Alanis Morissette set a new bar for female-led anthems in 1995 with “You Oughta Know.” The Jagged Little Pill cut sees Morissette at her most kick-ass, ferocious, and empowered. Few songs can match the energy she bottles up in the chorus: It’s not fair, to deny me / Of the cross I bear that you gave to me / You, you, you oughta know.
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Given all that, it’s not hard to see why alums of the CMT Next Women of Country chose to perform it at this year’s CMT Music Awards to honor 10 years of the franchise. Morissette made her debut appearance at the award show alongside Ingrid Andress, Lainey Wilson, Madeline Edwards, and Morgan Wade.
Prior to the performance, fellow NWOC alum Carly Pearce took the stage to let the audience know what was in store. She dealt out Jagged Little Pill’s accolades, reminding the audience of its stature in the music community: “Tonight four of [the NWOC artist] are here to perform with a woman whose music became the defining soundtrack for Generation X. Her album Jagged Little Pill is one of the best selling albums of all time and the song “You Oughta Know” became an anthem for women.”
Though the fan-voted award ceremony typically honors excellence in the country genre, “You Oughta Know” is a formidable hit in any space. Morissette fit right in with the country artists, delivering a powerhouse performance worthy of such a song.
Stylistically paying homage to the era of Jagged Little Pill, the performance opened with shots of each country artist through an oh-so-’90s fisheye lens. Wilson, Andress, Edwards, and Wade took on the opening verse of the song before the camera panned over to reveal Morissette.
While each of the relatively new voices in country music was given a moment to shine, it was Morissette’s timeless vocals that drove the performance. Wilson, Andress, Edwards, and Wade seemed to be enjoying singing with Morissette just as much as the audience enjoyed watching them.
Check out the performance below.
The 2023 CMT Music Awards saw an increased focus on women in the genre, with Kelsea Ballerini taking on hosting duties alongside Kane Brown and Shania Twain taking home the Equal Play Award, which highlights historically excluded artists in country.
Jelly Roll and Lainey Wilson were among the top winners of the night. Wilson took home Best Female Video of the Year for her hit single “Heart Like A Truck” and performed her 2022 hit. Jelly Roll took home Male Video of the Year for his song “Son of a Sinner” and delivered a powerful performance of “Need A Favor.”
Photo by Rick Kern/Getty Images for CMT
