MTV Unplugged (Alanis Morissette album)

MTV Unplugged
Live album by
ReleasedNovember 9, 1999 (1999-11-09)
RecordedSeptember 18, 1999 (1999-09-18)
MTV Unplugged at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, New York
GenreAlternative rock, acoustic rock
Length53:42
Label
ProducerAlanis Morissette
Alanis Morissette chronology
Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie
(1998)
MTV Unplugged
(1999)
Under Rug Swept
(2002)
Singles from MTV Unplugged
  1. "That I Would Be Good"
    Released: November 1999
  2. "King of Pain"
    Released: April 19, 2000
  3. "You Learn"
    Released: April 19, 2000
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic
Entertainment WeeklyB−
Robert Christgau(1-star Honorable Mention)
Rolling Stone
The Harvard CrimsonB

MTV Unplugged is the 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 also performed "Baba", "Thank U" (both from 1998's Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie) and "Your House" (the hidden track on 1995's Jagged Little Pill) during the live taping. These were later released as B-sides on the "King of Pain" single release. 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 March 2012, the album has sold 673,000 copies in the U.S.

In addition to material from Morissette's first two U.S. albums, MTV Unplugged featured performances of "No Pressure over Cappuccino" and "Princes Familiar", two previously unreleased songs from her tours, and "These R the Thoughts", a previously released b-side. Morissette has stated that "Princes Familiar" in particular is one of her favorite 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, "was inspired by [her] twin brother," Wade.

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

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Alanis Morissette; all music is composed by Alanis Morissette and Glen Ballard, except where noted

No.TitleLength
1."You Learn"4:22
2."Joining You"5:09
3."No Pressure Over Cappuccino" (Morissette, Nick Lashley)4:41
4."That I Would Be Good"4:14
5."Head over Feet"4:23
6."Princes Familiar"4:37
7."I Was Hoping"4:54
8."Ironic"4:14
9."These R the Thoughts"3:26
10."King of Pain" (lyrics and music: Sting)4:05
11."You Oughta Know"5:00
12."Uninvited" (Alanis Morissette)4:37

Personnel

Charts

Certifications

Certifications and sales for MTV Unplugged
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Austria (IFPI Austria) Gold 25,000*
Belgium (BEA) Gold 25,000*
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil) Platinum 250,000*
Germany (BVMI) Platinum 300,000^
Italy (FIMI) Gold 50,000*
Spain (PROMUSICAE) Gold 50,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland) Gold 25,000^
United Kingdom (BPI) Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA) Gold 500,000^
Summaries
Europe (IFPI) Platinum 1,000,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.


This page was last updated at 2023-12-10 23:48 UTC. Update now. View original page.

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