Shania Twain: Am I Missing Something

Cafe Society
1

I wouldn’t go so far as to call myself a fan, but lately I’ve been listening to country music. And watching some of the videos on CMT. It’s been enjoyable, mainly because it’s a CHANGE.

Seems the local radio stations here all are some version of classic rock/ oldies, or Britney Spears type pop. You can only hear the same old Rolling Stones and Tom Petty so many times before you crave some change! Gah! So I decided to give country a try.

I have liked a few songs I’ve heard: Bless the Broken Road by Rascal Flatts comes to mind. The current top song My Give a Damn’s Busted is a great title for a song.

Well, I’ve had CMT on and seen Shania Twain. I’d heard of her, of course, and seen her on mainstream TV. She’s quite beautiful. But talented? I think I can sing about as good. So, like I said, am I missing something? How did she get such star power that I, who NEVER listened to country music until about two months ago, had heard of her?

Someone give me the 411 on Miss Shania, who seems quite proud of her boobies, incidentially.

2

Her voice isn’t extraordinary, but I love her songs, and she pulls them off well. They’re on a variety of subjects…not just love and heartbreak, which is always a staple of any musical genre, but in-your-face girl power, brush-offs, upbeat optimism, out-of-control consumerism…she approaches them all with a sassy, winking attitude.

It’s catchy. I know I’ve caught it. And I guarantee you, my enjoyment of her music has nothing to do with how well she shows off her physical assets.

3

IMHO, as someone very focused on music, but not really on country: Shania is the male Garth Brooks - she came along right when country was stepping into the shoes abandoned by rock as well-crafted easy-on-the-ears pop songs. So whereas the same shoes were filled by The Eagles, Linda Ronstadt and Fleetwood Mac (to name a few) in the 70’s, you had Garth, Faith Hill, Shania and others in the late 90’s.

Within the context of that “pop-ification” of country, Shania had a lot going for her - enough country to claim it, but a true pop sensibility and chart-worthy songs (notice I did NOT say GOOD songs - rather, they are songs designed to be popular and chart well). Teaming up (and marrying) one of the most successful pop producers, Mutt Lange, didn’t hurt. He can take most any genre and make a crossover/accessible version of it. Look at what he did for pop metal with Def Leppard.

So - right look, right place, right time and at least enough talent to accomplish what she needed to.

4

She’s one of the most stunningly gorgeous women I’ve ever seen, without a doubt. I think she’s a goddess, a perfect 10. But her music is TERRIBLE. I’m not much of a country fan, but I can identify and appreciate “good” country just like any other kind of good music. And her stuff is double-plus ungood… bad country, bad pop, all-around bad. All her songs are written and produced by her husband, Robert “Mutt” Lange, who was best-known in the '80s for producing girl-friendly “hair bands” like Def Leppard. The music sounds slick and overproduced, but soulless. This is not helped by the fact that Shania has a very average, voice, especially compared to country legends like Dolly Parton and Loretta Lynn, or even contemporary LeAnn Rimes.

5

…The problem with throwing Garth Brooks in with Shania group of POP-‘country’ is that Brooks revitalized contry music in the EARLY 90s not the late 90s.
Her music is horrible but so is all manstream ‘country’.

6

I like some of her music. Her voice occasionally seems too nasal or something, but lets face it, a quality voice is not a requirement for stardom. Bruce Springstein and Bob Dylan leap to mind. (Not country I know, but when I think of bad voices…)

7

The first I heard of Shania Twain was when a former employee at my job went psycho, broke into Shania Twain’s trailer during a concert, and stole her panties.

(Said psycho then showed up here brandishing a weapon and threatening to kill my sister. Fun times.)

The stolen underwear could probably sing better than she does. Blah.

8

I don’t like country, but I like Shania Twain. I think her songs are really catchy and have great hooks, like any good pop song.

9

My point exactly.

10

From Man! I Feel Like a Woman!:

Bridge:
The best thing about being a woman
Is the prerogative to have a little fun and…

Damn! It’s too bad I was born a guy. I never get to have any fun!

11

So, she’s Barry Manilow with boobs?

12

cmkeller and WordMan have pretty much covered the reason for Shania’s success.

She has also marketed herself as a role model, clean-cut type. She doesn’t smoke, drink, or use drugs. She is also a vegetarian. She has been married only once, to her present husband of 11 years, “Mutt”.

Her star has faded a bit since 2000, but not enough to think that she is out of favor quite yet. She still has a very strong fanbase comprised of many teen-age girls, but also includes the very young to the old, both men and women. Shania claims to be responsible herself, not the record label, for the marketing of her image and seems to have done so very well.

Shania has been best known for selling lots of albums:
–“The Woman In Me”(1995) has sold 12 mil.(U.S)
–“Come On Over”(1997) sold 20 Mil.(U.S.) plus around another 15 mil.
international sales. It is the highest selling album ever by a female vocalist in any genre, and is ranked at #6 by the RIAA in album sales by anybody.
–“UP!”(2002) is her latest release of all-new material. It has had sales of over 5 mil. Because it is a double disc cd the RIAA counts it as 10 mil. This gives Shania 3 diamond certified albums in a row, the only artist to have ever done that.
–Her “Greatest Hits” album(Nov. 2004), a compilation with 3 new songs on it, has already sold 3 mil.

Although her album sales have fallen some(illegal downloads?) most artists would kill to have her numbers.

Country radio is moving back to the more “traditional” sound now, so she isn’t played there as much as she used to be. Being a crossover artist, Shania has found more recent success on AC radio.

Her 2003-2004 “UP!” concert tour wasn’t quite as extensive as the 1999-2000 “Come On Over” tour but was very successful with many 20,000 seat arenas being sold out. She capitalized on her international success on this latest tour by having many more european dates.

In spite of her “terrible” and “horrible” music, she has managed to garner a few awards along the way:

Grammy Awards:
–Best Country Album - The Woman in Me, 1996
–Best Country Song - You’re Still The One, 1999
–Best Female Country Vocal Performance - You’re Still The One, 1999
–Best Country Song - Come On Over, 2000
–Best Female Country Vocal Performance - Man! I Feel Like A Woman!, 2000

Country Music Association Awards (CMA’s):
–Entertainer of the Year, 1999
–CMA International Artist Achievement, 1999

Academy of Country Music Awards (ACM’s):
–Entertainer of the Year, 2000
–Album of the Year - The Woman In Me, 1996
–Top New Female Vocalist, 1996

Plus something like 27 BMI Songwriter Awards. BTW, she CO-writes her songs with her husband “Mutt”. These are just a few of the many awards she has won in the U.S. and internationally.

Ellen Cherry- You must have only seen Shania’s latest 2 videos on CMT. These do draw attention to her boobies, but she is most famous (notorious?) for showing her bare-midriff and especially her navel. This caused quite an uproar with the country music crowd in the mid 90s. I guess that, together with Shania approaching 40 and having had a baby, we may be saying goodbye to the “navel commander” :slight_smile:

13

I also have to agree that her success isn’t based on her voice (which isn’t horrible, but it also isn’t Martina McBride), but more on the pop-country blend of her songs. It doesn’t hurt that she is good to look at and was very into showing her bare midriff ;). Though I get the feeling her star is dimming. UP! was much, much more pop, and a lot of country fans that liked her and bought her albums (raises hand) decided UP! was the wrong direction and moved on.

14

Coming up: two friends, a keg of beer, a chainsaw, a shotgun, a crowded golf course…and a lifetime of regret.
Sara Evans: You wouldn’t know it to look at her, but that Twain bitch is one crazy drunk.
When “Behind the Music” continues.

15

Country is the “special olympics” of music.

Shania Twain doesn’t seem to mind “sexing it up” for the camera and the songs that she gets have catchy “hooks”. That is a recipe for success if there ever was one.

Unclviny

16

I am inordinately fond of the Robert Palmer-esque video to this song.

I don’t know if any of his videos ever ended up with him (mostly) disrobing, though.

17

Don’t want to ruin your fantasy about what you think you can or can’t see in that video, but if the truth be known:

Shania is wearing a pair of black bicycle shorts under that skirt that keeps riding upon her thighs.

:smiley:

18

I knew that. It doesn’t really matter, though. Shania does nothing for me either way. :slight_smile:

19

:eek:

Thanks for that mental picture. Now it’s off to the vomitorium.

20

I am a perfectly straight woman , and I think Shania Twain is gorgeous . I want to be Shania Twain in my next life , if I must come back to this world again . I do enjoy her music , too , a lot of it is ‘fun’ . So she isn’t ‘deep’ … not all music has to strive to change the world . Sometimes I just want to listen for the sake of listening , and her tunes fill the bill .

I like a variety of music , some rock , some country , some blues . Just no rap , please . Rap should have a “c” in front of it .

Anna