. It describes her beginnings as a teen pop singer, her first album Alanis, and her second album Now Is the Time; her rise to fame with Jagged Little Pill, its musical context, and its new performance aesthetic and songwriting approach; her subsequent hiatus, trip to India, and her album Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie and its themes of spirituality and wholeness; her break with collaborator Glen Ballard, Under Rug Swept, her acting appearances, her activism and advocacy, and So-Called Chaos; and Jagged Little Pill Acoustic, her creative partnership with Guy Sigsworth, Flavors of Entanglement, her marriage and motherhood, and Havoc and Bright Lights. Each chapter includes discussion of videos, awards, and commercial responses. Annotation c2015 Ringgold, Inc., Portland, OR (protoview.com)

Karen Fournier, PhD, is associate professor of music theory at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.