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re: alanis: this too shall pass
In a message dated 11/4/98 7:41:10 PM Central Standard Time, mdawson at gate_net
writes:
> Hmmm..."Thank you India" describes her last two years...I'll have to think
> about that one. Did she sell alot of records there? Actually, I'd prefer
> if she were a little more thankful for nothingness and silence.
> As for "real"...Alanis was a teeny bopping Debbie Gibson clone in Canada.
> She was teamed up with producer Glenn Ballard (known for his work with
> artists of great integrity, like Wilson Phillps) for her first proper U.S.
> album. They must have decided that angry grrl music was "in" at the time.
> Talk about contrived.
first of all, alanis went to india with her mother, grandmother, and other
family members, and she had some really moving experiences there. if you want
to know more, ask her. selling records? no. so be careful. if alanis' goal
in life was to be the biggest, best pop star out there then why the hell
hasn't she put out an album since 1995?? she could have milked her success
for all it was worth back then when she was one of the few "angry women" in
mainstream.
also, maybe the debbie gibson-like image was the act, not the angry woman
thing. maybe she was trying to do what would sell in canada, and the producer
told her to just be herself, that self being angry. she could have easily
made another angry album this time around, and i am sure that is what a lot of
people expected. but she didn't. this album sounds a lot more mature. that
is what "thank u" is all about. in the video she is naked. vulnerable.
open. honest. exposed. and she is saying thank you to india for the
experiences she had there, to terror b/c she was afraid, disillusionment b/c
she didn't know what she was going to do after that album, frailty,
consequence, etc, and silence... she had a long time between projects to do
some reflecting...
personally, i don't care if every experience alanis sings/writes about has
happened to her. it has happened to someone, and i am sure that that someone
relates. i like the old album. it's great for a certain mood, and so is the
new album. i think it is perfect for fans like me who bought the other album
early in college or late high school... like alanis, we've grown up.