] was released I went into self-protection mode,” Morissette recently told a reporter. “I didn't have the wherewithal to honour it and step out of my realm.” In my realm, that quote doesn’t make a jot of sense.
What’s clear, however, is that is a stunning piece of self-congratulation. Is Morissette’s hubris justified? Was her original that magical?
Ten years on, is a triumph of attitude rather than acumen, but it galvanized a cohort of female pop singers. Back in 1995, there were few, if any, outspoken women on Top 40 radio. The indie underground had a slew of progressive females upending traditional gender roles and sexuality, but they had faint hopes of breaching the mainstream — Bikini Kill were too screechy, Ani DiFranco too preachy, P.
J. Harvey too volatile. Liz Phair had an undeniable knack for pop hooks, but she tended to lard them with expletives and bury them under a patina of lo-fi grime that was the trademark of indie-rock production.
If anyone was going to take this concept to the big leagues, she would to clean it up a bit. Canadians could be forgiven for initially doing a double-take, having previously known the Ottawa singer as “Alanis,” the girl responsible for the Paula Abdul-inspired single ] was released I went into self-protection mode,” Morissette recently told a reporter.
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