- Thank U
Infobox Single
Name = Thank U
Artist =Alanis Morissette
from Album =Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie
Released =October 6 ,1998
Format =CD single
Recorded = 1998
Genre =pop rock
Length = 4:19
Label = Maverick
Writer = Alanis Morissette,Glen Ballard
Producer = Alanis Morissette, Glen Ballard
Last single = "Uninvited"
(1998)
This single = "Thank U"
(1998)
Next single = "Joining You "
(1999)"Thank U" is a Grammy-nominated song written by
Alanis Morissette andGlen Ballard for Morissette's fourth album, "Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie " (1998). It was released as the album'slead single onOctober 6 ,1998 (see1998 in music ).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. [ [http://members.aol.com/am69dana/sfijm.html http://members.aol.com/am69dana/sfijm.html] "Members.aol.com" ] The lyrics, such as "thank you terror" and "thank you frailty," lend the song a mingled sense ofcynicism ,hope , and worldliness."Thank U" is a
pop rock song composed in the key ofC major . It is written incommon time and moves at a moderate tempo of 80beats per minute . The song uses a simplechord progression alternating between a tonic C major chord and dominantG major chord. [Sheet music for "Thank U".Hal Leonard Corporation . 1998.]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 seventeen 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.) "Thank U" is Morissette's most commercially successful post-"Jagged Little Pill" single. The single was nominated forBest Female Pop Vocal Performance at the2000 Grammy Awards .Cover versions and parodies
"Thank U" was covered by British musician
Steven Wilson , ofPorcupine 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"), and sold as the limited-edition single "Cover Version 1".Blackfield , one of Steven Wilson's bands, has regularly played the song on their tour in support of their second album. It also appears on their Live DVD Blackfield-NYCOn "
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 AimlessMorris Minor , dressed in a flesh-coloured body-suit to make it appear as if she were naked. At the end of the sketchDawn 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 1999Touring with Scissors tour.Music video
The
music video featured a nude Morissette, with long hair shrouding herbreast s, walking and being embraced by strangers in a variety of public locations, such as in the street, at asupermarket , and on a subway car. Slight modifications to the video were made before broadcasting byMTV inIndia and certain otherAsia n countries. Subsequent replays, however, aired the video in its original format. In May 2001, the video was voted #66 onVH1 's 100 Greatest Videos [ [http://www.rockonthenet.com/archive/2001/vh1videos.htm] VH1: 100 Greatest Videos] .Track listing
#"Thank U" (album version) – 4:19
#"Pollyanna Flower" (unreleased bonus track) – 4:07
#"Uninvited" (demo) – 3:04Charts
External links
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiiylw233Eg Demo version of the song on YouTube]
References
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