jagg(id) Little Pill
Illustration by Brigitta Brumund
I know what you have been thinking: “You know whose opinion I need to hear on music? Sigmund Freud’s”. While I am aware of how psychologists feel about Freud (his findings are not grounded in empirical evidence) and how people who think wanting to have sex with your mother is wrong feel about Freud (a bit icked out, to say the least), one of his teachings remains relevant. That is Freud’s Psychoanalytic Theory. Let me take you back to PSYC 100 for a minute.
Psychoanalytic theory is based on the idea that the human mind has conscious parts, which we are aware of, and unconscious parts, thoughts, feelings, and desires that we are not readily aware of. The conscious part of your mind is called the ego. It is essentially your mind’s “editor” of all the things you want to and wish you could do and all the things you believe you morally should do, finding a middle and safe ground between the two. The unconscious mind is made up of what we just discussed: your deepest desires and things you wish you could do (your Id), and the morals and values you hold (your superego). Basically, if you lived life following your “Id,” you would give in to all you desire regardless of consequence and may end up hurting some people or yourself. But if you lived life following your “superego,” none of your desires would ever be satisfied because you would always be doing what you believe is right, and you would probably be dissatisfied with your life. According to Freud, the ego allows us to find a balance between the maniacal Id and the moralistic superego.
As much as this idea of part of our mind balancing desire with morality is probably a good thing (the entire planet going free reign on their impulses and urges may not end well), I have never listened to a song and thought, “Wow, I am glad they found a balance between moral high ground and telling us their darkest and impulsive thoughts,” and you probably never have either. Why? Because finding middle ground makes boring music. The music that sticks with us is the music that shocks us (Psychology Fun Fact: Surprise is one of the most memorable emotions. You will remember things better if they are surprising/shocking to you!). It’s the music that communicates impulses and urges that is appealing to us, because often, due to our own egos playing this balancing act, we don't get to express, or even say, our deepest desires out loud. So, it feels so rewarding when someone else says exactly what we are thinking, and we also get to sing along.
Before I dismiss you from this very abbreviated psychology lesson, I’d like to highlight an album that demonstrates the release of the Id and how it made this particular album so widely successful. That album is Jagged (JaggID, if you will) Little Pill by Alanis Morrisette. The 1996 Album of the Year delivered one of the greatest breakup songs of all time, “You Oughta Know, '' and many other fan favourites that are still played on indie radio stations to this date. On this album, Morisette addresses many different topics, such as an ex moving on, Catholic guilt, and growing up, all littered with unbridled lyrics. Specifically, on “You Oughta Know,” Morissette gives an example of songwriting with the Id in mind. The reason for this song's success is because the lyrics are filled with the rage of an ex moving on so quickly, and comparing themselves to their new partner. On the single, Morissette asks her ex extremely personal questions about their new partner, such as, “Is she perverted like me/Would she go down on you in a theatre” and insists that she is within her right to be this angry, “It’s not fair to deny me/Of the cross I bear that you gave to me.” The lack of shame in her sexual lyrics and her insistence that she is allowed to be this upset about the situation demonstrate an understanding of writing with the Id in mind. If she didn’t, the song would lack emotion and would contain boring lyrics such as “Is your new girlfriend nice?” and “I guess we both had a role to play in this breakup. Let’s be friends!”. Now who wants to sing that in the car at the top of their lungs? No one. It is nice to feel the range of emotions the Id offers to us, and we are lucky that artists like Morissette are able to chain up their ego for a while and let the Id come out to play.
