Customer Reviews

Jagged Little Pill

5 star:		(285)
4 star:		(59)
3 star:		(21)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(35)

 

 

Obviously this is an awesome album. You know it already. I know it already. Lets not waste each others time.

I never really liked Alanis until i heard "Ironic"..i then listened to her album and...wow, i jus completely changed my view on her. My personal favourite is "You Oughta Know", its just...rage and emotion, some think she's crazy, but..i think thats good music. Same goes to "Right Through U" and "Unforgiven". All the songs on this album are different from each other. They have different meanings and topics,no wonder why she won album of the year at the Grammys. I also love "Hand In My Pocket" and "You Learn". I love the harmonica in "Head Over Feet", u jus cant match it. "Mary Jane" really shows her vocal ability and her hittin the high notes, i guess u can call it the "ballad" on the album.Overall, whoever doesnt have this album..its a must, ur missin out.

When you talk about the biggest albums of the 90s, you certainly have to talk about 1995's Jagged Little Pill. Alanis Morissette, to my mind, came to represent a version of the new woman of the 90s, leaving no questions as to her feelings and, some might say, demands. Decades ago, Aretha wanted R-E-S-P-E-C-T, but Alanis wants much more than that, and as far as I'm concerned, she deserves it. Apparently, at least one guy did Alanis wrong at some point; some women get mad, some get even - Alanis has the strength to do both. I for one love a strong woman.

To many, Alanis burst on the scene from out of nowhere with this mega-smash CD. I have one of her first two albums, so I know better. As a teenager, Alanis actually found stardom in Canada singing, of all things, bubble gum pop. I know - it's hard to believe. I don't think any artist has ever undergone such a radical transformation as Alanis did from her teen albums to Jagged Little Pill.

Do I even need to talk about the songs? Were any of these tracks not smash hit singles? It all started with You Oughta Know, which was a revelation of sorts to many radio listeners. Harsh, angry, a little perverted, cursed with a couple of those silly bleeps radio stations just have to use - this was something different, and it just so happened to rock, as well. Alanis says everything all the good girls wronged by bad guys want to say but cannot to the heels in their lives. Right Through You comes in from the other direction to hit the target; Alanis, as a new woman of the 90s, is far too smart to fall for all the shuck and jive guys try to sell the ladies. She knows what guys want, but she is not about to let herself become nothing more than a conquest some jerk can brag to his friends about. Experience has been one of her teachers, as described in the song You Learn. I think the song Forgiven plays into this theme, as well, although it's a little too complex a song for me to claim I fully understand it - it's got some of the edgiest, most passionate lyrics on the album, though. Of course, nobody's Perfect (clever segue, eh?), and life truly has a painful tendency to be Ironic at just the wrong times, but don't dismiss Alanis as some angry psycho-beast. She knows and likes herself, she knows what she wants (Not the Doctor vividly describes what she does not want), and Hand in My Pocket proves she is perfectly all right out there on her own. Wake Up, she urges the rest of us, and go get what you want rather than pining away waiting for it to find you. That very love that sends a person completely Head Over Feet is still possible - although you might have to go through a long line of jerks to find it. You don't have to become like Mary Jane, letting yourself waste away without hope.

In the end, Jagged Little Pill is not as angry an album as it might first appear. This music is all about self-empowerment, standing up and believing in yourself, living life with both eyes open and a never-dying sense of hope. I think a spirit of optimism runs through this music, negating the angry sentiment that lies on the surface. I've barely talked about the music itself from this album, and part of the reason why, I believe, is the fact that Jagged Little Pill is one of those rarest of albums, a collection of songs that transcends the music and speaks to the listener's mind and soul. Let it also be known, lest there be any doubt, that - to quote many a reviewer of music in this little online community of ours - this album totally rocks.

Morissette has lately proved that 'happy' singer-songwriters don't breed the most memorable albums. However, her angry, raw, jarring classic delivers exactly what it promises; with her gritty wailing voice, sad and sometimes desperate and pathetic breakup lyrics, grungy '90s' melodies and mellow, sad guitars, listening to this album IS like swallowing a 'jagged little pill'. There is no beating around the bush: 'Pill' is a brilliant album. The less-than-graceful Glen Ballard production, contributions from former candy-pop Morissette and the inherent anger that is heard as well as felt make for a brilliant listen. It's one of the few albums from the 90s that people will remember years from now, and more than a decade later, teens of today can still drown their anger with their jerk ex-boyfriends (and girlfriends) with 'Jagged Little Pill' on their ipod nanos.

So amazing in fact, that most of the 1 star votes just flat out hate on her. No constructive information at all. I recommend reading them for a laugh. I know I got one. :3

What can I say, Alanis is great. She at the time wanted to express her anger and pain through some of the songs on the album. And it turned out great. She left that behind her after she made this album. Any one of her fans knows this.

Some of the best songs by her are on this album. Perfect, about parents who put unrealistic expectations on their children and try to live vicariously through them. The hidden acapella track 'Your House' [on track 13 near the end], about finding a letter to her boyfriend from another woman.

It's a remarkable disc. And it's great to go back to it and remember Alanis as she was in 1995. This CD is the start of her emotional journey, which you can follow throughout her albums. Which is why she makes the remarkable artist that she is.

There are so many tracks on this album that are quality music. This was my introduction to Alanis' music and over the years I've watched her grow up, physically and metaphysically, and she's come a long way. Alanis isn't fake-y and she isn't just pulling a gimmick to get you to buy her albums (unlike Madonna, with the exception of Ray of Light by Madonna). Alanis has a pretty good website too, so if you're a fan, you should probably check that out as well. As a lyricist, her writing is somewhat subtle... some people may think the words are meaningless or insane, but really the meaning is deep and thoughtful. I appreciate her not treating her fans like they are brainless robots, there is much more to Alanis than first appearances would lead you to believe. In fact, of all the "stars" out there, if I could meet any of them, I would choose Alanis.

And yeah, I'd be so embarrassed if she read this. hehe

Let's face it: the singles became so huge, the filler was overlooked by almost all the fans of this album. But the singles are excellent. I think Head Over Feet is excellent. The secret song is also very very good. The best song on this CD is All I Really Want. It hints at the greatness to come on later albums. It's incoherent, out-of-control, and I love it. We all love Ironic. Anyone notice the irony inherent that there is NONE in a song called "Ironic?" But who cares? You Oughta Know, the song that launched Alanis, is a personal favorite. People rave about the going down in a theater line, but my favorite is "and every time i scratch my nails down someone else's back i hope you feel it well can you feel it?" Hand In My Pocket is happy-go-lucky, and You Learn tells us that no matter what, we can grow from experience. Even if the filler is overlooked, I really like Not The Doctor. Overall, it's not her best album, but it's better than most albums anywhere.

One of the best Albums of the 90's. It has a richness of sound and lyrical focus that she has never come close to repeating.

I have all of her albums, and without a doubt this his her best!!! My favorite songs are "You Oughta Know", "Forgiven", "You Learn", and "Ironic" BUY THIS ALBUM!!!

I consider Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie to be her best work, but Alanis made an amazing debut with this album. I don't know why she was labeled as angry. Out of her 6 hits: All I Really Want, You Oughta Know, Hand In My Pocket, Ironic, Head Over Feet, and You Learn, only You Oughta Know was angry. My favorite song was and is Head Over Feet. The singles were so overplayed that they overshadow the rest of the album. But I love the singles anyways. I also love the secret song, Your House. It's so amazing, and it's a capella. I love it that way. A definite must-buy.