Alanis Morissette

Solo Artist · Queen of Alt-Rock Angst

Photo: Justin Higuchi from Los Angeles, CA, USA · CC BY 2.0
Active 1986-present
Origin Ottawa, Ontario
Albums 10
Tracks 115
Most frequent collaborator Glen Ballard · 29 tracks
Genres alternative rockPop Rockalt-pop
Complete Artist
100%
Authorship

Holds writing credit on 115 of 115 tracks

Did Alanis Morissette write her own songs?

Yes. Alanis Morissette is a singer-songwriter who writes her own lyrics, and she co-wrote every song on her breakthrough album Jagged Little Pill with producer Glen Ballard, including 'You Oughta Know,' 'Ironic,' and 'Hand in My Pocket.' She went even further on 2002's Under Rug Swept, which she wrote and produced entirely on her own.

By the Numbers

10
Studio Albums
115
Tracks Credited
100%
Self-Written
more than 60 million
Records Sold
40
Years Active
14
Collaborators

Authorship Breakdown 115 / 115 self-written

Who wrote the songs?

Across all 115 tracks: how many Alanis Morissette wrote alone, how many they co-wrote, and how many were written by others. The bracket marks every track they hold any writing credit on.

Alanis Morissette has a writing credit100%
24%
76%
Sole author28tracks24%
Co-written87tracks76%
Outside writers0tracks0%

Role Fingerprint how they contribute

Lyricist Performer Composer Producer
Alanis Morissette's roles across the catalogue

Share of all 115 tracks where they are personally credited, by role.

Lyricist (words)100%
Composer (music)100%
Producer33%
Performer100%

Authorship Over Time writing credit per album

Alanis Morissette's writing credit per album, in release order. Hover any bar for the album.

avg 100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
1991Alanis
1992Now Is the Time
1995Jagged Little Pill
1998Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie
2002Under Rug Swept
2004So-Called Chaos
2008Flavors of Entanglement
2012Havoc and Bright Lights
2020Such Pretty Forks in the Road
2022The Storm Before the Calm
Early · 100% written
Mid · 100% written
Late · 100% written

Authorship by Decade track-weighted

100%
1990s
Alanis, Now Is the Time +2 more
100%
2000s
Under Rug Swept, So-Called Chaos +1 more
100%
2010s
Havoc and Bright Lights
100%
2020s
Such Pretty Forks in the Road, The Storm Before the Calm

Authorship Spectrum pure performer to complete author

Where Alanis Morissette sits on the scale from a pure performer (0%, sings songs written by others) to a complete author (100%, writes everything). The bright marker is their catalogue authorship score, plotted against other artists on the site.

Alanis Morissette
Other artists on the site

Reference artists spread across the scale, closest by genre and era.

Backstreet Boys25%
Garth Brooks41%
Kelly Clarkson49%
One Direction57%
Rick Astley73%
Sting84%
The White Stripes92%
100%Alanis Morissette
Pure Performer0%
Songwriter~50%
Complete Author100%

Who Really Wrote the Hits signature songs

Too Hot
Alanis
Written by Alanis Morissette, Leslie Howe, Alanis Nadine Morissette
Co-wrote
You Oughta Know
Jagged Little Pill
Written by Alanis Morissette, Alanis Nadine Morissette, Glen Allen Ballard
Co-wrote
You Learn
Jagged Little Pill
Written by Alanis Morissette, Alanis Nadine Morissette, Glen Allen Ballard
Co-wrote
Hand in My Pocket
Jagged Little Pill
Written by Alanis Morissette, Alanis Nadine Morissette, Glen Allen Ballard
Co-wrote
Ironic
Jagged Little Pill
Written by Alanis Morissette, Alanis Nadine Morissette, Glen Allen Ballard
Co-wrote
Head over Feet
Jagged Little Pill
Written by Alanis Morissette, Alanis Nadine Morissette, Glen Allen Ballard
Co-wrote
Thank U
Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie
Written by Alanis Morissette, Alanis Nadine Morissette, Glen Allen Ballard
Co-wrote
Hands Clean
Under Rug Swept
Written by Alanis Morissette, Alanis Nadine Morissette
Wrote it
Everything
So-Called Chaos
Written by Alanis Morissette, Alanis Nadine Morissette
Wrote it
Not as We
Flavors of Entanglement
Written by Alanis Morissette, Alanis Nadine Morissette, Guy Sigsworth
Co-wrote

Discography 10 albums

Collaborator Network who they worked with most

Alanis Morissette115 tracks
GB29Glen Ballard, 29 tracks 23Guy Sigsworth, 23 tracks GA22Glen Allen Ballard, 22 tracks LH20Leslie Howe, 20 tracks SC13Serge Cote, 13 tracks JC12Joe Chiccarelli, 12 tracks MF11Michael Farrell, 11 tracks DH11Dave Harrington, 11 tracks JS10John Shanks, 10 tracks TT10Tim Thorney, 10 tracks CM6Catherine Marks, 6 tracks AH5Alex Hope, 5 tracks LR2Louise Reny, 2 tracks FL2Frank Levin, 2 tracks

Bubble size = tracks worked on together. GB Glen Ballard · GA Glen Allen Ballard · LH Leslie Howe · SC Serge Cote · JC Joe Chiccarelli

Photo credits

Portraits in the web and the rail come from Wikimedia Commons. The artist's own photo carries its credit under the picture.

The Authorship Story

Data Insight

Morissette's trajectory, from Canadian teen pop star (Alanis, 1991) to global alternative icon (Jagged Little Pill, 1995), is one of the most dramatic reinventions in pop history. Under Rug Swept (2002), self-written and self-produced in its entirety, demonstrated a level of authorial control rare in mainstream rock. Her catalog is a sustained study in the lyricist-as-primary-writer model.

Quick Facts

  • BreakthroughJagged Little Pill (1995), co-written with producer Glen Ballard
  • Album salesJagged Little Pill sold about 33 million, one of the best-selling albums by a woman
  • GrammysSeven wins, including Album of the Year for Jagged Little Pill (1996)
  • RecordYoungest Album of the Year winner at the time, at age 21
  • Records soldMore than 60 million worldwide
  • Studio albumsTen, from Alanis (1991) to The Storm Before the Calm (2022)

Creative Fingerprint

A confessional writer at the center of every record: she co-wrote all of Jagged Little Pill with Glen Ballard, then wrote and produced Under Rug Swept entirely on her own, keeping the lyric credit hers throughout.

The Story

Canadian-American singer-songwriter whose 1995 album Jagged Little Pill became one of the best-selling albums of all time and redefined the sound of female-led alternative rock. Known for raw, confessional lyrics and a shift from teen pop origins to grunge-influenced alt-rock.

Awards & Recognition

Grammy Award for Album of the Year, Jagged Little Pill (1996)
Grammy Award for Best Rock Album, Jagged Little Pill (1996)
Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance, 'You Oughta Know' (1996)
Canadian Music Hall of Fame, inducted (2015)

Frequently Asked Questions Alanis Morissette

Did Alanis Morissette write her own songs?
Yes. Alanis Morissette is a singer-songwriter who writes her own lyrics, and she co-wrote every song on her breakthrough album Jagged Little Pill with producer Glen Ballard, including 'You Oughta Know,' 'Ironic,' and 'Hand in My Pocket.' She went even further on 2002's Under Rug Swept, which she wrote and produced entirely on her own.
Who wrote 'You Oughta Know'?
'You Oughta Know' was written by Alanis Morissette and Glen Ballard for her 1995 album Jagged Little Pill. The blunt breakup song became her signature hit and won two Grammy Awards.
How many copies did Jagged Little Pill sell?
Jagged Little Pill has sold roughly 33 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling albums by a female artist. It topped the Billboard 200 and produced a run of hit singles including 'Ironic' and 'You Learn.'
How many Grammy Awards has Alanis Morissette won?
Alanis Morissette has won seven Grammy Awards. Four of them came in 1996 for Jagged Little Pill, including Album of the Year, which she won at age 21 as the youngest recipient of the category at the time.
Is the song 'Ironic' actually about irony?
'Ironic,' written by Morissette and Glen Ballard, famously lists situations that are more unlucky than strictly ironic, a point critics have raised for years. Morissette has said she is aware of the debate and finds it fitting that a song called 'Ironic' is not technically ironic.
How many studio albums has Alanis Morissette released?
Alanis Morissette has released ten studio albums, from her 1991 Canadian pop debut Alanis through The Storm Before the Calm in 2022. Jagged Little Pill (1995) remains by far her most successful.
Who wrote 'Uninvited'?
'Uninvited' was written by Alanis Morissette for the 1998 film City of Angels, and it won her a Grammy Award even though it was never released as a commercial single. It appears on the soundtrack rather than one of her studio albums.
How did Alanis Morissette's sound change over her career?
She began as a Canadian dance-pop teen artist on 1991's Alanis before reinventing herself as a raw alternative-rock songwriter with Jagged Little Pill in 1995. Her later albums, from Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie to Such Pretty Forks in the Road, kept the confessional writing while moving through folk, electronic, and adult-alternative textures.

Sources

Alanis Morissette - Wikipedia Jagged Little Pill - Wikipedia