Alanis Morissette
Encyclopedia
Alanis Nadine Morissette (born June 1, 1974) is a Canadian-American
singer-songwriter, guitarist, record producer, and actress. She has won 16 Juno Award
s and seven Grammy Award
s, was nominated for two Golden Globe Award
s and also shortlisted for an Academy Award nomination. Morissette began her career in Canada, and as a teenager recorded two dance-pop
albums, Alanis
and Now Is the Time
, under MCA Records Canada
.
Her first international album was the rock-influenced Jagged Little Pill
, released in 1995. Jagged has sold more than 33 million units globally. Her following album, Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie
, was released in 1998 and was a success as well. Morissette took up producing duties for her subsequent albums, which include Under Rug Swept
, So-Called Chaos
and Flavors of Entanglement
. Morissette has sold more than 60 million albums worldwide.
, Ontario, Canada, the daughter of Georgia Mary Ann (née Feuerstein), a teacher of Hungarian
descent, and Alan Richard Morissette, a French-Canadian high school principal. She has a twin brother Wade Morissette
(also a musician) who was born 12 minutes after her. Morissette's parents were devout Catholics. She attended Glebe Collegiate Institute
(Ottawa, Canada) for high school.
released Morissette's debut album, Alanis
, in Canada only. Morissette co-wrote every track on the album with its producer, Leslie Howe
. By the time it was released, she had dropped her stage name and was credited simply as Alanis. The dance-pop
album went platinum, and its first single, "Too Hot
", reached the top twenty on the RPM
singles chart. Subsequent singles "Walk Away
" and "Feel Your Love
" reached the top 40. Morissette's popularity, style of music and appearance, particularly that of her hair, led her to become known as the Debbie Gibson of Canada; comparisons to Tiffany
were also common. During the same period, she was a concert opening act for rapper Vanilla Ice
. Morissette was nominated for three 1992 Juno Award
s: Most Promising Female Vocalist of the Year (which she won), Single of the Year
and Best Dance Recording (both for "Too Hot").
In 1992, she released her second album, Now Is the Time
, a ballad-driven record that featured less glitzy production than Alanis and contained more thoughtful lyrics. Morissette wrote the songs with the album's producer, Leslie Howe, and Serge Côté. She said of the album, "people could go, 'Boo, hiss, hiss, this girl's like another Tiffany or whatever.' But the way I look at it ... people will like your next album if it's a suck-ass one." As with Alanis, Now Is the Time was released only in Canada and produced three top 40 singles—"An Emotion Away
", the minor adult contemporary hit "No Apologies" and "(Change Is) Never a Waste of Time". It was a commercial failure, however, selling only a little more than half the copies of her first album. With her two-album deal with MCA Records Canada complete, Morissette was left without a major label contract.
he was impressed by her "spectacular voice", her character and her lyrics. At the time she was still living at home with her parents. Together they decided it would be best for her career to move to Toronto and start writing with other people. After graduating from high school, Morissette moved from Ottawa to Toronto
. Her publisher funded part of her development and when she met producer and songwriter Glen Ballard
, he believed in her talent enough to let her use his studio. The two wrote and recorded Morissette's first internationally released album, Jagged Little Pill, and by the spring of 1995, she had signed a deal with Maverick Records
. According to manager Welch every label they had approached had passed on Morissette apart from Maverick.
Maverick Records released Jagged Little Pill
internationally in 1995. The album was expected only to sell enough for Morissette to make a follow-up, but the situation changed quickly when KROQ-FM
, an influential Los Angeles modern rock
radio station, began playing "You Oughta Know
", the album's first single. The song instantly garnered attention for its scathing, explicit lyrics, and a subsequent music video went into heavy rotation on MTV and MuchMusic
.
After the success of "You Oughta Know
", the album's other hit singles helped send Jagged Little Pill to the top of the charts. "All I Really Want
" and "Hand In My Pocket
" followed, but the fourth U.S. single, "Ironic
", became Morissette's biggest hit. "You Learn
" and "Head over Feet
", the fifth and sixth singles, respectively, kept Jagged Little Pill in the top twenty on the Billboard 200
albums chart for more than a year. According to the RIAA, Jagged Little Pill sold more than 16 million copies in the U.S.; it sold 33 million worldwide, making it the second biggest selling album by a female artist (behind Shania Twain
's Come On Over
). Morissette's popularity grew significantly in Canada, where the album was certified twelve times platinum and produced four RPM chart-toppers: "Hand In My Pocket", "Ironic", "You Learn", and "Head over Feet". The album was also a bestseller in Australia and the United Kingdom.
Morissette's success with Jagged Little Pill was credited with leading to the introduction of female singers such as Shakira
, Tracy Bonham
, Meredith Brooks
, Patti Rothberg
and, in the early 2000s, Pink
and fellow Canadian Avril Lavigne
. She was criticized for collaborating with producer and supposed image-maker Ballard, and her previous albums also proved a hindrance for her respectability. Morissette and the album won six Juno Awards in 1996: Album of the Year
, Single of the Year
("You Oughta Know
"), Female Vocalist of the Year, Songwriter of the Year
and Best Rock Album. At the 1996 Grammy Award
s, she won Best Female Rock Vocal Performance, Best Rock Song (both for "You Oughta Know
"), Best Rock Album and Album of the Year
.
Later in 1996, Morissette embarked on an 18-month world tour in support of Jagged Little Pill, beginning in small clubs and ending in large venues. Taylor Hawkins
, who later joined the Foo Fighters
, was the tour's drummer. "Ironic" was nominated for two 1997 Grammy Awards—Record of the Year
and Best Music Video, Short Form—and won Single of the Year at the 1997 Juno Awards, where Morissette also won Songwriter of the Year and the International Achievement Award. The video Jagged Little Pill, Live
, which was co-directed by Morissette and chronicled the bulk of her tour, won a 1998 Grammy Award
for Best Music Video, Long Form.
Following the stressful tour, Morissette started practicing Iyengar Yoga
for balancing, and after the last December 1996 show, she headed to India for six weeks, accompanied by her mother, two aunts and two female friends.
's cover of "Drift Away
" on his 1998 album, Vertical Man
, and on the songs "Don't Drink the Water" and "Spoon
" on the Dave Matthews Band
album Before These Crowded Streets
. She recorded the song "Uninvited
" for the soundtrack to the 1998 film City of Angels. Although the track was never commercially released as a single, it received widespread radio airplay in the U.S. At the 1999 Grammy Awards, it won in the categories of Best Rock Song and Best Female Rock Vocal Performance, and was nominated for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media. Later in 1998, Morissette released her fourth album, Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie
, which she wrote and produced with Glen Ballard.
Privately, the label hoped to sell a million copies of the album on initial release; instead, it debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart with first-week sales of 469,000 copies—a record, at the time, for the highest first-week sales of an album by a female artist. The wordy, personal lyrics on Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie alienated many fans, and after the album sold considerably less than Jagged Little Pill, many labelled it an example of the sophomore jinx. However, it received positive reviews, including a four-star review from Rolling Stone. In Canada, it won the Juno Award for Best Album and was certified four times platinum. "Thank U
", the album's only major international hit single, was nominated for the 2000 Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance; the music video, which featured Morissette nude, generated mild controversy. Morissette herself directed the videos for "Unsent" and "So Pure
", which won, respectively, the MuchMusic Video Award for Best Director
and the Juno Award for Video of the Year
. The "So Pure" video features actor Dash Mihok
, with whom Morissette was in a relationship at the time.
Morissette contributed vocals to "Mercy", "Hope", "Innocence", and "Faith", four tracks on Jonathan Elias
's project The Prayer Cycle
, which was released in 1999. The same year, she released the live acoustic album Alanis Unplugged
, which was recorded during her appearance on the television show MTV Unplugged
. It featured tracks from her previous two albums alongside four new songs, including "King of Pain
" (a cover of The Police
song) and "No Pressure over Cappuccino", which Morissette wrote with her main guitar player, Nick Lashley. The recording of the Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie track "That I Would Be Good
", released as a single, became a minor hit on hot adult contemporary radio in America. Also in 1999, Morissette released a live version of her song "Are You Still Mad" on the charity album Live in the X Lounge II. For her live rendition of "So Pure" at Woodstock '99, she was nominated for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance at the 2001 Grammy Awards. During summer 1999, Alanis toured with singer/songwriter Tori Amos
on the 5 And A Half Weeks Tour in support of Amos' album To Venus And Back
.
on the Tricky
song "Excess", which is on his album Blowback
. Morissette released her fifth studio album, Under Rug Swept
, in February 2002. For the first time in her career, she took on the role of sole writer and producer of an album. Her band, comprising Joel Shearer
, Nick Lashley, Chris Chaney, and Gary Novak, played the majority of the instruments; additional contributions came from Eric Avery
, Dean DeLeo
, Flea
, and Meshell Ndegeocello.
Under Rug Swept debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart, eventually going platinum in Canada and selling one million copies in the U.S. It produced the hit single "Hands Clean
", which topped the Canadian Singles Chart
and received substantial radio play; for her work on "Hands Clean" and "So Unsexy
", Morissette won a Juno Award for Producer of the Year. A second single, "Precious Illusions
", was released, but it did not garner significant success outside Canada or U.S. hot AC radio.
Later in 2002, Morissette released the combination package Feast on Scraps
, which includes a DVD of live concert and backstage documentary footage directed by her and a CD containing eight previously unreleased songs from the Under Rug Swept recording sessions. Preceded by the single "Simple Together", it sold roughly 70,000 copies in the U.S. and was nominated for a Juno Award for Music DVD of the Year
.
Morissette hosted the Juno Awards of 2004
dressed in a bathrobe, which she took off to reveal a flesh-colored bodysuit, a response to the era of censorship
in the U.S. caused by Janet Jackson
's breast-reveal incident during the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show. Morissette released her sixth studio album, So-Called Chaos
, in May 2004. She wrote the songs on her own again, and co-produced the album with Tim Thorney
and pop music producer John Shanks
. The album debuted at number five on the Billboard 200 chart to generally mixed critical reviews, and it became Morissette's lowest seller in the U.S. The lead single, "Everything
", achieved major success on adult top 40 radio in America and was moderately popular elsewhere, particularly in Canada, although it failed to reach the top forty on the U.S. Hot 100
. Because the first line of the song includes the word asshole, American radio stations refused to play it, and the single version was changed to include the word nightmare instead. Two other singles, "Out Is Through
" and "Eight Easy Steps
", fared considerably worse commercially than "Everything", although a dance mix
of "Eight Easy Steps" was a U.S. club
hit.
Morissette embarked on a U.S. summer tour with long-time friends and fellow Canadians Barenaked Ladies
, working with the non-profit environmental organization Reverb
.
To commemorate the tenth anniversary of Jagged Little Pill, Morissette released a studio acoustic version, Jagged Little Pill Acoustic
, in June 2005. The album was released exclusively through Starbucks
' Hear Music
retail concept through their coffee shops for a six-week run. The limited availability led to a dispute between Maverick Records and HMV North America, who retaliated by removing Morissette's other albums from sale for the duration of Starbucks's exclusive six-week sale. As of November 2010, Jagged Little Pill Acoustic had sold 372,000 copies in the U.S., and a video for "Hand in My Pocket
" received rotation on VH1
in America. The accompanying tour ran for two months in mid 2005, with Morissette playing small theatre venues. During the same period, Morissette was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame.
Morissette opened for The Rolling Stones
for a few dates of their A Bigger Bang Tour
in the autumn of 2005.
Morissette released the greatest hits album Alanis Morissette: The Collection
in late 2005. The lead single and only new track, a cover of Seal
's "Crazy
", was a U.S. adult top 40 and dance hit, but it achieved only minimal chart success elsewhere. A limited edition of The Collection features a DVD including a documentary with videos of two unreleased songs from Morissette's 1996 Can't Not Tour: "King of Intimidation" and "Can't Not". (A reworked version of "Can't Not" had also appeared on Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie.) The DVD also includes a ninety-second clip of the unreleased video for the single "Joining You
". As of November 2010, The Collection had sold 373,000 copies in the U.S., according to Soundscan.
Morissette contributed the song "Wunderkind
" to the soundtrack of the film The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
, and it was nominated for a Golden Globe Award
for Best Original Song
.
Alanis performed two songs with Avril Lavigne
: Morissette's "Ironic
" and Lavigne's "Losing Grip
".
On April 1, 2007, Morissette released a tongue-in-cheek cover of The Black Eyed Peas
's selection "My Humps
", which she recorded in a slow, mournful voice, accompanied only by a piano. The accompanying YouTube-hosted video, in which she dances provocatively with a group of men and hits the ones who attempt to touch her "lady lumps", had received 16,465,653 views on February 15, 2009. Morissette did not take any interviews for a time to explain the song, and it was theorized that she did it as an April Fools' Day
joke. Black Eyed Peas vocalist Stacy "Fergie" Ferguson responded by sending Morissette a buttocks-shaped cake with an approving note. On the verge of the release of her latest album, she finally elaborated on how the video came to be, citing that she became very much emotionally loaded while recording her new songs one after the other and one day she wished she could do a simple song like "My Humps
" in a conversation with Guy Sigsworth and the joke just took a life of its own when they started working on it.
Morissette performed at a gig for The Nightwatchman
, a.k.a. Tom Morello
of Rage Against the Machine
and Audioslave
fame, at the Hotel Café in Los Angeles in April 2007. The following June, she performed "The Star-Spangled Banner
" and "O Canada
", the American and Canadian national anthem
s, in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals
between the Ottawa Senators
and the Anaheim Ducks
in Ottawa
, Ontario
. (The NHL requires arenas to perform both the American and Canadian national anthems at games involving teams from both countries.) In early 2008, Morissette participated in a tour with Matchbox Twenty
and Mutemath as a special guest.
Morissette's seventh studio album, Flavors of Entanglement
, which was produced by Guy Sigsworth
, was released in mid 2008. She has stated that in late 2008, she would embark on a North American headlining tour, but in the meantime she would be promoting the album internationally by performing at shows and festivals and making television and radio appearances. The album's first single was "Underneath", a video for which was submitted to the 2007 Elevate Film Festival, the purpose of which festival was to create documentaries, music videos, narratives and shorts regarding subjects to raise the level of human consciousness on the earth. On October 3, 2008, Morissette released the video for her latest single, "Not as We
".
Morissette left Maverick Records after all promotion for Flavors was completed.
, performing "Arrival" with Zap Mama
and she has released an acoustic version of her song "Still" as part of a compilation from Music for Relief in support of the 2010 Haiti earthquake
crisis. Morissette has also recorded a cover of the 1984 Willie Nelson
and Julio Iglesias
hit, "To All the Girls I've Loved Before
", re-written as "To All the Boys I've Loved Before". Nelson played rhythm guitar on the recording.
In April 2010, Morissette released the song "I Remain", which she wrote for the Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
soundtrack.
On May 26, 2010, the season finale of American Idol
, Morissette performed a duet of her song "You Oughta Know" with Runner Up Crystal Bowersox
.
On October 11, 2011, Alanis posted a picture of herself in a recording studio to her Facebook page. The picture included the message "back in the studio saddle....the songs have come in droves...!", indicating that Alanis has begun work on her next album. However, it is still unknown if Morissette will be still associated with Maverick Records, after the completion from her last album Flavors of Entanglement
. On 20 November 2011, Alanis had appeared at the American Music Awards
. Alanis gave a small interview there and Alanis confirmed that she is finishing the studio album, and she had said she has recorded thirty-one songs. She said that the album will be due out in 2012 in Summer or Spring.
. She appeared on stage with the Orpheus Musical Theatre Society
in 1985 and 1988.
In 1993, she appeared in the film Just One of the Girls starring Corey Haim
, which she described as "horrible".
In 1999, Morissette delved into acting again, for the first time since 1993, appearing as God in the Kevin Smith
comedy Dogma
and contributing the song "Still" to its soundtrack. She also appeared in the hit HBO
comedies Sex and the City
and Curb Your Enthusiasm
, appeared in the play The Vagina Monologues
, and had a brief role in the Brazil
ian hit soap opera "Celebridade" (Celebrity).
In late 2003, Morissette appeared in the Off-Broadway
play The Exonerated as Sunny Jacobs, a death row
inmate freed after proof surfaced that she was innocent. In April 2006, MTV News
reported that Morissette would reprise her role in The Exonerated in London from May 23 until May 28.
She expanded her acting credentials with the July 2004 release of the Cole Porter
biographical film
De-Lovely
, in which she performed the song "Let's Do It (Let's Fall in Love)" and had a brief role as an anonymous stage performer. In February 2005, she made a guest appearance on the Canadian television show Degrassi: The Next Generation
with Dogma co-star Jason Mewes
and director Kevin Smith.
In 2006, she guest starred in an episode of Lifetime
's Lovespring International
as a homeless woman named Lucinda, three episodes of FX
's Nip/Tuck
, playing a lesbian named Poppy, and the mockumentary
/documentary Pittsburgh
as herself.
Morissette has appeared in eight episodes of Weeds
, playing Dr. Audra Kitson, a "no-nonsense obstetrician" who treats pregnant main character Nancy Botwin. Her first episode aired in July 2009.
In early 2010 Morissette returned to the stage, performing a one night engagement in An Oak Tree
, an experimental play in Los Angeles. The performance was a sell out. In April 2010 Morissette was confirmed in the cast of Weeds
season six, performing again her role as Dr. Audra Kitson.
Morissette also starred in a film adaptation of Philip K. Dick
's novel Radio Free Albemuth
. Morissette plays Sylvia, an ordinary woman in unexpected remission from lymphoma
. Morissette stated that she is "...a big fan of Philip K. Dick's poetic and expansively imaginative books" and that she "feel[s] blessed to portray Sylvia, and to be part of this story being told in film".
, 15 years her senior, for a short time in the early 1990s. In a 2008 interview with the Calgary Herald
, Coulier claimed to be the ex-boyfriend who inspired Morissette's song "You Oughta Know
". Morissette, however, has maintained her silence on the subject of the song.
Morissette met Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds
at Drew Barrymore
's birthday party in 2002, and the couple began dating soon after. They announced their engagement in June 2004. In February 2007, representatives for Morissette and Reynolds announced they had mutually decided to end their engagement. Morissette has stated that her album Flavors of Entanglement
was created out of her grief after the break-up, saying that "it was cathartic".
On May 22, 2010, Morissette married rapper Mario “MC Souleye” Treadway in a private ceremony at their Los Angeles home. Their first child, Ever Imre Morissette-Treadway, was born on December 25, 2010.
Morissette is a vegan.
Canadian-American
A Canadian American is someone who was born or someone who grew up in Canada then moved to the United States. The term is particularly apt when applied or self-applied to people with strong ties to Canada, such as those who have lived a significant portion of their lives in, or were educated in,...
singer-songwriter, guitarist, record producer, and actress. She has won 16 Juno Award
Juno Award
The Juno Awards are presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music...
s and seven Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
s, was nominated for two Golden Globe Award
Golden Globe Award
The Golden Globe Award is an accolade bestowed by the 93 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association recognizing excellence in film and television, both domestic and foreign...
s and also shortlisted for an Academy Award nomination. Morissette began her career in Canada, and as a teenager recorded two dance-pop
Dance-pop
Dance-pop is dance-oriented pop music that originated in the early 1980s. Developing from post-disco, it is generally up-tempo music intended for clubs with the intention of being danceable or merely dancey...
albums, Alanis
Alanis (album)
Alanis is the debut album by Alanis Morissette, released only in Canada in April 1991 by MCA Records Canada . Morissette recorded the album with Leslie Howe, who produced her second album Now Is the Time , and it was certified platinum.- Background and recording :John Alexander, head of A&R for MCA...
and Now Is the Time
Now Is the Time
- Credits :* Produced, engineered and mixed by Leslie Howe for Ghetto Records at Distortion Studios* Photography by Dan Seguin and Andrew LeBlanc* Design: Martin Solort* A&R direction: John Alexander- References :* RPM ....
, under MCA Records Canada
MCA Records
MCA Records was an American-based record company owned by MCA Inc., which later gave way to the larger MCA Music Entertainment Group , of which MCA Records was still part. MCA Records was absorbed by Geffen Records in 2003...
.
Her first international album was the rock-influenced Jagged Little Pill
Jagged Little Pill
Jagged Little Pill is the third studio album by Canadian recording artist and songwriter Alanis Morissette. It was Morissette's first internationally released album, and her first studio album after the three year hiatus following her break with MCA Records. The album marked a shift from her style...
, released in 1995. Jagged has sold more than 33 million units globally. Her following album, Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie
Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie
Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie is the fourth album and second internationally released album by singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette, released by Maverick Records in the United States on November 3, 1998...
, was released in 1998 and was a success as well. Morissette took up producing duties for her subsequent albums, which include 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...
, So-Called Chaos
So-Called Chaos
-Personnel:*Alanis Morissette – vocals, producer, piano, keyboards, art direction*Eric Avery – bass*Chris Lord-Alge – mixing*Kenny Aronoff – drums*Paul Bushnell – bass*Scott Gordon – programming, engineer, drum programming*Bill Lane – assistant engineer...
and Flavors of Entanglement
Flavors of Entanglement
Flavors of Entanglement is the seventh studio album, fifth international release and last Maverick Records release by Canadian-American singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette. The album, which was originally set for an April release, was released May 30, 2008 in Germany, Benelux and Ireland, released...
. Morissette has sold more than 60 million albums worldwide.
Early life
Morissette was born in OttawaOttawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, Ontario, Canada, the daughter of Georgia Mary Ann (née Feuerstein), a teacher of Hungarian
Hungarian
Hungarian may refer to:* Hungary, a country in Central Europe* Kingdom of Hungary, state of Hungary, existing from 1000 to 1946* Hungarian people, the ethnic group primarily associated with Hungary...
descent, and Alan Richard Morissette, a French-Canadian high school principal. She has a twin brother Wade Morissette
Wade Morissette
Wade Imre Morissette is a Canadian kirtan and indie pop-rock musician, yoga instructor and therapist and author.-Early life:...
(also a musician) who was born 12 minutes after her. Morissette's parents were devout Catholics. She attended Glebe Collegiate Institute
Glebe Collegiate Institute
Glebe Collegiate Institute is a high school in the Glebe neighbourhood of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Administered by the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board, Glebe Collegiate Institute has approximately 1,500 students; students and sports teams are referred to as "Gryphons".The school offers many...
(Ottawa, Canada) for high school.
1990–92: Alanis and Now Is the Time
In 1991 MCA Records CanadaMCA Records
MCA Records was an American-based record company owned by MCA Inc., which later gave way to the larger MCA Music Entertainment Group , of which MCA Records was still part. MCA Records was absorbed by Geffen Records in 2003...
released Morissette's debut album, Alanis
Alanis (album)
Alanis is the debut album by Alanis Morissette, released only in Canada in April 1991 by MCA Records Canada . Morissette recorded the album with Leslie Howe, who produced her second album Now Is the Time , and it was certified platinum.- Background and recording :John Alexander, head of A&R for MCA...
, in Canada only. Morissette co-wrote every track on the album with its producer, Leslie Howe
Leslie Howe
Leslie Howe is a musician and record producer born in Ontario, Canada.He has been a member of the bands Mainstream, One to One, Sal's Birdland and Artificial Joy Club, and produced Alanis Morissette's early pop music albums, Alanis and Now Is the Time .In 1986, Howe was nominated for two Juno...
. By the time it was released, she had dropped her stage name and was credited simply as Alanis. The dance-pop
Dance-pop
Dance-pop is dance-oriented pop music that originated in the early 1980s. Developing from post-disco, it is generally up-tempo music intended for clubs with the intention of being danceable or merely dancey...
album went platinum, and its first single, "Too Hot
Too Hot
"Too Hot" is a pop-dance song co-written by Alanis Morissette and Leslie Howe, and produced by Howe for Morissette's debut album Alanis...
", reached the top twenty on the RPM
RPM (magazine)
RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,...
singles chart. Subsequent singles "Walk Away
Walk Away (Alanis Morissette song)
"Walk Away" is a pop-dance song co-written by Alanis Morissette, Leslie Howe, Louise Reny and Frank Levin, and produced by Howe for Morissette's debut album Alanis . Its protagonist sends a warning to her boyfriend who "never think[s] twice before [he] break all the rules", telling him "I'll walk...
" and "Feel Your Love
Feel Your Love
"Feel Your Love" is a pop-dance song co-written by Alanis Morissette and Leslie Howe, and produced by Howe for Morissette's debut album Alanis . Its protagonist tells a boy she has "got this thing" for him, and that "it's drivin' me right out of my mind ... I wanna feel your love; you know this...
" reached the top 40. Morissette's popularity, style of music and appearance, particularly that of her hair, led her to become known as the Debbie Gibson of Canada; comparisons to Tiffany
Tiffany (singer)
Tiffany Renee Darwish , known popularly as Tiffany, is an American singer and former teen icon. She is most notable for her 1987 cover version of "I Think We're Alone Now", originally recorded by Tommy James and the Shondells in 1967. Released as the second single from her eponymous album, Tiffany,...
were also common. During the same period, she was a concert opening act for rapper Vanilla Ice
Vanilla Ice
Robert Matthew Van Winkle , best known by his stage name Vanilla Ice, is an American rapper, extreme athlete and home improvement television personality...
. Morissette was nominated for three 1992 Juno Award
Juno Award
The Juno Awards are presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music...
s: Most Promising Female Vocalist of the Year (which she won), Single of the Year
Juno Award for Single of the Year
The Juno Award for Single of the Year has been awarded since 1974 for the best single in Canada. It has also been known as Best Single and Best Selling Single.-Best Single :...
and Best Dance Recording (both for "Too Hot").
In 1992, she released her second album, Now Is the Time
Now Is the Time
- Credits :* Produced, engineered and mixed by Leslie Howe for Ghetto Records at Distortion Studios* Photography by Dan Seguin and Andrew LeBlanc* Design: Martin Solort* A&R direction: John Alexander- References :* RPM ....
, a ballad-driven record that featured less glitzy production than Alanis and contained more thoughtful lyrics. Morissette wrote the songs with the album's producer, Leslie Howe, and Serge Côté. She said of the album, "people could go, 'Boo, hiss, hiss, this girl's like another Tiffany or whatever.' But the way I look at it ... people will like your next album if it's a suck-ass one." As with Alanis, Now Is the Time was released only in Canada and produced three top 40 singles—"An Emotion Away
An Emotion Away
"An Emotion Away" is a pop-dance song co-written by Alanis Morissette, Leslie Howe and Serge Côté, and produced by Howe for Morissette's second album Now Is the Time . Its protagonist tells someone who "completely took [her] heart by surprise" that "love is just an emotion away"...
", the minor adult contemporary hit "No Apologies" and "(Change Is) Never a Waste of Time". It was a commercial failure, however, selling only a little more than half the copies of her first album. With her two-album deal with MCA Records Canada complete, Morissette was left without a major label contract.
1993–97: Move to Los Angeles and Jagged Little Pill
In 1993 Morissette's publisher MCA Music Publishing introduced her to manager Scott Welch. Welch told HitQuartersHitQuarters
HitQuarters is an international music industry publication and contact database founded in 1999. It is noted for in-depth interviews with industry figures, with past subjects including Simon Cowell, Martin Kierszenbaum, Jason Flom, Diane Warren, Peter Edge, Ron Fair and RedOne, as well as its A&R...
he was impressed by her "spectacular voice", her character and her lyrics. At the time she was still living at home with her parents. Together they decided it would be best for her career to move to Toronto and start writing with other people. After graduating from high school, Morissette moved from Ottawa to Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
. Her publisher funded part of her development and when she met producer and songwriter Glen Ballard
Glen Ballard
Glen Ballard is an American songwriter and record producer, best known for co-writing and producing Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill , which won Grammy Award for "Best Rock Album", and "Album of the Year" amongst others, and is ranked by the Rolling Stone amongst The 500 Greatest Albums of...
, he believed in her talent enough to let her use his studio. The two wrote and recorded Morissette's first internationally released album, Jagged Little Pill, and by the spring of 1995, she had signed a deal with Maverick Records
Maverick Records
Maverick Recording Company is an American record label owned and operated by Warner Music Group, and distributed through Warner Bros. Records.-Company history:...
. According to manager Welch every label they had approached had passed on Morissette apart from Maverick.
Maverick Records released Jagged Little Pill
Jagged Little Pill
Jagged Little Pill is the third studio album by Canadian recording artist and songwriter Alanis Morissette. It was Morissette's first internationally released album, and her first studio album after the three year hiatus following her break with MCA Records. The album marked a shift from her style...
internationally in 1995. The album was expected only to sell enough for Morissette to make a follow-up, but the situation changed quickly when KROQ-FM
KROQ-FM
KROQ-FM — branded 106.7 KROQ — is a commercial modern rock radio station licensed to Pasadena, California serving the Greater Los Angeles. The call sign is pronounced "kay rock." It is the flagship station of Loveline hosted by Dr...
, an influential Los Angeles modern rock
Modern rock
Modern rock is a rock format commonly found on commercial radio; the format consists primarily of the alternative rock genre...
radio station, began playing "You Oughta Know
You Oughta Know
"You Oughta Know" is a alternative rock song, which also is known for its grunge effect styles in it. The instruments held in it are guitars, electric guitars, drums and drum machine...
", the album's first single. The song instantly garnered attention for its scathing, explicit lyrics, and a subsequent music video went into heavy rotation on MTV and MuchMusic
MuchMusic
MuchMusic is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel owned by Bell Media. MuchMusic is dedicated to music-related programs, pop and youth culture.-History:...
.
After the success of "You Oughta Know
You Oughta Know
"You Oughta Know" is a alternative rock song, which also is known for its grunge effect styles in it. The instruments held in it are guitars, electric guitars, drums and drum machine...
", the album's other hit singles helped send Jagged Little Pill to the top of the charts. "All I Really Want
All I Really Want
"All I Really Want" is a song written by Alanis Morissette and Glen Ballard, and produced by Ballard for Morissette's third album Jagged Little Pill . In the United States it was released as the album's third single in 1995 , and outside the U.S. it was released as the album's sixth and final...
" and "Hand In My Pocket
Hand in My Pocket
"Hand in my Pocket" is a song by Canadian recording artist and songwriter Alanis Morissette, for her third studio album Jagged Little Pill . The song was written by Morissette and Glen Ballard, and was released as the second single from the album. "Hand in My Pocket" is a rock song. The song was...
" followed, but the fourth U.S. single, "Ironic
Ironic (song)
"Ironic" is a song recorded by Canadian-American singer Alanis Morissette for her third studio album Jagged Little Pill . It was written by Morissette and Glen Ballard, and was produced by him. Maverick and Warner Bros. Records released it as the album's fourth single on February 27, 1996 in CD,...
", became Morissette's biggest hit. "You Learn
You Learn
"You Learn" is a song by Canadian recording artist and songwriter Alanis Morissette, for her 1995 breakthrough album Jagged Little Pill . The song was written by Morissette and Glen Ballard for the album...
" and "Head over Feet
Head over Feet
"Head over Feet" is a song written by Alanis Morissette and Glen Ballard, and produced by Ballard for Morissette's third album, Jagged Little Pill . It was released as the album's fifth single in 1996 and presented a softer sound than the previous singles from the album...
", the fifth and sixth singles, respectively, kept Jagged Little Pill in the top twenty on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
albums chart for more than a year. According to the RIAA, Jagged Little Pill sold more than 16 million copies in the U.S.; it sold 33 million worldwide, making it the second biggest selling album by a female artist (behind Shania Twain
Shania Twain
Shania Twain, OC is a Canadian country pop singer-songwriter. Her album The Woman in Me , brought her fame and her 1997 album Come On Over, became the best-selling album of all time by a female musician in any genre, and the best-selling country album of all time. It has sold over 40 million...
's Come On Over
Come on Over (Shania Twain album)
Come On Over is the third studio album recorded by Canadian singer Shania Twain. It was released on November 4, 1997. It became the world's best-selling country music album and the best-selling studio album ever released by a female artist in any genre...
). Morissette's popularity grew significantly in Canada, where the album was certified twelve times platinum and produced four RPM chart-toppers: "Hand In My Pocket", "Ironic", "You Learn", and "Head over Feet". The album was also a bestseller in Australia and the United Kingdom.
Morissette's success with Jagged Little Pill was credited with leading to the introduction of female singers such as Shakira
Shakira
Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll , known professionally as Shakira , is a Colombian singer who emerged in the music scene of Colombia and Latin America in the early 1990s...
, Tracy Bonham
Tracy Bonham
Tracy Bonham is an American alternative rock musician best known for her 1996 single "Mother Mother".Raised in Eugene, Oregon, Bonham is a classically-trained violinist and pianist...
, Meredith Brooks
Meredith Brooks
Meredith Ann Brooks is an American singer/songwriter and guitarist. She is best known for her 1997 hit song "Bitch", for which she was nominated for a Grammy Award.- Early life :...
, Patti Rothberg
Patti Rothberg
Patti Rothberg is a New York-based singer, songwriter, recording artist, multi-instrumentalist, and painter/artist.Born in New York City Rothberg grew up in Scarsdale, NY, playing piano from the age of 3 and writing songs by the age of 15, joining a high school Rod Stewart cover band.Rothberg...
and, in the early 2000s, Pink
Pink (singer)
Alecia Beth Moore , better known by her stage name Pink , is an American singer-songwriter, musician and actress....
and fellow Canadian Avril Lavigne
Avril Lavigne
Avril Ramona Lavigne is a Canadian singer-songwriter. She was born in Belleville, Ontario, but spent most of her youth in the small town of Napanee. By the age of 15, she had appeared on stage with Shania Twain; by 16, she had signed a two-album recording contract with Arista Records worth more...
. She was criticized for collaborating with producer and supposed image-maker Ballard, and her previous albums also proved a hindrance for her respectability. Morissette and the album won six Juno Awards in 1996: Album of the Year
Juno Award for Album of the Year
The Juno Award for "Album of the Year" has been awarded since 1975, as recognition each year for the best album in Canada. It was also known as Best Album , and Best Selling Album .-Best Album :...
, Single of the Year
Juno Award for Single of the Year
The Juno Award for Single of the Year has been awarded since 1974 for the best single in Canada. It has also been known as Best Single and Best Selling Single.-Best Single :...
("You Oughta Know
You Oughta Know
"You Oughta Know" is a alternative rock song, which also is known for its grunge effect styles in it. The instruments held in it are guitars, electric guitars, drums and drum machine...
"), Female Vocalist of the Year, Songwriter of the Year
Juno Award for Songwriter of the Year
The Juno Award for "Songwriter of the Year" has been awarded since 1971, as recognition each year for the best songwriter in Canada. It was also known as the Juno Award for "Composer of the Year" from 1975 to 1990.-Best Songwriter :...
and Best Rock Album. At the 1996 Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
s, she won Best Female Rock Vocal Performance, Best Rock Song (both for "You Oughta Know
You Oughta Know
"You Oughta Know" is a alternative rock song, which also is known for its grunge effect styles in it. The instruments held in it are guitars, electric guitars, drums and drum machine...
"), Best Rock Album and Album of the Year
Grammy Award for Album of the Year
The Grammy Award for Album of the Year is the most prestigious award category at the Grammys. It has been awarded since 1959 and though it was originally presented to the artist alone, the award is now presented to the artist, the producer, the engineer and/or mixer and the mastering engineer...
.
Later in 1996, Morissette embarked on an 18-month world tour in support of Jagged Little Pill, beginning in small clubs and ending in large venues. Taylor Hawkins
Taylor Hawkins
Oliver Taylor Hawkins is an American musician, best known as the drummer of the rock band Foo Fighters....
, who later joined the Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters is an American alternative rock band originally formed in 1994 by Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl as a one-man project following the dissolution of his previous band. The band got its name from the UFOs and various aerial phenomena that were reported by Allied aircraft pilots in World War...
, was the tour's drummer. "Ironic" was nominated for two 1997 Grammy Awards—Record of the Year
Record Of The Year
Record of the Year may refer to:*Grammy Award for Record of the Year*The Record of the Year, a British award based on public polling...
and Best Music Video, Short Form—and won Single of the Year at the 1997 Juno Awards, where Morissette also won Songwriter of the Year and the International Achievement Award. The video Jagged Little Pill, Live
Jagged Little Pill, Live
Video chronicling Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill world tour from 1995 to 1996. It was primarily filmed in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, but it features clips from various other tour stops, including Morissette's hometown of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada....
, which was co-directed by Morissette and chronicled the bulk of her tour, won a 1998 Grammy Award
Grammy Awards of 1998
The 40th Grammy Awards were held on February 25, 1998. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year. Rock icon Bob Dylan, Alison Krauss, and R...
for Best Music Video, Long Form.
Following the stressful tour, Morissette started practicing Iyengar Yoga
Iyengar Yoga
Iyengar Yoga, created by B. K. S. Iyengar, is a form of Hatha Yoga known for its use of props, such as belts, blocks, and blankets, as aids in performing asanas . The props enable students to perform the asanas correctly, minimising the risk of injury or strain, and making the postures accessible...
for balancing, and after the last December 1996 show, she headed to India for six weeks, accompanied by her mother, two aunts and two female friends.
1998–2000: Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie and Alanis Unplugged
Morissette was featured as a guest vocalist on Ringo StarrRingo Starr
Richard Starkey, MBE better known by his stage name Ringo Starr, is an English musician and actor who gained worldwide fame as the drummer for The Beatles. When the band formed in 1960, Starr was a member of another Liverpool band, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. He became The Beatles' drummer in...
's cover of "Drift Away
Drift Away
"Drift Away" is a song written by Mentor Williams and originally recorded by John Henry Kurtz on his 1972 album Reunion. In 1973 the song became Dobie Gray's biggest hit, peaking at number five on the Billboard Hot 100, though it did not enter the charts in the United Kingdom.This song is also a...
" on his 1998 album, Vertical Man
Vertical Man
Vertical Man is Ringo Starr's 11th studio album, issued in 1998. The release represents Starr's attempt at a comeback following the enormous success of The Beatles Anthology project...
, and on the songs "Don't Drink the Water" and "Spoon
Spoon (Dave Matthews Band song)
"Spoon" is a Dave Matthews Band song from the album Before These Crowded Streets. The song is thought to describe the thoughts of Christ as he is pinned to the crucifix. Throughout the song, Christ contemplates such ideas as whether the human race is worth "saving" and whether his father is God,...
" on the Dave Matthews Band
Dave Matthews Band
Dave Matthews Band, sometimes shortened to DMB, is a U.S. rock band formed in Charlottesville, Virginia in 1991. The founding members were singer-songwriter and guitarist Dave Matthews, bassist Stefan Lessard, drummer/backing vocalist Carter Beauford and saxophonist LeRoi Moore. Boyd Tinsley was...
album Before These Crowded Streets
Before These Crowded Streets
Before These Crowded Streets is the third studio album by Dave Matthews Band, released on April 28, 1998. It is the last official album by the group to be produced by longtime producer Steve Lillywhite and their first album recorded at The Plant Recording Studios in Sausalito, California...
. She recorded the song "Uninvited
Uninvited (song)
In October 2007, a new Freemasons electro/house version was released, featuring a vocal by Bailey Tzuke. This version is shorter than their earlier mix and arranged in a more radio-friendly way....
" for the soundtrack to the 1998 film City of Angels. Although the track was never commercially released as a single, it received widespread radio airplay in the U.S. At the 1999 Grammy Awards, it won in the categories of Best Rock Song and Best Female Rock Vocal Performance, and was nominated for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media. Later in 1998, Morissette released her fourth album, Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie
Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie
Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie is the fourth album and second internationally released album by singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette, released by Maverick Records in the United States on November 3, 1998...
, which she wrote and produced with Glen Ballard.
Privately, the label hoped to sell a million copies of the album on initial release; instead, it debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart with first-week sales of 469,000 copies—a record, at the time, for the highest first-week sales of an album by a female artist. The wordy, personal lyrics on Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie alienated many fans, and after the album sold considerably less than Jagged Little Pill, many labelled it an example of the sophomore jinx. However, it received positive reviews, including a four-star review from Rolling Stone. In Canada, it won the Juno Award for Best Album and was certified four times platinum. "Thank U
Thank U
"Thank U" is a song by Canadian recording artist and songwriter Alanis Morissette, for her fourth studio album Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie . The song was written by Alanis Morissette and Glen Ballard, who produced her previous album...
", the album's only major international hit single, was nominated for the 2000 Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance; the music video, which featured Morissette nude, generated mild controversy. Morissette herself directed the videos for "Unsent" and "So Pure
So Pure
"So Pure" is a rock song written and produced by Alanis Morissette and Glen Ballard for Morissette's fourth album Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie...
", which won, respectively, the MuchMusic Video Award for Best Director
Best Director (MMVA Award)
The following is a list of the MuchMusic Video Awards winners for Best Director....
and the Juno Award for Video of the Year
Juno Award for Video of the Year
The Juno Award for "Video of the Year" has been awarded since 1984, as recognition each year for the best music video in Canada. The award was previously called the "Best Video".-Best Video :...
. The "So Pure" video features actor Dash Mihok
Dash Mihok
Dashiell "Dash" Mihok is an American actor.-Life and career:Mihok was born in New York City, New York, the son of actors Andrea and Raymond Thorne . He attended the Bronx High School of Science and was raised in Greenwich Village. While at the Bronx High School of Science, Dash played baseball as...
, with whom Morissette was in a relationship at the time.
Morissette contributed vocals to "Mercy", "Hope", "Innocence", and "Faith", four tracks on Jonathan Elias
Jonathan Elias
Jonathan Elias is a U.S. composer and record producer, known for his movie soundtracks, production for several pop and rock acts, and his award-winning advertising music including the PBS logo instrumental from October 1, 1984 to October 1, 1989....
's project The Prayer Cycle
The Prayer Cycle
The Prayer Cycle is a choral/orchestral album by American film and television composer Jonathan Elias, and was released by Sony Classical Records in the United States on March 23, 1999.The project, recorded and mixed by co-producer R...
, which was released in 1999. The same year, she released the live acoustic album Alanis Unplugged
Alanis Unplugged
- Personnel :* Alanis Morissette - vocals, guitar, harmonica and flute* Nick Lashley - guitar* Joel Shearer - guitar* Deron Johnson - keyboards, background vocals in "King of Pain"* Chris Chaney - bass* Gary Novak - drums and percussion* Brad Dutz - percussion...
, which was recorded during her appearance on the television show MTV Unplugged
MTV Unplugged
MTV Unplugged is a TV series showcasing many popular musical artists usually playing acoustic instruments. The show has received the George Foster Peabody Award and 3 Primetime Emmy nominations among many accolades.-Unplugged:...
. It featured tracks from her previous two albums alongside four new songs, including "King of Pain
King of Pain
"King of Pain" is a song by The Police, originally released on their 1983 album Synchronicity.It was released as a worldwide single by A&M Records...
" (a cover of The Police
The Police
The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For the vast majority of their history, the band consisted of Sting , Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland...
song) and "No Pressure over Cappuccino", which Morissette wrote with her main guitar player, Nick Lashley. The recording of the Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie track "That I Would Be Good
That I Would Be Good
"That I Would Be Good" is a song by Alanis Morissette that was first featured on her 1998 album Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie. An acoustic live version of the song was recorded during a session for MTV Unplugged on September 18, 1999...
", released as a single, became a minor hit on hot adult contemporary radio in America. Also in 1999, Morissette released a live version of her song "Are You Still Mad" on the charity album Live in the X Lounge II. For her live rendition of "So Pure" at Woodstock '99, she was nominated for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance at the 2001 Grammy Awards. During summer 1999, Alanis toured with singer/songwriter Tori Amos
Tori Amos
Tori Amos is an American pianist, singer-songwriter and composer. She was at the forefront of a number of female singer-songwriters in the early 1990s and was noteworthy early in her career as one of the few alternative rock performers to use a piano as her primary instrument...
on the 5 And A Half Weeks Tour in support of Amos' album To Venus And Back
To Venus and Back
To Venus and Back, the fifth album released by singer and songwriter Tori Amos, is a two-disc album set including a studio album and a live album. The first disc, titled Venus: Orbiting, features eleven original songs that finds Amos experimenting heavily in electronica...
.
2001–03: Under Rug Swept and Feast on Scraps
In 2001, Morissette was featured with Stephanie McKayStephanie McKay
Stephanie McKay is a soul singer and songwriter from the Bronx in New York, whose music encompasses styles include elements of classic rock, funk, pop and hip hop....
on the Tricky
Tricky
Tricky is an English musician and actor. As a producer and a musician, he is noted for a dark, rich and layered sound and a whispering sprechgesang lyrical style. Culturally, Tricky encourages an intertwining of societies, particularly in his musical fusion of rock and hip hop, high art and pop...
song "Excess", which is on his album Blowback
Blowback (album)
Blowback is the sixth album by Tricky, released in 2001. Like Nearly God, Blowback contains several collaborations, but the album's sound is much brighter and more relaxed by comparison. Tricky himself said that he wanted to get airplay with this album, while most of his earlier albums were made to...
. Morissette released her fifth studio 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...
, in February 2002. For the first time in her career, she took on the role of sole writer and producer of an album. Her band, comprising Joel Shearer
Pedestrian (band)
Pedestrian is an alternative rock band based in Los Angeles, California, USA. The band was formed in late 2002 by guitarist/songwriter Joel Shearer....
, Nick Lashley, Chris Chaney, and Gary Novak, played the majority of the instruments; additional contributions came from Eric Avery
Eric Avery
Eric Adam Avery is an American musician and is the former bass player for the rock band Jane's Addiction. Avery played in Jane's Addiction initially from 1985 to 1991, and rejoined the band in 2008 before departing again in 2010....
, 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...
, Flea
Flea (musician)
Michael Peter Balzary , better known by his stage name Flea, is an Australian-American musician and occasional actor. He is best known as the bassist, co-founding member, and one of the composers of the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers...
, and Meshell Ndegeocello.
Under Rug Swept debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart, eventually going platinum in Canada and selling one million copies in the U.S. It produced the hit single "Hands Clean
Hands Clean
"Hands Clean" is a song by Canadian recording artist and songwriter Alanis Morissette for her fifth studio album Under Rug Swept . It was released as the lead single of the album. The song was written and produced by Morissette herself...
", which topped the Canadian Singles Chart
Canadian Singles Chart
The Canadian Singles Chart is currently compiled by the U.S.-based music sales tracking company, Nielsen SoundScan . The chart is compiled every Wednesday, and is published by Jam! Canoe on Thursdays....
and received substantial radio play; for her work on "Hands Clean" and "So Unsexy
So Unsexy
"So Unsexy" is a pop rock song written by Alanis Morissette, and produced by her for her sixth album, Under Rug Swept .-Background and theme:...
", Morissette won a Juno Award for Producer of the Year. A second single, "Precious Illusions
Precious Illusions
"Precious Illusions" is a song written and produced by Alanis Morissette, and recorded for her sixth album Under Rug Swept . It released as the album's second single in mid-2002 ; CD1 was released on August 5 and CD2 followed on October 29.Its lyrics describe a conflict between idealism and...
", was released, but it did not garner significant success outside Canada or U.S. hot AC radio.
Later in 2002, Morissette released the combination package 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...
, which includes a DVD of live concert and backstage documentary footage directed by her and a CD containing eight previously unreleased songs from the Under Rug Swept recording sessions. Preceded by the single "Simple Together", it sold roughly 70,000 copies in the U.S. and was nominated for a Juno Award for Music DVD of the Year
Juno Award for Music DVD of the Year
The Juno Award for "Music DVD of the Year" has been awarded since 2004, as recognition each year for the best music DVD in Canada.-Music DVD of the Year :...
.
2004–05: So-Called Chaos, Jagged Little Pill Acoustic and The Collection
Juno Awards of 2004
The Juno Awards of 2004 were presented on April 4, 2004 at Rexall Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and were hosted by Alanis Morissette.Singer-songwriters Nelly Furtado, Sarah McLachlan, and Nickelback led the nominations with five nominations each...
dressed in a bathrobe, which she took off to reveal a flesh-colored bodysuit, a response to the era of censorship
Censorship
thumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
in the U.S. caused by Janet Jackson
Janet Jackson
Janet Damita Jo Jackson is an American recording artist and actress. Known for a series of sonically innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows, television and film roles, she has been a prominent figure in popular culture for over 25 years...
's breast-reveal incident during the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show. Morissette released her sixth studio album, So-Called Chaos
So-Called Chaos
-Personnel:*Alanis Morissette – vocals, producer, piano, keyboards, art direction*Eric Avery – bass*Chris Lord-Alge – mixing*Kenny Aronoff – drums*Paul Bushnell – bass*Scott Gordon – programming, engineer, drum programming*Bill Lane – assistant engineer...
, in May 2004. She wrote the songs on her own again, and co-produced the album with Tim Thorney
Tim Thorney
Tim Thorney is a Canadian guitarist, songwriter, and record producer, currently working out of Tattoo Sound + Music in Toronto.-History:Thorney first came to prominence as a recording engineer and songwriter. In 1981, he co-wrote most of Lisa DalBello's Drastic Measures album...
and pop music producer John Shanks
John Shanks
John Matthew Shanks is a modern rock writer and Grammy Award–winning producer.Born in New York City, Shanks moved to Los Angeles when he was 17....
. The album debuted at number five on the Billboard 200 chart to generally mixed critical reviews, and it became Morissette's lowest seller in the U.S. The lead single, "Everything
Everything (Alanis Morissette song)
"Everything" is a pop/rock song written by Alanis Morissette and released as the first single from her fourth studio album So-Called Chaos.The song was featured in the 2006 film Clerks II, and is included in the soundtrack.-Release and reception:...
", achieved major success on adult top 40 radio in America and was moderately popular elsewhere, particularly in Canada, although it failed to reach the top forty on the U.S. Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. Because the first line of the song includes the word asshole, American radio stations refused to play it, and the single version was changed to include the word nightmare instead. Two other singles, "Out Is Through
Out Is Through
"Out Is Through" is a pop rock song written by Alanis Morissette for her sixth studio album So Called Chaos. The song was released summer 2004 outside of the US.-Chart performance:...
" and "Eight Easy Steps
Eight Easy Steps
"Eight Easy Steps" is a rock song written by Alanis Morissette for her sixth studio album So-Called Chaos. The album's opening track, it was released in 2004 as the So-Called Chaoss third single...
", fared considerably worse commercially than "Everything", although a dance mix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
of "Eight Easy Steps" was a U.S. club
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
hit.
Morissette embarked on a U.S. summer tour with long-time friends and fellow Canadians Barenaked Ladies
Barenaked Ladies
Barenaked Ladies is a Canadian alternative rock band. The band is currently composed of Jim Creeggan, Kevin Hearn, Ed Robertson, and Tyler Stewart. Barenaked Ladies formed in 1988 in Scarborough, Ontario, then a suburban municipality outside the City of Toronto...
, working with the non-profit environmental organization Reverb
Reverb (non-profit)
Reverb is a non-profit environmental organization that educates and engages musicians and their fans to promote environmental sustainability. It was founded by environmentalist Lauren Sullivan and her musician husband, Guster guitarist/vocalist Adam Gardner....
.
To commemorate the tenth anniversary of Jagged Little Pill, Morissette released a studio acoustic version, Jagged Little Pill Acoustic
Jagged Little Pill Acoustic
-Credits:*All lyrics written by Alanis Morissette*Music written by Alanis Morissette and Glen Ballard*Produced by Glen Ballard*Mixed and Recorded by Bill Malina*Alanis Morissette: Vocals, Harmonica*David Levita: Guitars, Marxophone, Perapaloshka, Mandolin...
, in June 2005. The album was released exclusively through Starbucks
Starbucks
Starbucks Corporation is an international coffee and coffeehouse chain based in Seattle, Washington. Starbucks is the largest coffeehouse company in the world, with 17,009 stores in 55 countries, including over 11,000 in the United States, over 1,000 in Canada, over 700 in the United Kingdom, and...
' Hear Music
Hear Music
Hear Music, also known as StarCon is the brand name of Starbucks' retail music concept and record label. Hear Music began as a catalog company in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1990 before being purchased by Starbucks in 1999.-Concept:...
retail concept through their coffee shops for a six-week run. The limited availability led to a dispute between Maverick Records and HMV North America, who retaliated by removing Morissette's other albums from sale for the duration of Starbucks's exclusive six-week sale. As of November 2010, Jagged Little Pill Acoustic had sold 372,000 copies in the U.S., and a video for "Hand in My Pocket
Hand in My Pocket
"Hand in my Pocket" is a song by Canadian recording artist and songwriter Alanis Morissette, for her third studio album Jagged Little Pill . The song was written by Morissette and Glen Ballard, and was released as the second single from the album. "Hand in My Pocket" is a rock song. The song was...
" received rotation on VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
in America. The accompanying tour ran for two months in mid 2005, with Morissette playing small theatre venues. During the same period, Morissette was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame.
Morissette opened for The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
for a few dates of their A Bigger Bang Tour
A Bigger Bang Tour
A Bigger Bang Tour was a worldwide concert tour by The Rolling Stones which took place between August 2005 and August 2007, in support of their album A Bigger Bang...
in the autumn of 2005.
Morissette released the greatest hits album Alanis Morissette: The Collection
Alanis Morissette: The Collection
- Album :- Single :- External links :*...
in late 2005. The lead single and only new track, a cover of Seal
Seal (musician)
Seal Henry Olusegun Olumide Adeola Samuel , known simply as Seal, is a British soul and R&B singer-songwriter, of Nigerian and Brazilian background. Seal has won numerous music awards throughout his career, including three Brit Awards—winning Best British Male in 1992, four Grammy Awards, and an...
's "Crazy
Crazy (Seal song)
"Crazy" is a song written by English soul artist Seal and producer Guy Sigsworth . The song was produced by Trevor Horn for Seal's debut album Seal . Seal's debut single, "Crazy" is one of his biggest hits, reaching the top five in the United Kingdom and the top ten in the United States...
", was a U.S. adult top 40 and dance hit, but it achieved only minimal chart success elsewhere. A limited edition of The Collection features a DVD including a documentary with videos of two unreleased songs from Morissette's 1996 Can't Not Tour: "King of Intimidation" and "Can't Not". (A reworked version of "Can't Not" had also appeared on Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie.) The DVD also includes a ninety-second clip of the unreleased video for the single "Joining You
Joining You
"Joining You" is a song by Alanis Morissette on her 1998 album, Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie. It was released as the second single in Europe, in two discs, on January 3, 1999."Joining You" peaked at number sixteen on the U.S...
". As of November 2010, The Collection had sold 373,000 copies in the U.S., according to Soundscan.
Morissette contributed the song "Wunderkind
Wunderkind (song)
"Wunderkind" is a song written and recorded by Alanis Morissette, and produced by Mike Elizondo for the soundtrack of the 2005 film The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe-Background:...
" to the soundtrack of the film The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is a 2005 epic fantasy adventure film directed by Andrew Adamson and based on The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the first published and second chronological novel in C. S. Lewis's children's epic fantasy series, The Chronicles of...
, and it was nominated for a Golden Globe Award
Golden Globe Award
The Golden Globe Award is an accolade bestowed by the 93 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association recognizing excellence in film and television, both domestic and foreign...
for Best Original Song
Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song
Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song was awarded for the first time in 1962 and has been awarded annually since 1965 by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.-1960s:...
.
Alanis performed two songs with Avril Lavigne
Avril Lavigne
Avril Ramona Lavigne is a Canadian singer-songwriter. She was born in Belleville, Ontario, but spent most of her youth in the small town of Napanee. By the age of 15, she had appeared on stage with Shania Twain; by 16, she had signed a two-album recording contract with Arista Records worth more...
: Morissette's "Ironic
Ironic (song)
"Ironic" is a song recorded by Canadian-American singer Alanis Morissette for her third studio album Jagged Little Pill . It was written by Morissette and Glen Ballard, and was produced by him. Maverick and Warner Bros. Records released it as the album's fourth single on February 27, 1996 in CD,...
" and Lavigne's "Losing Grip
Losing Grip
"Losing Grip" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne released as the fourth and last single from her multiplatinum debut album Let Go . It was released in late spring of 2003 after the success of "I'm with You". The song was written and produced by Avril Lavigne and C. Magness...
".
2006–09: Flavors of Entanglement/Leaving Maverick Records
2006 marked the first year in Morissette's musical career without a single concert appearance showcasing her own songs, with the exception of an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in January when she performed "Wunderkind".On April 1, 2007, Morissette released a tongue-in-cheek cover of The Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyed Peas are an American pop group , formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1995. The group includes rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap, and Taboo, and singer Fergie. Since the release of their third album Elephunk in 2003, the group has sold an estimated 56 million records worldwide...
's selection "My Humps
My Humps
"My Humps" is the third single by The Black Eyed Peas from their fourth album, Monkey Business. It samples a section of the song "I Need a Freak" by Sexual Harassment, as well as the 1989 song "Wild Thing" by Tone Lōc and "It's Automatic" by Freestyle. Released in 2005, it reached number three in...
", which she recorded in a slow, mournful voice, accompanied only by a piano. The accompanying YouTube-hosted video, in which she dances provocatively with a group of men and hits the ones who attempt to touch her "lady lumps", had received 16,465,653 views on February 15, 2009. Morissette did not take any interviews for a time to explain the song, and it was theorized that she did it as an April Fools' Day
April Fools' Day
April Fools' Day is celebrated in different countries around the world on April 1 every year. Sometimes referred to as All Fools' Day, April 1 is not a national holiday, but is widely recognized and celebrated as a day when many people play all kinds of jokes and foolishness...
joke. Black Eyed Peas vocalist Stacy "Fergie" Ferguson responded by sending Morissette a buttocks-shaped cake with an approving note. On the verge of the release of her latest album, she finally elaborated on how the video came to be, citing that she became very much emotionally loaded while recording her new songs one after the other and one day she wished she could do a simple song like "My Humps
My Humps
"My Humps" is the third single by The Black Eyed Peas from their fourth album, Monkey Business. It samples a section of the song "I Need a Freak" by Sexual Harassment, as well as the 1989 song "Wild Thing" by Tone Lōc and "It's Automatic" by Freestyle. Released in 2005, it reached number three in...
" in a conversation with Guy Sigsworth and the joke just took a life of its own when they started working on it.
Morissette performed at a gig for The Nightwatchman
The Nightwatchman
The Nightwatchman is the alter-ego and solo act of Rage Against the Machine, Street Sweeper Social Club and former Audioslave guitarist Tom Morello...
, a.k.a. Tom Morello
Tom Morello
Thomas Baptiste "Tom" Morello is a Grammy Award-winning American guitarist best known for his tenure with the bands Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave, his acoustic solo act The Nightwatchman, and his newest group, Street Sweeper Social Club...
of Rage Against the Machine
Rage Against the Machine
Rage Against the Machine is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1991, the group's line-up consists of vocalist Zack de la Rocha, bassist and backing vocalist Tim Commerford, guitarist Tom Morello and drummer Brad Wilk...
and Audioslave
Audioslave
Audioslave was an American rock supergroup that formed in Los Angeles, California in 2001. It consisted of former Soundgarden lead singer/rhythm guitarist Chris Cornell and the former instrumentalists of Rage Against the Machine: Tom Morello , Tim Commerford and Brad Wilk...
fame, at the Hotel Café in Los Angeles in April 2007. The following June, she performed "The Star-Spangled Banner
The Star-Spangled Banner
"The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States of America. The lyrics come from "Defence of Fort McHenry", a poem written in 1814 by the 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet, Francis Scott Key, after witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry by the British Royal Navy ships...
" and "O Canada
O Canada
It has been noted that the opening theme of "O Canada" bears a strong resemblance to the "Marsch der Priester" , from the opera Die Zauberflöte , composed in 1791 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and that Lavallée's melody was inspired by Mozart's tune...
", the American and Canadian national anthem
National anthem
A national anthem is a generally patriotic musical composition that evokes and eulogizes the history, traditions and struggles of its people, recognized either by a nation's government as the official national song, or by convention through use by the people.- History :Anthems rose to prominence...
s, in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals
2007 Stanley Cup Finals
The 2007 Stanley Cup Final was a best-of-seven playoff series that determined the National Hockey League champion for the 2006–07 season. As a culmination of the 2007 Stanley Cup playoffs, the Western Conference champion Anaheim Ducks defeated the Eastern Conference champion Ottawa Senators in...
between the Ottawa Senators
Ottawa Senators
The Ottawa Senators are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
and the Anaheim Ducks
Anaheim Ducks
The Anaheim Ducks are a professional ice hockey team based in Anaheim, California, USA. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...
in Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
. (The NHL requires arenas to perform both the American and Canadian national anthems at games involving teams from both countries.) In early 2008, Morissette participated in a tour with Matchbox Twenty
Matchbox Twenty
Matchbox Twenty is an American rock band, formed in Orlando, Florida in 1995...
and Mutemath as a special guest.
Morissette's seventh studio album, Flavors of Entanglement
Flavors of Entanglement
Flavors of Entanglement is the seventh studio album, fifth international release and last Maverick Records release by Canadian-American singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette. The album, which was originally set for an April release, was released May 30, 2008 in Germany, Benelux and Ireland, released...
, which was produced by Guy Sigsworth
Guy Sigsworth
Guy Sigsworth is a U.K. based composer, producer and songwriter. In his career to date he has worked with many famous artists, including Seal, Björk, Goldie, Madonna, Britney Spears, Kate Havnevik, Bebel Gilberto, Mozez, David Sylvian and Alanis Morissette...
, was released in mid 2008. She has stated that in late 2008, she would embark on a North American headlining tour, but in the meantime she would be promoting the album internationally by performing at shows and festivals and making television and radio appearances. The album's first single was "Underneath", a video for which was submitted to the 2007 Elevate Film Festival, the purpose of which festival was to create documentaries, music videos, narratives and shorts regarding subjects to raise the level of human consciousness on the earth. On October 3, 2008, Morissette released the video for her latest single, "Not as We
Not as We
"Not as We" is a song from Alanis Morissette's seventh studio album, Flavors of Entanglement. "Not as We" was remixed and released as the second single from Flavors of Entanglement in North America, while "In Praise of the Vulnerable Man" was released as the second single in Europe.The single was...
".
Morissette left Maverick Records after all promotion for Flavors was completed.
2010–present: Film and eighth studio album
Recently, Morissette has contributed to 1 Giant Leap1 Giant Leap
1 Giant Leap is a concept band and media project consisting of the two principal artists, Jamie Catto and Duncan Bridgeman.-Information:...
, performing "Arrival" with Zap Mama
Zap Mama
Zap Mama is a Belgian musical group founded and led by Marie Daulne. Daulne says her mission is to be a bridge between the European and the African and bring the two cultures together with her music...
and she has released an acoustic version of her song "Still" as part of a compilation from Music for Relief in support of the 2010 Haiti earthquake
2010 Haiti earthquake
The 2010 Haiti earthquake was a catastrophic magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake, with an epicentre near the town of Léogâne, approximately west of Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital. The earthquake occurred at 16:53 local time on Tuesday, 12 January 2010.By 24 January, at least 52 aftershocks...
crisis. Morissette has also recorded a cover of the 1984 Willie Nelson
Willie Nelson
Willie Hugh Nelson is an American country music singer-songwriter, as well as an author, poet, actor, and activist. The critical success of the album Shotgun Willie , combined with the critical and commercial success of Red Headed Stranger and Stardust , made Nelson one of the most recognized...
and Julio Iglesias
Julio Iglesias
Julio José Iglesias de la Cueva , better known simply as Julio Iglesias, is a Spanish singer who has sold over 300 million records worldwide in 14 languages and released 77 albums. According to Sony Music Entertainment, he is one of the top 15 best selling music artists in history,...
hit, "To All the Girls I've Loved Before
To All the Girls I've Loved Before
"To All the Girls I've Loved Before" was a 1984 cover of Albert Hammond's song by singers Julio Iglesias and Willie Nelson, which appeared on Iglesias's album 1100 Bel Air Place. A breakthrough for Iglesias in the English language market, the song peaked at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the...
", re-written as "To All the Boys I've Loved Before". Nelson played rhythm guitar on the recording.
In April 2010, Morissette released the song "I Remain", which she wrote for the Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (film)
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is a 2010 sword-and-sorcery action film written by Jordan Mechner, Boaz Yakin, Doug Miro, and Carlo Bernard; directed by Mike Newell; produced by Jerry Bruckheimer; and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures...
soundtrack.
On May 26, 2010, the season finale of American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
, Morissette performed a duet of her song "You Oughta Know" with Runner Up Crystal Bowersox
Crystal Bowersox
Crystal Lynn Bowersox is an American singer-songwriter and actress, who was the runner-up on the ninth season of American Idol...
.
On October 11, 2011, Alanis posted a picture of herself in a recording studio to her Facebook page. The picture included the message "back in the studio saddle....the songs have come in droves...!", indicating that Alanis has begun work on her next album. However, it is still unknown if Morissette will be still associated with Maverick Records, after the completion from her last album Flavors of Entanglement
Flavors of Entanglement
Flavors of Entanglement is the seventh studio album, fifth international release and last Maverick Records release by Canadian-American singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette. The album, which was originally set for an April release, was released May 30, 2008 in Germany, Benelux and Ireland, released...
. On 20 November 2011, Alanis had appeared at the American Music Awards
American Music Awards
-Conception:The AMAs were created by Dick Clark in 1973 to compete with the Grammys after the move of that year's show to Nashville, Tennessee led to CBS picking up the Grammy telecasts after its first two in 1971 and 1972 were broadcast on ABC...
. Alanis gave a small interview there and Alanis confirmed that she is finishing the studio album, and she had said she has recorded thirty-one songs. She said that the album will be due out in 2012 in Summer or Spring.
Acting career
In 1986, Morissette had her first stint as an actor: five episodes of the children's television show You Can't Do That on TelevisionYou Can't Do That on Television
You Can't Do That on Television is a Canadian television program that first aired locally in 1979 before ultimately airing internationally in 1981...
. She appeared on stage with the Orpheus Musical Theatre Society
Orpheus Musical Theatre Society
One of North America's oldest amateur musical theatre societies, Ottawa, Ontario based Orpheus Musical Theatre Society was founded in 1906.Orpheus performs three shows annually at the Centrepointe Theatre in Ottawa, Ontario. Past performers in Orpheus shows include Alanis Morissette, Peter...
in 1985 and 1988.
In 1993, she appeared in the film Just One of the Girls starring Corey Haim
Corey Haim
Corey Ian Haim was a Canadian actor, known for a 1980s Hollywood career as a teen idol. He starred in a number of films such as Lucas, Silver Bullet, Murphy's Romance, License to Drive and Dream a Little Dream...
, which she described as "horrible".
In 1999, Morissette delved into acting again, for the first time since 1993, appearing as God in the Kevin Smith
Kevin Smith
Kevin Patrick Smith is an American screenwriter, actor, film producer, and director, as well as a popular comic book writer, author, comedian/raconteur, and internet radio personality best recognized by viewers as Silent Bob...
comedy Dogma
Dogma (film)
Dogma is a 1999 American adventure fantasy comedy film written and directed by Kevin Smith, who also stars in the film along with an ensemble cast that includes Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Linda Fiorentino, Alan Rickman, Bud Cort, Salma Hayek, Chris Rock, Jason Lee, George Carlin, Janeane Garofalo,...
and contributing the song "Still" to its soundtrack. She also appeared in the hit HBO
Home Box Office
HBO, short for Home Box Office, is an American premium cable television network, owned by Time Warner. , HBO's programming reaches 28.2 million subscribers in the United States, making it the second largest premium network in America . In addition to its U.S...
comedies Sex and the City
Sex and the City
Sex and the City is an American television comedy-drama series created by Darren Star and produced by HBO. Broadcast from 1998 until 2004, the original run of the show had a total of ninety-four episodes...
and Curb Your Enthusiasm
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Curb Your Enthusiasm is an American comedy television series produced and broadcast by HBO, which premiered on October 15, 2000. As of 2011, it has completed 80 episodes over eight seasons. The series was created by Seinfeld co-creator Larry David, who stars as a fictionalized version of himself...
, appeared in the play The Vagina Monologues
The Vagina Monologues
The Vagina Monologues is an episodic play written by Eve Ensler which ran at the Off Broadway Westside Theatre after a limited run at AFRICA in 1996. Ensler originally starred in the production which was produced by David Stone, Nina Essman, Dan Markley, The Araca Group, Willa Shalit, Mike Skipper...
, and had a brief role in the 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...
ian hit soap opera "Celebridade" (Celebrity).
In late 2003, Morissette appeared in the Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
play The Exonerated as Sunny Jacobs, a death row
Death row
Death row signifies the place, often a section of a prison, that houses individuals awaiting execution. The term is also used figuratively to describe the state of awaiting execution , even in places where no special facility or separate unit for condemned inmates exists.After individuals are found...
inmate freed after proof surfaced that she was innocent. In April 2006, MTV News
MTV News
MTV News is the news division of MTV, one of the first and most popular music television network in the U.S., as well as some of MTV's related channels around the world. MTV News began in the late 1980s with the program The Week In Rock, hosted by Kurt Loder, the first official MTV News correspondent...
reported that Morissette would reprise her role in The Exonerated in London from May 23 until May 28.
She expanded her acting credentials with the July 2004 release of the Cole Porter
Cole Porter
Cole Albert Porter was an American composer and songwriter. Born to a wealthy family in Indiana, he defied the wishes of his domineering grandfather and took up music as a profession. Classically trained, he was drawn towards musical theatre...
biographical film
Biographical film
A biographical film, or biopic , is a film that dramatizes the life of an actual person or people. They differ from films “based on a true story” or “historical films” in that they attempt to comprehensively tell a person’s life story or at least the most historically important years of their...
De-Lovely
De-Lovely
De-Lovely is a 2004 musical biopic directed by Irwin Winkler. The screenplay by Jay Cocks is based on the life and career of Cole Porter, from his first meeting with Linda Lee Thomas until his death...
, in which she performed the song "Let's Do It (Let's Fall in Love)" and had a brief role as an anonymous stage performer. In February 2005, she made a guest appearance on the Canadian television show Degrassi: The Next Generation
Degrassi: The Next Generation
Degrassi: The Next Generation is a Canadian teen drama television series set in the Degrassi universe, which was created by Linda Schuyler and Kit Hood in 1979. Degrassi is the fourth fictional series in the Degrassi franchise, and follows The Kids of Degrassi Street, Degrassi Junior High, and...
with Dogma co-star Jason Mewes
Jason Mewes
Jason Edward Mewes is an American television, film actor, and internet radio show host best known for playing Jay, the vocal half of the duo Jay and Silent Bob, in longtime friend Kevin Smith's films.-Early life:...
and director Kevin Smith.
In 2006, she guest starred in an episode of Lifetime
Lifetime Television
Lifetime Television, often referred to as Lifetime TV, or most commonly, Lifetime, is an American cable television specialty channel devoted to movies, sitcoms and dramas, all of which are either geared toward women or feature women in lead roles. The cable network is owned by A&E Television Networks...
's Lovespring International
Lovespring International
Lovespring International is an American comedy series created by Guy Shalem and Brad Isaacs which aired on Lifetime on Mondays at 11pm during the Summer of 2006 in the United States. Lovespring was canceled on December 1, 2006...
as a homeless woman named Lucinda, three episodes of FX
FX Networks
FX is the name of a number of related pay television channels owned by News Corporation's Fox Entertainment Group...
's Nip/Tuck
Nip/Tuck
Nip/Tuck is an American drama series created by Ryan Murphy, which aired on FX in the United States. The series focuses on McNamara/Troy, a plastic surgery practice, and follows its founders, Sean McNamara and Christian Troy...
, playing a lesbian named Poppy, and the mockumentary
Mockumentary
A mockumentary , is a type of film or television show in which fictitious events are presented in documentary format. These productions are often used to analyze or comment on current events and issues by using a fictitious setting, or to parody the documentary form itself...
/documentary Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh (2006 film)
Pittsburgh is a 2006 mockumentary comedy film that follows American actor Jeff Goldblum as he attempts to secure a green card for his Canadian actor/singer/dancer girlfriend by appearing with her as the leads in a summer regional theatre production of The Music Man in Goldblum's hometown of...
as herself.
Morissette has appeared in eight episodes of Weeds
Weeds (TV series)
Weeds is an American television comedy created by Jenji Kohan and produced by Tilted Productions in association with Lionsgate Television. The central character is Nancy Botwin , a widowed mother of two boys who begins selling marijuana to support her family after her husband dies suddenly of a...
, playing Dr. Audra Kitson, a "no-nonsense obstetrician" who treats pregnant main character Nancy Botwin. Her first episode aired in July 2009.
In early 2010 Morissette returned to the stage, performing a one night engagement in An Oak Tree
An Oak Tree
An Oak Tree is a conceptual work of art created by Michael Craig-Martin RA in 1973. The piece consists of two units; an object, a glass of water on a glass shelf, and a text...
, an experimental play in Los Angeles. The performance was a sell out. In April 2010 Morissette was confirmed in the cast of Weeds
Weeds (TV series)
Weeds is an American television comedy created by Jenji Kohan and produced by Tilted Productions in association with Lionsgate Television. The central character is Nancy Botwin , a widowed mother of two boys who begins selling marijuana to support her family after her husband dies suddenly of a...
season six, performing again her role as Dr. Audra Kitson.
Morissette also starred in a film adaptation of Philip K. Dick
Philip K. Dick
Philip Kindred Dick was an American novelist, short story writer and essayist whose published work is almost entirely in the science fiction genre. Dick explored sociological, political and metaphysical themes in novels dominated by monopolistic corporations, authoritarian governments and altered...
's novel Radio Free Albemuth
Radio Free Albemuth (film)
Radio Free Albemuth is an American film adaptation of the 1985 science fiction novel Radio Free Albemuth by author Philip K. Dick. The film is written, directed, and produced by John Alan Simon and stars Alanis Morissette in a lead role...
. Morissette plays Sylvia, an ordinary woman in unexpected remission from lymphoma
Lymphoma
Lymphoma is a cancer in the lymphatic cells of the immune system. Typically, lymphomas present as a solid tumor of lymphoid cells. Treatment might involve chemotherapy and in some cases radiotherapy and/or bone marrow transplantation, and can be curable depending on the histology, type, and stage...
. Morissette stated that she is "...a big fan of Philip K. Dick's poetic and expansively imaginative books" and that she "feel[s] blessed to portray Sylvia, and to be part of this story being told in film".
Personal life
Morissette dated actor and comedian Dave CoulierDave Coulier
David Alan "Dave" Coulier is an American stand-up comedian, impressionist, television and voice actor, and television host. He is well-known for his role as Joey Gladstone on the ABC sitcom Full House, which ran from 1987 to 1995....
, 15 years her senior, for a short time in the early 1990s. In a 2008 interview with the Calgary Herald
Calgary Herald
The Calgary Herald is a daily newspaper published in the Canadian city of Calgary, Alberta.- History :The paper was first published on August 31, 1883 by Andrew Armour and Thomas Braden as The Calgary Herald, Mining and Ranche Advocate and General Advertiser. It started as a weekly paper with only...
, Coulier claimed to be the ex-boyfriend who inspired Morissette's song "You Oughta Know
You Oughta Know
"You Oughta Know" is a alternative rock song, which also is known for its grunge effect styles in it. The instruments held in it are guitars, electric guitars, drums and drum machine...
". Morissette, however, has maintained her silence on the subject of the song.
Morissette met Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds
Ryan Reynolds
Ryan Rodney Reynolds is a Canadian film and television actor, best known for his roles in such films as National Lampoon's Van Wilder, Waiting..., The Amityville Horror, Just Friends, Definitely, Maybe, The Proposal, Buried, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and Green Lantern.One of his best known...
at Drew Barrymore
Drew Barrymore
Drew Blyth Barrymore is an American actress, film director, screenwriter, producer and model. She is a member of the Barrymore family of American actors and granddaughter of John Barrymore. She first appeared in an advertisement when she was 11 months old. Barrymore made her film debut in Altered...
's birthday party in 2002, and the couple began dating soon after. They announced their engagement in June 2004. In February 2007, representatives for Morissette and Reynolds announced they had mutually decided to end their engagement. Morissette has stated that her album Flavors of Entanglement
Flavors of Entanglement
Flavors of Entanglement is the seventh studio album, fifth international release and last Maverick Records release by Canadian-American singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette. The album, which was originally set for an April release, was released May 30, 2008 in Germany, Benelux and Ireland, released...
was created out of her grief after the break-up, saying that "it was cathartic".
On May 22, 2010, Morissette married rapper Mario “MC Souleye” Treadway in a private ceremony at their Los Angeles home. Their first child, Ever Imre Morissette-Treadway, was born on December 25, 2010.
Morissette is a vegan.
Discography
- AlanisAlanis (album)Alanis is the debut album by Alanis Morissette, released only in Canada in April 1991 by MCA Records Canada . Morissette recorded the album with Leslie Howe, who produced her second album Now Is the Time , and it was certified platinum.- Background and recording :John Alexander, head of A&R for MCA...
(1991) - Now Is the TimeNow Is the Time- Credits :* Produced, engineered and mixed by Leslie Howe for Ghetto Records at Distortion Studios* Photography by Dan Seguin and Andrew LeBlanc* Design: Martin Solort* A&R direction: John Alexander- References :* RPM ....
(1992) - Jagged Little PillJagged Little PillJagged Little Pill is the third studio album by Canadian recording artist and songwriter Alanis Morissette. It was Morissette's first internationally released album, and her first studio album after the three year hiatus following her break with MCA Records. The album marked a shift from her style...
(1995) - Supposed Former Infatuation JunkieSupposed Former Infatuation JunkieSupposed Former Infatuation Junkie is the fourth album and second internationally released album by singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette, released by Maverick Records in the United States on November 3, 1998...
(1998) - Under Rug SweptUnder Rug SweptUnder 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) - So-Called ChaosSo-Called Chaos-Personnel:*Alanis Morissette – vocals, producer, piano, keyboards, art direction*Eric Avery – bass*Chris Lord-Alge – mixing*Kenny Aronoff – drums*Paul Bushnell – bass*Scott Gordon – programming, engineer, drum programming*Bill Lane – assistant engineer...
(2004) - Flavors of EntanglementFlavors of EntanglementFlavors of Entanglement is the seventh studio album, fifth international release and last Maverick Records release by Canadian-American singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette. The album, which was originally set for an April release, was released May 30, 2008 in Germany, Benelux and Ireland, released...
(2008)
Filmography
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
| 1999 | Dogma Dogma (film) Dogma is a 1999 American adventure fantasy comedy film written and directed by Kevin Smith, who also stars in the film along with an ensemble cast that includes Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Linda Fiorentino, Alan Rickman, Bud Cort, Salma Hayek, Chris Rock, Jason Lee, George Carlin, Janeane Garofalo,... |
God | |
| 2001 | Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back is a 2001 American action adventure comedy film written, directed by, and starring Kevin Smith as Silent Bob, the fifth to be set in his View Askewniverse, a growing collection of characters and settings that developed out of his cult favorite Clerks... |
God | cameo |
| 2004 | De-Lovely De-Lovely De-Lovely is a 2004 musical biopic directed by Irwin Winkler. The screenplay by Jay Cocks is based on the life and career of Cole Porter, from his first meeting with Linda Lee Thomas until his death... |
unnamed singer | sang "Let's Do It, Let's Fall in Love" |
| 2005 | Fuck Fuck (film) Fuck is a 2005 documentary by director/producer Steve Anderson and Rainstorm Entertainment about the social, political, personal, historical, linguistic and artistic significance of the word fuck... |
herself | documentary |
| 2005 | Just Friends | Herself | Deleted scene |
| 2010 | Radio Free Albemuth Radio Free Albemuth (film) Radio Free Albemuth is an American film adaptation of the 1985 science fiction novel Radio Free Albemuth by author Philip K. Dick. The film is written, directed, and produced by John Alan Simon and stars Alanis Morissette in a lead role... |
Sylvie | |
| 2012 | As Cool As I Am As Cool As I Am (film) As Cool As I Am is an upcoming American comedy-drama film based on the novel of the same name by Pete Fromm. James Marsden, Claire Danes and Sarah Bolger star as the Diamond family. The film is being directed by Max Mayer, who recently directed Adam... |
Herself | |
| Television | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1986 | You Can't Do That on Television You Can't Do That on Television You Can't Do That on Television is a Canadian television program that first aired locally in 1979 before ultimately airing internationally in 1981... |
herself | |
| 2000 | Sex and the City Sex and the City Sex and the City is an American television comedy-drama series created by Darren Star and produced by HBO. Broadcast from 1998 until 2004, the original run of the show had a total of ninety-four episodes... |
Dawn | episode "Boy, Girl, Boy, Girl" |
| 2002 | Curb Your Enthusiasm Curb Your Enthusiasm Curb Your Enthusiasm is an American comedy television series produced and broadcast by HBO, which premiered on October 15, 2000. As of 2011, it has completed 80 episodes over eight seasons. The series was created by Seinfeld co-creator Larry David, who stars as a fictionalized version of himself... |
herself | episode "The Terrorist Attack" |
| 2003 | Celebridade | herself | Brazilian soap opera |
| 2004 | American Dreams American Dreams American Dreams is an American television comedy-drama program broadcast on the NBC television network, produced by Once A Frog and Dick Clark Productions in association with Universal Network Television and NBC Studios... |
singer in the Lair | episode "What Dreams May Come" |
| 2005 | Degrassi: The Next Generation Degrassi: The Next Generation Degrassi: The Next Generation is a Canadian teen drama television series set in the Degrassi universe, which was created by Linda Schuyler and Kit Hood in 1979. Degrassi is the fourth fictional series in the Degrassi franchise, and follows The Kids of Degrassi Street, Degrassi Junior High, and... |
principal | episode "Goin' down the Road: Part 1" |
| 2006 | Lovespring International Lovespring International Lovespring International is an American comedy series created by Guy Shalem and Brad Isaacs which aired on Lifetime on Mondays at 11pm during the Summer of 2006 in the United States. Lovespring was canceled on December 1, 2006... |
Lucinda | |
| 2006 | Nip/Tuck Nip/Tuck Nip/Tuck is an American drama series created by Ryan Murphy, which aired on FX in the United States. The series focuses on McNamara/Troy, a plastic surgery practice, and follows its founders, Sean McNamara and Christian Troy... |
Poppy | three episodes |
| 2009–2010 | Weeds Weeds (TV series) Weeds is an American television comedy created by Jenji Kohan and produced by Tilted Productions in association with Lionsgate Television. The central character is Nancy Botwin , a widowed mother of two boys who begins selling marijuana to support her family after her husband dies suddenly of a... |
Dr. Audra Kitson | |
| Stage | |||
| Year | Title | Notes | |
| 1999 | The Vagina Monologues The Vagina Monologues The Vagina Monologues is an episodic play written by Eve Ensler which ran at the Off Broadway Westside Theatre after a limited run at AFRICA in 1996. Ensler originally starred in the production which was produced by David Stone, Nina Essman, Dan Markley, The Araca Group, Willa Shalit, Mike Skipper... |
||
| 2004 | The Exonerated | played Sunny Jacobs | |
| 2010 | An Oak Tree An Oak Tree An Oak Tree is a conceptual work of art created by Michael Craig-Martin RA in 1973. The piece consists of two units; an object, a glass of water on a glass shelf, and a text... |
||
Tours
- 1991: Vanilla IceVanilla IceRobert Matthew Van Winkle , best known by his stage name Vanilla Ice, is an American rapper, extreme athlete and home improvement television personality...
tour (opening act) - 1995: Jagged Little Pill/Intellectual Intercourse Tour
- 1996: Can't Not Tour
- 1998: Club Tour (Alanis Morissette tour)
- 1999: Junkie Tour
- 1999: Junkie Tour Australian Leg (with GarbageGarbage (band)Garbage are an alternative rock band formed in Madison, Wisconsin in 1994. The group consists of Scottish singer Shirley Manson and American musicians Duke Erikson , Steve Marker and Butch Vig . All four members are involved in songwriting and production...
) - 1999: 5 ½ Weeks Tour (with Tori AmosTori AmosTori Amos is an American pianist, singer-songwriter and composer. She was at the forefront of a number of female singer-songwriters in the early 1990s and was noteworthy early in her career as one of the few alternative rock performers to use a piano as her primary instrument...
) - 2000: One Tour
- 2001: Under Rug Swept Tour
- 2002: Toward Our Union Mended Tour
- 2003: All I Really Want/Feast on Scraps Tour
- 2004: So-Called Chaos/Au Naturale Tour (with Barenaked LadiesBarenaked LadiesBarenaked Ladies is a Canadian alternative rock band. The band is currently composed of Jim Creeggan, Kevin Hearn, Ed Robertson, and Tyler Stewart. Barenaked Ladies formed in 1988 in Scarborough, Ontario, then a suburban municipality outside the City of Toronto...
) - 2005: Diamond Wink Tour
- 2008: Exile in America (with Matchbox Twenty and Mutemath)
- 2008: Flavors of Entanglement TourFlavors of Entanglement TourThe Flavors of Entanglement tour is the 15th official concert tour by Canadian musician Alanis Morissette. The tour promoted her summer 2008 album Flavors of Entanglement. The Flavors of Entanglement North American tour began in September 2008. There was also a "Meet and Greet" contest held for the...
- 2009: Flavors of Entanglement South American TourFlavors of Entanglement South American TourThe Flavors of Entanglement Latin America and South American tour is the 16th official concert tour by Canadian musician Alanis Morissette. The tour promoted her summer 2008 album Flavors of Entanglement. The Flavors of Entanglement South American tour began in January 2009. The tour took place in...
Awards and nominations
See also
- Canadian rockCanadian rockCanadian rock describes a wide and diverse variety of music produced by Canadians, beginning with American style rock 'n' roll in the mid-20th century. Since then Canada has had a considerable impact on the development of the modern popular music called rock...
- Music of CanadaMusic of CanadaThe music of Canada has influences that have shaped the country. Aboriginals, the British, and the French have all made unique contributions to the musical heritage of Canada. The music has subsequently been heavily influenced by American culture because of its proximity and migration between...
- Best selling music artists
- List of diamond-certified albums in Canada
- List of best-selling albums worldwide
- List of best-selling music artists
Further reading
- Rock on the Net
- Canadian chart positions courtesy of the RPMRPM (magazine)RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,...
100 Singles chart listings. - "Alanis Morissette – Artist Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved August 23, 2006.
- [ "Alanis Morissette – Billboard Singles"]. Allmusic. Retrieved August 23, 2006.
- "Alanis Morissette". Mariah-charts.com. Retrieved August 23, 2006.
- Rock Chicks:The Hottest Female Rockers from the 1960s to Now by Stieven-Taylor, Alison (2007). Sydney. Rockpool Publishing. ISBN 978-1-921295-06-5