Riffs: Lauren Joerg

Lauren Joerg

24, Communications/Publicity and Marketing Manager, BREC

On Alanis Morissette: Before I knew what kind of pills she was talking about or how painful love could feel, Alanis Morissette’s album Jagged Little Pill struck an emotional chord in my 8-year-old mind. Sixteen years and several heartbreaks later, I appreciate and embrace Morissette’s unvarnished lyrics. With lines like, “Every time I scratch my nails down someone else’s back, I hope you feel it,” Morissette unleashed her rage at ex-lovers while empowering millions of women around the world. While most of the album’s songs include aggressive and chilling monologues about heartache, Morisette does reveal conflicting emotions in “Head Over Feet,” a song she uses to talk honestly about falling in love. Since 1995, Morissette sold more than 25 million copies of Jagged Little Pill to jilted lovers around the world trying to swallow the pain of a breakup.