Alanis’ third album, Jagged Little Pill, came out at the best possible time in the 90s. The “riot grrrrrl!” wave was still high, and the fierce You Oughta Know steamrolled the way for a more commercial but still raw lyrical barrage of anger, righteous or not. It was needed. It was a logical thing.

I had some pocket money from ghostwriting (homework and essays), so I bought Jagged Little Pill as soon as I had saved enough money. Easily a 10 out of 10 album, even if Ironic was getting The Cranberries Zombie’s level of overplaying.

“I’m broke but I’m happy” is a line I keep repeating to myself many times, over decades. Sometimes it resonates harder than it should, but never takes away the truthfulness.

I lent my copy in ’97 to a friend. Never saw that cd again and I decided to just let it go. I dunno why, I guess the other person needed it more than me. It’s strange, lending stuff while neurodivergent. Some you let go, some you end up doing pretty stupid stuff to get it back. But more on that later.

-Sam J. Valdés López