You Oughta Know
You Oughta Know is a song by Canadian singer Alanis Morissette. It appears on her 1995 album Jagged Little Pill and was released in July 1995 as the album’s lead single. Morissette co-wrote the track with producer Glen Ballard. The song is famous for its fiery, outspoken lyrics about a breakup, and Morissette has never publicly said who it is about.
The song came together in Los Angeles after Morissette met Ballard. It was recorded in late 1994 and early 1995 with a team of musicians, including Dave Navarro and Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers. There are two widely known mixes of the track, with the Chris Fogel mix being the best known.
You Oughta Know was a big hit around the world and helped make Jagged Little Pill a major success. It won two Grammy Awards—Best Rock Song and Best Female Rock Vocal Performance—and a Juno Award. The music video, directed by Nick Egan, shows Morissette in a dramatic desert setting with her band.
Critics praised the song for its furious energy, sharp lyrics, and Morissette’s vocal power. On the charts, it topped the Billboard Alternative Songs chart for five weeks, and it reached the top ten in several countries. In Canada, its radio performance was initially slower, but the song still helped boost the album’s sales.
The song is regarded as one of the defining tracks of the 1990s and is a key moment in Morissette’s career. It has been covered and referenced by other artists and appears on several of her compilation albums. It is also noted for influencing other singers who began writing more personal, outspoken songs.
Morissette has said she writes from personal expression and does not publicly identify who songs are about. You Oughta Know remains a landmark example of her bold, honest style.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 13:58 (CET).