TRUE TO HER COUNTRY
Twain celebrates 25 years since breakthrough album
In her 30-plus year career, Shania Twain has felt pressure plenty of times. Surprisingly, though, she had little weighing on her when she went into the studio to record The Woman in Me, the chart-topping 1995 album that catapulted her to music stardom.
After the lacklustre performance of her 1993 self-titled debut, Twain, who grew up in Timmins, Ont., says she didn't yet know fame, so she was open to taking chances on her sophomore disc.
“I had nothing to lose as far as my career was concerned,” she says. “I was just trying to do my best. I thought if I was extremely lucky, maybe I would get a three-million selling album out of it.”
But The Woman in Me — of which Twain, 55, is marking the 25th anniversary with a reissue that includes remastered versions of the original album, unreleased tracks, early takes of the songs and more — made her a global sensation and redefined country music.
Q The Woman in Me marked a huge turning point in your career and what followed. Looking back on it, what stands out to you most in the making of that record?
A I had been writing all of my life and a lot of the songs that ended up on this album, I had written in my little cabin in the bush, just outside of Timmins. I had hoped that they would have been on my very first album, but none of my songwriting got on my debut record. It wasn't until The Woman in Me that I got to record my own songs. So, the leap of intense songwriting just in that one year leading up to The Woman in Me was enormous. I had never met anyone like Mutt (Lange) before and he took (my) songwriting to a whole other level. He was very demanding, but in a very good way for me. He saw the potential in the songs. When I think about making this album, it was the real launch of Shania Twain — the singer-songwriter.
Q It was your second record. What were your expectations?
A As far the industry went, I was just getting started. It was more, “Can I live up to Mutt's standards and expectations?” He was driving that really hard … Prior to this, I was just self-taught. I had never been in an environment where I was bouncing ideas off another person or anything like that. So, it was really, really good for me and it launched me into a whole other level of confidence in my songwriting. Especially when it became as successful as it did. I think it really made me see what I had to do.
Q Your beginnings here in Canada are legendary. We spoke earlier this year, and you talked about playing late nights in bars after last call because you weren't old enough to perform while they were serving alcohol. How did the hard beginnings translate into what ended up on this record? You had done a lot of living before The Woman in Me came out.
A Totally. By the time I had my first hit I was already 30. I was already pretty mature from a music industry standpoint. I had a lot of stage experience, but I had no experiences with the pressures of fame and competing at the highest level. What was good, though, was I was a bit older. I had lived a lot and I was more ready to rise to the occasion. By the time The Woman in Me was made, I was ready for it and I was poised for it. That might explain a little bit why it was so big. I had someone who believed in my writing and my creative expression, and nurtured it. You add to that the level of maturity I had by being in my late 20s, and I think that was a recipe for success.
Q I remember reading once how the label didn't want Any Man of Mine as a single. Why not?
A (laughs) Well, Any Man of Mine is quite demanding. I'm being quite bossy in that song. I'm chirpy and there's a sense of humour there, but it's pretty bossy — especially for country music. They were thinking men were going to be offended and women wouldn't be able to relate to the fact that you're sexy. I thought it was the exact opposite. Women think this way and this is what we want. We want this from men. I was already in my late 20s and I remember thinking, “I'm one of these women. I'm my own audience and I know what I want.” It wasn't like I was a teenager trying to relate to a woman's point of view. So, I really did share that in common with women. And the men, they took it way better than the label thought. They weren't offended at all; they just went with it. A lot of men have said to me over the years that their wives sing them that song with a sense of humour, and that was the intention. It wasn't meant as an angry song. It was meant to be (listened to) with a sense of humour.
Q The Woman in Me was an album that had massive crossover appeal. Are you able to see your impact on the way country music was able to change?
A I don't think anybody growing up when I did in Canada saw country the way the U.S. saw country music. To me, folk was in there, bluegrass was in there, a lot of pop was in there. In Canada, it just seemed that what was country was a broader spectrum of styles. So, my music ended up being an eclectic mix. There was a bit of pop, a bit of rock, some bluegrass, a little folk; that was my kind of country. When I went to Nashville with this hybrid sound, they weren't even sure it was country. But my thing was, “This is how I hear country music.” But yes, it did end up impacting the genre. I think a lot of artists started allowing other influences to direct the style of their own type of country.
In Canada, it just seemed that what was country was a broader spectrum of styles. So, my music ended up being an eclectic mix.