Long weeks of lockdown have confirmed my feeling that we can only survive this isolation by keeping a sense of humour.

7th February

For a start I've chosen two songs about the same topic. Irony is a kind of humour that can help us through difficult times. But what is it exactly?

The first song is Ironic from Alanis Morissette's immensely successful album Jagged Little Pill (1995) that made her the youngest winner of a Grammy Award at the time. It has become a modern classic.

Ironic (Alanis Morissette)

An old man turned ninety-eight
He won the lottery and died the next day
It's a black fly in your Chardonnay
It's a death row pardon two minutes too late
Isn't it ironic, don't you think?

It's like rain on your wedding day
It's a free ride when you've already paid
It's the good advice that you just didn't take
And who would've thought it, it figures

Mr. Play-It-Safe was afraid to fly
He packed his suitcase and kissed his kids good-bye
He waited his whole damn life to take that flight
And as the plane crashed down he thought "Well isn't this nice"
And isn't it ironic, don't you think?

It's like rain on your wedding day
It's a free ride when you've already paid
It's the good advice that you just didn't take
And who would've thought it, it figures

Well life has a funny way of sneaking up on you
When you think everything's okay and everything's going right
And life has a funny way of helping you out when
You think everything's gone wrong and everything blows up in your face

A traffic jam when you're already late
A "No Smoking" sign on your cigarette break
It's like ten thousand spoons when all you need is a knife
It's meeting the man of my dreams, and then meeting his beautiful wife
And isn't it ironic, don't you think?
A little too ironic, and yeah I really do think

It's like rain on your wedding day
It's a free ride when you've already paid
It's the good advice that you just didn't take
And who would've thought it, it figures

Life has a funny way of sneaking up on you
Life has a funny, funny way of helping you out
Helping you out

The second song is quite new in comparison. It's Irony by the Danish singer Christopher from the album Under the Surface (2019).

Irony (Christopher)

I'm still smoking 'cause I read somewhere
If I quit before I'm twenty-six
I'll be fine so I'm lying to myself
While I light another cigarette
I'm addicted to my phone
Getting anxious every time that it's out of reach
I lie awake, screen right up in my face
And I wonder why I can't sleep

Oh, can you see the irony?
Oh, can you see the irony?

I saw these awful things in a documentary
Decided I would stop eating meat
To save the planet 'til I was like "damn it"
I didn't even last a week
So pretty perfect on the surface, but the truth is
I don't wanna be that guy
But I got a script, better stick to it
My label's telling me I gotta lie

Oh, can you see the irony?
Oh, can you see the irony?
And nobody's perfect under the surface
They'll never see that side of me
Oh, can you see the irony?

I just got a new tattoo, I'm embarrassed
'Cause I didn't even tell my own mom
So every time I'm home visiting my parents
I always keep my sweater on
I don't care if it's the truth or not
All I care about is gettin' likes
Reading the comments like everybody's honest
While they're cheering for my fake life

Oh, can you see the irony?
Oh, can you see the irony?
And nobody's perfect under the surface
They'll never see that side of me
Oh, can you see the irony?

'Cause I'm only human after all
Put a filter on and it make it look natural
'Cause I'm only human after all
Put a filter on and it make it look natural
Can you see the irony?
Oh, can't you see the irony?

Oh, can you see the irony?
Oh, can you see the irony?
And nobody's perfect under the surface
But everybody's tryna be
Can you see the irony?

Oh, can you see the irony?

Can you see the irony?

What definition of irony from the dictionary do Christopher and Alanis Morissette sing about?