- ALL I REALLY WANT.
This was one of the last songs I wrote for the record. I had lived in LA at that point for a couple years, this songs a commentary of things that had been happening around me and my adjustments to it or there lack of.
- YOU OUGHTA KNOW.
Whenever I think of You Oughta Know, I always feel sorry for how misunderstood that song has been and I guess indirectly or directly how misunderstood I was in the writing of that song. I wrote You Oughta Know to release how I felt at the time, I was in a very pathetically sad and vulnerable state and I released it. It wasnt written for the sake of revenge, I never mention who it was inspired by. It was not written for the sake of conveying a message of man hating, I love men. I've had negative experiences with men, as I think anyone has, and a lot of men have had negative experiences with women. I had to write about how I felt at the time. I was in a position where I put my self esteem in a mans hands and let him do with it as he would. And inevitably when you do that, you wind up getting really hurt. And that song when I sing it, I dont think of the rage, I think of the sadness. And I know that anger, is in my estimation; is a cowardly extension of sadness for me. It's a lot easier to be angry at someone than it is to tell them you're sad about something.
That song wasn't written for the sake of revenge, it was written for the sake of release. I'm actually a pretty rational, calm person.
- PERFECT.
I think it's a combination of everything. Some of it was my own experience with my family and society in general. Some of it was just being immersed in the record industry at such a young age; and the entertainment industry for that matter, and I worked with a lot of younger people, obviously when I was younger, and I was very much an observer. I would just watch how people would relate to these children and the pressure they would put on it. To this day I watch it, and it's not my place to say anything to them but it really affects me and bothers me very much. I wanted to write about it and I came to terms with a lot of that whole sort of premise, when I wrote the song.
- HAND IN MY POCKET.
It was the quickest song that we wrote on this record, just recorded it right away. Wrote it in about 20 minutes and was just a snapshot of where I was at; at the moment.
It was sort of baptism by fire when I got there. I was held up at gunpoint in Hollywood. Still despite all the negatives, it was like 'Hand in My Pocket'-- I was broke but happy.
- RIGHT THROUGH YOU.
This was directed towards a lot of people whom I never really mention. Cause I think it would bring it to a realm of cruelty. I never wrote it to make them feel bad for what they did, I wrote it because I didnt want it to hinder my growth. Their (Music Execs) respect for art is very low on their priority list. Their very money-hungry, corporate way of thinking did not mesh at all with my purist, artistic outlook. I would come home from a lot of meetings and my manager would just sort of shake his head and put his arms around me and go, "It's okay". I was just putting up with so much. I constantly walk this fine line of having respect and being diplomatic with people, and then just standing up for myself, like, where do you draw the line? It is a difficult position to be in, but I dealt with it in Right Through You in about ten minutes.
- FORGIVEN.
Frustration and confusion are the two worst emotions for me. And Forgiven allowed me to articulate it, to figure out why I was so confused when I was younger. What I believed in; what I thought God was or wasnt; what I thought was right or wrong. What I was made to feel guilty for, that I could have been reveling in. Certain things that were natural for you to go through... as a 9 year old, were things that were made to seem bad or wrong. I dont agree with it, I know that I was going through what was natural. So to write about it and to sort of absolve myself of that was very freeing, and it also was written at the same time I was questioning my own spirituality; questioning what that word even meant.
- YOU LEARN.
This was one of the first songs that Glen Ballard and I wrote for Jagged Little Pill, during a time when I was very insolated and had just moved to Los Angeles. And I was prepared for perhaps the first time to focus on things that were negative because I was always encouraged to focus on things that were positive. Things like confusion, depression and those kinds of things were to be hidden or repressed. Having done that for so many years resulted in an explosion of sorts, so writing Jagged Little Pill was that explosion. A lot of things were very sub-conscience and thats why everything was relatively urgent, even emotions that were loving and compassionate; everything was very urgent because I was prepared to sing about my truth in a way that I hadnt before in my music. When I think of Jagged Little Pill I think of that particular time of my life, it was a very big turning point for me.
- MARY JANE.
This song I wrote in an afternoon, when that morning I had shared coffee with a girlfriendof mine who was going through a few things. This song was inspired by her and sorta indirectly sung to me at the same time.
- IRONIC.
The whole concept of things happening for a reason sometimes eludes me, so when I wrote that song it was a chance for me to step into the humorous side.
- NOT THE DOCTOR.
I just wound up being in a lot of relationships where I felt they were overly dependant on me and for a long time my role was to be the peace maker, and to be the advice giver. And to be the mother and the nurturer to a lot of people, I'd wind up giving them all my energy and my time and my love. I felt, not only am I not getting it back but I was just giving it all out. I just felt really spent, with a lot of the relationships that were one sided or one way. It became very frustrating for me and I got it out in that song.
- YOUR HOUSE.
That is the only song on the record that's not 100 percent true. I was staying in this guy's house in Hollywood and he wasn't there for a week. I remember being overly curious and sleeping in his bed. It felt eerie and unnerving; I also had kind of a crush on him. I get burned at the end of the song because if I had really snooped around as much as I wanted to, it would have been wrong. I probably would have found something I didn't want to find. I deserved it.

- FRONT ROW.
A stream of consciousnes recounting three separate conversations with people or situations that inspired me in some way. The chorus allows me to express how privilaged I feel to be able to be intimate with these people to providean environment for them in which they feel safe...where I can see all parts
of them without judgement.
- BABA.
My direct expirences with spiritual materialism within certain communities (particularly in the west), and the idealism of eastern/exotic spiritualpratices... sensing the dissonance between the competition, elitism and judgment within some of these culturally adopted rituals/gods and compassion itself.
- THANK U.
The first song written with Glen (Ballard) for the record... after having stopped for what felt like the first time in my life and experiencing deep stillness, I wasleft with an overwhelming sense of gratitude, inspiration and compassion. It felt
natural for this to be the first song released as it encapsulates the heart-space from which all the songs on this record sprung.
- ARE YOU STILL MAD.
On Jagged Little Pill, I viscerally reacted to certain people/situations that resultedin a cathartic release. On this song I allow myself the emotional reaction (which I think is important) while also taking responsibility for my role in the relationships which resulted in a sense of closure that had not been realized by my simply reacting of solely pointing the finge.
- SYMPATHETIC CHARACTER.
I needed to get to the root of why I was so afraid of conflict and being arouns anger. We live in a society that sees rage as something that is explosive and destructive. We arent taught how to express our rage, having it be heard and released in a non-destructive way. This song was my recounting my fears of having spent a lot of time around people that couldnt control their rage. The writing of this song enabled me to be able to see rage as natural and not to fear my own.
- THAT I WOULD BE GOOD.
I was meditating in my closet and I asked myself, "what do you want?"
This was a case where I wrote the lyrics first and then the music later.
- THE COUCH.
This song was written following a converstion I had with my dad regarding his life story. I was able to see him for who he was (outside of his role as my father) for what felt like the first time. It was very healing for the both of us.
- CAN'T NOT.
This song was written in response. I wrote in 1995, after beggining the tour for JLP, it reflects my state of mind at the time. I recorded it as a B-side but it ended up being in the album.The chorus of this song is about my enthusiasm with the relationship I was in at the time and how it was good for both of us. I had never understood the advantages of intimate security, or the consciousness which was necessary to be in such a relationship. The lyrics are my version of 3 conversations/experiences.
- UR.
A brief and retrospective look at my career in chronological order. The first verse being about when I was 10 years old. The second verse being about my mid teens, and the third verse being about the time right after the Jagged Little Tour. Parts of the choruses are other peoples perspectives and parts of mine.
- I WAS HOPING.
The choruses in this song are about my having been excited with the newly discovered opportunity I saw -the new relationship I was in- and what it was providing for the both of us. I had never understood the healing quality of safety or intimacy, or the consciousness that was required of me to be in that kind of relationship until that point. The verses are my recounting three separate conversations/experiences.
- ONE.
I was safe enough with this person to show him parts of myself that I needed to express in order to change them. I hadnt been able to do so in the past because those parts of myself would have been judged. In being judged I would not have been able to move through them. I also explore and understand the concept of our interconnectedness.
- WOULD NOT COME.
Revelations based on what happened in the past three years in particular. Fame, money, "status"... constantly feeling I had to look outside myself to see who I was and to feel bliss. Having to "achieve," run, grasp or become something other that what I was in order to be worthy/accepted. Putting it down on paper made me realize the disservice I was doing to my true self and how transparent and unfulfilling it can be to put all my happiness in the hands of external brass rings.
- UNSENT.
This song started with my writing the first verse and realizing that there were many more people with whom I hadnt had closure... romantic, platonic and professional relationships. Some of the names are nicknames, some of them are variations of their names and some of them are their real names. I talked to some of the people that inspired the verses and came to realize that this song encouraged me to connect with these people directly and not rely on songwriting as a way of my avoiding direct/difficult contact.
- SO PURE.
Both the expression of anger and joy have been equally vulnerable for me at times in my life. I allowed myself to be inspired infatuated with this person who is unapologetically and exuberantly themself.
- JOINING YOU.
My reaching out to a friend who was questioning his own suffering by saying that who we are within can manifest itself externally rather than allowing society's illusions to define who we are.
It talks about a friend of me who was questioning his own pain, and I was trying to help him by telling him that we are superior to what society labels us to be.
- HEART OF THE HOUSE.
My tribute to my mother and to femininity in general. I thought in order to function in waht I saw as a patriarchal society I had to adopt masculine qualities in order to be treated with the respect I deserved. In doing so, I was unwittingly being chauvinistic to myself and further confirming the lack of integrating both the feminine and masculine qualities in all of us. Upon finding the gray area I naturally wanted to honor my relationship with my mother and femininity itself.
- YOUR CONGRATULATIONS.
It came from the feeling I had for so much time that I had to compromise my power and intelligence or talent so that I wouldn't lose the affection of the ones I loved. It's a song about giving in. I would prefer nobody to win or lose. Being famous since I was little, I suffored from lack of attention, because since everyone thought I was the center of attentions, I didn't need their attention.

- NO PRESSURE OVER CAPPUCCINO.
It was inspired by my twin brother and a cousin of mine. Anyone who feels that they're isolated at some point in their life -- isolated and not connected. This song was my way of telling them that they are connected and they're not alone in their seemingly wise worlds.
- PRINCES FAMILIAR.
That was a song we wrote for Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie, but that record was already really long, so we couldn't fit it. I actually didn't like how "Princes Familiar" sounded when we first recorded. Breaking it down in the acoustic form for the Unplugged record was exciting. Because I loved the song itself. I wanted to approach it form a different way. But a lot of people are furious with me for not having shared that version, because they loved it. And I might share it at some time.
- KING OF PAIN.
One day during rehearsal I turned to my bandmates and said, "I'm officialy announcing that we're not doing a cover on this album." And they said, "Okay, cool." And withing a few seconds the keyboard player started tinkling a few notes notes on the piano randomly. And it reminded me of the intro to "King of Pain" so I started singing it. So we all just looked at eachother and continued. And it was very obvious that it wanted to be on the record.
- UNINVITED.
Speaking of movies, this is a song called Uninvited. I saw the movie (City Of Angels), a cut of the movie without music in it. And I was inspired by Meg Ryan, who I think is a supergoddess; and having gone through something in my own life that I really wanted to write about. So it was perfect.

- STILL.
Ooh, writing that and making that record was a juicy, beautiful time. I actually just listened to it today. I hadn't heard it in months. I was just really excited to be able to sing about who and what I thought God is. I was Dublin, and I saw a rough cut of Dogma. I had told everyone that if I saw it and I was inspiried, then I would write a song. And if I saw it and the song didn't come then I wouldn't. And they said, "Okay." I saw the movie while I was riding the bus somewhere through Dublin. And I went to bed that night and I couldn't stop writing. I was writing everything I felt God was. And I woke up the next day, and I had sort of a pseudo-studio built in my hotel room, and I stayed in and wrote and recorded the demo that night. And I produced the record at Abbey Road a few days later.

This is a song I wrote a couple weeks ago. It was inspired by the movie called Dogma, it's Kevin Smiths movie, he wrote it and directed it. I played a small part in it. It's his take on Catholicism and God in general and was something I related to in a pretty big way, and for him to come at it from a place that was intelligent and hilarious at the same time was right up my alley. Anyway, watched the movie the first time and wrote this song the next day. So these lyrics were things I've thought about... a lot lately, and I think about God a lot lately. And this is my take on what I believe God is.

- AFTER A YEAR LIKE THIS ONE.
I wrote this song in a hotel room near the end of Can't Not Tour. The song if basicaly my response to being on the road, singing the same songs over and over, for a year.
- KEEP THE RADIO ON.
This song was written during the same time Jagged Little Pill was. It was not written in the style that the rest of the album was which is probably the reason it was not included on the album.
- SUPERSTAR WONDERFUL WEIRDOS.
This song was written with Terry Sawchuck when I was visiting him in Canada. Glen Ballard and me recorded it later.