“You Oughta Know” is a song by Canadian recording artist and songwriter Alanis Morissette, for her third studio album Jagged Little Pill (1995). The song was written by Morissette and Glen Ballard and produced by Ballard. The song was chosen to be released as the lead single from the album by Maverick Records on July 7, 1995.
According to an ABC News article, “Alanis Morissette revealed that her angst-ridden hit ‘You Oughta Know’ was about her relationship with Dave Coulier”. In an August 2008 interview to the Calgary Sun, Coulier admitted to being the ex-boyfriend portrayed in the song. According to him, he heard the song on the radio and noticed the singer seemed to be really angry. Upon discovering it was Alanis, he realized he had “really hurt” her and called her to patch things up. However, in October 2008, Morissette reiterated her refusal to identify the subject, commenting to a CanWest News Service journalist, “Well, I’ve never talked about who my songs were about and I won’t, because when I write them they’re written for the sake of personal expression. So with all due respect to whoever may see themselves in my songs, and it happens all the time, I never really comment on it because I write these songs for myself, not other people.”
“You Oughta Know” received generally positive reviews from critics. Most did enjoy it and highlighted as a album track, but some said that the coarse language and strong vocal rage was “too much”. As a debut single, the song did moderately well through the charts. The song peaked at number four in Australia and number twenty in Canada, while reaching the top forty in countries like Sweden, New Zealand, Belguim and the UK.
The music video was directed by Nick Egan. It features Morissette running and walking through a desert and in some scenes sitting on a chair outside. During each chorus, the video shows musicians Flea and Navaro performing along with Morrissette, who is singing with a microphone. The video received generally mixed reviews.
The single has been listed in different polls for their greatest tracks ever lists. “You Oughta Know” was ranked at number #12 on VH1’s 100 Greatest Songs of the 90’s in December 2007. – Wikipedia
The lyrics to this song are below….
“You Oughta Know”
I wish nothing but the best for you both
An older version of me
Is she perverted like me
Would she go down on you in a theatre
Does she speak eloquently
And would she have your baby
I’m sure she’d make a really excellent mother
To make it enough for you to be open wide, no
And every time you speak her name
Does she know how you told me you’d hold me
Until you died, till you died
But you’re still alive And I’m here to remind you
Of the mess you left when you went away
It’s not fair to deny me
Of the cross I bear that you gave to me
You, you, you oughta know
I’m not quite as well, I thought you should know
Did you forget about me Mr. Duplicity
I hate to bug you in the middle of dinner
It was a slap in the face how quickly I was replaced
Are you thinking of me when you fuck her?
’cause the love that you gave that we made wasn’t able
To make it enough for you to be open wide, no
And every time you speak her name
Does she know how you told me you’d hold me
Until you died, til you died
But you’re still alive
And I’m here to remind you
Of the mess you left when you went away
It’s not fair to deny me
Of the cross I bear that you gave to me
You, you, you oughta know
’cause the joke that you laid on the bed that was me
And I’m not gonna fade
As soon as you close your eyes and you know it
And every time I scratch my nails down someone else’s back
I hope you feel it…well can you feel it
Well, I’m here to remind you
Of the mess you left when you went away
It’s not fair to deny me
Of the cross I bear that you gave to me
You, you, you oughta know
