Ironic - (Alanis Morissette)
Talking Points
11 examples of irony
- The lottery winner who dies
- A fly in the Chardonnay
- The death row pardon which comes too late
- Rain on your wedding day
- A free ride when you've already paid
- A good advice that you didn't take
- The plane crahes of someone with flight phobia
- A traffic jam when you're already late
- A non-smoking sign on your cigarette break
- 10000 spoons when you need a knife
- When the man of your life is already married
4. What is the message of the song ?
Ad 4. The message may be hidden in the bridge: "Life has a funny way of sneaking up on you ...", i.e. when every seems to be alright, something awful is going to happen, something what you least expected.
But it is also true the other way around: "And life has a funny way of helping you out ...", i.e. everything is a mess and all of a sudden something good happens.
5. The music oscillates between soft, slow parts and the loud, sort of punkish part of the chorus. Does that correspond to the lyrics ?
Ad 5. Yes, the contradictions between the bad and the good parts.
6. "Alanis Morissette's lyrics tend to be negative." Explain !
Ad 6. Although she mentions that fate has its good moments, too, she supplies us only with bad examples. Her other songs are about bad experiences as well, e.g. a separation from her friend in "YOU OUGHT TO KNOW"
7. Do you know any other events that struck you as being ironic ?
Ad 7. The Austrian singer Falco died in a car crash, after several unsuccessful years of his career. After his death songs such as "EGOIST" hit the charts.