"Head over Feet" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriterAlanis Morissette, taken from her third (and first outside Canada) studio albumJagged Little Pill (1995). Written by Alanis andGlen Ballard, and produced by Ballard, it was released as the album's fifthsingle outside of the United States in July 1996 and presented a softer sound than the previous singles from the album. "Head over Feet" talks about being best friends and lovers with someone at the same time, with Alanis thanking them for their manners, love and devotion.
"Head over Feet" received positive response from critics, who described it as soft and light. The song became Morissette's first number-one hit on the USBillboardAdult Top 40 chart and also topped theTop 40/Mainstream chart. In the United Kingdom, it was her first top-10 single, and it reached the top 20 in Australia. In Canada, the song spent eight weeks at number one on theRPM 100 Hit Tracks Chart, the most of any of her four number-one songs fromJagged Little Pill. The single also peaked at number one in Iceland.
Alanis Morissette andGlen Ballard wrote "Head over Feet", one of the several tracks they collaborated on for her breakthrough album,Jagged Little Pill (1995). 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 inSan Fernando Valley,California.[5] Ballard also declared toRolling 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."[6]
"Head over Feet" tells a tale of a couple who are best friends as well as lovers, in which the protagonist thanks a friend for his manners, love and devotion.[7] For Jason Radford ofPop'Stache, "It speaks of love beyond the lines and attraction regardless of inhibitions."[8]Yahoo! Voices's Joanna Lopez wrote that the song "is about realizing you've fallen in love with your best friend."[9][unreliable source?] "You are the bearer of unconditional things, you held your breath and the door for me, thanks for your patience," she sings.[10]
The song is the earliest known use of the term "friend with benefits", specifically in the lyric "you're my best friend, best friend with benefits".[4]
Sheet music for "Head over Feet" shows the key ofC major (with the chorus inD major) incommon time at atempo of 120 beats per minute, and Morissette's vocals spanning from G3 to B4.[11]
"Head over Feet" was released on July 22, 1996, as the album's fifth single.[1] The song received mostly positive response frommusic critics.Stephen Thomas Erlewine ofAllMusic chose it as a standout track on the album.[12] Likewise, Erlewine also picked it as a highlight on her compilation,The Collection (2005).[13] Melissa Minners ofG- Pop called it "a pretty song," but admitted she prefers "the angry Alanis."[14] British magazineMusic Week rated it four out of five, describing it as "another stormer, with the Canadian's extra-personal vocals rising to a dramatic crescendo. A surefire hit."[15] Jason Radford ofPop'Stache praised the track, writing that it "words itself brilliantly, providing the words that shaped a generation. Its metaphors are young, but mature, simple, but detailed."[8] John Weathered ofSputnikmusic wrote that on 'Head over Feet' "she sound[s] quite sweet, where she goes on about a friend who becomes her lover."[16] Joanna Lopez ofYahoo! Voices simply called it "a great song," praising the music, however feeling "the words are better than the music."[9]
"Head over Feet" was a major commercial success in Canada and the United Kingdom, peaking at number one and seven, respectively. In Canada, the song debuted at number 94 on theRPM 100 Hit Tracks chart[17] and later peaked at number one for eight weeks (the longest reign of the year), becoming her fourth consecutive number-one single fromJagged Little Pill.[18] The song spent 14 weeks in the Top Ten and was the number ten song for 1996, even though its last week at number one and last four weeks in the Top Ten spilled over in 1997. In the United Kingdom, it became the only single from the album to reach the top ten and remains her second most successful single in the UK after "Thank You" which peaked at number five in 1998.[19] In Australia, it was her third most successful single from the album on theARIA Singles Chart, peaking at number 12,[20] while in New Zealand, it was her least successful, reaching number 27.[21]
In the United States, the song was released as a radio-only single, effectively making the song ineligible to enter theBillboard Hot 100. On theTop 40/Mainstream chart, it was another major radio hit, reaching the number one spot, becoming her third consecutive single to do so. The song reached number three on theHot 100 Airplay (Radio Songs)[22] and number one on theAdult Top 40, her first single to achieve this.[23] On theModern Rock Tracks chart, it debuted at number 36 on the issue of September 28, 1996, but only peaked at number 25, the least successful single fromJagged Little Pill.[24]
The music video for "Head over Feet" was directed by Michele Laurita. The video is simple, showing a close-up of Morissette singing and playing harmonica, and uses a locked-off camera that never changes its field of vision.[25] There are two versions of thevideo: the "Head" version and the "Feet" version (played in Europe and Asia). The 12th take version ends with Morissette's laughter, while the other version shows her and the band playing with children running and playing the harmonica around them. Both videos are featured on the DVDJagged Little Pill, Live (1997).[25]
Released in September 1996,[24] the video received heavy rotation onMuchMusic,VH1,MTV and other music video channels. In October, the video was the third most played video on VH1 and the 22nd on MTV.[26] In November, the video was already among the top-twenty on the most watched videos list compiled byBillboard Magazine.[22] On the November 23, 1996, issue ofBillboard, the video was the most played video on VH1.[27]
^Head over Feet (Australian cassette single sleeve). Alanis Morissette. Maverick Records. 1996. 9362437194.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Head over Feet (UK & European CD single liner notes). Alanis Morissette. Maverick Records. 1996. WO355CD, 9362-43719-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Head over Feet (UK cassette single sleeve). Alanis Morissette. Maverick Records. 1996. WO355C, 5439-17613-4.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Head over Feet (Japanese mini-album CD liner notes). Alanis Morissette. Maverick Records. 1996. WPCR-849.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
