It goes without saying that "You Oughta Know" — from National Treasure Alanis Morissette's seminal third album Jagged Little Pill, obviously — is one of the most scathing indictments of an ex in music history. That might be a bold statement but it's also unequivocally true, so we stand by it.
The topic of who the song is about has naturally been subject to plenty of speculation over the 27 years since its release. Morissette claims she's never confirmed a name of the person it was written about and never will, but apparently about eight different people have claimed to be the inspiration for "You Oughta Know" (that's not the flex you think it is, fellas).
"I'm always just like, 'Who is this? Interesting that you think this song is about you, huh?'" the artist said in a 2021 episode of HBO's Music Box documentary series [via BuzzFeed]. As always, Carly Simon was right.
One of the prime suspects and so-vain previous boyfriends of Morissette is none other than actor and comedian Dave Coulier — a.k.a. Uncle Joey from Full House.
In a new interview on SiriusXM's Faction Talk, the actor reflected on the moment he first heard the song and starting realizing things Kylie Jenner-style.
"We dated, and she was writing all that Jagged Little Pill stuff during that time," Coulier said of their relationship, which began in 1992 when he was 33 and the singer-songwriter was 18. "And I never saw this 'angry white girl' thing that people have kind of coined her as. I never saw that. She was funny, she was sweet, she was super intelligent; super talented," he recalled.
Coulier remembered hearing "You Oughta Know" on the radio while driving in Detroit. "I'm like, 'Wow this is really cool hook.' And then I start hearing the voice, I'm like, 'Wow, this girl can sing.' I had no idea this was the record," he admitted. "And then I was listening to the lyrics, going, 'Ooh, oh no! Oh, I can't be this guy!'"
He knew there was only one way to know where he truly stood with his ex: go to the record store and buy her album. "I went and I parked on the street and I listened to the whole record," Coulier explained. "There was a lot of familiar stuff in there that her and I had talked about; like [the line in 'Right Through You'] 'Your shake is like a fish.' I'd go, 'Hey, dead fish me,' and we'd do this dead-fish handshake," he reminisced.
The actor added: "And so I started listening to it and I thought, 'Ooh, I think I may have really hurt this woman.'"
You don't say? Thankfully, there's no hard feelings between the two. "Years later we reconnected and she couldn't have been sweeter," Coulier said. "I said, 'What do you want me to say when people ask me about this relationship?' And she said, 'You can say whatever you want.'" He's listening!
Watch the interview segment below.
Read our review of Morissette's recent performance at Ottawa Bluesfest.
The topic of who the song is about has naturally been subject to plenty of speculation over the 27 years since its release. Morissette claims she's never confirmed a name of the person it was written about and never will, but apparently about eight different people have claimed to be the inspiration for "You Oughta Know" (that's not the flex you think it is, fellas).
"I'm always just like, 'Who is this? Interesting that you think this song is about you, huh?'" the artist said in a 2021 episode of HBO's Music Box documentary series [via BuzzFeed]. As always, Carly Simon was right.
One of the prime suspects and so-vain previous boyfriends of Morissette is none other than actor and comedian Dave Coulier — a.k.a. Uncle Joey from Full House.
In a new interview on SiriusXM's Faction Talk, the actor reflected on the moment he first heard the song and starting realizing things Kylie Jenner-style.
"We dated, and she was writing all that Jagged Little Pill stuff during that time," Coulier said of their relationship, which began in 1992 when he was 33 and the singer-songwriter was 18. "And I never saw this 'angry white girl' thing that people have kind of coined her as. I never saw that. She was funny, she was sweet, she was super intelligent; super talented," he recalled.
Coulier remembered hearing "You Oughta Know" on the radio while driving in Detroit. "I'm like, 'Wow this is really cool hook.' And then I start hearing the voice, I'm like, 'Wow, this girl can sing.' I had no idea this was the record," he admitted. "And then I was listening to the lyrics, going, 'Ooh, oh no! Oh, I can't be this guy!'"
He knew there was only one way to know where he truly stood with his ex: go to the record store and buy her album. "I went and I parked on the street and I listened to the whole record," Coulier explained. "There was a lot of familiar stuff in there that her and I had talked about; like [the line in 'Right Through You'] 'Your shake is like a fish.' I'd go, 'Hey, dead fish me,' and we'd do this dead-fish handshake," he reminisced.
The actor added: "And so I started listening to it and I thought, 'Ooh, I think I may have really hurt this woman.'"
You don't say? Thankfully, there's no hard feelings between the two. "Years later we reconnected and she couldn't have been sweeter," Coulier said. "I said, 'What do you want me to say when people ask me about this relationship?' And she said, 'You can say whatever you want.'" He's listening!
Watch the interview segment below.
Read our review of Morissette's recent performance at Ottawa Bluesfest.
