Playback the Music Podcast
Join independent artists and songwriters Nina Blu and J. Xander as they talk about what's trending in modern music and how songwriters and producers can use different tools and techniques in their own work. Each week we give a recap of the Billboard charts and what you need to know about the music industry today.
Playback the Music Podcast
Revisiting Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill - feat. Faith Gara
Dive deep into the iconic album "Jagged Little Pill" by Alanis Morissette with hosts Nina Blu and J Xander and our special guest host, Faith Gara, in our latest podcast episode! Join us as we take a nostalgic journey back to the '90s and explore the timeless tracks that defined a generation.
In this episode, Nina, J and Faith share their personal insights, anecdotes, and passionate discussions about the groundbreaking album. From the raw emotions of "You Oughta Know" to the introspective lyrics of "Hand in My Pocket," we rank and dissect our top 5 favorite songs, celebrating the enduring impact of Alanis Morissette's music.
Whether you're a die-hard fan of "Jagged Little Pill" or discovering it for the first time, this episode offers a fresh perspective and newfound appreciation for one of the greatest albums of all time. Tune in now and join the conversation!
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Welcome to Playback, the podcast all about what's hot and trending in music right now. I'm singer songwriter Nina Blu.
J.:And I am singer songwriter producer J Xander.
Nina:J, we have a special episode this week all about Alanis Morissette and her very famous album, Jagged Little Pill. We have, like, every pop girlie in the world releasing, and when you suggested an Alanis episode, I said, let's do it, right? What was your motivation behind suggesting a Jagged Little Pill episode?
J.:You know, when it comes to albums by women, it's one of the Top five that comes to mind to me immediately. That, Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, Tapestry,, Blue by Joni Mitchell, and this one is one that feels so raw, so unhinged even, and it feels like it has a lot of influence as far as what we see today, the kind of songwriters we see today. Like when I hear people like Taylor Swift, I hear a little bit of Alana Morissette's influence in there. Same with Olivia Rodrigo.
Nina:I do too. And even outside of Taylor Swift and Alanis Morissette, I hear it in Lana Del Rey. I hear it in, Ariana Grande. So I have a fun little list here of all the pop girls who either are directly or indirectly inspired by the Jagged Little Pill album. And I think it's just because like she had the balls to just effing say it. Like she was the, I think balls is the wrong phrase. She had the uterus just to effing say it.
J.:She was unhinged before unhinged was a thing.
Nina:It was, it's brilliant. I listened to it top to bottom, of course, in preparation for this episode, and I forgot just how brilliantly unhinged it is, but I mean. So many women have come out and said that Alanis Morissette led the way for them And I want to just say in terms of the albums coming out this year We have Ariana Grande, Kacey Musgraves, Taylor Swift, Maggie Rogers, who's also heavily inspired by Alanis Morissette
J.:I could see that. Yeah
Nina:Lana Del Rey, Shakira, Beyonce, Sia, FKA Twigs, Kesha, Haim, Dua Lipa, Normani, Billie Eilish, Katy Perry, Selena Gomez, Megan Thee Stallion, SZA, Ice Spice, and Lorde.
J.:Everybody and their grandma. Wow.
Nina:Everybody is coming out with an album this year, so it, bodes well that we're doing a little bit of historical backtracking here. This was one of the biggest albums of the 90s. It was definitely one of the biggest albums by a female artist up to that point. This was a moment. It was a huge departure from her previous two albums, which had like a dance pop style.
J.:Right.
Nina:And, She was only like 21 when she got all of this acclaim.
J.:Yeah, and I think a lot of people forget that too. Not necessarily that it's not her first album, but the fact that it's completely different from everything else she's put out. So I think that's really cool that artists, you know, it gives us leeway to be a little bit more experimental in future projects. You don't have to stick to one genre all the time. In fact, I don't think you should.
Nina:No, I mean, famously this week, Beyonce released Cowboy Carter, where she took over the entire country genre.
J.:There you go.
Nina:Exactly. And so, but Alanis she really had this huge success. And when you, I first heard her in Jagged Little Pill. Those were the first songs that I ever heard by Alanis Morissette.
J.:Yeah, same.
Nina:And so it's very odd to think about her voice in a dance pop style because it's such a raw voice. I mean, yeah, it fits perfectly.
J.:Yeah. Her voice is very, Jagged is actually like a really good way to describe it. Her voice reminds me a lot of Idina Menzel. in that it's a very like bright, edgy sound. And it really cuts through and that has a lot of impact. Like a lot of what makes this album really good comes from her vocal performance, I feel like.
Nina:She recorded most things in one or two takes. That was it. They did a song a day and they worked in like 12 to 16 hour takes. That is insane to me.
J.:Yeah, for those of you watching, that is not normal. It is, it's not normal at all for someone to do a song in one take. Normally each section is broken up into like at least 10 to maybe even hundreds of different takes and then all comp together to make like the best performance. So that's wild to me.
Nina:It adds to how raw it is, but also they were writing as they were recording. This is so, I mean the, the methodology behind the recording is interesting enough, but like it's, I've spent eight hours in a studio and I've walked outside and like almost crawled to my car. Like, because it's so exhausting. Yes. It's so exhausting. I can't, I can't imagine that level of work ethic. I mean, that's just incredible. I mean, and I, I love what I do. I love being in the studio every opportunity that I get to be. If I could live in the studio, I would. But man, after eight hours, I'm done. I'm out. I'm going to go home and cuddle my dog.
J.:I know that's right.
Nina:So, it's not just inspirational, it's very well awarded. It was nominated for nine Grammys, it won five. We've talked about the biggest prize of the night is Album of the Year and she won it. She was the youngest to win up to that point. I believe Billie Eilish beat her. But don't quote me on it. Rolling Stone ranked Jagged Little Pill at number 69 on its 2020 list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. I mean, this album continues to get brought up in terms of female singer songwritership. It's
J.:incredible. Yes, she said the funny number, y'all. Let's move on. We need some new funny numbers. 69 and 420 are getting old at this point.
Nina:I'm bored with them. And then you have like the angel numbers thing like 1111, but that's not funny.
J.:That's stupid.
Nina:It is, it's silly. but J, we were talking about, because we have a special guest coming on to talk about Jagged Little Pill with us, she'll be here in a minute, but we were talking about how hard it was to narrow it down to just picking our top five favorite songs.
J.:Oh my god, yeah. It to the point where I was scared well after I made my list like that you two might be like a little upset with me like oh maybe I didn't put their favorites at the top and I'm now I'm realizing that other listeners might feel the same way but it's just like all of these songs are written and performed and recorded so well there's they're all so good that it was hard to nail so it's kind of like for me I went off of the list of like what my spirit needed to hear at this moment in time, you know,
Nina:I love that. I kind of, I went for vibes.
J.:Yeah, that too.
Nina:And yeah, I didn't really overthink it because you had texted me. You're like, I'm having so much trouble with this. And I hadn't even attempted it yet.
J.:I was struggling.
Nina:I'm not going to overthink it. because I also, I don't think I'm going to judge anyone except for, I have one judgment moment, just maybe, but we'll, I don't want to spoil anything yet., any last words about Jagged Little Pill before we get into our countdowns?
J.:No, I just think that it's, it's a legendary album at this point. A lot of people compare it to Tapestry by Carole King. So much so that, there's an episode of Glee where they mashed up a lot of the songs together. Did you see that?
Nina:No, I never saw it, but like it was in an article that I read.
J.:I heard clips of it and it was like, it was cool. But I think that was a really cool, unique idea that they had. And really, If you think about it, like that really was, Tapestry I think was like the first album where we really heard, I think, a female artist really get that deep and that level of just I'm gonna let it all hang out there. So it's funny to see all those parallels together.
Nina:That is such a no skips album for me and my whole family. Like we all, yes.
J.:Yeah, it is for me too.
Nina:I, I have like days where I turn that on because I just, I need it that day. Like that's what I need to hear. So coming up in our next segment, we will have our countdown with our special guest. Hang tight. Welcome back to Playback, the podcast about what's hot and trending in music right now. We have special guest with us, Faith Gara. Say hi.
Faith:Hey guys.
J.:Hey, Faith.
Faith:So happy to be here. Thanks for having me again.
Nina:We're so happy to have you on our Jagged Little Pill episode. You expressed that you were such a huge Alanis Morissette fan that we had to bring you back. Returning champion.
Faith:Oh my god. I can't think of like a better artist to do because she was just so influential for me growing up and. Yeah, I honestly, I'm stoked to talk about her, get into it, the parallels of the teenage angst, all that good stuff. So let's dive into it.
Nina:I'm so envious that you have that experience because I don't have the teen angst with Alanis Morissette. I discovered her way later in life.
J.:Same. I was like mid 20s by that point.
Faith:I hate that for both of you. I didn't discover her till I was like 15. No, I like, I wholeheartedly hate that for you guys because like when I found her when I was 15, I was like, damn, I wish I had her like in my pre teens and things like that. But yeah, it's just, it's amazing. I mean, her whole catalog's phenomenal.
Nina:It is, and we were talking about how this was such a departure for her, because her first two albums were not this genre at all. And then also she was only 20, 21 when, when she was writing and releasing this.
Faith:I know! I was like, diving back into her bio and stuff, like listening to these songs again, and I was shook. I was like, she was 21 when she released this. That is so brave. It takes guts, especially for the 90s.
Nina:Yeah. We were also talking about inspiration, and it was just, she just said it, man. And I think that's what inspired so many female artists to be like, yeah, Alanis Morissette is like my number one, because she just effing came out and said the damn thing.
Faith:Exactly. I mean, there was no filter.
Nina:No. Loved it. So, are there any special moments for you on this album without giving too much away on your list?
Faith:It's hard not to give away too many on my list without going to specific tracks because I feel like there was like a gateway track, if you will. And then I kind of realized, oh, maybe I've heard these songs before by her and it all kind of came together for me.
Nina:That happened to me, but in my mid twenties.
Faith:I mean, better late than never. And we all have some angst in our twenties too. I mean, the hormones aren't quite as raging, but you know, it's still good.
Nina:Because I felt like I related to her as a woman in my early 20s. Like this is such, it's such an album of coming of age, but like later when you really kind of understand the consequences of your actions. I don't know but it, it to me is a coming of age album. But so much more consequential than a teen coming of age. It's a 20s coming of age where you have to pay rent, and that's a different kind of coming of age.
Faith:Yeah, it's so true. I feel like I was just so angry as a teen that like, I was like, almost like leaning on things that she was angry about too. if that makes sense, I was like, Oh, I'm going to be angry about this later. Just like foreshadowing,
J.:premeditated anger. You know, I feel like I relate a lot more to the softer tracks on this album though, the older that I get. So it's still ages well, I think,
Nina:I wonder how we'll feel about it in 10 years. We might have to have a reunion.
Faith:Oh my God. We should.
Nina:Okay, so we're going to get into our list the way that we do this when we go through our top whatever, however many we've decided on. We're doing five because we have a guest and if we did eight we might never leave. None of us would go home. We would talk all night. So we're going to start with our fifth, going into our fourth, third, second, and then revealing first. Whoever names the song first gets to talk about it and we're all going to talk about it as a group. So that's kind of how we're getting started. And I guess I'm going to be the one to kick it off with my number five.
J.:Yes, ma'am.
Faith:Yeah.
Nina:Okay, so my number five on Jagged Little Pill is Head Over Feet.
Faith:Not that being my number five.
J.:Oh, that one's not on my list.
Nina:It didn't make your list? Not quite, no. Okay, so I have to say, I love the melody of the chorus in this song because, and it's probably one of my favorite melodies because it fits the feel so much. It does feel like getting strung together. Swept up in like falling in love and then that falling feeling like it does kind of rise and fall just the way that it moves And the verses are so hesitant with all of the space that's in them. I feel this very like cynical woman falling in love and realizing that she's falling in love kind of reluctantly. And the phrase is originally head over heels, but that she says head over feet feels even clumsier. And I love that. I just, it's so strong.
Faith:No, that was exactly my drawing to it too. Just like the clever play on words. I mean, brilliant. And then similarly, like for me, it was like the happy go lucky nineties. Like, film feel, if that makes sense.
J.:Yeah, like that Sixpence None the Richer,
Faith:90s movie. Yeah.
Nina:I think about the song and I think about Kat from 10 Things I Hate About You, and the fact that this didn't make that soundtrack is offensive to me. They probably couldn't afford it.
Faith:Oh my gosh. So many L's. Like, I need to go through and see where it was placed because my mind goes in a million directions of where it could have gone.
Nina:I mean, after it won Album of the Year, I bet these placements got really expensive, so it's pretty good for her. But, something that I read when I was looking this song up was apparently, nobody knows for sure, but it might be the origin of the phrase, friends with benefits.
Faith:I wondered that, because like, I listened back, right? Because I was trying to think of like, when else I had heard it before the song, and I couldn't think of it.
Nina:No, and I, I looked, multiple people have said we can't prove this. It's kind of the same thing, this is going to be a weird analogy, it's kind of the same thing with Shakespeare, we credit him with inventing a lot of language, but it just wasn't, it hadn't been written yet, so we don't know for sure. So, she was living in LA, she could
have
Nina:heard this really trendy term and used it, or she's a genius, she could have just coined it herself.
J.:Of course that originated in LA. Of course. Where else would that happen?
Nina:That makes sense to me. That sounds like somebody's saying, right? so I, I love this song. It's cute. Play it at my wedding. It's cynical. It's precious. It's, you know what? And it fits this album so well because it does sound so reluctant to fall in love when the rest of the album can be so angry and heavy. This sounds like someone who's like, no.
Faith:Dragging her feet into it. But it sounds so happy.
Nina:It does. Faith, do you have anything else to say about your number five head over feet?
Faith:I don't think so. I think you honestly hit the nail on the head.
Nina:Great. J, what was your number five?
J.:My number five is Not The Doctor, and I feel like it's a track that doesn't get talked about a lot, which is one of the reasons I like it, but the more I listen to it, the more I realize, Oh, this song is like a huge fuck you to the whole notion that I can fix him, or I'm gonna be that person that's always gonna be there to fix every situation for you. When Really, that kind of just makes you a worse person. I feel like if you get caught up in a situation like that. But also, one thing that's really interesting about this song to me is that the way the guitar is being played, it's almost like a happy kind of melody. It's almost like a kind of walking melody, which makes me feel like this, this is a very Isn't necessarily coming from a place of anger for her but more so from a place of maturity like hey This is I'm not necessarily upset, but I'm just telling you how it is. I'm not your mother. I'm not your maid I don't cook. I don't clean etc. You know so I think that this is a really smart take on On that, and I also love all the references and idioms to being in a doctor's office that she ties in so well into this overall concept and narrative that she's building.
Faith:Period. I'm so glad that this was on your list, because I was going back and forth, with a few tracks, and this one, I can say this, right? Or am I giving it away? Okay. this one did not make my list, but. I think that was solely out of nostalgic. The other songs just kind of had more nostalgic pull for me. but I thought it was brilliant as well. It's like a feminist anthem and just telling it like it is and saying, I'm not doing this. I'm not doing that. And you're out buddy.
Nina:I love that. And okay. So speaking to the range of her influence, I mean, Meghan Trainor wrote the song not your mama, like that song wouldn't exist without Alanis point blank saying in this like happy way. That's very liberated. And I think that's intentional too. but J and I were talking about this. I have listened to a lot of young songwriters lately that have a lot of passing metaphors and they don't have really strong concepts. And I think this speaks to the power of a really strong concept. am I mistaken? Is this the last song on the album?
J.:Uh, Wake Up is the last one. This is the second to last one.
Nina:I feel like the further we get in an album, the more people tend to forget about a song, right? You get distracted, you don't know the whole thing. It doesn't like make it. but I mean, this song has such a strong concept and it has such strong language to it. And that adds to the overall message. And I think that's something that's really important for songwriters to take away is really to write from a strong concept.
J.:And I love the lyric to, one lyric that just stands out to me is, I don't believe in other halves, I believe that one in one makes two. And I love that because I've always thought that the whole, you're my other half thing is so stupid.
Nina:I do too. I'm not half a person. I'm a whole person. Exactly. I was a whole person. Shut up. I will be a whole person.
Faith:Exactly. You compliment me, but you don't equal me.
J.:There you go. Girl math. I love it. Interesting. Interesting.
Faith:Going back to your point about like having a really strong concept. I feel like at Berklee, that's something that they really nailed into our heads, like write from your chorus outwards, you know, infuse it, make a word list, make sure that you're on point and you're staying with the metaphor because sometimes in a lot of pop songs. You will have no idea that this metaphor is coming in the chorus. It feels out of left field compared to the verse. Like, there's not the connection there. So I think that's a really valid point that she really rode this metaphor home.
Nina:No, and that's something that like, okay, so I was recently in a TikTok argument, which is a terrible idea. but some guy was talking about quote unquote, hardcore music and about how my degree isn't valid toward that criticism because my degree is conventional. He doesn't know what my degree is. He just knows that it's songwriting, but it's stuff like this that really transforms any song in any genre. And that's why it's important to kind of have these like tools in tech and songwriting, because if you look at songs that do really well, it's. that they do these specific things in no matter what genre that they're in. Like country songs that have really strong concepts, they usually break through. Rock songs that have really strong concepts, they're really memorable, right? Like they stand out to me in my memory. And so it's stuff like this that just like, It's little things that really tune a song and really catch people's ear and catch their attention.
J.:Yeah, I mean look at Kill Bill like up until then SZA really never had a hit like that And I really believe it's because that was really her first big breakthrough song that had a strong concept to it
Faith:It's so true I mean, she's like a conversational lyricist That was like her first time that she really had a theme to her song, right?
Nina:That's right She's very conversational very stream of consciousness
Faith:Which I love.
Nina:So well. She does it better than anybody, honestly. Yeah. Alright, Faith, what was your number four from Jagged Little Pill?
Faith:Right Through You. I think the melody is baller. I think the guitars are amazing. And it really was one line that just sold me on it that it had to be in my, top five. And it's the line Wine Dine 69 Me. I mean, brilliant. Every time I hear it, I'm, I'm in awe.
J.:Oh, I feel so bad, cause this, this one is, I would put this at number six. It just missed the cutoff, but literally just because of that line. I loved it so much. Yes.
Faith:Exactly, I mean that all relates.
Nina:It's just like, she fucking said it. Like, that is the theme of this whole album, is she just fucking said it. They were writing as they were recording. They were working in 12, 16 hour days. And I think at that point you embrace the methodology of, fuck it. I'm gonna say it. I'm gonna say what I mean. I'm gonna say this lyric, right? That might be one of those that, You hesitate on, like we've all been in the room where someone comes up with a line and it's, we laugh about it. We're like, oh, that's brilliant. But we have a moment of is that too edgy? Is someone going to take that? But the way they were working, I think they fully embraced the fuck it. And I think that song reflects it.
Faith:100%. I mean, there's no filter. I feel like sometimes I do that in my writing where I'm like, this is a little too far. Maybe I'll just keep this song for me. I won't release it, you know, but I'm trying really hard to just pull, pull that back because people want authentic. They want to hear the thoughts that, you know, you're not supposed to say out loud. Those are the best lyrics.
Nina:They are, even though they're wildly misinterpreted, but they, they mean something to people like us. They'll, they'll find the right audience.
J.:Yeah. And I mean, it's ironic that we just talked about like concept for like five minutes in a row, but sometimes there's also moments where it's okay to just say what you feel.
Nina:Yep.
Faith:Tell it like it is, baby.
Nina:It might not be a single, but it'll mean something to somebody. For sure. I mean, those are those album tracks. I'm actually working on a song right now where I'm really struggling with that of like, do I just say what I feel or do I stick to the concept? And I'm just it's hard to go back and forth. And then I'm, I'm thinking, well, I'm kind of writing it just for me. So it doesn't really matter.
Faith:I know it like It like, it's good because then it's like, okay, maybe I will can really push myself if it's just for me, you know? But I feel like truth resonates with everybody. So whatever is, is your truth, whether that be right on the concept or a little bit off, I think that's the way to go.
Nina:I feel like I'm going to see that on a Pinterest post in like 10 years.
Faith:I'm crying. I start making stickers.
Nina:I would buy it. That was such a good one. No, that was beautiful. I feel terrible changing.
Faith:It was so painful. What's my terrible cheesy joke about it? Live, laugh, love. Truth resonates with everyone.
J.:There you go.
Nina:I would put your quote up in my house before I would put a live, laugh, love sign up in my house.
Faith:God, that one belongs only in the trash, no offense to anybody who has it.
Nina:Only boomers. It is only boomers. Alright, so, going to my number four, it is Hand in My Pocket.
J.:Oh, shit.
Nina:Was this a spoiler?
J.:This is my number one.
Nina:Oh no!
Faith:This is my number two! Dang.
J.:Faith, I feel like our list is really close. That's funny.
Faith:I know!
Nina:That's how it works sometimes. oops. So, I think, I feel like this is like a quintessential Alanis song. We think about this song all the time. the verse structure is is so good that it actually breaks my rule of really hating like third and fourth verses. I think at that point just up the ante and write a damn bridge. But there are a few occasions where I think third and fourth verses work really well. And I think it's because of the way that this song works, that, that she can keep going, that she can go on. And I love this song because it feels like I'm on the phone with a friend. Right? It feels like I'm on the phone with my friend Alanis and she's giving me a life update and it's in this very like metaphorical meta kind of way, but that's the way that my friend would talk. Right? I love this song. It's, it's great. not going to speak to why it made my number four, but Faith, you should talk to why it's your number two.
Faith:Okay. It's my number two solely because, it's a relief from the anger. She's so angry in all these songs and it's, She has like some of the like more, you know, sync y 90s vibes which we were talking about earlier, but this song I feel like is almost like a walk through mantra type of song and I'm hailing a taxi cab and I have peace sign, I forget exactly what it is word for word, but I feel like she's bringing you to where she is and she's bringing you out of that intensity.
Nina:I love that. It's a breath on the album, especially where it sits on the album. I, and I love songs like this. And I think we need more songs like this that are like, I'm not great, but I'm going to choose to be okay anyway. And you're right. She is kind of talking herself through that. She, I read that she had just been through like a really terrible experience before starting this album. She's dealing with panic attacks and anxiety and I think that is important context, especially for this song because you're right, she's talking herself through it. She's saying I might not be great but I'm gonna be okay and I'm choosing that for myself.
Faith:Exactly. I think it's just very powerful, just how many hats that she wears in this album in general but that she can go from. Anger, FU vibes too. We're working through this. We're okay. She just showcases like the complexity of a woman so beautifully.
Nina:I, I love it. You're right. She, it is like showcasing just a woman in her early 20s getting by.
Faith:Yeah, doing the damn thing.
Nina:Doing the damn thing. J, why is this your number one?
J.:Because this is, I love that Faith used the word mantra because I feel like everything about this song, and even the way that it's arranged, kind of lends itself to that. It's kind of almost an exercise in staying very repetitive for a reason. Because if you look at just the lead instrumental, the dun dun dun dun dun dun dun, like it goes on basically the entire time. Throughout the verses and chorus, there's almost no difference to it. And we don't get any bigger until verse 2. so we really like up the ante there in, in very like small ways, but one of the things that I also like about this song is that it weirdly feels larger than life, but still personal at the same time. Nina, you mentioned that it feels like somebody's just talking to you on the phone, and as I was listening to the album as a whole, like over again, I noticed that in this song, there's almost no noticeable background vocals. But in almost all of the other songs, you can hear that. So that had to have been like a very specific choice for it to feel like this is very much grounded. and that's something Jack Antonoff has talked about before too. Like the minute you have a big, like chorus and background vocal kind of aesthetic behind your vocal performance, it takes you out of reality. So this feels very grounded and very, Very personal. And I also love the, the visual metaphor of what she's talking about. You know, one hand in my pocket while it's, while I'm hailing a taxi cab, one hand in my pocket while I'm playing a piano. And it lets you know that just because You're struggling. That doesn't mean you're out. You can also be thriving at the same time or just learning and still figuring things out at the same time. You can be multiple things all at the same time. You're not defined by one moment in your life or by one thing that happens to you. People are more complex than that. And I feel like this song nails That feeling, it very much feels like a 90s anthem to me. So the more I listen to it, the more I just like help, uh, I don't know, like an inner part of me heal. And it's like, I'm not, I'm not necessarily thriving right now, but I'm not suffering either. I'm, you know, much more than either or, and I feel like a lot of people need to hear that message.
Nina:I love that. That was beautiful.
Faith:That was beautiful. That was gorgeous.
Nina:We're gonna leave, we're gonna leave that exactly where it needs to be. And J, we're throwing it back to you again. What was your number four?
J.:My number four is You Oughta Know. And the only reason I put this one down here is because, it's one of the only ones that made me just look at the melody as opposed to the overall concept because this this feels more like a list song to me in that it feels like she really just sat down and said i'm gonna say all the most unhinged craziest shit i can think of to say to my ex and put it in a song and it feels very cathartic In the way that she did it, because if you look at how the melodies kind of ramp up here, her first verse is almost split up into like two different parts, and then there's a pre into the chorus, so it feels like each individual section keeps ramping up, keeps getting faster, so by the time we get to the, and I'm here, like it feels very big, it feels very warranted to have that moment of catharsis there.
Nina:This was my number one.
Faith:My number one too, Nina.
Nina:All right, that's a lot of spoilers this episode. Nobody here has bad taste, I just want to say that. It's just interesting to hear somebody else's take because this album, top to bottom, is just so good. something that I, I realized as I was listening to this song, uh, the other day was this really feels like the Silver Springs of the 90s. There is some goddamn witchcraft in this song. So there was a TikTok trend like a few months ago about if you sing the bridge to Silver Springs while thinking about your ex, he'll never get over you. and when she says,
J.:A win is a win,
Nina:I mean, she says, and every time I scratch my nails down someone else's back, I hope you feel it. Well, can you feel it? What the fuck? That is some goddamn witchcraft in this song. It's amazing. I feel like this is like the quintessential song. This is the first song that I think of when I think of this album and it really does open up the album to exactly what it's going to be. because it's, it's the second one. And, I hear so many other breakup songs when I hear this song, in that they were inspired by this song. There is no Someone Like You by Adele without this song, at least I don't think. There is definitely no Driver's License without this song existing first. And those are just two of like It's that I can think of that I hear like similarities in the lyrics or similarities in the form. But oh my god, that line about does she know how you told me you'd hold me until you died, until you died, but you're still alive. Tell me that's not some damn witchcraft. Get out of here.
Faith:I never thought of it that way, but I was like, why is this song crack? And, and, and so. So well articulated. I feel like, so this was like my gateway song as well. It was like the first song I heard. Well, like I said, it was the first song I heard from her. I was like, who is this artist? And then I knew Ironic and other songs were by her. But this song, I was like, my ears perked up and I'm like, I'm listening to you., but with, You Oughta Know in the verse you touch on this J, how it starts with just drums and her vocal, it really sets this intentional emotion. And at first, you're kind of like, which way is this going to go? Could it stay in this sort of, like, soft, you know, almost sensitive feeling when she says like I'm happy for you essentially and then it's like psych and you get into the pre and you get into the chorus it builds so well and then also what you said Nina I can hear listening back to Olivia's catalog you can hear all of The Alanis influence. I mean, it's, it's amazing.
J.:And even then we haven't gotten anything, no offense to them, but we haven't gotten anything close to that level of unhinged. Like you were doing what in a movie theater, Alanis? That's crazy. That's wild.
Faith:Like, batshit, but everybody appreciated it. They're like, what? Yes. But you wanted to keep listening.
J.:She deserved all the Grammys just for that one line. Good for her.
Nina:And just for saying it, but I mean, and then at the time even now, that would be revolutionary and such a departure in, in 2024, let alone in 1995.
Faith:To be 21 and to say that, I mean, that's scary. Like you said, in 2024, in 1995, like I would be so scared. Like she had such a fearlessness in her lyrics and vocally, how she played with the texture of her voice, with her range, with her dynamics. I mean, she, she didn't hold anything back in this album.
Nina:My first thought would be, oh my god, my mother is going to hear this. That would be, like, my mother is going to hear it. Every once in a while, I write something and I think to myself, oh my god, I'm going to have to play this for my mother at some point. And I remember Beyonce talking about the song Partition, and she was like, how am I supposed to play this in front of my mother, she had the same problem. And I was like, you see girls, right? But that kind of stops me sometimes from just saying the dang thing, but good on Alanis for being brave. J, what were you going to say?
J.:Oh, I was going to say, even the way that her vocal is mixed in this particular song is really interesting to me. Cause you can hear like all the sibilance coming out. And that, again, that had to have been like a really, you know, intentional choice like that's that mixing engineer was like you're gonna hear everything she's saying to you but then there's also moments in like the bridge where it comes it kind of turns kind of ethereal ish in a way so that kind of adds the whole like witchcraft thing you know was talking about
Nina:If she's not a witch, like if she, you know, like there's that rumor that Stevie Nicks sends like a moon necklace, I think, to women that she wants to hang out with, that she really admires in the industry. And I was like, I would lay down and die if I got this in the mail. I don't know how I would contain myself. I bet, I bet Alanis got a necklace after this. I mean, that's what I feel.
J.:That's like getting a Hogwarts letter. That's lit.
Faith:Literally, it's like getting a Hogwarts letter.
Nina:If, okay, if you were to ask me if I want a Hogwarts letter or a Stevie Nicks necklace, I'm, I'm gonna go with the, with the Stevie Nicks.
J.:I too would choose the necklace, yeah.
Faith:Any day of the week.
Nina:And that's why we're in the line of work we're in.
J.:Exactly. Songwriting major things.
Nina:Late Morissette required. Okay, so continuing on with the, the witchy religious vibes. Going into my number three, it is Forgiven. This song just speaks to my own personal Catholic schoolgirl trauma, and the way that it opens up"You know how us Catholic girls can be, we make up for so much time a little too late." I don't know if that is purposefully referencing Only the Good Die Young by Billy Joel, but it definitely felt that way to me. because that song opens up with"Come Out Virginia, Don't Let Me Wait, You Catholic Girls Start Much Too Late". but yeah.
Faith:Wow, interesting catch.
Nina:That's, that's where my mind went. My family, we joke about that song all the time as Catholics, but also her vocals on this song are fucking insane. They're on another level. I feel her pain so hard in this, and I saw in an interview, when someone asked her about this song specifically, she states that she grew up believing that if she wasn't a virgin, then she was automatically a whore. And that's what I grew up convinced of as well. I believed that I would be less of a person that I would lose my value if like if anything were to happen. And I think this song is, I think it's 20 years ahead of its time. If it came out today, we would all be screaming it. And this came out, I mean, just two years after Sinead O'Connor was shunned by the entire world for ripping up a picture of the Pope on SNL. This song was very timely in places like Ireland and in places like Canada, where they acknowledge like really kind of the horrors of the Catholic Church. And she talks about that. She talks about like how it affected her own trauma. And I mean, The song means, means a lot to me because it allowed me to open up and really consider what I had grown up learning, even from a context of I, I needed this, you know, like we all show up because we feel like we need something from this. And I think that's kind of the beautiful give and take of this song. It's very personal for me, this number three, but that's, I mean,
Faith:No, that, that's amazing. And I think like women in general, like regardless of your religion can relate to it because it's going against what you're told and becoming an adult and having to rewire, what you've learned and kind of have to nurture your inner child and be like, that's so horrible that you were taught this and that you were so afraid and hateful for these reasons, you know? And I think that it's a really hard thing to sing about. I think she does a really beautiful job lyrically. Nerding out here prosody wise too with her chord choices, her melody choices, having that tension there. I think it's just chef's kiss.
J.:Faith, do you want to explain what that word means to the audience that might not know?
Faith:Prosody, when your lyrics and your music link ideas. so if I'm singing a happy song, my melody sounds happy. I'm using perfect or major intervals. And, my chords are, are diatonic, where if I'm having some tension, I might want to use minor chords. I might want to use, borrowed chords from another scale to really have that tension, against whatever lyrics I'm singing.
Nina:Perfect. Textbook.
Faith:Nice.
Nina:We went to the same school. But just circling back, J, how do you feel about this song?
J.:I like it. For me, I don't, I don't know why, but this is one where it's just like the, the vocal performance is everything for me. I feel like this is objectively probably the hardest one to sing out of the entire album. Cause it's just like wailing up there the whole time. But again, there's a reason for that. I, I know a lot of singers and voice teachers out there who have the mindset of Oh, singing should always sound comfortable. It should always sound like, you know, you're just relaxed. And I, definitely disagree with that, depending on what you're singing about or what you're trying to convey. It's okay for it to feel like it is a little bit of an uphill battle, like that. Don't kill yourself, but you know, it is okay to kind of extend your range a little bit and she definitely does that with this song.
Nina:I think it's, I agree with you. The only thing I would say is if at any point it's going to be detrimental to your health long term.
J.:Oh, of course. Yeah.
Nina:But other than that, go for it. If you really feel like this is starting to hurt, Or be like really too painful as opposed to just like reaching. I likened it to like stretching versus like overextending something, right? Like,
J.:Yeah, that's a good metaphor.
Nina:Yeah. so just for our singers out there, go for it, go for the emotion, go for the take that has more emotion in it than is maybe pitch perfect. That has taken me a long time to come around to. Sometimes the performance is better, and Faith, you were saying earlier, people want something real. We talk shit on autotune all the time, and, you know, Melodyne and things like that. Sometimes the edgier, more emotional take is the better take, even though it might not be the most pitch perfect take.
Faith:It's so true, because every song on this album, I believe. And I think that's because Vocally, it's so raw. I mean, it's, it's not too over processed. There's probably very little, pitch editing on it, but. You can feel her emotions so well and honestly, it was inspiring for me to listen back to it because I'm like, you know what? This is kind of freeing. I'm gonna be less picky with my takes because maybe the ones who are a little bit pitchier or a little bit, louder in certain parts, softer in other parts are better because it's more human.
Nina:I was, I, I had that revelation as I was listening back to it too, as I was really thinking about what can be helpful about my voice and that really, I had a moment where I was like, You know what? Maybe I need to chill out and go for emotion. And my producers are really good at pushing me toward that, but I'm not always listening.
Faith:Yeah, I feel like it's really hard not to be a perfectionist, not to be like, it has to I'm so picky about the raw takes, you know, and you can't be, you can't limit yourself in that way. It's like, take five takes, listen back. I'm trying to cut down my takes. Sometimes I do like a hundred takes a section, which is just, there's no reason for that. That's nonsense.
Nina:If I don't have it in 10, I feel like I need to sleep on it. That's kind of, especially for like a section, if I don't have it in 10, I need to go sleep on it. Or sometimes it's actually a really good note to me that maybe that melody isn't that good. If it's not that simple, I'm having too much trouble with it. And so that's a moment where I have to stop and think about what I'm doing. Am I trying to have too complicated of a melody? Does this call for too complicated of a melody? Or is this just like a reach for me like J was saying? Or is this just like kind of You know, like I don't want to say like professional development, but like it depends on the song It's case by case But if I get to like take eight I gotta stop and think about what I'm doing.
Faith:Not me writing that down. That's like gold, Nina The vocals not working, check your melody.
Nina:Well, okay, did Scarlett tell you guys? She told that story about Chris Stapleton, you know exactly what I'm talking about, and she had written too complicated of a melody and she called him to come in and please sing this and he was like stop writing such complicated melodies, like that was his advice to her. He's like, if I'm the only person who can sing this, these melodies are too complicated. So that, that lives, that lives up here. Thanks, Chris.
Faith:Yeah, I mean, genius. There really is something to simplicity. If you can't sing it back, then you're doing something wrong.
Nina:All right, guys, let's move on. okay, so Faith, what is your number three song?
Faith:So we have combed through my list quite a bit already. number three, I think it might be on your list, J, just judging by some of the things you've been saying, Perfect.
J.:No.
Faith:It's not on your list?
J.:No, I put that at seven. But I do like that song.
Nina:That would have been my 6th, if I had a 6th spot that would have been it. I was listening to it yesterday, I put it on my Instagram story, I love that song.
Faith:It's so, the lyrics are so conversational and beautiful in the verses. And I think for me why I thought it was, it deserved a coveted spot is because going from you ought to know to Perfect. We already touched on this a little bit, but it just shows her range as a vocalist, how she can be screaming her head off and then go to a soft, somber place in her voice, so beautifully. And I think that this song serves that purpose in, in the album as like the relief song, the, the breather, the softer, the more traditionally feminine side of her. But yeah, I just thought that it was such a, a gem on the album for that reason.
Nina:It is a really good breather. I love that song. I love the sentiment behind that song. And this is, I kind of feel this way, I feel like after we get over like the really angry side of the breakup, we then kind of question ourselves. And how it made us feel. So I feel like that flows really nicely. And I think we always have to unpack that in addition to why the relationship didn't work out. But even just by itself. It's such a relatable song and it is another one of those songs where she said the damn thing and then other women wrote songs where they feel the same way. And I make playlists when I'm trying to write a song, when I'm trying to figure out what my concept is, what I want to write about. I listened to the song and I immediately threw it on a playlist for a song that I'm working on because I was like, this touches on a lot of what I'm trying to touch on right now. And it's. I think it's one of those songs that's going to age super well. I think it's going to be applicable at all stages of life. And you're right, it showcases her range. It's so beautiful, as well as being a deep breath.
Faith:It's so beautiful. And it, like you said, it's like the range of our grief, our processing hardship. We go from the super angry to the more gentle, revisiting memories, things like that. So I think, I think that there was a spot for her on the album for that reason.
Nina:J, what do you think about Perfect?
J.:I think you've pretty much already covered everything I think about it. But I do really like what you said about, the fact that once the anger kind of subsides in something, like a relationship, but it could be a lot of other things too, you start to blame yourself for it, and you start to look at things like, okay, maybe, maybe I'm the problem, maybe I did something wrong, maybe next time I need to be, you know, perfect or better in a way. So I just really connect to that sentiment too, which is why, you know, it's, uh, you know, it's, this, this was hard to make. I'll just say that.
Faith:Yeah.
Nina:We all struggled with it. no, like it's, and it's unfortunate that it is relatable, like at every stage of life that we do question ourselves. But I think, you know, there's a lot of bravery in vulnerability. So there's a lot of bravery in her saying, In the theater, 69. And the whole, this song itself is also really brave where she's saying the quiet part out loud, that little voice inside of us that we don't even want to acknowledge, let alone admit is there, let alone tell other people that we have inside of us. That's why, I mean, I love this song. I, it was almost my number five. It was almost my number four. I struggled hard. I love this song.
Faith:It's so true. It's so introspective and beautiful and vulnerable because it is like a conversation with herself versus she's like yelling at somebody else in You Oughta Know, the track before. So it's just that big shift of now taking that sort of like self responsibility even though it's more questioning. but yeah, it's a different take.
Nina:It's a completely different take. Love this song. is it J, you're number three?
J.:Uh, I think so. so I put All I really want at number three. And the reason why I picked that song is because for me, it's like the most musically interesting song. And I think it is like the perfect way to start off this album. It almost seems like the angrier, older, uh, brother or sister, I should say, of Hand in My Pocket, where it's like the instrumental here is very chaotic and industrial sounding in a way. It almost reminds me of, the song Army of Me by Björk. It just sounds like a bunch of metal clashing together. And then there's that really interesting moment in the second bridge or whatever section she's calling it there. It gets a little bit weird with this song where she completely just cuts everything out and she's like, did you think about your bills and this stuff? And it makes you feel super uncomfortable, but it's interesting. We were talking about complicated melodies earlier and because I think that this one actually has a pretty complicated melody to sing, but it kind of matches the disoriented Take her feeling that she's going for in the beginning where it seems like some You can tell in the beginning that she's getting yelled at or judged by some condescending asshole because everybody has felt that at some point. Whether it's your parent or your partner or whatever but that beginning line is so, it's just so hooky because it's just like, I know exactly the kind of person she's talking about here.
Nina:I, this is my number two.
J.:Oh, really?
Nina:So, I'm knocked out. We got through all of my songs.
Faith:"I'm knocked out too.
Nina:Alright, so, J takes the top one. Writing an album opener is no small feat, and this is like one of the best ever. The guitar riff is so 60s in a 90s recreation kind of way, and I love it. It feels nostalgic on almost two levels to me. and we know from the very first minute of this song exactly what this album is going to be. Like, we know."all I really want is some patience, a way to calm the angry voice, and all I really want is deliverance." I mean, I know that the album title is actually pulled from You Learn, but by the time we get to the Jagged Little Pill line, we understand what it means. We understand what she's been through, and it's because she starts with this. And this This song like really super well encapsulates not only like where she is, but where she's going to take us on this journey. And I, it's an incredible, it's an incredible album opener. It's almost five minutes long and it does not feel almost five minutes.
J.:It doesn't feel like that. No. No. Because it's so weird.
Nina:So weird, but she keeps my attention the whole time. She keeps hooking me back in. I mean, this song is incredible. The fact that you put a five minute song at the top of your album, and not only do people make it through, but they're entertained, and they're having a good time. Goals. Like, amazing.
J.:And that five minute mark that you're mentioning, that's like a usually a cardinal sin, right? When it comes to songwriting. Another one, when it comes to just like mixing is when you're doing backgrounds, you know, they're supposed to be like, you know how they're supposed to be like super tight and close to each other. And this song, they're all over the place. And it works beautifully for it. It's so weird. I love it though.
Nina:It's almost choral in a church, like the way that it is kind of all over the place. Like wherever you're standing, you could have a different experience. I don't, I don't know, but okay. So Faith, how do you feel about All I Really Want?
Faith:I love this song. It was also one of those moments where once I made my list and then I listened back through, I was like, oh shoot, this should have been in it. Kind of like what J was saying about like the, the guitar melody, like hearing that, that was so hooky in itself that I was already wanting to listen. more. And, I also felt like the pre melody was just so interesting. And I also picked up on the panning of the backgrounds, like the, her high range here, her more sort of like, whispery, speaky here. Like I could, I could hear perfectly all the different sections. and they did sort of stick out in a way, like they weren't perfectly tight, which I loved. and yeah, and this one particularly, this is when I was hearing, oh, So, Olivia definitely took some, some inspo from the song.
Nina:Oh yeah. What is her, it's All American Bitch is the name of the song. I hear so much of this in that song. So much of it. Yeah, I mean I hear all of Jagged Little Pill in it, but. Guys, we only have one song left to talk about from Jagged Little Pill. J, I believe it's your number two, so take it away.
J.:My number two is You Learn. and I love this song because, it's interesting that, None of us had Ironic on here, but I feel like this I feel like these two songs are kind of related They're kind of like sibling songs because they both have that really interesting message of like you're gonna be a better person eventually by living through all the bad things that happen to you Because if you listen to the beginning of it all the things that she's recommending that you do aren't really great you know, uh, some of them are, but most of them are not. But it's kind of this comfort in saying that that's a good thing. It's just a part of life. It's something that you have to get through. And I like that the chorus section of here really sticks to anaphora, which is just a fancy way of saying You learn, you do this, you, it kind of is very repetitive with the beginning of the phrase. But then when she gets to the end, the closing title, she really takes up the melody on this like epic high note. So it really gives you this feeling of catharsis. And that really feels, powerful when she gets to the end of a chorus 2, where she takes you into the bridge section, where she's basically just like yelling the whole time, but it's like It's happy yelling. It's not the kind of yelling she's doing in You Oughta Know. It's just like this moment of relief. It's almost like this kind of yelling that you would hear on a playground of like kids doing. So that for me was really interesting and I think it really speaks to her range again because we've seen that she can be this raging banshee. We've seen that she can be this sensitive and vulnerable. person but we here we also see that she can be this wise guru or mentor figure or just friend that's giving you really good advice when you need to hear it the most.
Nina:I want to reiterate she was 20-21 in the writing and release of this and she wrote that song.
J.:Yeah.
Nina:So there was, there's an old movie that my uncle often talks about. My uncle's in film. And so he talks about film as much as I talk about music. And it's called Dogma. And at the end, it's revealed that Alanis Morissette is God. And this is what makes you believe that she is.
J.:Oh my god, I meant to bring that up earlier. Yeah.
Faith:I was just thinking, I was like, this also was such a sync song for me too, and I just picture Alanis Morissette coming at like the resolution of a film singing this song.
Nina:This is a great montage song, right, of someone who's like a really shitty person becoming a better person, and then you start to root for them, right? Right. She just needed Alanis Morissette to talk to her.
Faith:Naturally.
J.:How epic is that, that in a 90s movie, the only person that could play God was Alanis?
Faith:I mean, it checks though, you know?
J.:It absolutely does.
Nina:At the end of Grace and Frankie, when Dolly Parton was God, those are the two that make the most sense to me.
J.:I agree.
Nina:Alright, Faith. Any final words about You Learn?
Faith:You Learn, I feel like you guys hit it on the head. I mean, it has this larger than life feel anthemic chorus, trials and tribulation vibe. And if I'm not mistaken, it also mentions Jagged Little Pill in the lyrics as well, right?
J.:In the first pre chorus, yeah. Yeah.
Faith:So it's another sort of tie into the album theme.
J.:She said the thing. Yeah. It's one of those moments.
Nina:Yeah. She said the name of the movie in the movie.
J.:There you go.
Faith:But I love that it's not a title track. I love that Jagged Little Pill doesn't have its own song. It's just the album name with the Easter eggs inside the other songs.
J.:Yes.
Nina:Yeah. No, I think, you know, as we were talking, and as we kind of wrap up how we feel about this album, It's occurring to me that I don't hear people cover this album. We talked so much about what an incredible vocalist Alanis Morissette is. And I was singing along to a lot of stuff today. I don't think I'm a bad singer, but I was thinking to myself, would I ever cover one of these? And I was like, on principle, I think not. Cause I think, I don't, I don't know. I might cover it just for fun, like with friends, but I don't think I'd release a cover of one of these songs unless I took it like a completely different direction. but I was thinking like, She was the messenger of all of these songs. I don't think I could hear another voice sing these and not immediately compare them to hers.
Faith:That's so valid. I don't think I've heard any cover, maybe, of You Oughta Know, but yeah these are iconic songs. You'd think that they'd be covered so many times, but I feel like they're like karaoke songs, they're like songs you sing with your group of friends, they're on like at the pregame or, you know, More so like after the party when you're all just hanging in the crib and playing songs for each other. So yeah, I think that's so true that some things you have to just keep to the artist.
Nina:I feel like if I saw an artist do this live just as like part of the setlist, like part of the performance, but they didn't release the cover, I feel like that would be a really fun moment. I know that's something that a lot of artists do pretty early on when they don't have a huge catalog of their own songs. They, they cover something that really means a lot to them. They don't necessarily put out that cover, it's just fun to do live, it gets the crowd re engaged, people who might have been brought there by a friend. They'll recognize that song and then get to sing along. I think covers are actually a really good idea for artists on their first project and just starting out because it does showcase your personality a lot. But like, I don't hear like covers of this. I don't hear people putting it out. and I think that speaks to how we all feel about this album is it's so deeply personal to all of us. And I mean, there's something about her voice and the rawness of it that nobody can touch.
J.:Well, I think they tried to do like a jukebox musical of it a couple years ago. It was on Broadway for a while, but I'm
Nina:It's still on Broadway if I'm not mistaken.
J.:No, it's been closed for a few years now. But I think that kind of speaks to Again, like it just, it just feels weird to hear these songs in like somebody else's voice, because her voice, her voice is very specific too, you know?
Nina:It is, and I feel like I would feel weird hearing certain men sing these songs, like, not to be offensive, but I love men and male artists, and I love when men unapologetically cover women, like, with the Tracy Chapman cover by Luke Combs. I just loved that. Like, some of these songs, I'd be like, you don't know what this is about, you don't get this.
Faith:Yeah, that's so true. You know who I do feel like could do a good job on a cover though? Miley Cyrus.
Nina:Oh, shut up, she could do anything.
Faith:She could do anything, but I feel like just with the grit of her voice and her, her range and her belt, I feel like she would do it justice if she did it in a live set.
Nina:You're right Miley Cyrus has, has the voice for it. She has the grit, the tone, and goddamn, the talent. That woman can do anything.
Faith:She really can.
J.:Beyonce had a really iconic She only did part of the song, but she covered, uh, You Oughta Know during one of her Grammy performances like a couple years ago, too.
Faith:Did she? Yeah. I need to see this.
Nina:I'm looking that up right now.
Faith:Yeah, what?
Nina:As soon as I log off, I'm watching that. I feel like my soul needs that right now, especially with Cowboy Carter on repeat.
Faith:Yeah, I feel like she's gonna absolutely demolish that song, which is hard to do. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah,
J.:that just speaks to her, you know, Alanis outreach to the level of artists that look up to her.
Nina:Everyone just through her bravery and her voice and this is such a singular project. I'm so glad that we got to talk about it. We've gotten through our top five songs. No one is upset or offended. However, there is one song that we all left off that we should probably talk about and it's Ironic.
Faith:Yeah, I don't know if for me
Nina:It's not my favorite song.
J.:It was so Why, Nina? Why? Spill the tea.
Nina:Okay, the level of troll that you have to be on to write an entire song where absolutely nothing happens in it is ironic. It is all just unfortunate circumstance. None of it is ironic. And that in and of itself is the irony of a song called ironic? Shut the hell up. That is some bullshit.
Faith:It is, and like, re listening to some of the lyrics, I was like, oh sh t, it's like he waited his whole life to take that flight and then it crashes, I'm like, woah.
Nina:It's very depressing.
Faith:I don't know if it's ironic. That's devastating.
Nina:There's no, there's no irony in the song, and so there was actually a woman who said that she walked up to Alanis Morissette and said, there's no irony in your song, Ironic, and that's the ironic part. And Alanis just goes, yep, and walks away.
Faith:I'm dead. She's trolling.
J.:I like the, the ending, the little outro of Life Has a Funny Way of Helping You Out.\
Nina:I love this song, it's just the, the level of troll that is there. It's, it's so brilliant and so annoying at the same time.
Faith:It's so true, and it's wild that none of us had it on our list.
Nina:It is, that is, it is quite wild, even though that chorus hits, man.
J.:That first one especially.
Nina:Do you guys have any last thoughts as we close up our Jagged Little Pill episode?
Faith:I mean, this album is just iconic. I feel like you said at the beginning we could review this in 10 years. I think it is timeless and so well written and now listening to music for the uh, listening to music for the upcoming weeks, I'm just gonna hear all of her influence. It's hard not to. so much.
Nina:It's super hard not to. I'm so glad we reviewed this, especially with all the women releasing albums this year. I'm just gonna hear Alanis everywhere. It is Year of the Woman. Last year was Year of the Barbie Movie, this is Year of the Woman. Hell yeah. I love
Faith:it.
Nina:J, you want to follow that up?
J.:I don't think I could. I mean, what else can you, what else can you really say about this album? I, I, it felt like this episode went by really fast, you know?
Nina:And it might be one of our longest ever, actually.
Faith:Yeah.
J.:Yeah.
Nina:Yeah. Alright guys, closing up, we're going to our final segment, Our Playback Pick of the Week. Faith, you are our guest. What have you been listening to all this week?
Faith:Okay, a fun one I've been listening to, I hope I don't butcher, her artist name because I love her so dearly. it's by Faouzia. I don't know if you guys are familiar with her. And the song is Fur Elise, like the classical piece. She Well, I guess she interpolates it, and it is freaking brilliant. I mean, the melody, the arrangement, it is baller. Her vocal is always insane, I mean, her vocal agility, her lyricism, I mean, I could go on and on. I love it.
Nina:J, you're familiar with the artist?
J.:Yeah, she's got a deep ass voice. I love it.
Faith:Yeah, yeah. Her range, her agility, it's just like on another level. I really think that she is one of the best voices of our generation, hands down.
J.:Yeah, very underrated. I agree. Yeah.
Nina:Oh my god, I can't wait to listen. You have to.
Faith:Yeah, let me know what you think.
Nina:I will. I'll text you. All right, J, what is your Playback Pick this week?
J.:Yeah, so my pick is kind of weird, but in, uh, You know, I picked the X Men theme song by the Newton Brothers, and the reason why is because A, they brought back the series after like 30 years of it not being on the air anymore, and also, it's like the first superhero franchise ever where The best characters, in my opinion, almost objectively I would say, are all women. And I think that's so interesting that a series was so ahead of its time. Not the horrible movies, they fucked those up and just made them all about Hugh Jackman. But in the cartoon, it's all about the women, it's all about Storm, it's all about Rogue. But I picked it because it's one of those songs where it's It's just a series of hook after hook, and we've talked about it several times on this show where it's just like, a hook can be anything. So in this one, they've got strings, they've got a crazy bass line, and they even have for each character that shows up on the screen, they change the theme slightly to a different instrument, or they'll have lightning and effects. And I think that that's really cool. It shows character on another level that you can do from like a production standpoint too.
Nina:I would love to see you get to do that for a series, for like a brand new series. I would love to see you write like a theme song and then have like little themes for each major character. I feel like that would be so good.
J.:Yeah.
Nina:I feel that, like a show or like a video game, I feel like that would be so good for you.
J.:Yeah, that'd be awesome.
Nina:I also have a thing, I say this all the time, that you just need to exclusively work with female rappers.
J.:Please. I would love that.
Nina:Some little like, indie singer songwriter would be like, can you produce my song? And you'd be like, no, I don't do that anymore, kid.
Faith:Just rappers.
Nina:And TV shows. That's my niche. Okay, so my playback pick of the week is, pretty solemn. It is by a Chilean Palestinian artist named Elyanna, which is actually one of my favorite aunts' names. And, she wrote this song. It is less than two minutes, I believe it's a minute thirty. 30. It's a very short song and it is called Olive Branch. I will not try to pronounce it in the original Arabic because I will butcher it, but it is in Arabic. it touches on the conflict that is currently going on in Gaza. It is one of the most heartbreaking songs that I've ever heard. It starts with children's voices in the background of her singing and then all of a sudden they are gone. And the snare, or sorry, the kick rather, plays like a heartbeat and it feels like it's getting slower and slower as the song goes on. It feels like time is running out. She has truly one of the most beautiful vocals I've ever heard. Her, speaking of flexibility, I mean her range is incredible. I highly encourage everyone to look it up. I believe you can watch the live performance of it. She performed it at a film fest in Egypt and it is reported that there was not a dry eye in the house. It's a beautiful protest song. And it's not even a protest song. It's simply appealing to our humanity, and I think we need a lot of that right now. So I highly encourage everyone to go check out this song, check out the artist, and continue to uplift voices who are going through this struggle right now.
Faith:What a beautiful pick, Nina. I can't wait to listen to it.
Nina:It's gorgeous. All right, guys, that is it for Playback the Podcast. Do you guys have any final comments for our listeners out there?
Faith:No, just thank you to the both of you for having me again. And it was a joy to talk about Alanis, our girl. And yeah, it was so much fun.
Nina:I can safely say we're gonna make up excuses for you to come back on this podcast. So great to have.
J.:Anytime. Yeah.
Nina:Seriously, anytime you want to come on and just like, I don't know, talk about the weather. You're welcome. It'll be fun. Alright J, what about you?
J.:No, not really. Uh, just go out and write a great song.
Nina:Yep guys, go create some good in the world. We'll see you next time. Bye!
J.:Bye.
