21 Things I Want in a Lover
Encyclopedia
"21 Things I Want in a Lover", sometimes just called "21 Things" for short, is a alternative rock
song written by Alanis Morissette
, and produced by her for her sixth album, Under Rug Swept
(2002). The song features guitarist Dean DeLeo
of Stone Temple Pilots
.
magazine said the song contained "a trampoline-bouncing guitar riff
to detract attention from lyrics packed tighter than a holiday suitcase." Robert Christgau
wrote, "Morissette instantly demonstrates her gift for the catchy, crunching out a guitar riff and then revealing 21 'not necessarily needs but things that I prefer' in a lover. Stretching out il-lu-si-on and for-med to suit scansion or mood, opposing capital punishment and coming out for sex 'more than three times a week,' topping memorable verse with indelible chorus, she's a self-actualized nut who goes for what she wants, exactly as pretentious as the college girls she represents for." The LA Weekly
called it "a wholly satisfying pop-rocker [that] launches the album with her laundry-list lyric style", and Rolling Stone
characterised it as a "power-chorded personal ad".
"21 Things I Want in a Lover" was released to radio and television as the third single
from Under Rug Swept in Brazil
. The music video
for the single comprises clips from the DVD release Feast on Scraps
; some of these are from a performance of the song at Ahoy in Rotterdam
, Netherlands
on August 13, 2002, during Morissette's Toward Our Union Mended Tour. The video premiered on Channel [V] International
in Malaysia on November 2, and on MTV Brazil on November 20.
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
song written by Alanis Morissette
Alanis Morissette
Alanis Nadine Morissette is a Canadian-American singer-songwriter, guitarist, record producer, and actress. She has won 16 Juno Awards and seven Grammy Awards, was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards and also shortlisted for an Academy Award nomination...
, and produced by her for her sixth album, Under Rug Swept
Under Rug Swept
Under Rug Swept is the fifth album by Canadian singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette. Released by Maverick Records in the United States on February 26, 2002 and in the United Kingdom a day earlier , it was the first album Morissette had written and produced on her own...
(2002). The song features guitarist Dean DeLeo
Dean DeLeo
Dean DeLeo is an American guitarist for the rock band Stone Temple Pilots.He is also known for his role in the short-lived bands Talk Show and Army of Anyone, which featured his younger brother Robert DeLeo, Filter frontman Richard Patrick, and session drummer Ray Luzier...
of Stone Temple Pilots
Stone Temple Pilots
Stone Temple Pilots is an American rock band from San Diego, California that consists of Scott Weiland , brothers Robert DeLeo and Dean DeLeo , and Eric Kretz ....
.
Theme
Morissette said that she is joking in one part of the song, but in another she's "dead serious. The more aware of the qualities I am looking for, the more I'm able to recognize them when they appear, as opposed to having the initial meeting romantically be singularly dependent on chemical reaction or some intangible, indefinable, heart-palpitating, palm- sweating thing ... [that] often result[s] in a huge amount of incompatibility, so the concept of compatibility is so much more important to me as I get older." According to her, the song does not mention every quality she desires in a lover; she said she had "like 673 things" on her list, and that "It has to be updated after every guy."Release and reception
QQ (magazine)
Q is a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom.Founders Mark Ellen and David Hepworth were dismayed by the music press of the time, which they felt was ignoring a generation of older music buyers who were buying CDs — then still a new technology...
magazine said the song contained "a trampoline-bouncing guitar riff
RIFF
The Resource Interchange File Format is a generic file container format for storing data in tagged chunks. It is primarily used to store multimedia such as sound and video, though it may also be used to store any arbitrary data....
to detract attention from lyrics packed tighter than a holiday suitcase." Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau is an American essayist, music journalist, and self-proclaimed "Dean of American Rock Critics".One of the earliest professional rock critics, Christgau is known for his terse capsule reviews, published since 1969 in his Consumer Guide columns...
wrote, "Morissette instantly demonstrates her gift for the catchy, crunching out a guitar riff and then revealing 21 'not necessarily needs but things that I prefer' in a lover. Stretching out il-lu-si-on and for-med to suit scansion or mood, opposing capital punishment and coming out for sex 'more than three times a week,' topping memorable verse with indelible chorus, she's a self-actualized nut who goes for what she wants, exactly as pretentious as the college girls she represents for." The LA Weekly
LA Weekly
LA Weekly is a free weekly tabloid-sized "alternative weekly" in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1978 by Editor/Publisher Jay Levin and a board of directors that included actor-producer Michael Douglas...
called it "a wholly satisfying pop-rocker [that] launches the album with her laundry-list lyric style", and Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
characterised it as a "power-chorded personal ad".
"21 Things I Want in a Lover" was released to radio and television as the third single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
from Under Rug Swept in Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. The music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for the single comprises clips from the DVD release Feast on Scraps
Feast on Scraps
Feast on Scraps is an Alanis Morissette CD/DVD package released on December 10, 2002 . The DVD was filmed during a concert in Rotterdam, Netherlands and the CD contains unreleased studio tracks left off Morissette's album Under Rug Swept, which was released earlier that year...
; some of these are from a performance of the song at Ahoy in Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
on August 13, 2002, during Morissette's Toward Our Union Mended Tour. The video premiered on Channel [V] International
Channel V
Channel [V] is the brand name for multiple international music television networks owned by STAR TV and Fox International Channels, fully owned subsidiaries of News Corporation.-Channel [V] International:...
in Malaysia on November 2, and on MTV Brazil on November 20.