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Alanis

Am I a complete sucker for angst-ridden girl singer-songwriters, or what?

I conned my husband into buying me a CD this a.m. (unconvincingly explaining that it could be considered his early Father's Day present because he really likes her, right? sure...) Alanis Morissette's acoustic version of Jagged Little Pill, the album that made her an international phenomenon and became a collection of anthems for angry, done-wrong women everywhere. Available for a limited time only at Starbucks. Something about combining her fierce lyrics with caffeine sits a bit uneasy with me...seems like a volatile mix (don't give that crazy lady any sharp objects, please!). But the acoustic arrangement seems to have sanded off the rough edges of her messages. We're left with a more contemplative, soulful Alanis, better suited to my aging ears and lifestyle. I just realized that this is the 10th anniversary of the first JLP release. Where'd the decade go?

Ten years ago, Tom Cruise was filming Jerry Maguire, still happily married to Nicole, and Katie Holmes was a teenager, giggling on the phone with her friends and blowing kisses at the poster of Brat Packer Tom tacked to her bedroom wall—three whole years before she made her debut on Dawson's Creek. The jury said it didn't fit; OJ was acquitted. On a more serious note, in 1995, some lunatics blew up a federal building in Oklahoma City, killing 169 people. And I graduated from college, bought my first car, spent three months working at a major metro paper in St. Louis, got my first real newspaper job, and moved away from home. I'd not yet met the man to whom I am now married.

I'm still a sucker for angst-ridden girl singer-songwriters. Some things don't change.

You Learn
Lyrics by Alanis Morissette

I, recommend getting your heart trampled on to anyone, yeah
I, recommend walking around naked in your living room, yeah

Swallow it down (what a jagged little pill)
It feels so good (swimming in your stomach)
Wait until the dust settles

You live you learn, you love you learn
You cry you learn, you lose you learn
You bleed you learn, you scream you learn

I, recommend biting off more than you can chew to anyone
I certainly do
I, recommend sticking your foot in your mouth at any time
Feel free

Throw it down (the caution blocks you from the wind)
Hold it up (to the rays)
You wait and see when the smoke clears

Wear it out (the way a three-year-old would do)
Melt it down (you're gonna have to eventually, anyway)
The fire trucks are coming up around the bend

You grieve you learn, you choke you learn
You laugh you learn, you choose you learn
You pray you learn, you ask you learn
You live you learn

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