Morissette assumed creative control and producing duties for her subsequent studio albums, including Under Rug Swept (2002), So-Called Chaos (2004), Flavors of Entanglement (2008), and Havoc and Bright Lights (2012). Her ninth album, Such Pretty Forks in the Road, was released in 2020. Morissette has sold more than 75 million records worldwide and has been dubbed the "Queen of Alt-Rock Angst" by Rolling Stone.
Read the full article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alanis_Morissette
Studio albums
Alanis (1991)
Now Is the Time (1992)
Jagged Little Pill (1995)
Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie (1998)
Under Rug Swept (2002)
So-Called Chaos (2004)
Flavors of Entanglement (2008)
Havoc and Bright Lights (2012)
Such Pretty Forks in the Road (2020)
Fake Plastic Trees
Alanis Morissette Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
For her fake Chinese rubber plant
In the fake plastic Earth
That she bought from a rubber man
In a town full of rubber plans
To get rid of itself
It wears her out
It wears her out
It wears her out
She lives with a broken man
A cracked polystyrene man
Who just crumbles and burns
He used to do surgery
For girls in the eighties
But gravity always wins
And it wears him out
And it wears him out
And it wears him out
She looks like the real thing
She tastes like the real thing
My fake plastic love
But I can't help the feeling
I could blow through the ceiling
If I just turn and run
And it wears me out
And it wears me out
And it wears me out
And it wears me out
If I could be who you wanted
If I could be who you wanted all the time
The lyrics of the song "Fake Plastic Trees" by Alanis Morissette are filled with metaphors and imagery that showcase the theme of fakeness and artificiality. The song speaks of a couple who live in a world that is unreal and fake, with fake objects and fake plants. The first verse talks about a woman who has a fake plastic Earth and a fake Chinese rubber plant that she waters with a fake green plastic watering can. These symbols signify the fake and artificial world that the woman lives in. She bought these things from a rubber man in a town that is also artificial, with plans to get rid of itself. The verse reflects a sense of loneliness, sadness, and emptiness that one may feel in an unreal and artificial world.
The second verse is about a man who is broken and cannot hold himself together. He is compared to a cracked polystyrene man who crumbles and burns. He used to be a surgeon for girls in the 80s, but now gravity has taken over him. The verse reflects the pain, decay, and uncertainty of life. In the chorus, the phrase "It wears him/her/me out" reflects how the unreality and artificiality of the world are exhausting and draining.
The final verse is about the desire to be real and authentic. The lines "She looks like the real thing, She tastes like the real thing, My fake plastic love" suggests that the singer is aware of the fakeness of his love, but he cannot help the feeling. He wants to break free from this unreal world and be who he wants to be, but is unable to do so.
Line by Line Meaning
Her green plastic watering can
The woman tends to a fake plant with a fake tool in a fake world.
For her fake Chinese rubber plant
The woman cares for a plastic symbol of life that is inauthentic.
In the fake plastic Earth
The environment in which she lives is artificial and lacks life.
That she bought from a rubber man
She acquired her synthetic existence from a salesman.
In a town full of rubber plans
The town is saturated with the same synthetic materialism.
To get rid of itself
The town tries to escape the emptiness of its existence.
It wears her out
The inauthenticity of her environment exhausts her.
It wears her out
The inauthenticity of her environment exhausts her.
It wears her out
The inauthenticity of her environment exhausts her.
It wears her out
The inauthenticity of her environment exhausts her.
She lives with a broken man
She coexists with someone who is emotionally and mentally hurt.
A cracked polystyrene man
He is brittle and worthless like a broken plastic object.
Who just crumbles and burns
He is self-destructive and only headed for a tragic end.
He used to do surgery
The man once had a career doing artificial, superficial surgery.
For girls in the eighties
The plastic surgery was performed on superficial women in a specific time period.
But gravity always wins
Despite efforts to maintain youthfulness, aging and reality will always take hold.
And it wears him out
The artificiality of his life is the root cause of his exhaustion.
And it wears him out
The artificiality of his life is the root cause of his exhaustion.
And it wears him out
The artificiality of his life is the root cause of his exhaustion.
She looks like the real thing
The woman's appearance is deceiving, and she presents herself as authentic.
She tastes like the real thing
Her outward appearance is matched by her ability to deceive even further.
My fake plastic love
The love in this relationship is inauthentic and synthetic.
But I can't help the feeling
The singer is aware of the falseness, but still can't shake the emotions.
I could blow through the ceiling
The singer's inner turmoil could be explosive and overwhelming.
If I just turn and run
Escaping the inauthenticity of his life is tempting.
And it wears me out
The artificiality of the situation exhausts the singer.
And it wears me out
The artificiality of the situation exhausts the singer.
And it wears me out
The artificiality of the situation exhausts the singer.
And it wears me out
The artificiality of the situation exhausts the singer.
If I could be who you wanted
The singer wishes he could be authentic, but feels trapped.
If I could be who you wanted all the time
The singer wishes he could maintain authenticity permanently.
Contributed by Jason R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@domotime2
i would've LOVED a recorded version of this. holy crap. why are radiohead fans offended by this cover? Alanis is a terriffic artist which one of the best voices of all-time.
@kleinbottled79
Not everyone can cover this song and make it work. Alanis obviously can. Bet her live shows rock. She sounds like the real thing.
@SinDuhRella33
kleinbottled79 her live shows are amazing.
@mochajohnson4780
I'd give both kidneys for a studio recording of Alanis performing this.
@cmjcj2ktn
I love it when people I love cover other people I love. It makes me feel like their friend.
@luizcarlosgarcia282
Perfeita!!!😍
@pseudowunderkind
she makes the covers her own, sometimes or most of all the songs she covered is even better than the original
@mormand5003
I saw her do this in Austin during the jagged little pill era when I was 12. I thought it was great and my sister told me it was a radiohead song. I went and sought out the Radiohead version at Flipside Records in San Antonio. Because of Alanis I was turned on to Radiohead
@paul150365
a very good cover typically Alanis would love to see her live, but i wonder if there is a studio version of this song by her think she'd really kick ass with it.
@dominicomegon4714
Alanis has the voice for it.