Narcissus

Album: Under Rug Swept (2002)
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Songfacts®:

  • Morissette takes aim at self-centered guys who expect her to do all the work in relationships in "Narcissus," named for the Greek god who fell in love with his own reflection (and inspired the term narcissist).

    The singer elaborated in the album's track-by-track commentary: "The verses represent my trying to speak as truthfully as I possibly can about what I see, but there's no such thing as objective truth, so they (men) could probably sing the same kind of song right back at me. It's the part of me that allows myself to feel like a victim and the part of me that allows myself to just be angry and not apologize for it. And yet in the choruses I feel like I do take responsibility, I feel like I'm calling it what it is, but I'm also saying, 'And yet here I am, still wanting to connect with you.' So, it's that dichotomy of loving someone and really wanting it to work and wanting to bridge the gap and bridge the chasm and, yet at the same time, being totally repulsed by the qualities that are being presented and the pain that comes from it."
  • This features Flea of Red Hot Chili Peppers on bass.

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