This Weeks Friday Classic: Ironic by Alanis Morrisette Alani’s Morrisette’s story is one which gives every young budding female musician hope. She released a couple of bubble-gum pop albums in the early 90’s which were barely successful, and then less than so, in her native Canada. She then moved to the big smoke of LA, found a decent producer, and co-wrote her third album, her first to be released internationally, called Jagged Little Pill. The rest really is history. Jagged Little Pill went on to become the biggest selling album of the 90’s (not a bad effort considering U2, Nirvana and Radiohead all put out their best albums in the 90’s; its outsold both Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby - impressive!). It is second only to another Canadian lady as the highest selling female album of all time – a title held by Come on Over by Shania Twain. Morrisette is the only artist apart from the Boss and U2 to have won Best Rock Album and Best Rock song in the same year. The album features in all sorts of charts of best albums of all time, and best female album, etc – most notably and impressively being nominated in Q magazine’s top 20 albums of all time (!). So what’s its secret? The answer apparently lies in the story that Morrisette was robbed at gunpoint when she first arrived in LA, and afterwards (understandably!) suffered from panic attacks and eating disorders. That experience, combined with the encouragement of her producer to express her emotions, mixed in with an breathtaking voice and a creativity in songwriting and music composition made for an astonishing album. It is not difficult for a whole variety of people – especially but not only women – to identify with the intense emotions that Morissette expresses in the album; and its hard not to be dumbfounded by the musicality of it. As critic Robert Christgau so aptly put it: ‘she’s happy to help 15 million girls of many ages stick a basic feminist truth in our faces: privileged phonies have identity problems too. Not to mention man problems’. The album was rich with outstanding singles – ‘You Oughta Know’ was the first released and won two Grammy’s; it is the ultimate song to an ex-boyfriend who’s now promising someone else he’ll only ever love them. ‘Hand in my Pocket’ made it to number 1 in the States and (ironically) is a song about all manner of ironies; essentially that ‘I’m sick but I’m pretty’. Head Over Feet was a cult favourite in her native Canada. But the defining song for Morissette really is Ironic. Pages of newspapers and journals have been spent debating whether the things mentioned in the song are in fact ironic (many aren’t). You know you’re a pop culture phenomenon when Weird Al Yankovic has a go at your song because its not technically about irony. But that’s beside the point. The song is a classic because it captures so vibrantly the experience we all feel or observe at times that ‘life has a funny way of sneaking up on you’ – and in the midst of disaster there is great joy, and vice versa. The video clip is superb in its simplicity – Morisette playfully driving a Lincoln Continental (Best. American. Car. Ever.) and being joined by 4 versions of herself; only to be all alone in the end. This week’s Friday classic is dedicated to Aimee Biddington who introduced me to this genius at the TIM course (and btw Aimee, Alanis got her inspiration from Bruce Springsteen’s album ‘Nebraska’ – which he recorded on his own in his bedroom with a 4 track recorder. Oh and I still have your copy of Jagged Little Pill and haven’t listened to it! – Ironic!). And also several other women I have spoken to who love it – single, married, new mothers, and beyond - many women who seem remarkably content as single women, a newly marrieds and young mums and display none of the angst expressed on Jagged Little Pill. But they get it. Isn’t that ironic, don’t you think? Ironic An old man turned ninety-eight He won the lottery and died the next day Its a black fly in your Chardonnay Its a death row pardon two minutes too late And isnt it ironic... dont you think Its like rain on your wedding day Its a free ride when youve already paid Its the good advice that you just didnt take Who wouldve thought... it figures Mr. Play It Safe was afraid to fly He packed his suitcase and kissed his kids goodbye He waited his whole damn life to take that flight And as the plane crashed down he thought Well isnt this nice... And isnt it ironic... dont you think Its like rain on your wedding day Its a free ride when youve already paid Its the good advice that you just didnt take Who wouldve thought... it figures Well life has a funny way of sneaking up on you When you think everythings okay and everythings going right And life has a funny way of helping you out when You think everythings gone wrong and everything blows up In your face A traffic jam when youre already late A no-smoking sign on your cigarette break Its like ten thousand spoons when all you need is a knife Its meeting the man of my dreams And then meeting his beautiful wife And isnt it ironic...dont you think A little too ironic...and, yeah, I really do think... Its like rain on your wedding day Its a free ride when youve already paid Its the good advice that you just didnt take Who wouldve thought... it figures Life has a funny way of sneaking up on you Life has a funny, funny way of helping you out Helping you out https://youtube/watch?v=Jne9t8sHpUc
Posted on: Fri, 07 Nov 2014 00:50:00 +0000
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015