"Precious Illusions" is a song written, performed, and produced by Canadian singer
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). It released as the album's second and final international
single
Single may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Single (music), a song release
Songs
* "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004
* "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008
* "Single" (William Wei song), 2016
* "Single", by ...
on May 20, 2002. Its lyrics describe a conflict between
idealism
In philosophy, the term idealism identifies and describes metaphysical perspectives which assert that reality is indistinguishable and inseparable from perception and understanding; that reality is a mental construct closely connected to ide ...
and
realism
Realism, Realistic, or Realists may refer to:
In the arts
*Realism (arts), the general attempt to depict subjects truthfully in different forms of the arts
Arts movements related to realism include:
*Classical Realism
*Literary realism, a move ...
, and its protagonist refers to her
childhood fancies as "precious illusions" that she has distanced herself from with a feeling that reminds her of "parting with an
imaginary friend
Imaginary friends (also known as pretend friends, invisible friends or made-up friends) are a psychological and social phenomenon where a friendship or other interpersonal relationship takes place in the imagination rather than physical reality.
...
".
"Precious Illusions" did not receive as much radio airplay in the United States as "
Hands Clean
"Hands Clean" is a song recorded by Canadian singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette, for her fifth studio album, ''Under Rug Swept'' (2002). It was written, composed, and produced by Morissette and released as the album's lead single in January 2 ...
", the first single from ''Under Rug Swept''. It peaked within the top 20 on ''
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 ...
''s
Adult Top 40
The Adult Pop Airplay (formerly known as Adult Pop Songs and Adult Top 40) chart is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and ranks "the most popular adult top 40 as based on radio airplay detections measured by Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems ...
chart but garnered little
Top 40 radio
Contemporary hit radio (also known as CHR, contemporary hits, hit list, current hits, hit music, top 40, or pop radio) is a radio format that is common in many countries that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by ...
play compared to "Hands Clean" and failed to chart on the US ''Billboard''
Hot 100
The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...
. However, it reached number four in Canada and peaked within the top 10 in Hungary. The music video for the song is presented in
split screen
Split screen may refer to:
* Split screen (computing)
Split screen is a display technique in computer graphics that consists of dividing graphics and/or text into adjacent (and possibly overlapping) parts, typically as two or four rectangular ...
, offering a side-by-side comparison of the mythic and the real versions of a romantic relationship.
Recording and release
"Precious Illusions" 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."
After the success of previous single, "
Hands Clean
"Hands Clean" is a song recorded by Canadian singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette, for her fifth studio album, ''Under Rug Swept'' (2002). It was written, composed, and produced by Morissette and released as the album's lead single in January 2 ...
", "Precious Illusions" was announced as ''Under Rug Swept''s second single after news that she was shooting its music video.
"Precious Illusions" was first released in Australia on May 20, 2002.
In the United Kingdom, two
CD single
A CD single (sometimes abbreviated to CDS) is a music single in the form of a compact disc. The standard in the Red Book for the term ''CD single'' is an 8 cm (3-inch) CD (or Mini CD). It now refers to any single recorded onto a CD of any si ...
s and a
cassette single
A cassette single (CS), also known by the trademark cassingle, or capitalised as the trademark Cassette Single, is a music single supplied in the form of a Compact Cassette. The cassette single was first introduced in 1980.
History
The debu ...
were issued on August 5, 2002.
Composition and lyrics
"Precious Illusions" was written in the key of
E major
E major (or the key of E) is a major scale based on E, consisting of the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. Its key signature has four sharps. Its relative minor is C-sharp minor and its parallel minor is E minor. Its enharmonic equivalent, ...
, with a moderate tempo of 92
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
B4 to the high-note of
C6.
The song is "dressed up in toe-tapping rhythms, crunchy guitars and downright infectious melodies," as noted by Sal Cinquemani, editor of
Slant Magazine
''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York ...
.
Larry Flick of
Billboard Magazine
''Billboard'' (stylized as ''billboard'') is an American music and entertainment magazine published weekly by Penske Media Corporation. The magazine provides music charts, news, video, opinion, reviews, events, and style related to the music ...
added that the song has a "radio-ready arrangement rife with insinuating shuffle beats,
U2-esque guitar licks, and a sticky, candy-sweet hook."
The song "examines the pitfalls of relationships.
[ In an interview for '']Yahoo! Music
Yahoo! Music was a brand under which Yahoo! provided a variety of music services, including Internet radio, music videos, news, artist information, and original programming. Previously, users with Yahoo! accounts could gain access to hundreds of ...
'', Morissette said of "Precious Illusions": "As I evolve and as I grow older, a lot of the things I thought to be truths when I was younger just really aren't, and that's disillusioning. And there is a grief and a loss of sorts that happens when I segue from one awareness to another. And that's what I was singing about on that song."[Weiss, Neil]
"Alanis Morissette Shoots 'Illusions' Video"
Yahoo! Music
Yahoo! Music was a brand under which Yahoo! provided a variety of music services, including Internet radio, music videos, news, artist information, and original programming. Previously, users with Yahoo! accounts could gain access to hundreds of ...
. June 11, 2002. Retrieved August 18, 2006.
Its lyrics describe a conflict between idealism
In philosophy, the term idealism identifies and describes metaphysical perspectives which assert that reality is indistinguishable and inseparable from perception and understanding; that reality is a mental construct closely connected to ide ...
and realism
Realism, Realistic, or Realists may refer to:
In the arts
*Realism (arts), the general attempt to depict subjects truthfully in different forms of the arts
Arts movements related to realism include:
*Classical Realism
*Literary realism, a move ...
, and its protagonist refers to her childhood fancies as "precious illusions" that she has distanced herself from with a feeling that reminds her of "parting with an imaginary friend
Imaginary friends (also known as pretend friends, invisible friends or made-up friends) are a psychological and social phenomenon where a friendship or other interpersonal relationship takes place in the imagination rather than physical reality.
...
". Nonetheless, she demonstrates that she has retained a rose-tinted sense of romantic optimism
Optimism is an attitude reflecting a belief or hope that the outcome of some specific endeavor, or outcomes in general, will be positive, favorable, and desirable. A common idiom used to illustrate optimism versus pessimism is a glass filled wi ...
into adulthood
An adult is a human or other animal that has reached full growth. In human context, the term ''adult'' has meanings associated with social and legal concepts. In contrast to a " minor", a legal adult is a person who has attained the age of major ...
, when she expresses a yearning hope for marriage ("this ring") and a husband ("you knight in shining armor"). Flick of ''Billboard'' also noted that "there's a pointed edge of cynicism in such lines as "You'll complete me, right?/And my life can finally begin'." He also noted that Morissette "turn that cynicism into a catalyst for letting go of the notion of perfect romance and growing toward positive declarations like 'I won't keep playing the victim."[
In a track-by-track commentary about ''Under Rug Swept'', Morissette further commented about the track:
]
Reception
Critical
Larry Flick
Larry Flick is an American journalist, former dance music columnist, single reviewer, and Senior Talent Editor for ''Billboard'' magazine, where he worked for 14 years. Now he produces and hosts Sirius XM radio shows. Flick started in the music ...
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 ...
'' praised the song for "exemplifing
Ing, ING or ing may refer to:
Art and media
* '' ...ing'', a 2003 Korean film
* i.n.g, a Taiwanese girl group
* The Ing, a race of dark creatures in the 2004 video game '' Metroid Prime 2: Echoes''
* "Ing", the first song on The Roches' 1992 ...
how the artist has actually matured significantly," also calling it a "sane self-empowerment". Flick also noted that Morissette "sells the song with a performance that is, by turns, introspective and chest-pounding."[ Sal Cinquemani of '']Slant Magazine
''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York ...
'' praised the track for being "super-catchy," while 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 ...
'' lauded the track for "confirm ngthat, as a songwriter, Alanis is only getting better."
Commercial
"Precious Illusions" became a success in Canada, where it peaked at number four, and Hungary, reaching number nine. In Australia, the song debuted and peaked at number 41, on June 2, 2002. Although only reaching number 79 in Netherlands, the song managed to spend six weeks inside the charts. In the United Kingdom, "Precious Illusions" only reached number 59, becoming her second-lowest-charting single at the time. In the United States, the song failed to enter the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart but reached number 16 on the Adult Pop Songs
The Adult Pop Airplay (formerly known as Adult Pop Songs and Adult Top 40) chart is published weekly by Billboard (magazine), ''Billboard'' magazine and ranks "the most popular adult top 40 as based on radio airplay detections measured by Nielsen B ...
chart.
Music video
The single's music video
A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...
was directed by Francis Lawrence
Francis Lawrence (born March 26, 1971) is an Austrian-born American filmmaker and producer. After establishing himself as a director of music videos and commercials, Lawrence made his feature-length directorial debut with the superhero thrille ...
, who helmed the "Hands Clean" video. It was filmed in late May 2002 and uses a split-screen
Split screen may refer to:
* Split screen (computing), dividing graphics into adjacent parts
* Split screen (video production), the visible division of the screen
* Split Screen (TV series), ''Split Screen'' (TV series), 1997–2001
* Split-Scree ...
effect. In the video for "Precious Illusions," Alanis Morissette is courted by a handsome prince (played by American actor Lucas Babin
Lucas Edwin Babin (born July 30, 1979) is an American attorney, actor, and fashion model who has served as district attorney of Tyler County, Texas since 2019. As an actor, Babin was noted for playing Spider in ''School of Rock'' (2003).
Early ...
) who gives her a diamond and invites her to live happily ever after. However, while the left side of the screen follows the fairy-tale romance, the right side shows more a realistic view: in place of the prince, her suitor is a guy who asks her out by e-mail. As noted by Elysa Lee of ''CNN
CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by ...
'', "he does propose, but in a way that reminds us that love isn't all blossoms and butterflies." According to Morissette, "The right side is more me. I'm not anywhere near being in a position to ask or be asked, so it was charming and amusing."[
]
Track listings
Canadian CD single
# "Precious Illusions"
# "Hands Clean" (acoustic version)
UK and European CD1
# "Precious Illusions"
# "Hands Clean" (acoustic version)
# "Sorry 2 Myself"
UK and European CD2
# "Precious Illusions"
# "Offer"
# "Bent 4 U"
European maxi-CD single
# "Precious Illusions" – 4:12
# "Hands Clean" (acoustic version) – 4:07
# "Offer" – 4:05
# "Bent 4 U" – 4:46
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Release history
References
{{Authority control
2002 singles
Alanis Morissette songs
Maverick Records singles
Music videos directed by Francis Lawrence
Reprise Records singles
Songs written by Alanis Morissette