"Flinch" is a song recorded by Canadian singer-songwriter
Alanis Morissette
Alanis Nadine Morissette ( ; born June 1, 1974) is a Canadian-American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her emotive mezzo-soprano voice and confessional songwriting, Morissette began her career in Canada in the early 1990s with tw ...
for her fifth studio album, ''
Under Rug Swept
''Under Rug Swept'' is the fifth studio album and third internationally released album by Canadian singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette. Released by Maverick Records in the United States on February 26, 2002, and in the United Kingdom a day earlier ...
'' (2002). The song, written, arranged and produced by Morissette herself, is inspired by an old flame she previously dated when she was younger. Lyrically, "Flinch" is about feeling ashamed and embarrassed after seeing an ex-boyfriend, and how much he still affects her, with the protagonist claiming that she will eventually grow up and will not even flinch at his name.
The song was released in Brazil as the album's third single, after being onto the soundtrack of the
Brazilian soap opera "
Desejos de Mulher
''Desejos de Mulher'' is a Brazilian telenovela that was produced and aired by TV Globo from January 21, 2002, to August 24, 2002, totaling 185 chapters, replacing '' As Filhas da Mãe'' and replaced by ''O Beijo do Vampiro''.
It stars Regina Dua ...
" in 2002. Critics were divided with the song; some praised its lyrics and Morissette's vocal performance, but others felt it was not as good as her other ballads. The song charted on Brazil's Hot 100 chart, reaching the top-forty. Morissette has performed the song live numerous times, including on her "Toward Our Union Mended Tour" (2002) and her "
Live at Montreux 2012 CD/DVD".
Background and writing
"Flinch" was all written, arranged and produced by
Alanis Morissette
Alanis Nadine Morissette ( ; born June 1, 1974) is a Canadian-American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her emotive mezzo-soprano voice and confessional songwriting, Morissette began her career in Canada in the early 1990s with tw ...
. According to herself, "I went to Toronto to write and I didn't know whether I'd be writing songs for the record alone or with someone. I had no idea, but I started writing alone, and within the first week I'd written seven songs. So it was all really fast and accelerated
..I'd have my little space station worked out where it was like a keyboard, an acoustic, an electric, my journal and a microphone set up, and we'd record it all onto
DAT."
"Flinch" was written in the
key
Key or The Key may refer to:
Common meanings
* Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm
* Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock
* Key (map ...
of
A major
A major (or the key of A) is a major scale based on A, with the pitches A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Its key signature has three sharps. Its relative minor is F-sharp minor and its parallel minor is A minor. The key of A major is the only k ...
, with a moderately slow tempo of 72
beats per minute
Beat, beats or beating may refer to:
Common uses
* Patrol, or beat, a group of personnel assigned to monitor a specific area
** Beat (police), the territory that a police officer patrols
** Gay beat, an area frequented by gay men
* Battery ( ...
. Morissette's vocal range span from the low-note of
A4 to the high-note of
B5.
Morissette said she wrote "Flinch" immediately after an experience she had in Canada during which she nearly ran into the subject of the song, only eluding them by driving away. According to her, she was surprised that in spite of years after their last meeting (which was when she was "very, very young"), she was "responding to the situation as though
hehad been spending time with him two minutes earlier."
[ "How long can a girl be haunted by you?", she sings in one part.]
She continued to further explain the song's meaning:
Critical reception
"Flinch" received mixed to favorable reviews from music critics. Larry Flick of ''Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' described "Flinch" and the album's other track "That Particular Time" as one of the "expansive, introspective interludes n the album
N, or n, is the fourteenth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''en'' (pronounced ), plural ''ens''.
History
...
" also calling them "highly skilled, bravura turns – both in terms of lyrical content and performance." In a separate review of ''Under Rug Swept'' the song was named a "delicate ballad hat
A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...
recalls Joni Mitchell
Roberta Joan "Joni" Mitchell ( Anderson; born November 7, 1943) is a Canadian-American musician, producer, and painter. Among the most influential singer-songwriters to emerge from the 1960s folk music circuit, Mitchell became known for her sta ...
at her best". Mark Blake of '' Q'' picked as one of the album's peaks, noting that it "couch sthe message in some of the most inviting music of her career." Chris Heath of ''Dotmusic
''Dotmusic'' was a music webzine that existed as a standalone website from 1 June 1995 to December 2003. Initially intended as the web complement to the UK music industry trade magazine ''Music Week'', the site was relaunched in December 1998 as a ...
'' wrote that the song "washes around your head - at first aimlessly but later seductively."
Rob Mitchum of ''Pitchfork Media
''Pitchfork'' (formerly ''Pitchfork Media'') is an American online music publication (currently owned by Condé Nast) that was launched in 1995 by writer Ryan Schreiber as an independent music blog.
Schreiber started Pitchfork while working ...
'' believed that the song is about "what it feels like to be dumped by Dave Coulier
David Alan Coulier ( ; born September 21, 1959) is an American actor, stand-up comedian, impressionist, and television host. He played Joey Gladstone on the ABC sitcom ''Full House'', voiced Peter Venkman on ''The Real Ghostbusters'', and voiced ...
," also praising Morissette's "unmitigated and highly concentrated ferocity of her lyrical confessions."[ Miles Marshall Lewis of '']LA Weekly
''LA Weekly'' is a free weekly alternative newspaper in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1978 by Jay Levin, who served as president and editor until 1991. Voice Media Group sold the paper in late 2017 to Semanal Media LLC, whose paren ...
'' called it "the most straight-ahead ballad at over six minutes", and that it "falls short of orissette'smajestic ' Uninvited'." Kimberly Reyes of ''Time
Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...
'' wrote a mixed review for the song, calling it "a perfect example of her stream-of-consciousness posturing. With lines like, 'how long can a girl be tortured by you' the real question should be how many different ways can Morissette find to voice the same trite complaint?."
Release and commercial performance
"Flinch" was released as a single only in Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
, since it was included on the soundtrack of Brazilian soap opera "Desejos de Mulher
''Desejos de Mulher'' is a Brazilian telenovela that was produced and aired by TV Globo from January 21, 2002, to August 24, 2002, totaling 185 chapters, replacing '' As Filhas da Mãe'' and replaced by ''O Beijo do Vampiro''.
It stars Regina Dua ...
" in 2002, being the main theme of the romantic couple played by actress Glória Pires
Glória Maria Cláudia Pires de Morais (; born 23 August 1963) is a Brazilian actress. She is best known for her roles in TV Globo telenovelas such as '' Dancin' Days'', ''Vale Tudo'', ''Mulheres de Areia'' and ''O Rei do Gado''. She is also know ...
and Eduardo Moscovis. It was released to Brazilian radio stations in mid-May 2002. It later debuted on the ''Brazilian Hot 100'' chart, on 1 June 2002, before peaking at number 26, on 3 August 2002.[
]
Promotion and live performances
Morissette performed "Flinch" in Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
as part of a showcase, directed by Mauro Mendonça Filho, for the television newsmagazine ''Fantástico
''Fantástico'' (originally known as ''Fantástico: O Show da Vida'', Portuguese for ''Fantastic The Show of Life'') is a Brazilian weekly television news program broadcast on Sunday nights on Rede Globo since August 5, 1973, created by José Bo ...
''. The singer also performed the track on " AOL Launch Party". "Flinch" was also included on her "Toward Our Union Mended Tour" (2002) and on the DVD "Feast on Scraps
''Feast on Scraps'' is an Alanis Morissette CD/DVD package released on December 10, 2002. The DVD was filmed during a concert in Rotterdam, Netherlands and the CD contains B-sides and unreleased studio tracks left off Morissette's album ''Under ...
" (2002). After ten years without performing "Flinch", Morissette performed the track once again on selected dates of her " Guardian Angel Tour" (2012). "Flinch" was also included on her Live at Montreux 2012 CD/DVD.
Charts
References
{{Alanis Morissette songs
Alanis Morissette songs
2002 singles
Songs written by Alanis Morissette