"MTV Unplugged" is the first live album by Canadian singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette, released on November 9, 1999, by Maverick Records. The album consists of twelve tracks performed live on the television program MTV Unplugged, though Morissette also performed additional songs during the taping, such as "Baba," "Thank U" (both from her 1998 album Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie), and "Your House" (a hidden track from Jagged Little Pill). These songs were later released as B-sides on the "King of Pain" single.
The album's first single, "That I Would Be Good," was moderately successful, while other tracks like "King of Pain" (a cover of The Police's song) and "You Learn" were released as singles outside of North America. By March 2012, the album had sold 673,000 copies in the U.S.
In addition to songs from Morissette's first two albums, MTV Unplugged also featured the unreleased tracks "No Pressure over Cappuccino" and "Princes Familiar," which had been performed during her live tours. "These R the Thoughts," a previously released B-side, was also included. Morissette has cited "Princes Familiar" as one of her favorite songs and one of the most vocally challenging pieces in her repertoire. She later performed it during her 2005 Diamond Wink Tour, dedicating it to "all the dads in the audience." "No Pressure over Cappuccino," a ballad inspired by her twin brother, Wade, was one of the first songs she wrote after the success of Jagged Little Pill.
With cleaner vocals, slower arrangements, and a few drastic reinventions—particularly in the case of "You Oughta Know"—MTV Unplugged foreshadowed much of Morissette's later, softer musical direction, such as the 2005 Jagged Little Pill Acoustic album and the accompanying Diamond Wink Tour.
