Ironic

Alanis Morissette

About Ironic

"Ironic" is a song by Canadian-American singer Alanis Morissette. It was released in February 1996 as the third single from her third studio album, Jagged Little Pill (1995). It was written by Morissette and Glen Ballard, and was produced by him. "Ironic" is a song written in the key of B major, and includes a moderate tempo of eighty-five beats per minute. The lyrics present several situations that are described as "ironic"; this has led to debate as to whether any of these actually match the accepted meaning of irony. However, some have argued that it does match what is known as situational irony. The track topped the Canadian RPM Top Singles chart for six weeks, and reached the top five in Australia, New Zealand and Norway. In the United States, the song reached number four on April 13, 1996, and currently is her highest-charting single on the Billboard Hot 100. "Ironic" was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The song won the Juno Award for Single of the Year, and received two Grammy Award nominations in 1997, for Record of the Year and Best Short Form Music Video. French director Stéphane Sednaoui filmed the music video. In it, Morissette drives through a winter landscape, and she plays multiple roles as her passengers. MTV nominated the music video for six MTV Video Music Awards in 1996, winning three of them. The music video was listed on VH1's "Greatest Music Videos" list and was parodied by DBA Flip, Allison Rheaume, Rusty and "Weird Al" Yankovic. 


Year:
1995
3:49
255 
#2

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An old man turned ninety-eight
He won the lottery and died the next day
It's a black fly in your Chardonnay
It's a death row pardon two minutes too late
Isn't it ironic, don't you think

It's like rain on your wedding day
It's a free ride when you've already paid
It's the good advice that you just didn't take
Who would've thought, it figures

Mr. Play It Safe was afraid to fly
He packed his suitcase and kissed his kids good-bye
He waited his whole damn life to take that flight
And as the plane crashed down he thought
"Well, isn't this nice."
And isn't it ironic,l don't you think

It's like rain on your wedding day
It's a free ride when you've already paid
It's the good advice that you just didn't take
Who would've thought, it figures

Well, life has a funny way of sneaking up on you
When you think everything's okay and everything's going right
And life has a funny way of helping you out when
You think everything's gone wrong and everything blows up
In your face

A traffic jam when you're already late
A no-smoking sign on your cigarette break
It's like ten thousand spoons when all you need is a knife
It's meeting the man of my dreams
And then meeting his beautiful wife
And isn't it ironic, don't you think
A little too ironic, and yeah I really do think

It's like rain on your wedding day
It's a free ride when you've already paid
It's the good advice that you just didn't take
Who would've thought, it figures

Well, life has a funny way of sneaking up on you
And life has a funny way of helping you out
Helping you out.

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Alanis Morissette

Alanis Nadine Morissette (born June 1, 1974) is a Canadian and American singer-songwriter, guitarist, record producer and actress. She has won 16 Juno Awards and seven Grammy Awards, was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards. Morissette began her career in Canada, and as a teenager recorded two dance-pop albums, Alanis and Now Is the Time, under MCA Records Canada. more »

15 fans

Written by: Glen Ballard, Alanis Nadine Morissette

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind


7 facts about this song

Composition and Release of the Song by Alanis Morissette
"Ironic" was the third single from Alanis Morissette's third studio album, "Jagged Little Pill". - The song was written by Alanis Morissette and Glen Ballard. - It was released in February 1996.
Lyrics and Theme
"Ironic" is known for its controversially non-ironic lyrics, discussing situations like "rain on your wedding day" and "a free ride when you've already paid". - Alanis Morissette has explained that the song is more about the irony of life’s situations rather than traditional irony.
Awards and Recognition
The song was nominated for two Grammy Awards in 1997. - "Ironic" reached number 1 on the Billboard Canadian Singles Chart and number 4 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
Music Video
The music video for "Ironic" was directed by Stephane Sednaoui. - It features Alanis driving a car with her multiple personalities in the backseat.
Cover Version by Four Year Strong
"Four Year Strong", a pop-punk band from Massachusetts, covered "Ironic" in 2009. - This cover version of the song is featured in their album "Explains It All", which consists of covers of popular songs from the 1990s.
The Four Year Strong Version
Four Year Strong's version of "Ironic" features a heavier sound than the original with strong guitar riffs and aggressive drumming. - They put a unique twist to the song without straying too far from the original melody.
Reaction to the Four Year Strong Version
The cover was met with mixed reviews from fans with some loving the punk rock twist, while others stay loyal to the original by Morissette. - It's a great example of how a song from a different genre can be transformed and appreciated in new ways by different audiences.

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    Ironic

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    Top Hot 100 Songs 1996

    Billboard #4


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