You Oughta Know
"You Oughta Know" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette, released as the lead single from her third studio album, Jagged Little Pill (1995), on July 6, 1995. After releasing two studio albums, Morissette left MCA Records Canada and was introduced to manager Scott Welch. Morissette began working on new music after moving from her hometown of Ottawa to Toronto, but made little progress. In Los Angeles, she met producer Glen Ballard, with whom she wrote songs including "You Oughta Know".
"You Oughta Know"
- "Perfect" (acoustic version)
- "Wake Up"
July 6, 1995
June 1994 – February 1995[1]
4:09
- Alanis Morissette
- Glen Ballard
Glen Ballard
"You Oughta Know" signaled Morissette's departure from bubblegum pop to alternative rock, and features guitarist Dave Navarro and bassist Flea of Red Hot Chili Peppers. Drummer Taylor Hawkins played in her touring band before joining Foo Fighters but does not contribute to the track. It outperformed the label's expectations and received positive reviews. After the influential Los Angeles modern rock radio station KROQ-FM began playing it, the single reached the top ten in Canada, Australia and the United States. It was a multiformat hit in several US genre charts, and made the top 40 in Belgium, Iceland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
A music video was directed by Nick Egan. The single was added in the set list for Morissette's 1995 world tour; since then, it has been included in her albums MTV Unplugged (1999), Feast on Scraps (2002), and The Collection, as well as 1997 Grammys and the MTV Unplugged compilation albums. It has received numerous accolades; in 1996, the single was nominated for three Grammy Awards, winning the awards for Best Rock Song and Best Female Rock Vocal Performance. In 2021, the song was listed at #103 in the Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[3] Despite much speculation concerning whom the song is about, Morissette has never disclosed the person's identity and has never indicated an intention to do so.
Background[edit]
In 1991, MCA Records Canada released Morissette's debut studio album Alanis, which went platinum in Canada.[4] This was followed by her second album, Now Is the Time, but it was a commercial failure, selling only a little more than half the copies of her first album.[5][6] With her two-album deal with MCA Records Canada complete, Morissette was left without a major label contract. In 1993, Morissette's publisher Leeds Levy at MCA Music Publishing introduced her to manager Scott Welch.[7] Welch told HitQuarters he was impressed by her "spectacular voice", her character and her lyrics. At the time she was still living with her parents. Together they decided it would be best for her career to move to Toronto and start writing with other people.[7]
After graduating from high school, Morissette moved from Ottawa to Toronto.[5] Her publisher funded part of her development and when she met producer and songwriter Glen Ballard, he believed in her talent enough to let her use his studio.[5][7] The two wrote and recorded Morissette's first internationally released album, Jagged Little Pill, and by the spring of 1995, she had signed a deal with Maverick Records. According to Welch, every label they had approached had passed on Morissette apart from Maverick.[7]
Release and reception[edit]
Maverick Records released Jagged Little Pill internationally in 1995. The album was expected only to sell enough for Morissette to make a follow-up, but the situation changed quickly when KROQ-FM, an influential Los Angeles modern rock radio station, began playing "You Oughta Know", which was released as the album's first single.[22]
The song instantly garnered attention for its scathing, explicit lyrics.[5]
Upon release "You Oughta Know" was met with positive reviews from critics. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic praised the song's "vengeful" lyrics and stated that the song propelled the album's success and encouraged the public to embrace the "women in rock" movement.[23] Steve Baltin from Cash Box wrote that here, the singer "comes out of the box with the same scintillating sensuality that marked Sophie B. Hawkins' coming out song, "Damn, I Wish I Was Your Lover". When the 20-year old Morissette sings, 'Are you thinking of me when you fuck her', ears can't help but stand up at attention. The brilliantly emotive song is sung with just the right blend of anger and passion."[24] David Browne of Entertainment Weekly also praised the single's lyrical content, calling them "spiteful and seething" continuing to state that Morissette was able to turn "jealous bile into something worth hearing."[25] Chuck Campbell from Knoxville News Sentinel felt it "promises to be one of the year's most memorable songs", remarking that it "belongs to Morissette, who builds to a rage-filled chorus". He added, "Her stunned reaction to being unceremoniously dumped may belie her age (21), but jilted souls of all ages can connect with the bitterness."[26] A reviewer from Music & Media commented, "Jeez, this woman is really cross. Her man has walked away with 'another', and she can't hide that jealousy, which is stirred by a mean beat and an aggressively rocking wah guitar."[27] British magazine Music Week gave it three out of five, adding, "The Canadian songstress shows startling maturity for her years, and this debut single from her album Jagged Little Pill is made all the stronger by guests Flea and Dave Navarro of the Chili Peppers."[28] David Sinclair from The Times wrote, "The arrangement bustles along, thanks to the rugged bass and guitar-playing (...), gradually building to a knockout punch of a chorus. But the song's tremendous thrust derives primarily from Morissette herself as she nails down a rapid succession of home truths with vengeful enthusiasm."[29]
Music video[edit]
Directed by Nick Egan and produced by Mark Fetterman, the accompanying music video for the track was filmed in Death Valley. In the video, Morissette aggressively runs around the desert landscape and sings into a microphone on a mock-up stage with her then band-members performing – including Taylor Hawkins. Throughout the video, Morissette switches from a short black dress to a white tank-top and coat, to a blue silk shirt in the climax – all signifying her change in image.
Promotion[edit]
The single was added in the set list for Morissette's concert tour, Jagged Little Pill World Tour (1995).[34] The song was added to the tour's video album Jagged Little Pill Live (1997).[34] Since then, the song has been included in her albums MTV Unplugged (1999),[35] Feast on Scraps (2002),[36] and The Collection,[37] as well as 1997 Grammys and the MTV Unplugged compilation albums.[38][39]
Impact and legacy[edit]
"You Oughta Know" was ranked at number 12 on VH1's "100 Greatest Songs of the 90's" in December 2007.[40] In 1996, the single was nominated for three Grammy Awards, winning the awards for Best Rock Song and Best Female Rock Vocal Performance but losing the Grammy Award for Song of the Year to Seal's song "Kiss from a Rose". Additionally, the song entered About.com's "Top 10 Alanis Morissette Lyrics" list at number three, with Bill Lamb picking the lyrics, "And every time you speak her name, Does she know how you told me, You'd hold me until you died, Till you died, but you're still alive" as the best.[41]
A re-arranged version of the song also appeared in Jagged Little Pill, a 2020 jukebox musical based around music by Morissette. Composer Tom Kitt noted that it was particularly difficult to adapt "You Oughta Know", questioning how they could "take something that already is a ball of fire and truth and emotion" and still have it "stake its own claim in the musical".[42]
The following people contributed to "You Oughta Know":[57]
Musicians
Engineering