4 Facts About “Uninvited” by Alanis Morissette

In 1995, singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette became one of the biggest musicians of the ’90s after the success of her third album, Jagged Little Pill, which sold over 16 million copies. Anticipation was high for her next release, and she delivered with the explosive slow burn “Uninvited” in March 1998. It’s since become one of her most well-known songs.

City of Angels

Morissette wrote “Uninvited” after watching an early version of the 1998 movie City of Angels, starring Nicolas Cage as an angel who falls in love with a mortal woman, played by Meg Ryan. “I was going through certain thing of my own at the time, and it just sort of coincided at the same time that I could write it about myself and it could be something that Meg’s character could be communicating throughout,” she said at the time.

Leaked Early

“Uninvited” was scheduled for release on March 31, 1998, but leaked weeks earlier, on March 6, and radio stations put it in rotation. In an effort to prevent low-quality versions of the recording from being played, Warner Bros. released the City of Angels soundtrack to radio stations before it was officially released in stores, which their publicity manager called “an inconvenience.” Meanwhile, the Recording Industry Association of America attempted to shut down sites posting the song.

Not a Single

“Uninvited” was never officially released as a single, and due to rules at the time, this made it ineligible for placement on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. But it still became a hit. It topped the Billboard Top 40 Mainstream chart, making it Morissette’s fourth song to do so, and also appeared on the Adult Top 40 and Modern Rock Tracks charts. It was also a hit in Canada, where it made the RPM 100 Hit Tracks chart.

Awards

At the 1998 Grammy Awards, Morissette won with “Uninvited” for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance and Best Rock Song. The song was also nominated for Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or for Television, as well as for Best Original Song – Motion Picture at the Golden Globes, which it lost to “The Prayer” by Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli from the animated movie Quest for Camelot.

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