Random Stories Behind Alanis Morissette's 'Jagged Little Pill' That You Oughta Know (14 items)

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  (#4) Alanis Says Her Biggest Embarrassment Is The World Reacting To 'Ironic'

  "Ironic" was the third single released off Jagged Little Pill. It became the singer's highest-charting hit on Billboard's Hot 100 and received two Grammy Award nominations. 

  Despite the song's massive success, if Morissette had a choice, she would still leave "Ironic" off the album. She's embarrassed because so many people have publicly shamed her for not really understanding the definition of irony. She explains, "People bring it up to this day. And you know what? I didn't even want that song on the record! But everyone else did, so I caved."
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  (#6) Fans Would Break Into Her Hotel Room And Leave Notes In Her Undergarments During Shows

  Morissette was just 21 years old when Jagged Little Pill dropped in music stores and changed the outlook of her entire life. The singer had achieved small success in Canada with her first two albums but was still relatively unknown to the rest of the world. 

  Everything changed in June 1995 when Jagged Little Pill became an instant hit. She only thought it would sell about 125,000 copies; instead, it sold 33 million. Morissette became a music superstar in the 1990s. But, there was a price to pay for that fame. 

  In a 2018 interview, she revealed a few of the unsettling events resulting from her stardom:

  I started landing at airports internationally and there were 30,000 people there. I wound up hiding in my hotel room, but if I walked past the window, even my shadow on the drapes would cause people to scream outside. People would break in and leave notes in my underwear when I was doing a show. It felt like an obliteration of my boundaries.
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  (#9) Dave Coulier Claims To Be The Older Man Whom Alanis Wrote 'You Oughta Know' About

  The first released track off of Jagged Little Pill is "You Oughta Know." The song and the video became instant hits. The lyrics demanded attention; there was absolutely nothing like it on the radio. It was raw, borderline salacious, and autobiographical. The song's narrative tells the tale of an older man who manipulates and lies. The mystery man leaves Morissette and quickly becomes involved with another woman: 

  You seem very well, things look peaceful
  I'm not quite as well, I thought you should know
  Did you forget about me, Mr. Duplicity?
  I hate to bug you in the middle of dinner
  It was a slap in the face
  How quickly I was replaced
  And are you thinking of me when you f*ck her?

  Morissette has never revealed the object of her scorn. Even decades later, she feels the need to protect him.

  "I'm not being coquettish," she said. "A lot of people have said it's a great revenge song, but the idea of revenge being acted out is something that I think is really dangerous in our world. The reason I won't say who it's about - certainly, it’s to protect them on some level, but mostly it's about me wanting to make sure I stand by my value system of not advocating revenge."

  According to Dave Coulier, Uncle Joey from Full House, he is the mystery man in question. The actor dated the singer in the early 1990s, so it's certainly possible. In a 2013 interview, Coulier said he called Morissette and asked her how she wanted him to respond to the media if they started asking him questions about the song. Morissette told him to say whatever he wanted. 

  Coulier revealed that the one line that gave it away for him was, "I hate to bug you in the middle of dinner," because, "We had already broken up... She called and I said, 'Hey, you know, I'm right in the middle of dinner. Can I just call you right back?'" He added, "When I heard the line, it was like, 'uh-oh.'"
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  (#3) Alanis First Met With Maverick To Perform 'You Oughta Know' In Her Sweatpants

  Morissette and Ballard were working in the studio one day when they got a call. Guy Oseary from Madonna's record label, Maverick, was willing to meet her. At the time, Morissette was wearing sweatpants, so she was rather reluctant to take a big meeting. The caller told her to get in the car and go see Oseary right away.

  Morissette showed up to meet Oseary in her sweats and played him "You Oughta Know," "Perfect," and "Hand in My Pocket." Oseary instantly loved what he heard. He later said: 

  They both walked into my office, I didn't know if they were a band, actually. I didn't know anything, really - when I saw Glen I didn't have background, I didn't know Alanis's background. I didn't know anything about them. The first song they played me was the demo of "Perfect." Within, I don't know, 20 or 30 seconds into the song, I was done. I was already blown away and never heard anything like it and wanted to sign her. That was really it, for me.
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  (#8) Red Hot Chili Peppers' Bassist, Flea, Appears On 'You Oughta Know'

  Morissette, Oseary, and Ballard were all in agreement not to overproduce Jagged Little Pill. Their vision was to make it a "handmade record." They would add some drums and other instruments here and there, but that's it. There aren't vocal doubles or backup singers on the album. They just wanted to let the emotion of Alanis's voice do the talking. 

  That is, except for "You Oughta Know." Oseary just happened to be best pals with Red Hot Chili Peppers lead singer Anthony Kiedis. He discussed how he got Flea and Dave Navarro to play on Morissette's album:

  There's a guy named Jimmy who I was hanging with at the time who played in "You Oughta Know" and he just kept saying, "Gosh, imagine what this would sound like with a stronger bass and guitar." So he had the immediate vision for it. And then I talked to Alanis and Glen and asked if we could try to let Jimmy see out his vision. And so we did, we brought in Flea and Dave [Navarro], who were friends, and they tried it and the rest is history.
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  (#5) 'Your House' Is Based On An Experience She Had Staying Alone In The House Of A Man She Had A Crush On

  There is a hidden track on Jagged Little Pill. The final track of the CD (not on the original vinyl release) is a remix of "You Oughta Know." Five minutes and 12 seconds into the song, an a capella tune called "Your House" starts to play. 

  The track is about breaking into a lover's house without permission:

  Would you forgive me love if I danced in your shower
  Would you forgive me love if I laid in your bed
  Would you forgive me love if I stay all afternoon?

  It turns out that the hidden track is the only tune on Jagged Little Pill that is not autobiographical. Morissette explains where the idea for the song came from: 

  That is the only song on the record that's not 100% true. I was staying in this guy's house in Hollywood and he wasn't there for a week. I remember being overly curious and sleeping in his bed. It felt eerie and unnerving; I also had kind of a crush on him.

  I get burned at the end of the song because if I had really snooped around as much as I wanted to, it would have been wrong. I probably would have found something I didn't want to find. I deserved it.

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