Music

We can't stop watching Taylor Swift and Alanis Morissette sing "You Oughta Know"

by Jeremy Mersereau

August 25, 2015

It's not fair to deny this.

Isn’t it ironic when a pop superstar brings out one of their major influences for a touching duet at a show? No? I’m not using the word ‘ironic’ correctly, you say? Well, that’s OK. How about I just admit I was wrong, it’s not a big deal, and we don’t turn this whole thing into another one of a million tedious thinkpieces.

At the end of her concert in Los Angeles last night, Taylor Swift brought out the one and only Alanis Morissette for a “You Oughta Know” duet (a.k.a everyone’s favourite Coulier-bashing anthem. Well, almost everyone’s: John Stamos’ satirical acoustic ballad “Suck It Joey” has its fans, though it never charted, and may not exist except in a fever dream I once had.)

Originally recorded (with the help of Dave Navarro and Flea!) for 1995’s now-classic Jagged Little Pill, “You Oughta Know” has lost none of its raw, audacious effect, and it’s easy to see how Alanis’ still-powerful jams influenced the music and in turn the ascendance of our God, Tay-Tay. Also: I would bet anything Taylor has been plotting to add Alanis to her growing collection of Swift Sidekicks™ for some time now, no doubt cackling in glee when she thought of the Instagram capital last night’s performance would bring. Too bad Alanis couldn’t make the “Bad Blood” video shoot; now the world will never know what her badass nickname would’ve been. Infatuation Junkie? Well, supposedly.

Swift made the following introduction for her special guest:

“I think it’s fair to say that so many of the female singer-songwriters of my generation, including myself, would not write the way that we do without her and her music. And she has written some of the most brilliant music—in particular probably inarguably the greatest breakup song of all time.”