June 13, 1995: Alanis Morissette Releases "Jagged Little Pill"

June 13, 1995: Alanis Morissette releases her album Jagged Little Pill. It makes her the most influential musical performer of the 1990s.

Stop laughing. She was the one. Not Kurt Cobain, or his band Nirvana as a whole.

I might have said 4 Non Blondes, Linda Perry's then-band, but if you can think of a song of theirs other than "What's Up?" (a.k.a. "What's Going On"), then you know more about them than I do.

By the time Alanis came out with Jagged Little Pill, not only was Cobain dead, but Nirvana's grunge aesthetic was buried as well. Dave Grohl went on to form Foo Fighters, who sound very different. Pearl Jam moved away from that style as well.

Without Alanis, there's no Pink, no Kesha, no Ariana Grande, no Halsey. Christina Aguilera doesn't do Stripped. Taylor Swift probably remains a country singer.

Her lyrics and attitude influenced black women, too: Without Alanis, we might still have had Beyoncé, Ashanti, Nicki Minaj and Cardi B, but they would have sounded very different. I'll bet you any money you like: If Alanis had gone into another line of work, Beyoncé would never have sung "If I Were a Boy."

Did Alanis influence guys, too? Yes: Without Alanis, we might have had a very different Eminem.

The native of Ottawa caught flak for apparently not understanding the meaning of the word "Ironic," the title of one of the songs on the album. But "You Oughta Know" was a scathing indictment of an ex-boyfriend, rumored to be Full House star Dave Coulier. And while it was never actually released as a single in the U.S., "Hand in My Pocket" became an inescapable song in the Autumn of 1995.

So what it all came down to was that, having just turned 21, she really did have a lot figured out. To put this in perspective: Elvis Presley was 21 when he hit it big nationally, but never wrote a song; Paul McCartney and Brian Wilson were both 21 when their bands first hit it big; Bob Dylan was 22 when his 2nd album made him a legend; Michael Jackson was 21 when he released Off the Wall, but 24 when he released Thriller; Joni Mitchell, the previous standard for a Canadian woman writing her own songs, was 24 when she released "Both Sides Now"; and Cobain was 24 when Nirvana released Nevermind.

Alanis has never hit such heights again, but she remains a solid songwriter.

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June 13, 1995 was a Tuesday. The New Jersey Devils beat the Philadelphia Flyers, 4-2 at the Brendan Byrne Arena in the Meadowlands, to win Game 6 and clinch their 1st NHL Eastern Conference Championship, and their 1st berth in the Stanley Cup Finals. They would sweep the Detroit Red Wings in 4 games.

The NBA Finals were between Games 3 and 4. The Houston Rockets were about to sweep the Orlado Magic, and make it back-to-back Championships.

Football was out of season. These baseball games were played that day:

* The New York Yankees beat the Detroit Tigers, 10-4 at Tiger Stadium in Detroit. Mike Stanley hit a home run in support of Jack McDowell. Don Mattingly went 1-for-3 with 2 walks and an RBI.

* The New York Mets beat the Florida Marlins, 7-3 at Shea Stadium.

* The Montreal Expos beat the Atlanta Braves, 11-2 at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal.

* The Houston Astros beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 6-5 at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia.

* The Boston Red Sox beat the Toronto Blue Jays, 11-7 at the SkyDome (now the Rogers Centre) in Toronto.

* The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 5-3 at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh.

* The Cleveland Indians beat the Baltimore Orioles, 11-0 at Jacobs Field (now Progressive Field) in Cleveland. Two former Orioles victimized them: Dennis Martínez pitched an 8-hit shutout, and Eddie Murray went 1-for-3 with 2 RBIs. Albert Belle and Jim Thome hit home runs. Cal Ripken went 1-for-2 with a walk, and, unusually, was pinch-hit for in the 8th: Manny Alexander grounded to 2nd, and took over at shortstop.

* The San Francisco Giants beat the Chicago Cubs, 8-4 at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Barry Bonds went 2-for-3 with a walk and 2 RBIs.

* The Milwaukee Brewers beat the Texas Rangers, 14-2 at Milwaukee County Stadium.

* The St. Louis Cardinals beat the San Diego Padres, 3-2 at Busch Memorial Stadium in St. Louis. Tony Gwynn went 1-for-4.

* The Colorado Rockies beat the Cincinnati Reds, 6-4 at Coors Field in Denver.

* The California Angels beat the Minnesota Twins, 7-2 at Anaheim Stadium (now Angel Stadium of Anaheim).

* The Chicago White Sox beat the Oakland Athletics, 7-6 at the Oakland Coliseum. Frank Thomas hit a home run in the top of the 10th inning. Rickey Henderson went 2-for-4 with a walk.

* And the Kansas City Royals beat the Seattle Mariners, 3-1 at the Kingdome in Seattle. Ken Griffey Jr. was injured, and did not play.