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Alanis Morissette - Ironic

1996 · Mid-90s Alternative Rock Mainstream Breakthrough (1995–1996) — Peak Jagged Little Pill cultural saturation; post-grunge feminism cresting on MTV TRL-era rotation, alternative rock dominating Billboard Hot 100 and VMA cycles. · music video
Alanis Morissette - Ironic music video
1996Mid-90s Alternative Rock Mainstream Breakthrough (1995–1996) — Peak Jagged Little Pill cultural saturation; post-grunge feminism cresting on MTV TRL-era rotation, alternative rock dominating Billboard Hot 100 and VMA cycles.Mid-90s Alternative Rock / Post-Grunge Feminist MainstreamDir. Stéphane Sednaoui

What this video is

Released February 1996 as the third US single from Jagged Little Pill (1995), 'Ironic' arrived at the apex of Morissette's global commercial breakthrough. The album had already sold millions on the back of 'You Oughta Know' and 'Hand in My Pocket,' and 'Ironic' became her highest-charting US single, peaking at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100. The video's playful self-multiplication — one woman, four personas, one car —…

Why it matters

A defining artefact of mid-90s female-fronted alternative rock's MTV crossover moment. The video's lo-fi warmth and single-location simplicity contrasts with the era's increasingly elaborate production, demonstrating that conceptual ingenuity — the quadruple self — could outperform spectacle. Its…

The director

French music video director, photographer, film producer, and actor. Career began at 18 as a casting director for advertising and as a model. Has directed over 40 music videos for artists including Red Hot Chili Peppers, U2, Björk, Madonna, Massive Attack,…

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