Hand in My Pocket

"Hand in My Pocket" is a song by Canadian recording artist and songwriter Alanis Morissette from her third studio album, Jagged Little Pill (1995). The song was written by Morissette and Glen Ballard and was released as the second single from the album on October 16, 1995 by Maverick and Reprise, five months after the album release. The song received generally favorable reviews from music critics, who applauded Morissette's songwriting.

"Hand in My Pocket"
Cover art for UK and European editions of the 1995 single release
Single by Alanis Morissette
from the album Jagged Little Pill
B-side	"Head over Feet" (live acoustic)
Released	October 16, 1995 (1995-10-16)
Recorded	1994–April 1995^[1]
Length	3:41
Label	Maverick Reprise
Songwriter(s)	Alanis Morissette Glen Ballard
Producer(s)	Glen Ballard
Alanis Morissette singles chronology
"You Learn" (1995) "Hand in My Pocket" (1995) "Ironic" (1996)
Music video
"Hand in My Pocket" on YouTube

"Hand in My Pocket" also received substantial success through radio airplay in the US. The song became Morissette's second number-one hit on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. The song also reached the top 10 in New Zealand and Canada, where it was her first number-one single. An accompanying music video, directed by Mark Kohr, was released for the single, featuring Morissette at a festival, driving her car in black and white form, which also received positive reviews.

Writing and composition

"Hand in My Pocket" was written by Morissette and Glen Ballard. Ballard met Morissette on March 8, 1994, after his publishing company matched them up. According to Ballard, the connection was "instant", and within 30 minutes of meeting each other they had begun experimenting with different sounds in Ballard's home studio in San Fernando Valley, California.^[2] Ballard also declared to Rolling Stone that, "I just connected with her as a person, and, almost parenthetically, it was like 'Wow, you're 19?' She was so intelligent and ready to take a chance on doing something that might have no commercial application. Although there was some question about what she wanted to do musically, she knew what she didn't want to do, which was anything that wasn't authentic and from her heart."^[3]

The song is a mainstream rock song. The chorus of "Hand in My Pocket" uses a poetry technique, "rhyme juxtaposition", as its primary lyrical structure, as exemplified by the off-set coupling of the first and second stanzas of each chorus. In the first chorus for example, "fine, fine, fine" is coupled with "a high five", when it should, according to traditional rhyming schemes, be instead set against the "a peace sign" which closes the third chorus, and which is in turn, coupled with a first line ending with the phrase, "a cigarette", which is a clear rhyme with the end of the second chorus: "out just yet". Morissette does not carry the scheme consistently throughout the song (there are, for instance, no rhymes for "hailing a taxicab" or "playing the piano").

"Hand in My Pocket" is written in the key of G major and moves in common time at a tempo of 92 beats per minute. Morissette's vocals span from G₃ to C₅ in the song.^[4]

Critical reception

While reviewing Jagged Little Pill, AllMusic dubbed "Hand in My Pocket" an album highlight.^[5] Steve Baltin from Cash Box described it as "enticing", noting that it includes "a well-placed harmonica solo from Morissette herself."^[6] British magazine Music Week rated the song four out of five, adding, "The second single from the abrasive and rampantly successful Alanis sees her Marianne Faithfull-circa-Wydja Do It attitude coupled with pop metal guitar and loping bass for maximum effect."^[7] Mark Sutherland from NME called it "a bite-the-hand assault on slackerdom".^[8]

Chart performance

"Hand in My Pocket" peaked at number one in her native Canada, becoming Morissette's first number one single there. The song also peaked at number one on the US Modern Rock Tracks (Alternative) chart, at number four on the US Mainstream Top 40 (Pop Songs) chart, at number 15 on the Hot 100 Airplay chart and at number eight on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. The song was successful throughout North America although the single was not released as a CD Single. Therefore, it did not reach the Hot 100.

Elsewhere, the song debuted at number 49 in Australia, and peaked at number 13, staying there for two consecutive weeks. The song debuted at number 39 in New Zealand and peaked at number seven, the only country outside of North America where it reached the top ten. The song had moderate success in Europe, debuting at number 56 in Sweden, and only managing to peak at number 45 on the chart. It also peaked at number 39 in France, staying on the chart for five weeks, and number 86 in the Netherlands with five weeks on that chart.

"Hand in My Pocket" received moderate to major success worldwide. In New Zealand the song peaked at number seven and was certified gold by Recorded Music NZ (RMNZ), for shipments of 15,000 copies.^[9] The song saw some success in the United Kingdom, debuting and peaking at number 26 on the week ending of October 28, 1995, over the course of the next two weeks "Hand in My Pocket", fell to number 37 then number 54, spending a total of three weeks on the chart.^[10]

Promotion

The single was added in the set list for Morissette's concert tour, Jagged Little Pill World Tour (1995).^[11] The song was added to the tour's video album Jagged Little Pill Live (1997).^[11] Since then, the song has been included in her albums MTV Unplugged (1999),^[12] Feast on Scraps (2002),^[13] and The Collection,^[14] as well as 1997 Grammys and the MTV Unplugged compilation albums.^[15][16]

Music video

Directed by Mark Kohr and filmed in black-and-white and slow motion, the song's video features Morissette among a homecoming parade. It was filmed in the Windsor Terrace neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. As well as censoring the song's profanity, the video features extra guitar 'licks' on the lead-up to the bridge.

Usage in media

"Hand in My Pocket" served as the theme song in the unaired pilot episode of the television show Dawson's Creek, but Morissette decided not to have it used as the theme after the show was picked up.^[17][18] In 2015, the song was covered in an episode of season six of the American television series Glee, called "Jagged Little Tapestry", by actresses Naya Rivera and Heather Morris as part of a mashup with Carole King's "I Feel the Earth Move"—Rivera's character Santana sings the song as a prelude to her proposal to Morris's character Brittany.^[19] "Hand in My Pocket" featured prominently in the final scene of the third season of Amazon's Transparent, when the character Shelly Pfefferman performs a cabaret version of the song aboard a cruise ship while her family looks on.^[20] In 2017, the song was used in the American film Lady Bird.^[21]

Track listings

UK CD1 and Australian CD single^[22]^[23] "Hand in My Pocket" – 3:37 "Head over Feet" (live acoustic) – 4:07 "Not the Doctor" (live acoustic) – 3:57 UK CD2^[24] "Hand in My Pocket" – 3:37 "Right Through You" (live acoustic) – 3:03 "Forgiven" (live acoustic) – 4:23

UK cassette single^[25] "Hand in My Pocket" – 3:37 "Head over Feet" (live acoustic) – 4:07 Japanese CD single^[26] "Hand in My Pocket" (album version) "Not the Doctor" (live in Japan)

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1995–1996) Peak position Australia (ARIA)^[27] 13 Canada Top Singles (RPM)^[28] 1 Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)^[29] 32 Canada Rock/Alternative (RPM)^[30] 4 France (SNEP)^[31] 39 Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)^[32] 16 Netherlands (Single Top 100)^[33] 86 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)^[34] 7 Scotland (OCC)^[35] 23 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)^[36] 45 UK Singles (OCC)^[10] 26 US Radio Songs (Billboard)^[37] 15 US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)^[38] 30 US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)^[39] 25 US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)^[40] 1 US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)^[41] 8 US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)^[42] 4

Year-end charts Chart (1995) Position Canada Top Singles (RPM)^[43] 11 US Radio Songs (Billboard)^[44] 70 Chart (1996) Position Australia (ARIA)^[45] 92 Canada Top Singles (RPM)^[46] 44 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)^[47] 36

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
New Zealand (RMNZ)^[9]	Gold	5,000^*
United Kingdom (BPI)^[48]	Gold	400,000^‡
^* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)	Ref(s).
United Kingdom	October 16, 1995	CD cassette	Maverick Reprise	^[49]
United States	October 17, 1995	Contemporary hit radio		^[50]
Australia	October 31, 1995	CD	Maverick WEA	^[51]^[27]
Japan	January 25, 1996		Maverick Reprise	^[52]

Covers and parodies

• It was parodied by 'Rockin Jock' but credit for this parody, 'Trouble', is usually wrongly accredited to Billy Connolly under the title 'Evil Scotsman'.^{[citation needed]}
• The song has also been parodied by Amateur Transplants on the album Fitness to Practice as part of the song "Snippets".
• It was parodied by Bob Rivers under the title "Hand in a Lightsocket".
• The song was covered by Canadian pop-punk band Seaway, released as a single on July 15, 2016.
• Judith Light performed the song in the third-season finale of Transparent as part of her character's one-woman show. Light's performance was universally praised.
• Atom Smash covered the song on their 2013 album "Passage to the Sun".
• Glee covered this song in a mashup with Carole King's "I Feel The Earth Move". It was sung by Naya Rivera (Santana Lopez) and Heather Morris (Brittany Pierce).
• MacKenzie Porter, a Canadian country musician, did a cover of this song as a single under her Loft Sessions on January 24, 2020.

References

1. "Entertainment Weekly October 9, 2015".
2. "Billboard Magazine – June 30, 2001". Billboard Magazine. June 30, 2001. from the original on February 17, 2024. Retrieved March 30, 2014.
3. Wild, David (November 2, 1995). "Alanis Morissette: The Adventures of Miss Thing". Rolling Stone. from the original on December 4, 2017. Retrieved March 30, 2014.
4. Ballard, Glen (February 15, 2010). "Alanis Morissette "Hand In My Pocket" Sheet Music in G Major (transposable) – Download & Print". Musicnotes.com. from the original on March 1, 2017. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
5. "Alanis Morissette Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More". AllMusic. from the original on December 30, 2010. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
6. Baltin, Steve (June 24, 1995). "Pop Albums" (PDF). Cash Box. p. 9. (PDF) from the original on October 20, 2022. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
7. "Reviews: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. August 19, 1995. p. 29. (PDF) from the original on May 11, 2021. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
8. Sutherland, Mark (September 9, 1995). "Long Play". NME. p. 47. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
9. "New Zealand single certifications – Alanis Morissette – Hand in My Pocket". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
10. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
11. Phares, Heather. "Jagged Little Pill Live". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. from the original on November 11, 2010. Retrieved March 27, 2011.
12. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Alanis Unplugged". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. from the original on September 10, 2015. Retrieved March 27, 2011.
13. "Feast on Scraps [DVD]". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. from the original on November 11, 2010. Retrieved March 27, 2011.
14. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "The Collection". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. from the original on September 10, 2015. Retrieved March 27, 2011.
15. Ankeny, Jason. "1997 Grammy Nominees". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. from the original on October 24, 2010. Retrieved March 28, 2011.
16. Rob, Theakston. "Very Best of MTV Unplugged". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. from the original on December 11, 2010. Retrieved April 14, 2011.
17. . Dawson's Creek Music Guide. Archived from the original on October 10, 2007. Retrieved August 23, 2006.
18. Kaplan, Ilana (January 20, 2018). "'Dawson's Creek' Turns 20: Insiders Share Stories Behind the Music, Plot Choices & More". Billboard. from the original on April 22, 2018. Retrieved January 28, 2018.
19. Fox, Jenna Tesse (January 17, 2015). "What You Missed On "Glee": Carole King and Alanis Morissette Get Mashed-Up While a McKinley Sets the Stage for a Transgender Character". Playbill. from the original on December 23, 2019. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
20. Bacle, Ariana (December 13, 2016). "Best of 2016 (Behind the Scenes): Transparent star Judith Light on Shelly's Alanis Morissette cover". Entertainment Weekly. from the original on January 5, 2017. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
21. Cook-Wilson, Winston (November 21, 2017). "Read Greta Gerwig's Letters to Justin Timberlake, Alanis Morissette, and Dave Matthews for Lady Bird Music Rights". Spin. from the original on November 21, 2017. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
22. Hand in My Pocket (UK CD1 liner notes). Alanis Morissette. Maverick Records, Reprise Records. 1995. WO312CD1, 9362-43596-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
23. Hand in My Pocket (Australian CD single liner notes). Alanis Morissette. Maverick Records, WEA Records. 1995. 9362436042.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
24. Hand in My Pocket (UK CD2 liner notes). Alanis Morissette. Maverick Records, Reprise Records. 1995. WO312CD2, 9362-43621-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
25. Hand in My Pocket (UK cassette single sleeve). Alanis Morissette. Maverick Records, Reprise Records. 1995. WO312C, 5439-17757-4.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
26. Hand in My Pocket (Japanese CD single liner notes). Alanis Morissette. Maverick Records, Reprise Records, WEA Japan. 1996. WPCR-531.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
27. "Alanis Morissette – Hand in My Pocket". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
28. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 2827." RPM. Library and Archives Canada.
29. "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 2873." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
30. "Top RPM Rock/Alternative Tracks: Issue 9098." RPM. Library and Archives Canada.
31. "Alanis Morissette – Hand in My Pocket" (in French). Les classement single.
32. "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (2.12. '95 – 8.12. '95)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). December 2, 1995. p. 58. from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
33. "Alanis Morissette – Hand in My Pocket" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
34. "Alanis Morissette – Hand in My Pocket". Top 40 Singles.
35. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
36. "Alanis Morissette – Hand in My Pocket". Singles Top 100.
37. "Alanis Morissette Chart History (Radio Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
38. "Alanis Morissette Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
39. "Alanis Morissette Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
40. "Alanis Morissette Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
41. "Alanis Morissette Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
42. "Alanis Morissette Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
43. "RPM Top 100 Hit Tracks of 1995". RPM. from the original on February 26, 2021. Retrieved November 18, 2019 – via Library and Archives Canada.
44. "The Year in Music: Hot 100 Singles Airplay" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 107, no. 51. December 23, 1995. p. Y-32. (PDF) from the original on June 28, 2021. Retrieved June 6, 2022.
45. . ARIA. Archived from the original on November 2, 2015. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
46. "RPM Year End Top 100 Hit Tracks". RPM. from the original on December 7, 2021. Retrieved November 18, 2019 – via Library and Archives Canada.
47. "End of Year Charts 1996". Recorded Music NZ. from the original on April 10, 2022. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
48. "British single certifications – Alanis Morissette – Hand in My Pocket". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
49. "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. October 14, 1995. p. 27. (PDF) from the original on September 30, 2021. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
50. "Selected New Releases" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1116. October 13, 1995. p. 34. (PDF) from the original on September 28, 2021. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
51. . alanis-m.com. Archived from the original on November 12, 2021. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
52. "ハンド・イン・マイ・ポケット | アラニス・モリセット" [Hand in My Pocket | Alanis Morissette] (in Japanese). Oricon. from the original on October 13, 2023. Retrieved September 15, 2023.

External links

• "Alanis Morissette – Artist Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved August 23, 2006.
• "Alanis Morissette – Billboard Singles". Allmusic. Retrieved August 23, 2006.