Alanis Morissette has earned recognition for being a great vocalist, musician and songwriter (in respect to the chord progression), but rarely earned recognition for being a lyricist. To clarify, I am not referring to how her lyrics reflect the “Angry White Female” (Rolling Stone Magazine). I am referring to her abilities as a writer. Throughout her career, both past and present, Alanis Morissette has collaborated with other writers. She has worked with Glen Ballard on her earlier and famous album Jagged Little Pill and Guy Sigsworth for her recent albums Flavors of Entanglement and Havoc & Bright Lights. Yet Alanis Morissette has written lyrics alone more than once. Considering the era in the music industry, it was not uncommon for artists to write their own lyrics, unlike now. However, her lyrics were the reason why I became a fan. Her skills as a …show more content…
Speculations aside about who the man is, Alanis Morissette’s lyrics depicts the relationship she was in, the burden she carried from internalizing the emotion and finding closure. Alanis Morissette wrote the song in a unique style which switches perspectives from the former boyfriend to her point of view. Even though the entire song illustrates the idea there are particular phrases that specifically encapsulates the idea.
The first line of the song is “If it weren't for your maturity none of this would have happened” (Swept under the rug). The line is written from the man’s perspective and reveals the relationship started because he was attracted to her level of maturity and intellect which was rare for a young person. The song proceeds with him taking credit for her career and success as inferred by the lines “If it weren't for me you would never have amounted to very much” (Under Rug