"21 Things I Want in a Lover" (sometimes referred as just "21 Things") is a song recorded by Canadian singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette for her fifth studio album, Under Rug Swept (2002). "21 Things I Want in a Lover" was all written, arranged and produced by Morissette. It is a pop rock song, featuring guitarist Dean DeLeo of Stone Temple Pilots. Lyrically, the song talks about all the 21 qualities that Morissette would like the most to find in a lover.

"21 Things" received mixed reviews from critics, with many praising it as a standout track on the album, but others found issues with the song's lyrics. The song was only released in Brazil, charting on the Hot 100 chart, peaking inside the top-fifty. A video for the song was also released there, featuring clips from the DVD "Feast on Scraps" and live shows. Morissette performed the track during the "Toward Our Union Mended Tour" (2002), "So-Called Chaos Tour" (2004) and the "Guardian Angel" (2012).

"21 Things I Want in a Lover" was all written, arranged and produced by Alanis Morissette, in the same vein of the entire album, Under Rug Swept. The song was mixed by Chris Fogel and features Dean DeLeo, guitarist of the Stone Temple Pilots, on the guitar. While writing the track, Morissette claimed that she's jokin in one part of the song, but in another she's "dead serious." According to herself, "I went to Toronto to write and I didn't know whether I'd be writing songs for the record alone or with someone. I had no idea, but I started writing alone, and within the first week I'd written seven songs. So it was all really fast and accelerated [...] I'd have my little space station worked out where it was like a keyboard, an acoustic, an electric, my journal and a microphone set up, and we'd record it all onto DAT."

According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Universal Music Publishing Group, "21 Things I Want In a Lover" was written in the key of C major, with a moderately tempo of 96 beats per minute. The introduction follows the chord progression of C5–C(♭5)–F5/C-C. Morissette's vocal range span from the low-note of G4 to the high-note of C6. The pop rock song starts with a "toothy" guitar hook, played by Dean DeLeo, followed by Morissette listing the 21 things she wants in a lover, "not necessarily needs but qualities that [she] prefer[s]." Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine noted that the song "is structured in Morissette's distinct listy lyrical fashion," citing the line "Do you have a big intellectual capacity but know that is does not equate wisdom?" as an example. For Nikki Tranter of PopMatters, the song "details exactly what Alanis is looking for in her perfect guy. According to the song, this guy would be eloquent and intelligent, sexually experimental and politically aware, self-deprecating and adventurous, athletic and free of addictions." Ethan Browne of Metro New York called the list of requirements for a boyfriend, "dopey [...] with its unintentionally hilarious qualifier."

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