I just finished watching “Jagged”, the documentary on Alanis Morissette. I know, it came out years ago. Why haven’t I seen this yet? I did not know it existed! Anyone who knew me back then knew I was a HUGE fan of hers and also knew I had a HUGE crush on her. To the point that one of my great friends recently showed me a current photo of her, trying to shame her. I get, it we all change over time–physically, emotionally, etc.–not what this is about.
Anyway, while watching this documentary, it evoked numerous immediate emotional responses. These were charged responses that, in the moment, brought back feelings of a younger and different time. As the story goes on and Alanis goes into what she was going through at the time and what she was writing about, it made me understand the nature of these feelings. Without knowing it, I had found an ability to connect to something, something outside of my little bubble of a world. It spoke of individuality and the ability to just be yourself. Maybe that’s what I was lacking at the time–and coincided with my need to be my own person. Unbeknownst to me, Alanis’s music may have sparked my ability to not want to follow the crowd. I had always known I was different and that is what ignited my introverted nature. But when her music came out, I somehow knew it was OK to be myself.
Alanis’s music, her writing, it imitates REAL life. Not everyone gets that. It sparks these feelings because we can relate to it. We want-we need-these emotions and these experiences. It makes you feel human to hear someone who is glorified to sing about what is actually happening to you. My anthem seems to be “Perfect”. It’s about perfectionism (duh), which I’ve strived to be. But the realism of it is WHY we are trying to be perfect–and it isn’t for ourselves. It’s trying to make others happy with us and to accept us. And we feel the need to be accepted by everyone or that we need to be perfect to be worthy. Yet, we seem to keep failing or coming up short because the reality of it is–No One Is Perfect! (Not even me, although I tell everyone that I am.)
The writings of Ms. Morissette all have messages. And some of them have multiple messages–there is an ebb and flow to a lot of her songs. Her main messages are of empathy and hope. It lets you know that you are not alone and not the only one feeling this way. It also preaches that there is hope–everyone can change, everyone can overcome, everyone can be better. So, Alanis Morissette, I thank you for helping to mold me into who I am.