The Words and Music of Alanis Morissette

Through an examination of her music, videos, philanthropic work, and biographical details, this book gives insight into Alanis Morissette's musical career and day-to-day life, from her early pop beginnings in Canada to her work today. As a whole, Alanis Morissette's work has never been critically analyzed. The Words and Music of Alanis Morissette addresses this oversight through its examination of Morissette's work in the context of biographical facts, its relationship to other cultural trends, and its reflection of the female perspective. This book merges biographical information with a critical examination of the music that she produced and performed during all periods of her life, thereby providing a needed overview of Morissette's body of work. All Morissette fans will appreciate learning about the details of her life, but the author's melding of the star's personal life story with an informed analysis of popular music will also appeal to a wider audience-readers interested in music, culture, women's studies, or female musicians, for example. The book provides entertaining and engrossing reading for any Alanis Morissette fan and serves as a resource that documents her broad contributions to the music industry.

Karen Fournier, PhD, is associate professor of music theory at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Series Foreword, by James E. Perone Acknowledgments 1. Theorizing Morissette The Limitations of "Anger" as an Interpretive Tool Toward a Broader Analytical Approach 2. "No Apologies" and "No Regrets": Pop Beginnings The Making of a Teenage Pop Diva Constructing Alanis as the Virgin-Vixen Alanis (1991) Fulfilling Contractual Obligations with a Second Album Now Is the Time (1992) Awards and Commercial Response 3. "You Live, You Learn": Rise to Fame Abandoning Alanis, Becoming Morissette Musical Context: Grunge, Punk, riot grrrl, and Female Indie Rock A New Performance Aesthetic and Songwriting Approach Jagged Little Pill (1995) Jagged Little Videos Awards and Commercial Response 4. "Thank U India": Spirituality Tempers the "Angry Young Woman" Taking, Then Waking from, a "Conceptual Nap" Spirituality and "Wholeness" as New Themes Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie (1998) Junkie Videos Awards and Commercial Response Playing God (with Kevin Smith) 5. "Hist'ry Under Rug Swept": Moving on without Glen Ballard Acting Activism and Advocacy Under Rug Swept (2002) Rug Swept Videos Feasting on Scraps So-Called Chaos (2004) Chaos Videos Awards and Commercial Response 6. "Giggling Again for No Reason": A Return to Pop Celebrating a Jagged Little Decade Guy Sigsworth and a New Creative Partnership Flavors of Entanglement (2008) Entanglement Videos Marriage, Motherhood, and Breaking with Maverick Havoc and Bright Lights (2012) Havoc and Bright Lights Videos Awards and Commercial Response Jagged Little Pill on Broadway as "Miss Thing" Turns 40 Discography Notes Bibliography Index