Alanis Unplugged

MTV Unplugged is the fifth album and first live album by Canadian singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette, released by Maverick Records in the United States on November 9, 1999 (see 1999 in music). It comprises songs performed by Morissette on the television program MTV Unplugged. Twelve tracks were included on the album, but Morissette performed several others, including "Baba", "Thank U" (both from 1998's Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie) and "Your House" (the hidden track on 1995's Jagged Little Pill), during her Unplugged concert. The first single, "That I Would Be Good", was moderately successful, and two other tracks, "King of Pain" (a cover of the song by The Police) and "You Learn" were released as singles outside North America. As of September 2008 the album has sold 646,000 copies in the U.S.

In addition to material from Morissette's first two U.S. albums, MTV Unplugged featured performances of three previously unreleased songs from her tours: "No Pressure over Cappuccino", "Princes Familiar" and "These R the Thoughts". Morissette has stated that "Princes Familiar" in particular is one of her favourite and most vocally challenging songs. She performed it on her 2005 Diamond Wink Tour, where she dedicated it to "all of the Dads in the audience". The ballad "No Pressure over Cappuccino", one of the first songs she wrote following the release of Jagged Little Pill, is presumably about the singer's twin brother, Wade.

Featuring cleaner vocals, slower arrangements and a few drastic reinventions (particularly in the case of "You Oughta Know"), Alanis Unplugged foreshadowed much of Morissette's later, softer work, particularly 2005's Jagged Little Pill Acoustic and the accompanying Diamond Wink Tour.

MTV Unplugged is Alanis's best-selling album in Brazil.

Track listing

 * 1) "You Learn" (Glen Ballard, Alanis Morissette) – 4:21
 * 2) "Joining You" (Ballard, Morissette) – 5:09
 * 3) "No Pressure over Cappuccino" (Nick Lashley, Morissette) –4:41
 * 4) "That I Would Be Good" (Ballard, Morissette) – 4:14
 * 5) "Head over Feet" (Ballard, Morissette) – 4:22
 * 6) "Princes Familiar" (Ballard, Morissette) – 4:37
 * 7) "I Was Hoping" (Ballard, Morissette) – 4:53
 * 8) "Ironic" (Ballard, Morissette) – 4:13
 * 9) "These R the Thoughts" (Ballard, Morissette) – 3:25
 * 10) "King of Pain" (The Police) – 4:05
 * 11) "You Oughta Know" (Ballard, Morissette) – 5:01
 * 12) "Uninvited" (Morissette) – 4:37


 * Other recorded songs
 * "Thank U"
 * "Baba"
 * "Your House"

Personnel

 * Alanis Morissette - vocals, guitar, harmonica and flute
 * Nick Lashley - guitar
 * Joel Shearer - guitar
 * Deron Johnson - keyboards, background vocals in "King of Pain"
 * Chris Chaney - bass
 * Gary Novak - drums and percussion
 * Brad Dutz - percussion
 * David Campbell - musical arranger and viola
 * Suzie Katayama - cello and string arrangement for "You Oughta Know"
 * Joul Derouin - violin
 * Laura Seaton - violin
 * Erik Friedlander - cello
 * Juliet Haffner - strings contractor