Uninvited (song)

After the massive success of her breakthrough album, Jagged Little Pill (1995) (which spawned the worldwide hits, "You Oughta Know", "Ironic", "Head over Feet" and "You Learn"), Morissette was considered one of the biggest music stars in the world, and many fans anxiously awaited a follow-up album.[1] That would be Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie, released in November 1998; however, she released "Uninvited" as the lead single from the City of Angels soundtrack prior to that.

"Uninvited", was released to American radio stations in March 1998 and was still receiving substantial radio airplay by the following August.[2] An internet and radio leak of "Uninvited" in early March forced Warner Bros. to release the entire soundtrack to radio before it became available in stores. According to a publicity manager for Warner Music Canada, the measure was "an inconvenience" taken to stop radio stations from playing low-quality versions of the song downloaded from the internet.[3]

Following the song's leak, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) took down several websites featuring the song. "Uninvited" was due for release on 31 March, but was leaked to radio on 6 March. Newsbytes, a computer industry news service, reported that fast-working fans in Los Angeles, upon hearing the song on KROQ, taped the track and uploaded it onto their websites. Several sites were involved, according to Newsbytes, including ones based in Los Angeles, London and Mexico City.[4] The unauthorized material was removed, and in several cases, the whole site was shut down. The action was part of a campaign by the RIAA to stop unauthorized reproductions of recordings on the internet.[4]

"Uninvited" was not included on Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie, but a demo version was included as a bonus track on the Australian and Japanese releases of the album as well as a B-side in the UK CD single for "Thank U". The compilation Alanis Morissette: The Collection (2005) was Morissette's first album to include the song in its original studio format; she had performed an acoustic version of the song during her 1999 MTV Unplugged appearance, which was released as the album Alanis Unplugged. An acoustic version of the song was also included on the video album Live in the Navajo Nation.

"Uninvited" is driven by four piano notes and builds to an instrumental climax. According to one critic, "Uninvited" is a moody song that contains an "indelible melody and haunting atmosphere" accompanied by cryptic lyrics.[5]

"Uninvited" was nominated for three Grammy Awards in 1999: Best Female Rock Vocal Performance, Best Rock Song and Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or for Television, winning the former two categories.[6] It also won an ASCAP Award for Most Performed Song from Motion Pictures and received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Original Song - Motion Picture. Additionally, the song entered About.com's "Top 10 Alanis Morissette Lyrics" list at number 10, with Bill Lamb picking the lyrics, "Like anyone would be, I am flattered by your fascination with me, Like any hot blooded woman, I have simply wanted an object to crave" as the best.[7] Although never officially released as a single to retail outlets (which prevented it from charting on the Billboard Hot 100), the song became a hit for Morissette. "Uninvited" was Morissette's fourth number-one single on the Billboard Top 40 Mainstream chart and it reached the top five on the Adult Top 40 and the top 40 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart. Worldwide, "Uninvited" was a commercial success selling over 7 million copies.[8]

No music video accompanied the single's release, but three videos of performances of "Uninvited" were released: the first one at the 1999 Grammy Awards, another on the Feast on Scraps (2002) release, and another on the extended cut of VH1 Storytellers: Alanis Morissette. This performance was not included in the original Storytellers broadcast in 1999.

• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics