A lively collection of essays that re-examines the extraordinary legacies of the four Canadian women who dominated ’90s music and changed the industry forever

Fully revised and updated, with a foreword by Vivek Shraya

“A fascinating, fun, and infuriating read.” — Tegan Quin, Tegan and Sara

In this of-the-moment essay collection, celebrated music journalist Andrea Warner explores the ways in which Céline Dion, Shania Twain, Alanis Morissette, and Sarah McLachlan became bonafide global superstars while revolutionizing ’90s music. In an era when male-fronted musical acts dominated radio and were given serious critical consideration, these four women were reduced, mocked, and disparaged by the media and became pop culture jokes, even as their albums were topping the charts and demolishing sales records.

With empathy, humor, and reflections on her own teenaged perceptions of Céline, Shania, Alanis, and Sarah, Andrea offers us a revised and expanded edition of her 2015 book, providing a new perspective on the legacies of the four Canadian women who dominated the ’90s airwaves and influenced an entire generation of current day popstars with their voices, fashion, and advocacy. As the world is now reconsidering the treatment and reputations of key women in ’90s entertainment, We Oughta Know is definitively entering the chat.

Andrea Warner (she/her) writes and talks. A lot. She's the author of Buffy Sainte-Marie: The Authorized Biography and We Oughta Know: How Four Women Ruled the '90s and Changed Canadian Music. She's the co-writer and associate producer of the 2022 documentary Buffy Sainte-Marie: Carry It On and co-hosts the the weekly feminist pop culture podcast Pop This!. She lives in Vancouver, BC.

Andrea Warner's profile page

Vivek Shraya is the author of the young-adult collection God Loves Hair, the novel She of the Mountains, the poetry book even this page is white, and the children's picture book (with Rajni Perera) The Boy & the Bindi (all published by Arsenal Pulp Press), as well as I'm Afraid of Men and What I Love About Being QUEER. She is editor of the Arsenal Pulp Press imprint VS. Books, dedicated to work by young black, Indigenous, and writers of colour. Vivek was the 2014 recipient of the Steinert & Ferreiro Award for leadership in Toronto's LGBTQ community, the recipient of Anokhi Media's inaugural Most Promising LGBTQ Community Crusader Award in 2015, a 2015 Toronto Arts Foundation Emerging Artist Award finalist, and a 2015 recipient of the Writers' Trust of Canada's Dayne Ogilvie Prize Honour of Distinction. Originally from Edmonton, she now lives in Calgary, where she is an assistant professor in the University of Calgary's Department of English.

Vivek Shraya's profile page

“From the mind of one of our country’s finest writers, We Oughta Know is a history lesson in how misogyny marked the stratospheric careers of Canada’s four biggest female music superstars. A fascinating, fun, and infuriating read.” — Tegan Quin, Tegan and Sara

“Andrea Warner pointedly eviscerates the blatant sexism of the music press but also deftly interrogates our own complicity in reinforcing stereotypes — and pinpoints both the shortcomings (and upsides) of the ongoing 1990s resurgence. Thought-provoking, smart and vulnerable, We Oughta Know is the book on ’90s music I’ve always wanted to read.” — Annie Zaleski, author of Lady Gaga: Applause

“Andrea Warner does not hold back. Each sentence — whether piercing, scathing, funny, or loving — is wrapped in lace or barbed wire and underlined in smudged mascara and blood. We Oughta Know is a reminder for music lovers to be fiercely true to ourselves and our sisters as we move forward with songs as our torch on these still dark and dangerous streets.” — Tara MacLean, musician and author of Song of the Sparrow

“This delicious book is cohesive, deep, incisive, feminist — and fun.” — Jessica Hopper, author of The First Collection of Criticism by a Living Female Rock Critic

“A powerful, eye-opening tribute to four women who changed the face of ’90s music. Warner’s essays are both informative and inspiring, making We Oughta Know a compelling read for music lovers and feminists alike.” — Rock ‘n’ Roll Highway blog

“Andrea Warner's We Oughta Know: How Four Women Ruled the ’90s and Changed Music has awakened my understanding of what female singers must deal with to survive in the music world, but also that music is, and always was, a powerful tool of protest.” — Biff Bam Pop!