Thank U
| "Thank U" | ||||||||||
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| Single by Alanis Morissette | ||||||||||
| from the album Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie | ||||||||||
| B-side | "Pollyanna Flower" | |||||||||
| Released | October 13, 1998 | |||||||||
| Recorded | 1998 | |||||||||
| Genre | Alternative rock, experimental rock, synthpop | |||||||||
| Length | 4:19 | |||||||||
| Label | Maverick | |||||||||
| Writer(s) | Alanis Morissette, Glen Ballard | |||||||||
| Producer(s) | Alanis Morissette, Glen Ballard | |||||||||
| Alanis Morissette singles chronology | ||||||||||
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"Thank U" is a song by Canadian recording artist and songwriter Alanis Morissette, for her fourth studio album Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie (1998). The song was written by Alanis Morissette and Glen Ballard, who produced her previous album. Morissette wrote the song after she came back from India.
"Thank U" is an experimental rock song, which features instrumentals like guitars and synthesizers. It also features very small portions of synthpop music. The song received generally positive reviews from music critics and also received acclaim in the record charts, peaking in the top ten in different countries. An accompanying music video was released for the single, featuring Morissette nude in different streets in Los Angeles. It received generally positive reviews from music critics, but received mild controversy, due to nudity in the video. It was nominated for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 2000 Grammy Awards.
Background and writing
Morissette wrote "Thank U" after returning from a trip to India in 1997. The song expresses the heartfelt gratitude which she felt at the time.[1] The lyrics, such as "thank you terror" and "thank you frailty", lend the song a sense of lyrical reflection on cynicism, despair, personal triumph and hope.
"Thank U" is a experimental rock song composed in the key of C major. It is written in common time and moves at a moderate tempo of 91 beats per minute. The song uses a simple chord progression alternating between a tonic C major chord, dominant G major chord, and the subdominant F major chord.[2]
Chart performance
The excitement generated sent the single to number two on the U.S. Hot 100 Airplay chart almost immediately and helped the song peak at number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100; this was strong, but not as successful as the multiple hits from Jagged Little Pill (1995), Morissette's previous album. (The eligibility rules for the Hot 100 were changed midway through the single's chart run.) This was Morissette's last song to chart on the Modern Rock Tracks peaking at #12 along with its minor hit Joining You at #16 making the 2 songs her last run on U.S. alternative rock stations because her newer music leaving the alternative music era has showcased softer music elements leading her entry into the adult contemporary market making her new songs a departure from her heavier and darker post-grunge material especially from her most successful Jagged Little Pill album although her acoustic versions of her 90's tracks that came out later in the mid-2000s has gained considerable airplay to U.S. alternative rock stations. The song was her 2nd #1 on the Adult Top 40 and it also hit #2 on the Mainstream Top 40.
"Thank U" is Morissette's most commercially successful post-Jagged Little Pill single. In the Oceania region, the song had peaked at number two in New Zealand becoming Morissette's highest number in that country, and number 15 in Australia. It also had success in the European side, peaking at number three in Norway and number eight in the Netherlands. It had international success, peaking in the top 20 in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, United Kingdom, Austria and Switzerland. The song, however was less successful in Sweden, peaking at number 49 there.
The single was nominated for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 2000 Grammy Awards.
Music video
The music video was directed by Stéphane Sednaoui and premiered on October 12, 1998.[3]
It featured a nude Morissette, with long hair shrouding her breasts and her vulva blurred out, walking around and being embraced by strangers in a variety of public locations, such as in the street, at a supermarket, and on a subway car in Los Angeles.
Slight modifications to the video were made before broadcasting by MTV in India and certain other Asian countries. Subsequent replays, however, aired the video in its original format. In May 2001, the video was voted #66 on VH1's 100 Greatest Videos.[4]
Cover versions and parodies
"Thank U" was covered by British musician Steven Wilson, of Porcupine Tree fame (who jokingly changed the line "How about them transparent dangling carrots" to "How about changing a line 'cause it don't make sense"). Blackfield, one of Steven Wilson's bands, has regularly played the song on tour.
On an episode of Saturday Night Live, Jimmy Fallon appeared on the "Weekend Update" segment in which he sang various parody songs about Halloween. One such song was a parody of "Thank U", in which he thanks all of the candy he had received Trick-or-Treating.
On MadTV there was a parody, "Wash Me", starring Mo Collins which takes place in a laundromat.
On French & Saunders, Jennifer Saunders parodied Morissette with a song called "Bless U", a tribute to thesaurus, dictionaries, spell check and other word referencing methods. The clip showed Saunders as a singer called Aimless Morris Minor, dressed in a flesh-coloured body-suit to make it appear as if she were naked. At the end of the sketch Dawn French stuck the pubic hair of the suit onto Saunders's face. This clip was shown as a sketch on French and Saunders 1999 Bank Holiday Special.
"Weird Al" Yankovic debuted an unreleased spoof of "Thank U" entitled "Fast Food" on his 1999 Running with Scissors tour.
Track listing
- "Thank U" (album version) – 4:19
- "Pollyanna Flower" (unreleased bonus track) – 4:07
- "Uninvited" (demo) – 3:04
Charts
| Chart (1998) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[5] | 15 |
| Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 75)[5] | 10 |
| Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[6] | 1 |
| Italia (Fimi) | 6 |
| Netherlands (Mega Single Top 100)[5] | 8 |
| New Zealand (RIANZ)[5] | 2 |
| Norway (VG-lista)[5] | 3 |
| Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[5] | 49 |
| Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[5] | 18 |
| UK Singles Chart | 5 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[6][7] | 17 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 Airplay[6][7] | 2 |
| US Billboard Mainstream Top 40[6] | 2 |
| US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks[6][7] | 12 |
| US Billboard Adult Top 40 Tracks[6] | 1 |
References
- ↑ http://members.aol.com/am69dana/sfijm.html Members.aol.com
- ↑ Sheet music for "Thank U". Hal Leonard Corporation. 1998.
- ↑ "Alanis Debuts New Video As Tour Kicks Off". MTV.com. MTV Networks. October 13, 1998. Retrieved 2011-06-17.
- ↑ VH1: 100 Greatest Videos
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 "Alanis Morissette - Thank U". dutchcharts.nl.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 "Alanis Morissette - Billboard Singles". Allmusic and Billboard.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 "Alanis Morissette - Artist Chart History - Singles". Billboard.
External links
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