Morissette Updates ‘Ironic’ w/ a "FirstWorldProb" Twist

You may remember Alanis Morissette and her 1995 hit "Ironic" which was ironically criticized for not being, well, ironic. On an episode of The Late Late Show With James Corden, Alanis and James sang a duet that incorporated many "first world" forms of technology and digital communication. I have bolded the words that reflect our more tech-savvy age:

An old friend sends you a Facebook request

And you only find out they’re racist after you accept

There’s free office cake on the first day of your diet

It’s like they announce a new iPhone the day after you buy it

Isn’t it ironic? Don’t you think?

It’s like swiping left on your future soulmate

It’s a Snapchat that you wish you had saved

It’s a funny tweet that nobody faves

And who would’ve thought? It figures…

It’s a traffic jam, when you tried to use Waze

A no smoking sign, when you brought your vape

It’s ten thousand male late night hosts, when all you want is just one woman, seriously!

Isn’t it ironic, don’t you think?

It’s like you’re first class on a Southwest plane

Then you realize that every seat is the same

It’s like Amazon, but your package never came

And who would’ve thought? It figures…

It’s like Netflix, but you own DVDs

It’s a free ride, but your Uber’s down the street

It’s singing “Ironic,” but there are no ironies

Who would’ve thought? It figures…

There are many humorous "First World Probs" in Morissette's updated lyrics. But, a lot of these minuscule problems are probably applicable to most of our lives. I found it interesting that the lyrics mentioned adding someone on Facebook but then discovering the person is racist. Shouldn't you know someone well before you even add them? Morissette also mentions the irony of buying an iPhone the day before they announce a new one. I think this line does a good job exemplifying that our society always feels the pressure to continuously keep up with constantly developing gadgets and technology. When Morissette mentioned that it was ironic to swipe left on your future soulmate, it made me think about how superficial and disconnected online/app dating can be. There are so many profiles that users might swipe left on their "soulmate" because their profile does not appear as attractive as other options. Or, their bio may not suffice and it would have required face to face conversation to realize what a great match it is. I think that Morissette's goofy song is more than just funny lyrics. Her updated song says something more about our tech-savvy society.