If you are quick enough folks you might be able to catch Alanis at the O2 arena in London this Sunday, the 27th of July. Anyway, onto today’s featured song.
Head Over Feet, from the ’90s queen of confessional alt-rock and folk-pop, Alanis Morissette, is an unusual and understated love song and deliberately so. Alanis wasn’t quite ready to be swept off her feet: “You’ve already won me over / In spite of me.” The song is so well written and performed mirroring her reluctance and vulnerability about falling in love. It’s carried by that rawness of the 90s – an era when music was performed with grit and transparency. Also, how did this 21-year-old summon such insight and emotional clarity?
As the song unfolds, it gently evolves into a celebration of unexpected affection. The standout harmonica solo, performed by Morissette herself, arrives like a release – a sense of liberation and emotional acceptance. Also there’s a certain joy in her voice as she acknowledges this love that crept up on her and note how she rolls the line whimsically – I’m not used to liking that. The lyrics imply a romance born from friendship and mutual respect, from a previously casual connection—“You’re my best friend / Best friend with benefits.” Then the shift – from guardedness to gratitude giving the song an emotional arc and enduring charm.
Head Over Feet comes from Alanis Morissette’s massive breakout album Jagged Little Pill – at the time, the highest-selling debut by a female artist, with over 30 million copies sold worldwide. Billboard later named it the best-selling pop album of the 1990s. Given the album’s impact and Morissette’s sudden rise to global fame, the music video for Head Over Feet – a single, unbroken close-up of her face – was far from being considered “cheap.” In fact, her face alone carried more presence and magnetism than any high-budget, special effects-laden video could hope to achieve. It only added to her cool, unflinching authenticity.
[Verse 1]
I had no choice but to hear you
You stated your case, time and again
I thought about it
You treat me like I’m a princess
I’m not used to liking that
You ask how my day was
[Chorus]
You’ve already won me over
In spite of me
And don’t be alarmed if I fall
Head over feet
And don’t be surprised if I love you
For all that you are
I couldn’t help it
It’s all your fault
[Verse 2]
Your love is thick
And it swallowed me whole
You’re so much braver
Than I gave you credit for
That’s not lip service
[Chorus]
[Verse 3]
You are the bearer
Of unconditional things
You held your breath
And the door for me
Thanks for your patience
[Verse 4]
You’re the best listener
That I’ve ever met
You’re my best friend
Best friend with benefits
What took me so long?
I’ve never felt this healthy before
I’ve never wanted something rational
I am aware now, oh
I am aware now
[Chorus]
[Outro]
I couldn’t help it
It’s all your fault
References:
1. Head Over Feet – Wikipedia
“The more I live, the more I learn. The more I learn, the more I realize, the less I know.”- Michel Legrand
Observation Blogger 
Spot on..the nineties captured
In that period Alanis reminded me of a female version of the Red Hot Chilli Peppers singer. The Hair, the expressions and the quintessential 90’s alt sound. Haha
Good song. I mostly know Alanis Morissette by name only. “You Oughta Know” and “Hand In My Pocket,” both tracks I also like, were the two songs I recalled from “Jagged Little Pill.” More than 30 million copies sold is pretty impressive!
I’m hearing more from her intermittently over the last year and I like what I hear. Some which I like outside of her Jagged album are ‘Everything’, ‘Thank U’ and ‘Reasons I Drink’. The fact she’s still selling out arenas like the O2 at 51 years is impressive. I would see her in a heartbeat if I could.