Born on this day in Ottawa, Canada, Rock and Roll sensation Alanis Nadine Morissette (1974-) has a twin brother, Wade, and was named after her father, Alan, a high school principal.

"I want to walk through life instead of being dragged through it," she once said.

The gifted singer dove right into the deep end of the musical ocean with 1995's stunning album, Jagged Little Pill which sold over 30 million copies. She is still swimming just fine, Thank You, selling millions of records and gathering Grammy and other awards.

Morissette admitted that most of her songs actually address her life. "People have always said I was an old soul," she once explained. "They said I was always a little more intense and introspective than everyone was used to seeing girls be, so they didn't know where to categorize me."

In 1999, Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie won her critical acclaim and commercial success. "There is no better feeling than when you write something you know is a piece of you and that, at some point, is going to communicate with someone else," she said.

Exploding, with manic abandon, her lyrics rage. She lets it rip, with remarkable self-affirming optimism. "I'm saying what a lot of people would want to say but are too embarrassed," said Morissette who played God in Kevin Smith's clever film, Dogma (1999, w/Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Chris Rock).

With So Called Chaos (2004), her music continued to vibrantly explore passion with intensity, intelligence, and honesty. She called her songwriting "confessional, very unadulterated.... a very unfettered, spiritual experience."

"Instead of remembering what I'm not supposed to say or share, it takes a lot less energy to say whatever my experience is. I wind up feeling more connected with people, and that's ultimately my goal."

Dive in... the water's fine.