Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Jagged Little Pill
Jagged Little Pill
Alanis Morissette
Daphne Adamson
Background on Album
● Written by Alanis Morissette and her producer Glen Ballard
● Released on June 13, 1995
● Produced on Madonna’s record label Maverick
● Morissette’s 3rd studio album
● Previous albums were Canadian dance pop
a. 1991 Alanis
b. 1992 Now is the Time
Jagged Little Pill’s Success
● Album Hit #1 on the Billboard 200
● Had three #1 Billboard singles: "You Oughta Know" "Hand In My Pocket" "Ironic"
● Morissette earned her first four GRAMMY wins at the 38th GRAMMY Awards
a. Album Of The Year
b. Best Rock Album
c. "You Oughta Know" earned Best Female Rock Vocal Performance
d. “You Oughta Know” earned Best Rock Song
● The album went multi-platinum sixteen times as of July 29, 1998.
● As of 2015, sales surpassed 15 million copies in the United States
Feminist Criticism
● How does the song portray power, sexuality, and gender?
● What is the ‘female voice’ and how does that impact the
theme/message?
● How are the relational roles/gendered roles portrayed in
the song?
● What is the influence of the patriarchy? Is her reaction to
it resistive or submissive?
You Oughta Know (1995)
Focus on…
● Lyrics/ Vocals
● Accompaniment (guitar, bass,
drums)
● Aesthetic
● Singer’s portrayal
Jagged Little Pill! The Musical
● Premiered at the American Reptitary
Theater in Cambridge, MA
● Every show was sold out (May 5 - July 15,
2018)
● The musical centers around “a family
attempting to appear successful and
happy, in spite of issues like opiate
addiction, sexual and gender identity
issues, and rape” (NPR)
Jagged Little Pill! The Musical
“Right now‚ in 2018‚ ‘Jagged Little Pill‚’ feels urgent. It’s also‚ somehow‚
wildly entertaining. It is wickedly funny in just the right places. We’re
reminded that Morissette’s songs are a treasure. On top of it all we’re
reminded that a heap of social ills can be the basis of good theater. And no‚
there’s nothing ironic about that.” - The Boston Globe