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Why Alanis Morissette Matters
The first critical biography of iconic musician Alanis Morissette, creator of Jagged Little Pill.
The 1990s hardly saw a bigger hit than Jagged Little Pill. Alanis Morissette’s defining album won Grammys, dominated the Billboard charts, and sold more than 30 million copies worldwide. It left a deep mark on the psyches of countless listeners. Three decades later, Megan Volpert checks in with Morissette, probing her rich and varied post-JLP career and bearing feminist witness to the existential anger that ties her recent work to enduring classics like “You Oughta Know,” “One Hand in My Pocket,” and “Ironic.”
Why Alanis Morissette Matters builds a bridge from Jagged Little Pill to the fascinating life and subtle intellect of its creator, exploring how the artist’s philosophical interests and personal journey are reflected in each track. Morissette’s struggles with censorship, mental health challenges, and Catholicism; her queer allyship, spiritual skepticism, zealous fandom, and philanthropic passions—all are carefully observed by a critic whose own life was touched by Jagged Little Pill. In the album’s wake, Morissette has evolved as an artist and global citizen. With sensitivity and a profound love for the music, Volpert guides readers through the case for Morissette’s enduring cultural relevance and creative impact.
The 1990s hardly saw a bigger hit than Jagged Little Pill. Alanis Morissette’s defining album won Grammys, dominated the Billboard charts, and sold more than 30 million copies worldwide. It left a deep mark on the psyches of countless listeners. Three decades later, Megan Volpert checks in with Morissette, probing her rich and varied post-JLP career and bearing feminist witness to the existential anger that ties her recent work to enduring classics like “You Oughta Know,” “One Hand in My Pocket,” and “Ironic.”
Why Alanis Morissette Matters builds a bridge from Jagged Little Pill to the fascinating life and subtle intellect of its creator, exploring how the artist’s philosophical interests and personal journey are reflected in each track. Morissette’s struggles with censorship, mental health challenges, and Catholicism; her queer allyship, spiritual skepticism, zealous fandom, and philanthropic passions—all are carefully observed by a critic whose own life was touched by Jagged Little Pill. In the album’s wake, Morissette has evolved as an artist and global citizen. With sensitivity and a profound love for the music, Volpert guides readers through the case for Morissette’s enduring cultural relevance and creative impact.
- GenresMusicAudiobookNonfiction
136 pages, Hardcover
Published March 4, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
April 8, 2025
read my review here: https://thedailytexan.com/2025/04/07/... 📚❤️❤️❤️
February 10, 2025
For some people not paying attention, this may seem like a focus on Jagged Little Pill. What it actually does is use Jagged Little Pill as a framework to not only discuss Alanis and her importance and influence, not only discuss the individual songs, but also explore every other album she's ever made, the Jagged Little Pill Broadway show, and even her cover of "My Humps." It delves into Alanis's purpose and how she using that purpose in everything she does. It discusses women in music, women in 90s music, riot grrrl bands of the 90s, artists and artistic expression and the idea of selling out as opposed to sticking to your ideals.
The author does reference song lyrics too much in her writing, it's only sometimes effective, but overall does a great job exploring the many facets and issues related to Alanis Morrisette and her body of work. JLP hit just as the author and I and a whole generation were teenagers and ready to receive it, becoming a part of us and creating a lifelong respect and enjoyment of Alanis and her music.
The author does reference song lyrics too much in her writing, it's only sometimes effective, but overall does a great job exploring the many facets and issues related to Alanis Morrisette and her body of work. JLP hit just as the author and I and a whole generation were teenagers and ready to receive it, becoming a part of us and creating a lifelong respect and enjoyment of Alanis and her music.
January 7, 2025
Not wholly what I was expecting, based on the blurb. This was less of an Alanis bio and more of a dissection of Jagged Little Pill. Alanis' inspirations for each song are discussed, more surface level than with great depth. Subsequent albums and tracks are used to illustrate that while Alanis has matured, she is still an advocate and ally- which all goes against the argument some make that Alanis "sold-out" and drastically changed her musical style. Artists may grow & change, but lyrically, Alanis is still on fire.
Thanks to the publisher for making the eARC available through Edelweiss.
Thanks to the publisher for making the eARC available through Edelweiss.
July 6, 2026
A little too much projection, conjecture and wishful thinking.
This book contains many interesting ideas, but too often they are stretched beyond what the evidence seems to support. Interpretations that begin as thought-provoking sometimes become so expansive that they lose touch with the songs themselves. For example, understanding virtually all the relationship songs on Under Rug Swept as metaphors for political and societal relations (apart from the obvious candidate, “Utopia”) feels like a bridge too far.
My main reservation is that the author repeatedly returns to the idea that Alanis Morissette is essentially queer, or that her work should primarily be understood through a queer lens. While there is certainly value in exploring Alanis’s music from that perspective—and it is clear that her songs have been deeply meaningful in the author’s own coming-out journey—the arguments often rely on selective evidence while giving insufficient weight to alternative interpretations.
A sentence such as “Regardless of who she desires, Alanis appears to process relationships queerly” is presented almost as a self-evident conclusion, yet the book never adequately explains what “processing relationships queerly” actually means. Throughout the analysis, “queer” sometimes functions as an umbrella term without being clearly defined. As a result, many of the qualities identified as specifically queer strike me as broadly human traits, or characteristics that fit just as comfortably within feminist or universal readings of Alanis’s work.
This ultimately narrows the extraordinary breadth of Alanis’s appeal. Her songwriting has resonated with an exceptionally diverse audience precisely because it speaks to emotional experiences that transcend identity categories. Reading her catalogue through a queer lens is entirely legitimate; presenting that lens as the dominant or most convincing interpretation is another matter.
Ironically, the book itself demonstrates how insightful Volpert can be when she broadens her perspective. The chapter on “Ironic” is one of its undisputed highlights, skilfully weaving together Carl Jung, Greek philosophy (Socrates and Aristotle), cultural critic Lauren Berlant and Roland Barthes’ ideas on irony into a cohesive argument that enriches existing interpretations of the song rather than replacing them. Likewise, the recurring discussion of the Jagged Little Pill musical provides a fascinating backdrop for examining how Alanis’s songs have subtly shifted in meaning over time, illustrating the continuing cultural life of her work.
In fact, whenever the book steers clear of overinterpreting its subject through a single theoretical framework—or veering into more speculative territory (I remained unconvinced, for example, by the suggestion that Alanis draws artistic inspiration from cover bands performing her own material, or that Such Pretty Forks in the Road functions as a metaphor for her relationship with her fans)—it becomes an informative, engaging and genuinely rewarding contribution to the literature on Alanis Morissette. In those moments, Volpert transcends the limitations of her preferred interpretive lens and illuminates the richness, complexity and cultural significance of her subject.
That does not mean a queer reading is invalid. Like feminist, psychoanalytic or political criticism, it can reveal fascinating aspects of an artist’s work. My issue is simply that this particular reading often feels insufficiently supported by the textual evidence, making it less convincing as a work of critical analysis than as a deeply personal interpretation shaped by the author’s own experience and relationship with Alanis’s music.
The writing itself is lively, humorous and engaging, and the author’s passion for Alanis is never in doubt. Had the book embraced the same breadth of perspective it displays in its strongest chapters more consistently, I think it could have become the definitive critical study that the cover promises. As it stands, it is an enjoyable, stimulating and often insightful read—but ultimately a missed opportunity.
This book contains many interesting ideas, but too often they are stretched beyond what the evidence seems to support. Interpretations that begin as thought-provoking sometimes become so expansive that they lose touch with the songs themselves. For example, understanding virtually all the relationship songs on Under Rug Swept as metaphors for political and societal relations (apart from the obvious candidate, “Utopia”) feels like a bridge too far.
My main reservation is that the author repeatedly returns to the idea that Alanis Morissette is essentially queer, or that her work should primarily be understood through a queer lens. While there is certainly value in exploring Alanis’s music from that perspective—and it is clear that her songs have been deeply meaningful in the author’s own coming-out journey—the arguments often rely on selective evidence while giving insufficient weight to alternative interpretations.
A sentence such as “Regardless of who she desires, Alanis appears to process relationships queerly” is presented almost as a self-evident conclusion, yet the book never adequately explains what “processing relationships queerly” actually means. Throughout the analysis, “queer” sometimes functions as an umbrella term without being clearly defined. As a result, many of the qualities identified as specifically queer strike me as broadly human traits, or characteristics that fit just as comfortably within feminist or universal readings of Alanis’s work.
This ultimately narrows the extraordinary breadth of Alanis’s appeal. Her songwriting has resonated with an exceptionally diverse audience precisely because it speaks to emotional experiences that transcend identity categories. Reading her catalogue through a queer lens is entirely legitimate; presenting that lens as the dominant or most convincing interpretation is another matter.
Ironically, the book itself demonstrates how insightful Volpert can be when she broadens her perspective. The chapter on “Ironic” is one of its undisputed highlights, skilfully weaving together Carl Jung, Greek philosophy (Socrates and Aristotle), cultural critic Lauren Berlant and Roland Barthes’ ideas on irony into a cohesive argument that enriches existing interpretations of the song rather than replacing them. Likewise, the recurring discussion of the Jagged Little Pill musical provides a fascinating backdrop for examining how Alanis’s songs have subtly shifted in meaning over time, illustrating the continuing cultural life of her work.
In fact, whenever the book steers clear of overinterpreting its subject through a single theoretical framework—or veering into more speculative territory (I remained unconvinced, for example, by the suggestion that Alanis draws artistic inspiration from cover bands performing her own material, or that Such Pretty Forks in the Road functions as a metaphor for her relationship with her fans)—it becomes an informative, engaging and genuinely rewarding contribution to the literature on Alanis Morissette. In those moments, Volpert transcends the limitations of her preferred interpretive lens and illuminates the richness, complexity and cultural significance of her subject.
That does not mean a queer reading is invalid. Like feminist, psychoanalytic or political criticism, it can reveal fascinating aspects of an artist’s work. My issue is simply that this particular reading often feels insufficiently supported by the textual evidence, making it less convincing as a work of critical analysis than as a deeply personal interpretation shaped by the author’s own experience and relationship with Alanis’s music.
The writing itself is lively, humorous and engaging, and the author’s passion for Alanis is never in doubt. Had the book embraced the same breadth of perspective it displays in its strongest chapters more consistently, I think it could have become the definitive critical study that the cover promises. As it stands, it is an enjoyable, stimulating and often insightful read—but ultimately a missed opportunity.
August 26, 2025
A autora é o tipo de fã que costumava me irritar antigamente: aquelas que só gostaram de Jagged Little Pill e depois não continuaram acompanhando a carreira da Alanis, hahahahaha. Ainda bem que o tempo passa, né? Hoje, não ligo mais pra isso, e a autora também mudou bastante a sua visão - tanto que resolveu voltar atrás e fazer essa pesquisa sobre o impacto da Alanis no mundo da música.
Achei que ela levantou pontos bem importantes, me relembrando de coisas que até já tinha esquecido. Não é uma biografia, é mais uma análise das músicas e do contexto social no qual a Alanis surgiu. É uma ótima leitura para quem cresceu sendo inspirado por essas músicas que até hoje ainda abrem caminhos para novas artistas na indústria.
Achei que ela levantou pontos bem importantes, me relembrando de coisas que até já tinha esquecido. Não é uma biografia, é mais uma análise das músicas e do contexto social no qual a Alanis surgiu. É uma ótima leitura para quem cresceu sendo inspirado por essas músicas que até hoje ainda abrem caminhos para novas artistas na indústria.
November 22, 2025
I have gone back and forth on what to rate this book. I enjoyed it, it inspired me to listen Alanis Morissette’s more recent albums but I wasn’t what I expected from the blurb. I thought it would be more bio wrapped in the context of jagged little pill but it was really more how important the album was to the author and a shallow exploration of each of the songs. This book did remind me of how powerful it felt the first time I listened to the album.
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July 18, 2025My interview with the author for the New Books Network: https://newbooksnetwork.com/why-alani...
September 13, 2025
This is quite possibly the most late-Gen-X / Xennial women's book ever written. Also, its been way too long since I've listened to this album, and I'd forgotten just how many good songs are on it.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews