The Writing Process

The writing process was extremely intense and focused
We set out to write one song every day
Glen and I would meet at the studio
And then we would go to lunch immediately
And just have philosophical conversations about anything
We were writing Jagged Little Pill during OJ Simpson's trial
So we would often just talk about what had happened over the last 24 hours
We were kind of obsessed with it, as I'm imagining everyone else was
And we would just talk about God, and life and relationships and culture and war
And we just talked about everything that two philosophers over lunch, choped salads, would do

We would talk about life in general, and probably focus on some idea that came out of our conversation
And many times out of some of the journals we'd been working on
But we'd always talk about where we were gonna go
And then we would go back to the studio around one or two p.m
And we would write a song, often under and hour

I was making a track as we wrote the song
So it was, it was kind of building the house and designing it at the same time
And then we'd record it
He'd be producing and I'd be kind of tweeking any last minute lyrics or adding an extra verse if it was needed
And then we'd have dinner
We would come back, continue to work
And at the end of the night Alanis would go out and sing the song
Lyrics finished
And then I'd record the vocals
One or two takes
(I want you to know that I'm happy for you)
And we'd listen to it a handful of times and chestbump
Or just, or in my case, I can't speak for him
But I would be crying or whatever it was that the song had conjured emotionally in me
(I wish nothing but the best for you both)
And then I would drive home, really late at night and get up and do it the next day
We did that five days a week
(An older version of me, is she perverted like me)
We got together 20 times in 1994 and we wrote 20 songs
(Would she go down on you in a theatre)
And then I would rollerblade from
On the weekends I would rollerblade from Santa Monica pier to Manhattan beach
(Does she speak eloquently)
Have a snack and rollerblade back
(And would she have your baby)
And that's all I did on the weekends
(I'm sure she'd make a really excellent mother)
It was just spend time alone
So, it was basically for that first year and a half or two
It was me and Glen and the beach