Before there was Taylor Swift, there was Alanis Morissette. Decades before Taylor became everyone’s favorite break-up singer, Alanis introduced a new form of angry rock in the mid-1990s. Last night in Los Angeles, Swift paid tribute to Morissette and joined her in a duet of her classic song, “You Oughta Know.”
Entertainment Weekly quoted Taylor’s gushing introductory speech.
“She defined the music of her decade. She inspired a generation of confessional female singer-songwriters who all of a sudden felt like you could actually say these raw feelings that you had. You could actually sing about your real life, you could put detail to it, you could get really, really mad if you wanted to. And I think it’s fair to say that so many of the female singer-songwriters of my generation, including myself, would not write the way that we do without her and her music. And she has written some of the most brilliant music – in particular probably inarguably the greatest breakup song of all-time.”
You can have a look at some of the action in the video below.
In June, Alanis celebrated the 20th anniversary of her seminal album Jagged Little Pill . As the Inquisitr reported at the time, Morissette has been contemplative about the time when her highly-successful album was released, describing it as a lonely time with a lot of life lessons.
As A.V. Club pointed out, Taylor was a mere 5-years-old when Jagged Little Pill came out. And despite Swift’s great success, Alanis may remain the Queen of the break-up anthem. Rolling Stone reported Alanis is planning an October reissue of the album that will feature previously-unreleased demos and a live concert recorded in London on September 28, 1995. Alanis said in a statement she was excited about the reissue.
“Thankfully, these songs have stood the test of time for me, and in their timelessness, I am thrilled to honor and reflect on them as well as the last 20 years of my life and career.”
Swift has made it a habit to bring out celebrities during her 1989 tour. Alanis was just one of three during Monday night’s show, which also featured a dress-wearing Ellen Degeneres and Natalie Maines, who sang the Dixie Chicks’ anthem, “Goodbye Earl.”
#Besties @TaylorSwift13 pic.twitter.com/kWObYgl00J
— Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) August 25, 2015
My hologram just performed with Taylor Swift and says she had an amazing time! pic.twitter.com/sNtufCQcqT
— Natalie Maines (@1NatalieMaines) August 25, 2015
Taylor Swift will perform two more shows at the Staples Center, Tuesday and Wednesday nights, before moving on to San Diego on Saturday.
[Left photo: Frazer Harrison / Getty Images; Right photo: Christopher Polk / Getty Images]
