Why 2026 Songwriter Hall of Famer Says Anger Is ‘Clarifying,’ Not Healing

The list of 2026 songwriters inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame has been released. Alanis Morissette is among the names, and one of her biggest hits is an angry anthem. Morisette, 52, once revealed an important lesson she learned about channeling her anger through songwriting and healing.

Alanis Morissette Said She Had Unrest After Angrily Songrwriting

The angsty song “You Oughta Know” is about a person wanting someone who hurt them to know the pain they caused. That relatable anger and beautiful lyrics led to the song setting a record for the time a woman stayed at the top of Billboard Alternative Airplay. People wondered for years who inspired the angry song.

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“I used to think that I could write songs and never have to deal with human beings,” Morissette told Liz Phair for the Los Angeles Times. “I’d be like, ‘I’m really angry at that person, so I’m going to go over here in a room and write about it and then never talk to them. It’s perfect.'”

The Canadian singer realized that wasn’t enough to heal. “But turned out, if that person walked into a room, there’d still be some unrest,” she continued. “People are like, ‘Oh, it must be so healing to write these songs.’ It’s clarifying, it’s empowering, but it doesn’t necessarily heal the relationship itself.”

Actor Dave Coulier once revealed that he dated Morissette while she wrote the album Jagged Little Pill, and they broke up before its release. He picked up a CD after realizing “You Oughtta Know” was by his ex-girlfriend.

“And there was a lot of familiar stuff in there that her and I had talked about,” he told USA Today. “Like (the lyric) ‘Your shake is like a fish.’ I’d go, ‘Hey, dead fish me,’ and we’d do this dead fish handshake…I started listening to it and I thought, ‘Ooh, I think I may have really hurt this woman.’”

Sounds like Morissette’s songwriting was effective. The person who caused her hurt realized it through her music.

The award show for the 2026 Songwriters Hall of Fame Induction & Awards Gala is on Thursday, June 11, at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City.

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