Canada’s queen of confessional alt-rock—the one and only Alanis Morissette—recently partnered up with America’s original idol—the one and only Kelly Clarkson—for a stripped-down acoustic duet on The Kelly Clarkson Show. The two icons perfectly harmonized on Morissette’s breakup anthem, “You Oughta Know” from her 1995 album Jagged Little Pill, delighting both the audience and Clarkson herself.
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“This song,” Clarkson said to Morissette prior to the duet, “I feel like this is my ‘Since U Been Gone,’ like everywhere I go they want to hear this song … because the entire audience went crazy on tour, I mean you saw everyone unleash every bad relationship they’ve ever been through and channeled it.”
Clarkson then asked what Morissette loves about “You Oughta Know” now, considering it’s been almost 30 years since the release of Jagged Little Pill. “I do [still love singing it],” Morissette said. “I just remember … my landlord, before Jagged Little Pill came out, was lovely enough, we had a great interaction. And then after ‘You Oughta Know’ was released … she ran into me and she was like, ‘I just have to tell you that I didn’t like your music when it first came out, and then I got divorced, and now I love you.'”
“She was like, ‘Oh, now I understand it,'” said Clarkson. She and Morissette then launched into the lilting rendition of “You Oughta Know,” a song that encapsulates the rage and fury of the scorned lover, which—allegedly—is meant to represent Morissette at the time of her breakup with Full House actor Dave Coulier. Morissette never denied Coulier’s speculation that the song was about him, and when they reconnected again years later and he asked what he should say should anyone ask him about the song, she replied, “You can say whatever you want.”
The studio version of “You Oughta Know” truly showcases the anger Morissette had, utilizing a strained, screaming chorus of Morissette’s unique vocals, which have remained strong and vibrant through the years.
“When I hear that song, I hear the anger as a protection around the searing vulnerability,” Morissette told the New York Times during the 20th anniversary of the album in 2016. “I was mortified and devastated. It was a lot easier for me to be angry and feel the power from that anger versus the broken, horrified woman on the floor.”
Her rendition of “You Oughta Know” on The Kelly Clarkson Show is softer, almost more mature. Morissette seems to transcend the initial anger and instead embraces the years that have passed since Jagged Little Pill. It’s a departure from the sheer fury of the original, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Now, there are two versions of “You Oughta Know”: the version where Alanis Morissette wants to rip Dave Coulier a new one, and this version where she’s clearly moved on from the shame and humiliation of the breakup after so much time.
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