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Top 10 Surprising Facts about Alanis Morissette

Alanis is an acclaimed Canadian-American singer, songwriter, and actress known for her emotive mezzo-soprano voice and confessional songwriting.

She became a household name thanks to her 1995 album Jagged Little Pill which has sold more than 33million copies.

Alanis was born Alanis Nadine Morissette however, since many of her songs are full of attitude and angst, Rolling Stone once nicknamed her the 鈥�Queen Of Alt-Rock Angst.鈥�

Morissette鈥檚 music does not sound much like anyone else鈥檚, and it really helps the star stand out from the crowd. Below are the top 10 surprising facts about Alanis Morissette;

1. Alanis wrote her first original song at 9

The Stampeders – Wikipedia

Alanis wrote he first original songs when she was nine years. In 1897, she recorded her first demo called “Fate Stay with Me”.

It was produced by Lindsay Thomas Morgan at Marigold Studios in Toronto, and engineered by Rich Dodson of Canadian classic rock band The Stampeders

Approximately 1000 copies were pressed. Unfortunately, most ended up in the bottom of lockers at school, and distributed to Alanis’ family and close friends – never sold in stores.

This was because she was 12, and she wasn’t writing “RAFFI” type children’s songs, so they couldn’t market her as a child, and she was still way too young to market as an adult.

2. Giving Madonna some credit in the making of Alanis happen

Alanis Morissette with Madonna – Pinterest

After being dropped by MCA in Canada and rejected by nearly every other major label, it was Madonna‘s boutique record company Maverick that finally signed Alanis. This was after hearing 30 seconds of 鈥楶erfect鈥�, recorded with Glen Ballard.

In 1995, the label released Alanis鈥� third album, Jagged Little Pill. The album was eventually certified 16脳 platinum in the U.S. (overall global sales of 33 million units)鈥搈aking it the bestselling album in the label’s history, and of the 1990s.

Morissette also recalls how 鈥済enerous鈥� Madonna was as a mentor, who offered advice and support when the young artist needed it most.

3. Morissette was mugged in the early 1994

Jagged Little Pill Album – Flickr

In 1994, the night before she met Madonna, Morissette was held up at gunpoint by a criminal who stole the small amount of cash she had on hand.

Fortunately, the thug did not take her handwritten songs, the lyrics for her breakthrough hit 鈥�You Oughta Know鈥� and some cassettes that were inside her bag at the time.

Morissette confessed if the thief had stolen the lyrics, she would have had to start all over again because she would not have remembered the lyrics to the song that forever changed her life.

Imagine living in a world where Alanis鈥� most famous album Jagged Little Pill did not exist!

4. One of her greatest works took her 10 minutes to write

You Oughta Know, Alanis Morissette – YouTube

鈥�You Oughta Know鈥� might seem as though it probably took the singer and songwriter a long time to write, but it didn鈥檛. It only took about 20 to 30 minutes to write. It was co-written by Morissette and Ballard.

Morissette stated that she wrote the song from her “subconscious”: “I wasn’t aware of what was coming out of me. I’d go into the booth when the ink wasn’t even dry and sing. I’d listen the next day and not really remember it.”

Despite Morissette not admitting to it, it is rumored that Dave Coulier, an American actor-comedian, is the subject of the song.

5. The first Canadian to top the Billboard 200

Alanis Morissette performing in 2008 – Wikipedia

The discography of Alanis Morissette comprises nine studio albums, three live albums, six compilation albums, two extended plays, 43 singles, twelve promotional singles, six video albums, and 33 music videos. She has sold more than 60 million albums worldwide.

Such hits as “You Oughta Know”, “Hand in My Pocket”, “Ironic”, and “Head over Feet” helped Morissette become the first Canadian woman to top the Billboard 200. Jagged stayed there for 12 weeks and remained in the Top 10 for a year and a half (72 weeks).

6. You Can鈥檛 Do That On Television

You Can’t Do That on Television – Flickr

Morissette appeared on the then-hit, now-cult 鈥�80s children’s television sketch comedy You Can’t Do That on Television for five episodes when she was in junior high school.

You Can’t Do That on Television is a Canadian television program that first aired locally in 1979 before airing internationally in 1981. It featured pre-teen and teenaged actors in a sketch comedy format similar to that of the United States Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In and Saturday Night Live.

With her then short crop of hair, she was subjected to three slimings while on the show, but only one ever made it to air.

7. Alanis a trailblazer tor other woman

Alanis Morissette live Concert – Flickr

In the nineties, Alanis Morissette condensed a bomb of influences that helped shape the current panorama of women in rock.

Morissette was just 21, but assertive about the fact that Jagged Little Pill was her record. The men in the band auditioned for her. If they weren鈥檛 okay with it, they could go.

鈥淎lanis proved to the world and to the music business that all of us were viable,鈥� says Garbage frontwoman Shirley Manson.

8. Inspired by Lady Godiva

Lady Godiva – Flickr

In “Thank U“, Alanis went naked as a jaybird, covered only her long ropes of brunette hair, sparking numerous parodies and cultural references. Give her a horse, and she’s Lady Godiva.

Alanis Morissette has never been afraid of being candid in her music, this time round she becomes physically candid by appearing nude for much of the video, even as she walks the streets, subways and supermarkets.

Morissette confirmed that the Lady Godiva-esque turn in the clip was the result of an improved relationship she has with her body.

9. Morissette played God in Kevin Smith鈥檚 Dogma

Dogma poster – Flickr

Dogma is a 1999 American fantasy comedy film written and directed by Kevin Smith. It evolves around two fallen angels who plan to employ an alleged loophole in Catholic dogma to return to Heaven after being cast out by God.

According to the singer, 鈥淚t was quite funny for me. It enabled me to tap into something, tap into a part of me that I haven’t been able to. My music, a lot of times, tends to be quite serious, but there’s a part of me that’s not serious at all. So, I love tapping into that and I might at some point with my music. I think I do with my music to a certain extent, but in this case, I was able to tap into that with Kevin. He’s extremely funny.鈥�

The film caused quite a stir, given its themes of religion, and while it did ruffle some feathers, it grossed over $40 million at the box office, against a budget of just $10 million

10. Alanis opened for Vanilla Ice

Vanilla Ice – Wikipedia

It is a hard fact to imagine, but Alanis Morissette opened for the 鈥�Ice Ice Baby鈥� star in the early Nineties, before she rose to fame with her album Jagged Little Pill in 1995.

During this time, it is rumored that she was given strict instructions not to look Vanilla Ice in the eye. Morissette clarified this rumor to host Cohen. 鈥淵eah, I mean a lot of artists are overwhelmed by incredible, large amounts of stimuli, and I think me looking at him would have overstimulated him, so I just… averted my eyes.鈥�