Shania Twain The Woman in Me spent first of 20 weeks atop the country chart

The Woman in Me Shania Twain

Released: February 7, 1995 Peak: 5 US, 129 CW, 7 UK, 6 CN, 17 AU Sales (in millions): 12.3 US, 0.38 UK, 20.0 world (includes US and UK) Genre: country

Tracks: Song Title (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to charts. Home Ain’t Where His Heart Is Anymore (7/24/96, 28 CW) Any Man of Mine (4/26/95, 31 BB, 1 CW, 35 DF) Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under? (1/2/95, 87 BB, 11 CW, 21 DF) If You’re Not in It for Love, I’m Outta Here (10/28/95, 74 BB, 1 CW, 5 AU, 10 DF) The Woman in Me Needs the Man in You (8/9/95, 14 CW) Is There Life after Love? If It Don’t Take Two You Win My Love (1/26/96, 1 CW, 67 AU) Raining on Our Love Leaving Is the Only Way Out No One Needs to Know (5/11/96, 1 CW) God Bless the Child (10/26/96, 75 BB, 48 CW) Total Running Time: 48:08

Rating: 3.718 out of 5.00 (average of 26 ratings) Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

Shania’s Early Years Country singer/songwriter Eilleen Regina “Shania” Twain was born in 1965 in Ontario, Canada. After graduating from high school in 1983, she toured with a cover band called Flirt. Toronto DJ Stan Campbell noticed her talent and used her as a backing vocalist on an album by Canadian musician Tim Denis. Twain halted her burgeoning music career in 1987 when her mother and stepfather died in a car accident. She moved home to take care of her younger siblings. After her siblings moved out on their own, Twain re-entered the music world by assembling a demo which caught the attention of a few labels. She signed with Mercury Nashville Records and released her self-titled debut album in 1993. The album failed to chart in her native Canada or the United States, although the single “What Made You Say That” backed by “Dance with the One That Brought You” reached #55 on the Billboard country chart. Sophomore Success Her next album, 1995’s The Woman in Me, was a blockbuster. It reached the top 10 in Canada and the U.S. and has sold 20 million copies worldwide. It featured four #1 country hits, including the double-platinum Any Man of Mine. “Like many country artists of the mid-‘90s, Twain’s music combined country conventions with mainstream rock flourishes, creating a sound that appealed to both audiences.” AM Mutt Lange One of the key components in Shania’s huge leap in commercial success had to do with Robert John “Mutt” Lange. The famed producer reached out to her after hearing her first album. After hours on the phone, the two met six months later and married by the end of 1993. As the man who had produced iconic rock albums for Bryan Adams, AC/DC, the Cars, Def Leppard, and Foreigner, he was able to bring that same sensibility for catchy hits to Shania’s The Woman in Me. The Results Twain and Lange made for “a sassy combination of witty, well-crafted lyrics, strong melodies and hooks, all shown off to best effect by deft arrangements. Twain’s solid yet agile voice is just as at home with the traditional country of Who’s Bed Have Your Boots Been Under? as it is with the rockier You Win My Love or the balladry of Home Ain’t Where His Heart Is Anymore.” AB “The Woman in Me isn’t necessarily a flawless product – the material is a bit inconsistent, and the music plays it a bit too safe – but it all sounds convincing, thanks to the dynamic charisma of Shania Twain.” AM

Resources: AM AllMusic.com review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine AB Michael Spilling (editor) (2015). Best-Selling Albums: From Vinyl Records to Digital Downloads. Amber Books Ltd.: London, United Kingdom. Page 164. Related DMDB Links: First posted 3/27/2008; last updated 12/9/2024.