Flavors of Entanglement
Encyclopedia
Flavors of Entanglement is the seventh studio album
, fifth international release and last Maverick Records
release by Canadian-American
singer-songwriter
Alanis Morissette
. The album, which was originally set for an April release, was released May 30, 2008 in Germany, Benelux
and Ireland, released internationally on June 2 and in the United States on June 10. It was produced by Guy Sigsworth
. The album has sold 300,000 copies in the USA and over 2,000,000 worldwide. Flavors won a Juno for Pop Album of the Year at the 2009 Juno Awards. The album gets its name from a lyric in the track "Moratorium".
Flavors of Entanglement received generally positive reviews from music critics, praising the new style of Morissettes album, however critics felt the album wasn't as original as Morissettes former albums Jagged Little Pill
and Under Rug Swept
. Charting success of the album was also moderate worldwide. The album peaked at number eight on the U.S. Billboard
200
. The album also spawned an American tour called Flavors of Entanglement Tour
, which spanned September to November 2008.
After the tour of the album and all singles and promotion of it, Morissette had left Maverick Records
because she stated that the promotion of the album was complete.
and usually began a new album after filling two—"I'm very pregnant with songs", she said. She mentioned her intentions for the sound of the album in a December 2005 interview to promote Alanis Morissette: The Collection
, saying she "would love to fuse the
technological sonic landscapes with the more organic ones". In January 2006, Rolling Stone
wrote that Morissette was in between "intense" writing sessions for her upcoming studio album, for which she had enlisted multiple collaborators, including Mike Elizondo
, who produced her song "Wunderkind
" for the soundtrack of the 2005 film The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
. Morissette described herself as "teeming with ideas" because she hadn't written an album in three years (her previous studio album, So-Called Chaos
, was released in 2004, but recorded in 2003); she said "I have more than enough thoughts to congeal together."
In October 2006, Morissette said in an interview with TV Guide
that she was going to enter the studio and start writing new material over the next few weeks, saying "at the present, I have seven journals full. I have a lot within me ready to burst out." Morissette released a cover of The Black Eyed Peas
' "My Humps
" in April 2007, and the high quality of the recording led to speculation among fans that she was in the studio working on an album. She performed at a gig for The Nightwatchman
, a.k.a. Tom Morello
of Rage Against the Machine
, at the Hotel Café in Los Angeles on April 24. There, she said that she and producer Guy Sigsworth
had been "sequestered" in London and Los Angeles during the previous few months writing "a bevy of new songs". Accompanied by Sigsworth on piano, Morissette played a new song, "Not as We". Later, the song appeared in the third episode of the fourth season of the television series House
, "97 Seconds", which was first aired on October 9.
In August, Sigsworth said in an interview with arbiter.co.uk that 25 songs were written for the album, 13 had been recorded, and eight more were being recorded after Morissette requested B-sides and "exclusives". Sigsworth described Morissette as "a dream to work with" and "totally into my sound world." In the same interview, guitarist and programmer Andy Page
said that at one point, they were working on 12 of the tracks simultaneously, and that one contains "moshing, distorted guitars" and a "wall-of-noise" created using Guitar Rig
. Page also said that he had used the graphical modular software music studio
Reaktor
on the album, saying of it that "I prefer using its granulators and weirder signal processors to its synths. Some of its physically modeled stuff is very cool, and there are some cool wavetable synths." An October 2007 interview with Morissette, published on the blog
Holons 2.0, reported that the title of the album was Flavors of Entanglement, while noting that no release date had been set. The release date of the album ended up being moved five times.
s and loops that enable one to, in her words, "dance your face off". She has described the album as "a combination of everything" in which she has a musical interest, including hip hop
beats and organic instruments. Morissette has referred to the album as "techno-sounding but organic" and said, "I like fusion
." According to Billboard
magazine, the album "balances world
- and folk
-influenced tracks against the experimental pop
leanings of producer Guy Sigsworth
".
According to Morissette, the album features a "nice cross-section" of "joy and levity" similar to what is featured on her 2004 album, So-Called Chaos
, and "[the] kind of rock bottom, 'Holy shit, I am a broken woman' moment." She said that the album features songs about her own personal relationships, explaining that writing about them is her favourite activity "'cause it's the only thing I can really comment on with any kind of conviction or authority." The album incorporates themes involving both personal and political conflict, and Morissette explained that "Our emotions align themselves with larger symptomatic things in the world. We face a large war out there, but [the album] more closely reflects the war in people's living rooms... the icy silence at home, versus the big cold war." Morissette summarized the track "Moratorium" as being "essentially a song about my readiness to stop repeating bad patterns. I've kicked some of those in my life." She said of "Not as We", "You know how you can resist hitting rock bottom for a long time? That song just goes 'OK, I'm going. All the way down'". "Underneath" is about breakdowns in communication.
Musically, the album is a change from her previous music, which features pop rock
and alternative rock
music, but for example tracks like "On the Tequila" and "Giggling Again for No Reason", the songs feature more dance-oriented music.
gave it a B+. She said "Somehow, a devastating personal experience has galvanized her songwriting in a way that domestic bliss, as showcased on 2004's disappointing So-Called Chaos, could not."
with 70,576 copies sold. As of December 2008, the album had sold 201,000 copies in the U.S. There have also been 76,000 paid downloads of the debut single, "Underneath", while "Not as We" racked up 38,000 paid downloads.
Outside of the U.S., it received decent success, but most success was in Europe
. The album, however was successful on the Swiss Albums Chart, debuting at number one, Morissettes third number one album there, and stayed on the charts for 16 weeks. It had debuted at number three on the Austrian Albums Chart, and stayed in the charts for 12 weeks. The album debuted at number 20 on the Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders), then rose to number eight, and peaked at number five on the Belgian Albums Chart (Wallonia). The album debuted at number six on the French Albums Chart, staying in the charts for 16 weeks. It also peaked at number eight in Italy.
However, the album received less success in some European countries and threw the Oceania. The album debuted at number 17 on the Australian Albums Chart, but fell at number 33. The album, however was least successful on the New Zealand Albums Chart, where it stayed a sole week at number 35, becoming Morissette's first album to peak outside the top ten, even scathing the top 20. The album had peaked at number 36 on the Swedish Albums Chart. It also peaked at number 30 on the Spanish Albums Charts.
on their North American tour, a two month-long excursion that began January 25, 2008 in Hollywood, Florida
and ended March 18 in Las Vegas, Nevada
. Morissette was confirmed to perform at all the shows except the Verona
, New York
venue.
In January 2008, Morissette filmed a mini-concert special for A&E
, which aired May 18. On March 28, Morissette filmed an eight-song set for Sessions@AOL
, an online music program produced by AOL Music. The set appeared online in May. She also appeared on the schedule for the Summer Concert Series for The Today Show.
In early 2008, Alanis.com held a contest in which the first 200 e-mail respondents were invited to a private show for Yahoo!
Music's "Live Sets" program. In June, Morissette went to Europe
and did headlining shows there, then returned to North America
for the continuation of her headlining tour in the Fall.
On Tuesday, June 3, 2008, MuchMusic
got the rights to stream the entire album online, a full week before its North American release. Morissette performed at the Summerset Music Festival on Prince Edward Island
, Canada
on September 13, 2008. It was her first performance on PEI. Her North American Flavors of Entanglement Tour
began on September 18, 2008 and ended on November 17, 2008. Morissette appeared on the premiere episode of Rosie Live
on November 26, followed by radio station holiday concerts, according to her official website and MySpace. In early 2009, Morissette embarked on her Latin American and South American tour
. In Brazil
, before the show in São Paulo
, she appeared on the popular TV show, Domingão do Faustão, and performed some of her biggest hits there, including "Ironic
" and the newly released "Underneath".
music video releases.
^ "Wounded Leading Wounded" was written originally for 2004's So-Called Chaos
but was abandoned. Guy Sigsworth and Morissette brought the song out again for their studio sessions.
^^ These songs have never been mentioned by Morissette or Sigsworth, but recently appeared on ASCAP's songfile database credited to Sigsworth and Morissette.
^^^ "Break" appeared as a b-side to "In Praise of the Vulnerable Man
".
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
, fifth international release and last Maverick Records
Maverick Records
Maverick Recording Company is an American record label owned and operated by Warner Music Group, and distributed through Warner Bros. Records.-Company history:...
release by Canadian-American
Canadian-American
A Canadian American is someone who was born or someone who grew up in Canada then moved to the United States. The term is particularly apt when applied or self-applied to people with strong ties to Canada, such as those who have lived a significant portion of their lives in, or were educated in,...
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
Alanis Morissette
Alanis Morissette
Alanis Nadine Morissette is a Canadian-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 and also shortlisted for an Academy Award nomination...
. The album, which was originally set for an April release, was released May 30, 2008 in Germany, Benelux
Benelux
The Benelux is an economic union in Western Europe comprising three neighbouring countries, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. These countries are located in northwestern Europe between France and Germany...
and Ireland, released internationally on June 2 and in the United States on June 10. It was produced by Guy Sigsworth
Guy Sigsworth
Guy Sigsworth is a U.K. based composer, producer and songwriter. In his career to date he has worked with many famous artists, including Seal, Björk, Goldie, Madonna, Britney Spears, Kate Havnevik, Bebel Gilberto, Mozez, David Sylvian and Alanis Morissette...
. The album has sold 300,000 copies in the USA and over 2,000,000 worldwide. Flavors won a Juno for Pop Album of the Year at the 2009 Juno Awards. The album gets its name from a lyric in the track "Moratorium".
Flavors of Entanglement received generally positive reviews from music critics, praising the new style of Morissettes album, however critics felt the album wasn't as original as Morissettes former albums Jagged Little Pill
Jagged Little Pill
Jagged Little Pill is the third studio album by Canadian recording artist and songwriter Alanis Morissette. It was Morissette's first internationally released album, and her first studio album after the three year hiatus following her break with MCA Records. The album marked a shift from her style...
and Under Rug Swept
Under Rug Swept
Under Rug Swept is the fifth album by Canadian singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette. Released by Maverick Records in the United States on February 26, 2002 and in the United Kingdom a day earlier , it was the first album Morissette had written and produced on her own...
. Charting success of the album was also moderate worldwide. The album peaked at number eight on the U.S. Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
. The album also spawned an American tour called Flavors of Entanglement Tour
Flavors of Entanglement Tour
The Flavors of Entanglement tour is the 15th official concert tour by Canadian musician Alanis Morissette. The tour promoted her summer 2008 album Flavors of Entanglement. The Flavors of Entanglement North American tour began in September 2008. There was also a "Meet and Greet" contest held for the...
, which spanned September to November 2008.
After the tour of the album and all singles and promotion of it, Morissette had left Maverick Records
Maverick Records
Maverick Recording Company is an American record label owned and operated by Warner Music Group, and distributed through Warner Bros. Records.-Company history:...
because she stated that the promotion of the album was complete.
History
In March 2005, Morissette said she was ready to begin work on a new album, explaining that she had filled four journalsDiary
A diary is a record with discrete entries arranged by date reporting on what has happened over the course of a day or other period. A personal diary may include a person's experiences, and/or thoughts or feelings, including comment on current events outside the writer's direct experience. Someone...
and usually began a new album after filling two—"I'm very pregnant with songs", she said. She mentioned her intentions for the sound of the album in a December 2005 interview to promote Alanis Morissette: The Collection
Alanis Morissette: The Collection
- Album :- Single :- External links :*...
, saying she "would love to fuse the
technological sonic landscapes with the more organic ones". In January 2006, Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
wrote that Morissette was in between "intense" writing sessions for her upcoming studio album, for which she had enlisted multiple collaborators, including Mike Elizondo
Mike Elizondo
Michael "Mike" Elizondo is a well-known songwriter, bassist, keyboardist, and hip hop music producer.-Musical career:Mike Elizondo is especially known for his collaborations with internationally successful producer Dr. Dre and rapper Eminem. He has played the bass for many of Dr...
, who produced her song "Wunderkind
Wunderkind (song)
"Wunderkind" is a song written and recorded by Alanis Morissette, and produced by Mike Elizondo for the soundtrack of the 2005 film The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe-Background:...
" for the soundtrack of the 2005 film The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is a 2005 epic fantasy adventure film directed by Andrew Adamson and based on The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the first published and second chronological novel in C. S. Lewis's children's epic fantasy series, The Chronicles of...
. Morissette described herself as "teeming with ideas" because she hadn't written an album in three years (her previous studio album, So-Called Chaos
So-Called Chaos
-Personnel:*Alanis Morissette – vocals, producer, piano, keyboards, art direction*Eric Avery – bass*Chris Lord-Alge – mixing*Kenny Aronoff – drums*Paul Bushnell – bass*Scott Gordon – programming, engineer, drum programming*Bill Lane – assistant engineer...
, was released in 2004, but recorded in 2003); she said "I have more than enough thoughts to congeal together."
In October 2006, Morissette said in an interview with TV Guide
TV Guide
TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
that she was going to enter the studio and start writing new material over the next few weeks, saying "at the present, I have seven journals full. I have a lot within me ready to burst out." Morissette released a cover of The Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyed Peas are an American pop group , formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1995. The group includes rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap, and Taboo, and singer Fergie. Since the release of their third album Elephunk in 2003, the group has sold an estimated 56 million records worldwide...
' "My Humps
My Humps
"My Humps" is the third single by The Black Eyed Peas from their fourth album, Monkey Business. It samples a section of the song "I Need a Freak" by Sexual Harassment, as well as the 1989 song "Wild Thing" by Tone Lōc and "It's Automatic" by Freestyle. Released in 2005, it reached number three in...
" in April 2007, and the high quality of the recording led to speculation among fans that she was in the studio working on an album. She performed at a gig for The Nightwatchman
The Nightwatchman
The Nightwatchman is the alter-ego and solo act of Rage Against the Machine, Street Sweeper Social Club and former Audioslave guitarist Tom Morello...
, a.k.a. Tom Morello
Tom Morello
Thomas Baptiste "Tom" Morello is a Grammy Award-winning American guitarist best known for his tenure with the bands Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave, his acoustic solo act The Nightwatchman, and his newest group, Street Sweeper Social Club...
of Rage Against the Machine
Rage Against the Machine
Rage Against the Machine is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1991, the group's line-up consists of vocalist Zack de la Rocha, bassist and backing vocalist Tim Commerford, guitarist Tom Morello and drummer Brad Wilk...
, at the Hotel Café in Los Angeles on April 24. There, she said that she and producer Guy Sigsworth
Guy Sigsworth
Guy Sigsworth is a U.K. based composer, producer and songwriter. In his career to date he has worked with many famous artists, including Seal, Björk, Goldie, Madonna, Britney Spears, Kate Havnevik, Bebel Gilberto, Mozez, David Sylvian and Alanis Morissette...
had been "sequestered" in London and Los Angeles during the previous few months writing "a bevy of new songs". Accompanied by Sigsworth on piano, Morissette played a new song, "Not as We". Later, the song appeared in the third episode of the fourth season of the television series House
House (TV series)
House is an American television medical drama that debuted on the Fox network on November 16, 2004. The show's central character is Dr. Gregory House , an unconventional and misanthropic medical genius who heads a team of diagnosticians at the fictional Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital in...
, "97 Seconds", which was first aired on October 9.
In August, Sigsworth said in an interview with arbiter.co.uk that 25 songs were written for the album, 13 had been recorded, and eight more were being recorded after Morissette requested B-sides and "exclusives". Sigsworth described Morissette as "a dream to work with" and "totally into my sound world." In the same interview, guitarist and programmer Andy Page
Andy Page (producer)
Andy Page is a producer who has frequently co-produced tracks with artists such as Sasha, Desyn Masiello, Phil K, Lee Burridge, and BT.He is also one half of the duos Farmatronic and Hi-Fi Bugs. He worked with Guy Sigsworth on the Alanis Morissette album, Flavors of Entanglement.-External links:*...
said that at one point, they were working on 12 of the tracks simultaneously, and that one contains "moshing, distorted guitars" and a "wall-of-noise" created using Guitar Rig
Guitar Rig
Guitar Rig is a software effect processor developed by Native Instruments. Primarily designed for electric guitar and bass, the software uses amplifier modeling to allow real-time digital signal processing in both standalone and studio environments.It was originally released in mid-2004...
. Page also said that he had used the graphical modular software music studio
Modular software music studio
A modular software music studio consists of a plugin architecture that allows the audio to be routed from one plugin to another in many ways, similar to how cables carry an audio signal between physical pieces of hardware....
Reaktor
Reaktor
Reaktor is a graphical modular software music studio of proprietary license developed by Native Instruments. It lets musicians and sound specialists design and build their own instruments, samplers, effects and sound design tools. It is supplied with many ready-to-use instruments and effects, from...
on the album, saying of it that "I prefer using its granulators and weirder signal processors to its synths. Some of its physically modeled stuff is very cool, and there are some cool wavetable synths." An October 2007 interview with Morissette, published on the blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
Holons 2.0, reported that the title of the album was Flavors of Entanglement, while noting that no release date had been set. The release date of the album ended up being moved five times.
Composition
Morissette has noted an expansion of her musical sound on Flavors of Entanglement, and that there are "more technological aspects to it on a sonic level" than previously. She said that because of her love for dancing, the album incorporates beatBeat (music)
The beat is the basic unit of time in music, the pulse of the mensural level . In popular use, the beat can refer to a variety of related concepts including: tempo, meter, rhythm and groove...
s and loops that enable one to, in her words, "dance your face off". She has described the album as "a combination of everything" in which she has a musical interest, including hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
beats and organic instruments. Morissette has referred to the album as "techno-sounding but organic" and said, "I like fusion
Fusion (music)
A fusion genre is music that combines two or more styles. For example, rock and roll originally developed as a fusion of blues, gospel and country music. The main characteristics of fusion genres are variations in tempo, rhythm, i a sometimes the use of long musical "journeys" that can be divided...
." According to Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
magazine, the album "balances world
World music
World music is a term with widely varying definitions, often encompassing music which is primarily identified as another genre. This is evidenced by world music definitions such as "all of the music in the world" or "somebody else's local music"...
- and folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
-influenced tracks against the experimental pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
leanings of producer Guy Sigsworth
Guy Sigsworth
Guy Sigsworth is a U.K. based composer, producer and songwriter. In his career to date he has worked with many famous artists, including Seal, Björk, Goldie, Madonna, Britney Spears, Kate Havnevik, Bebel Gilberto, Mozez, David Sylvian and Alanis Morissette...
".
According to Morissette, the album features a "nice cross-section" of "joy and levity" similar to what is featured on her 2004 album, So-Called Chaos
So-Called Chaos
-Personnel:*Alanis Morissette – vocals, producer, piano, keyboards, art direction*Eric Avery – bass*Chris Lord-Alge – mixing*Kenny Aronoff – drums*Paul Bushnell – bass*Scott Gordon – programming, engineer, drum programming*Bill Lane – assistant engineer...
, and "[the] kind of rock bottom, 'Holy shit, I am a broken woman' moment." She said that the album features songs about her own personal relationships, explaining that writing about them is her favourite activity "'cause it's the only thing I can really comment on with any kind of conviction or authority." The album incorporates themes involving both personal and political conflict, and Morissette explained that "Our emotions align themselves with larger symptomatic things in the world. We face a large war out there, but [the album] more closely reflects the war in people's living rooms... the icy silence at home, versus the big cold war." Morissette summarized the track "Moratorium" as being "essentially a song about my readiness to stop repeating bad patterns. I've kicked some of those in my life." She said of "Not as We", "You know how you can resist hitting rock bottom for a long time? That song just goes 'OK, I'm going. All the way down'". "Underneath" is about breakdowns in communication.
Musically, the album is a change from her previous music, which features pop rock
Pop rock
Pop rock is a music genre which mixes a catchy pop style and light lyrics in its guitar-based rock songs. There are varying definitions of the term, ranging from a slower and mellower form of rock music to a subgenre of pop music...
and alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
music, but for example tracks like "On the Tequila" and "Giggling Again for No Reason", the songs feature more dance-oriented music.
Critical reception
Flavors of Entanglement received generally positive reviews from music critics. Stephen Thomas Erlewi from Allmusic awarded the album three-and-a-half stars out of five. He said "filled with songs of heartbreak, anger, and regret, along with a healthy dose of self affirmation -- or at least it seems that way, as Alanis' words are harder than ever to parse, a mangled web of garbled syntax, overheated metaphors, and mystifying verbal contortions all requiring too much effort to decode. In that sense, it's a lot like Jagged Little Pill, but musically this is far closer to the muddled mystic worldbeat of Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie, thanks in large part to her collaboration with Guy Sigsworth, best known for his productions with Björk and Madonna." Leah Greenblatt from Entertainment WeeklyEntertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
gave it a B+. She said "Somehow, a devastating personal experience has galvanized her songwriting in a way that domestic bliss, as showcased on 2004's disappointing So-Called Chaos, could not."
Chart performance
On June 28, 2008, Flavors of Entanglement debuted at #8 on the Billboard 200Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
with 70,576 copies sold. As of December 2008, the album had sold 201,000 copies in the U.S. There have also been 76,000 paid downloads of the debut single, "Underneath", while "Not as We" racked up 38,000 paid downloads.
Outside of the U.S., it received decent success, but most success was in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. The album, however was successful on the Swiss Albums Chart, debuting at number one, Morissettes third number one album there, and stayed on the charts for 16 weeks. It had debuted at number three on the Austrian Albums Chart, and stayed in the charts for 12 weeks. The album debuted at number 20 on the Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders), then rose to number eight, and peaked at number five on the Belgian Albums Chart (Wallonia). The album debuted at number six on the French Albums Chart, staying in the charts for 16 weeks. It also peaked at number eight in Italy.
However, the album received less success in some European countries and threw the Oceania. The album debuted at number 17 on the Australian Albums Chart, but fell at number 33. The album, however was least successful on the New Zealand Albums Chart, where it stayed a sole week at number 35, becoming Morissette's first album to peak outside the top ten, even scathing the top 20. The album had peaked at number 36 on the Swedish Albums Chart. It also peaked at number 30 on the Spanish Albums Charts.
Singles
- The first single from the album was "Underneath", released on April 2008. In CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, the song was a moderate success, peaking at #15. - The second single from the album to be released in EuropeEuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
was "In Praise of the Vulnerable ManIn Praise Of The Vulnerable Man"In Praise of the Vulnerable Man" is a song from Alanis Morissette's 7th studio album, Flavors of Entanglement. On August 15, 2008, the single was released in the UK. Two days later, it was released in Europe.-Track listing:-Music video:...
", which failed to chart. No music videoMusic videoA music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
was made to promote its release. - The second and final single to be released in North AmericaNorth AmericaNorth America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
was "Not as WeNot as We"Not as We" is a song from Alanis Morissette's seventh studio album, Flavors of Entanglement. "Not as We" was remixed and released as the second single from Flavors of Entanglement in North America, while "In Praise of the Vulnerable Man" was released as the second single in Europe.The single was...
". It failed to chart on the Billboard Hot 100Billboard Hot 100The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, but did make it onto the Bubbling Under Hot 100 singlesBubbling Under Hot 100 SinglesThe Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States. It lists the top 25 singles below number 100 that have not yet charted on the Billboard Hot 100. Sometimes, however, singles halt their progress on this chart, and never appear on the Hot 100...
at #22. There was a video shot, which used the radio edit of the song.
Promotion and touring
Morissette and Mutemath opened for the band Matchbox TwentyMatchbox Twenty
Matchbox Twenty is an American rock band, formed in Orlando, Florida in 1995...
on their North American tour, a two month-long excursion that began January 25, 2008 in Hollywood, Florida
Hollywood, Florida
-Demographics:As of 2000, there were 59,673 households out of which 24.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.5% were married couples living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.2% were non-families. 34.4% of all households were made up of...
and ended March 18 in Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
. Morissette was confirmed to perform at all the shows except the Verona
Verona, New York
Verona is a town in Oneida County, New York, United States. The population was 6,425 at the 2000 census. The source of the town name is unknown, though it's possibly named after Verona, Italy....
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
venue.
In January 2008, Morissette filmed a mini-concert special for A&E
A&E Network
The A&E Network is a United States-based cable and satellite television network with headquarters in New York City and offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, London, Los Angeles and Stamford. A&E also airs in Canada and Latin America. Initially named the Arts & Entertainment Network, A&E launched...
, which aired May 18. On March 28, Morissette filmed an eight-song set for Sessions@AOL
Sessions@AOL
Sessions@AOL is a special avenue of programming conducted by AOL Music. Originally an AOL exclusive, Sessions@AOL can now also be seen as an avenue for non-AOL users as well. Sessions@AOL consists of exclusive and intimate performances of songs by popular musicians, with likes of bands such as...
, an online music program produced by AOL Music. The set appeared online in May. She also appeared on the schedule for the Summer Concert Series for The Today Show.
In early 2008, Alanis.com held a contest in which the first 200 e-mail respondents were invited to a private show for Yahoo!
Yahoo!
Yahoo! Inc. is an American multinational internet corporation headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, United States. The company is perhaps best known for its web portal, search engine , Yahoo! Directory, Yahoo! Mail, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Groups, Yahoo! Answers, advertising, online mapping ,...
Music's "Live Sets" program. In June, Morissette went to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and did headlining shows there, then returned to North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
for the continuation of her headlining tour in the Fall.
On Tuesday, June 3, 2008, MuchMusic
MuchMusic
MuchMusic is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel owned by Bell Media. MuchMusic is dedicated to music-related programs, pop and youth culture.-History:...
got the rights to stream the entire album online, a full week before its North American release. Morissette performed at the Summerset Music Festival on Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island is a Canadian province consisting of an island of the same name, as well as other islands. The maritime province is the smallest in the nation in both land area and population...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
on September 13, 2008. It was her first performance on PEI. Her North American Flavors of Entanglement Tour
Flavors of Entanglement Tour
The Flavors of Entanglement tour is the 15th official concert tour by Canadian musician Alanis Morissette. The tour promoted her summer 2008 album Flavors of Entanglement. The Flavors of Entanglement North American tour began in September 2008. There was also a "Meet and Greet" contest held for the...
began on September 18, 2008 and ended on November 17, 2008. Morissette appeared on the premiere episode of Rosie Live
Rosie Live
Rosie Live is a variety show starring Rosie O'Donnell that aired November 26, 2008 live from New York's Little Shubert Theatre on NBC. The family friendly program contained singing, dancing, comedy routines and specialty acts...
on November 26, followed by radio station holiday concerts, according to her official website and MySpace. In early 2009, Morissette embarked on her Latin American and South American tour
Flavors of Entanglement South American Tour
The Flavors of Entanglement Latin America and South American tour is the 16th official concert tour by Canadian musician Alanis Morissette. The tour promoted her summer 2008 album Flavors of Entanglement. The Flavors of Entanglement South American tour began in January 2009. The tour took place in...
. In Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, before the show in São Paulo
São Paulo
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
, she appeared on the popular TV show, Domingão do Faustão, and performed some of her biggest hits there, including "Ironic
Ironic (song)
"Ironic" is a song recorded by Canadian-American singer Alanis Morissette for her third studio album Jagged Little Pill . It was written by Morissette and Glen Ballard, and was produced by him. Maverick and Warner Bros. Records released it as the album's fourth single on February 27, 1996 in CD,...
" and the newly released "Underneath".
Track listing
Other recorded tracks
The following is a list of songs recorded during the same studio sessions that didn't make it onto the album's final tracklist. Morissette stated that the album would feature eleven tracks, but that the additional songs would eventually be released in other forms, such as in-store exclusives and YouTubeYouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
music video releases.
- "I Am"
- "Wounded Leading Wounded" ^
- "Asylum" ^^
- "Break" ^^^
- "Separate" ^^
^ "Wounded Leading Wounded" was written originally for 2004's So-Called Chaos
So-Called Chaos
-Personnel:*Alanis Morissette – vocals, producer, piano, keyboards, art direction*Eric Avery – bass*Chris Lord-Alge – mixing*Kenny Aronoff – drums*Paul Bushnell – bass*Scott Gordon – programming, engineer, drum programming*Bill Lane – assistant engineer...
but was abandoned. Guy Sigsworth and Morissette brought the song out again for their studio sessions.
^^ These songs have never been mentioned by Morissette or Sigsworth, but recently appeared on ASCAP's songfile database credited to Sigsworth and Morissette.
^^^ "Break" appeared as a b-side to "In Praise of the Vulnerable Man
In Praise Of The Vulnerable Man
"In Praise of the Vulnerable Man" is a song from Alanis Morissette's 7th studio album, Flavors of Entanglement. On August 15, 2008, the single was released in the UK. Two days later, it was released in Europe.-Track listing:-Music video:...
".
Charts, peaks and positions
| Chart (2008) | Peak position |
Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Argentinian Albums Chart | 5 | 20,000 |
| Australian Albums Chart | 17 | 17,000 |
| Austria Albums Chart | 3 | |
| Belgian Albums Top 50 (Wallonia) | 5 | |
| Belgian Albums Top 50 (Flanders) | 8 | |
| Canada Albums Chart | 2 | 30,000 |
| European Hot 100 Albums | 3 | 160,000 |
| French Albums Chart | 6 | 25,000 |
| German Albums Chart | 8 | 15,000 |
| Italy Albums Top 50 | 7 | 24,428 |
| Irish Albums Chart Irish Albums Chart The Irish Albums Chart is the Irish music industry standard albums popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on its behalf by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured electronically... |
32 | |
| Japan Oricon International Albums Chart | 17 | 10,000+ |
| Netherlands Albums Top 100 | 7 | |
| Norwegian Album Chart | 12 | |
| Portuguese Albums Chart | 30 | |
| Spanish Albums Chart | 30 | |
| Swedish Album Chart Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association .... |
36 | |
| Switzerland Albums Chart | 1 | |
| UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
15 | 80,000 |
| U.S. Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
8 | 300,000 |
| U.S. Top Comprehensive Albums | 8 | |
| U.S. Top Digital Albums | 2 | |
| U.S. Top Rock Albums | 3 | |
Credits
- Alanis MorissetteAlanis MorissetteAlanis Nadine Morissette is a Canadian-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 and also shortlisted for an Academy Award nomination...
– vocals - Guy SigsworthGuy SigsworthGuy Sigsworth is a U.K. based composer, producer and songwriter. In his career to date he has worked with many famous artists, including Seal, Björk, Goldie, Madonna, Britney Spears, Kate Havnevik, Bebel Gilberto, Mozez, David Sylvian and Alanis Morissette...
– production, engineering - Andy PageAndy Page (producer)Andy Page is a producer who has frequently co-produced tracks with artists such as Sasha, Desyn Masiello, Phil K, Lee Burridge, and BT.He is also one half of the duos Farmatronic and Hi-Fi Bugs. He worked with Guy Sigsworth on the Alanis Morissette album, Flavors of Entanglement.-External links:*...
– guitars, programming, mixing, mastering - Sean McGhee – programming, engineering, backing vocals
- Andrei Maberley – engineering
- Ben Tolliday – engineering, assistant mastering
- Blair Sinta – drums
- Peter Freeman – bass
- Fiora CutlerFiora CutlerFiora is a singer, songwriter, producer and orchestral composer born in Tasmania, Australia and based in Berlin.-Musical education:...
– string arrangement