Recapping the 10 years since Jagged Little Pill

Believe it or not, it has been 10 years since the release of Alanis Morissette’s Jagged Little… Believe it or not, it has been 10 years since the release of Alanis Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill. Whether or not you are one of the 30 million people who bought this blockbuster album, there has been no escaping hearing her music on television, radio or even from someone else’s CD player. So how is the singer/songwriter going to commemorate this nostalgic anniversary? By singing it all over again.

Morissette and Pill producer Glen Ballard have rerecorded the album in its entirety, only this time it’s unplugged. The acoustic version, set to be released in mid-June, will be a “reinterpretation” of the original songs, according to Morissette. So after 10 years, why is a reinterpretation necessary? Well, the angsty singer has changed quite a bit over this past decade and, well, is not quite so angsty anymore.

From the beginning, Morissette has defended herself against the music media, who wanted to quickly label her as a searing feminist. In fact, a common heading on her feature articles in popular magazines was “angry white female.” While she may have also scripted softer songs on Jagged Little Pill, the impressions from her hot-tempered verses created her irascible image. Perhaps this image was propelled by her casual usage of curse words and explicit sexual references in her fist single, “You Oughta Know.”

But there was more to this singer than diatribes against both men and patriarchal society. The instant fame soon overwhelmed the singer, who was tired of being labeled relentlessly as angry. So she fled to India to escape the pressures of celebrity and, more importantly, to search for peacefulness. The result of this journey was her sophomore album, Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie. On this earthy album, the songs are laced with Eastern spiritual references and include some rich ballads.

Although this second album sold far fewer copies than its predecessor, Morissette could not have felt happier with it. No longer pegged as solely an angry singer, she was able to focus on other parts of her life. Her third album Under Rug Swept displayed a cohesive artist, with firm and sounding lyrics. Her most recent album, So-Called Chaos, is remarkably energetic and resolved. The album’s single “Everything” is a triumphant ode to lasting love, inspired by her engagement to actor Ryan Reynolds (“Amityville Horror”).

With this personal transformation, Morissette decided to revisit her earlier songs and deliver them with a fresh perspective. She hopes not to diminish the original meanings of the songs, but to reinforce them through her current outlook on life. While most artists have catered to the masses in pursuit of continued commercial success, Morissette has written songs that are personally reflective and heartfelt.

Rather than simply throwing old songs onto a “Greatest Hits” album, she has chosen to reinvest in her earlier work. Perhaps this displays how talented an artist Morissette actually is, with emphasis on the meaning behind her work rather than on its chart success. Beyond this, she has proven to be a highly capable singer who expresses not just anger, but an entire host of emotions that has manifested in her work since the original release of Jagged Little Pill.