'"[4] In 1987, Morissette met entertainment manager Stephan Klovan, and at the 1988 World Cup of Figure Skating, she recorded a well-received version of "O Canada" with two musicians, one of whom was Leslie Howe of the new wave/synthpop duo One to One.

[6] According to Morissette, people from MCA placed "hardcore" pressure on her to lose weight in time for the album's release, leading her to develop anorexia nervosa and bulimia.

She also revealed she would often go straight from school to the studios where she would stay until 3 or 4 am and write/record music, drink alcohol, smoke marijuana, and hang out with what she called "the older crowd".

[7] Alanis was released in April 1991 to mixed reviews, and the media drew comparisons between Morissette and other teen pop singers at the time such as Debbie Gibson and Tiffany.

Alanis reached number 25 on the Canadian album chart, and two other singles were released: "Walk Away", the video for which featured Matt LeBlanc, and "Plastic".

The album went on to sell over 200,000 copies,[5] though Morissette's popularity experienced a backlash at her high school, where her version of "O Canada" was played over the PA system every morning.

[10] Time magazine said the album "brought [Morissette] modest renown ... (one presumes) among people [in Canada] who don't read lyric sheets",[11] while Rolling Stone described it as "vaguely Madonna-esque dance-pop" and "fairly generic".

Executives at Maverick persuaded MCA Records to withdraw all copies of Alanis and Now Is the Time from circulation, and they did not mention either album in the promotional material for Jagged Little Pill.

[14] According to Spin, Morissette's transformation from "the Debbie Gibson of Canada" to an alternative rock musician made some Canadians skeptical.