Top 10 Songs by Alanis Morrisette

1. You Oughta Know - No doubt Alanis would not be a star if it weren't for this song. Her honest lyrics and tortured voice really opened the door for young women to be OK with expressing their long-suppressed rage. I changed my way of writing songs, poetry and even my diary entries after listening to her amazing album, "Jagged Little Pill". Everything became a little more real and a little less sugar-coated.

2. Surrendering - This song from her third album "Under Rug Swept" was never a hit for Alanis but it is a song that I just need to listen to every now and then. I really didn't get or understand the song at first but now I see it as a song that could be about 2 different things: 1 - surrendering to love once you get past all the ego games or 2 - saluting someone for not falling for your ego games.

3. You Learn - This song really elevates my mood. It is a song about learning from mistakes instead of falling into an episode of depression when things don't go right. She really makes learning in life sound like fun instead of a drag with a sense of shame attached.

4. Mary Jane - For a while, this was my favorite song on Jagged Little Pill. Although it wasn't a hit, I love her vocals in the song and her focus on sisterhood - encouraging other women to step out of their shells. I felt like she was singing this song directly to me when I was in college.

5. Everything - This most recently released song of hers from her last album "So-Called Chaos" was supposedly written for Ryan Reynolds. Don't we all wish we could be with someone who accepts us the way we are, good sides and bad sides and even possibly finds our bad sides appealing?

6. This Grudge - This song from So-Called Chaos really shows us that it sometimes takes a long time to get over someone no matter how many songs or poems we write in an attempt to bloodlet the hurt out of our system. This song is supposedly about the same guy that You Oughta Know is about.

7. Simple Together - This song from her "Feast on Scraps" album really does a good job of translating the hurt and disappointment you feel when things don't work out in a relationship and when the relationship changes.

8. No Pressure Over Cappucino - This song from her unplugged album does a good job of showing off her life performance in audio form. Her voice is honest, her vocals are unique, and her lyrics unboxed.

9. Are You Still Mad? - From her "Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie" CD, this song is my favorite on the album because it doesn't stray too far from the angst that we loved her for with Jagged Little Pill. Most of the songs on her sophomore effort are more "enlightened" and with this song, she didn't abandon her fans completely or too soon.

10. Ironic - When I first listened to this song, I knew that it was gonna be a hit. Now, I'm somewhat sick of it but I still have to admit that it is a really well-written and well-produced song. The video was interesting as well.