Shania Twain (album)
1993 studio album by Shania Twain
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Shania Twain is the debut studio album by Canadian singer Shania Twain, released on April 20, 1993, by Polygram and Mercury Records. After assembling a demo tape to send to labels, Mercury Nashville took an interest and signed her a contract. Unlike her later releases in which she had a major role in writing, Twain has writing credits on only one song from the album.
| Shania Twain | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Original album cover; 2000 reissue uses an alternate cover | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 20, 1993 | |||
| Recorded | 1992–1993 | |||
| Studio | Music Mill (Nashville, Tennessee) | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 30:41 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer | ||||
| Shania Twain chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Shania Twain | ||||
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The album was not commercially successful upon its original release, only reaching number 67 on the US Country Albums chart. Three singles were released from the album, none of which cracked the top 40 at country radio. The album received renewed attention following the massive success of Twain's subsequent albums and was certified Platinum by the RIAA in 1999. Shania Twain was rereleased in 2000.
Twain performed the album's first single, "What Made You Say That" during her Come on Over Tour in 1999, but has not performed any of the album's songs since. No selections from Shania Twain were included on her 2004 Greatest Hits album. "What Made You Say That" is included on her Netflix documentary companion compilation album Not Just a Girl (The Highlights) (2022).
Content
Five songs were originally recorded by other artists. "There Goes the Neighborhood" was recorded by Joe Diffie in 1990, "When He Leaves You" was a single for Donna Meade in 1989, "You Lay a Whole Lot of Love on Me" was recorded by Con Hunley in 1980 and Tom Jones in 1983, "Still Under the Weather" was recorded by Andy Williams in 1990, and "What Made You Say That" was recorded by Wayne Massey in 1989. In her 2011 autobiography, From This Moment On, Twain expressed displeasure with her debut studio album, revealing that she had very little creative control and was frustrated with being unable to showcase her songwriting abilities.[1] However, she did co-write one song on the album titled "God Ain't Gonna Getcha for That".
Singles
"What Made You Say That" was released on March 6, 1993 as the lead single from the album and Twain's debut single. The song peaked at number 55 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks and number 78 on the RPM Canadian Country Tracks chart. The song received attention due to its music video, which prominently showed her midriff. The music video was banned by CMT with the network claiming it was too suggestive, though this was later retracted.[2]
"Dance with the One That Brought You" was released as the second single from the album on July 13, 1993. It reached the peak position of number 55 on the Hot Country Singles & Tracks and in Canada, it reached number 70 on the RPM Canadian Country Tracks chart. Its music video received attention for its high-profile director and guest actor; actor Sean Penn filmed the music video while Charles Durning made an appearance.
"You Lay a Whole Lot of Love on Me" was sent to country radio on September 7, 1993 as the third and final single from Shania Twain. The song failed to enter the country charts in either the US or Canada. A music video was released for the song. The song was later released in 1994 in Europe as the only single from the Shania Twain album.
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| Christgau's Consumer Guide |  [4] |
| Music Week | [5] |
| Rolling Stone | [6] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [7] |
Shania Twain received favorable reviews from critics. Rolling Stone gave the album a positive review, noting that although she had a long way to go, "attention must be paid". On the other end, Thom Owens of AllMusic gave the album a mixed but mostly negative review, calling it a bland album that even Twain's vocals are "too showy to make any of these mediocre songs stick."
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "What Made You Say That" |
| 2:58 |
| 2. | "You Lay a Whole Lot of Love on Me" |
| 2:48 |
| 3. | "Dance with the One That Brought You" | 2:23 | |
| 4. | "Still Under the Weather" |
| 3:06 |
| 5. | "God Ain't Gonna Getcha for That" | 2:44 | |
| 6. | "Got a Hold on Me" |
| 2:14 |
| 7. | "There Goes the Neighborhood" |
| 3:17 |
| 8. | "Forget Me" | Stephony Smith | 3:21 |
| 9. | "When He Leaves You" | 4:21 | |
| 10. | "Crime of the Century" |
| 3:29 |
| Total length: | 30:41 | ||
Personnel
- Shania Twain - lead vocals
- Paul Leim, Larrie Londin - drums
- Terry McMillan - percussion
- Mike Brignardello, Glenn Worf - bass
- Mark Casstevens, Allen Frank Estes, Chris Leuzinger, Billy Joe Walker Jr., John Willis - acoustic guitar
- Steve Gibson, Billy Joe Walker Jr., Reggie Young - electric guitar
- Sonny Garrish - steel guitar
- Costo Davis - synthesizer
- David Briggs, Costo Davis, Gary Prim - keyboards
- Terry McMillan, Kirk "Jelly Roll" Johnson - harmonica
- Anthony Martin, John Wesley Ryles, Ronny Scaife, Shania Twain, Cindy Richardson Walker, Dennis Wilson, Curtis Young - backing vocals
- Technical
- Produced by Norro Wilson and Harold Shedd
- Engineered and mixed by Jim Cotton, Todd Culross, Graeme Smith and Joe Scaife
- Mastered by Hank Williams
Charts
Weekly charts
| Chart (1993–2000) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian Country Albums (RPM)[8] | 28 |
| Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[9] | 40 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC)ERROR in "Scotland": Invalid date format. Expected: YYYYMMDD or YYYY-MM-DD.[10] | 64 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[11] | 113 |
| UK Country Albums (OCC)ERROR in "UKCountry": Invalid date format. Expected: YYYYMMDD or YYYY-MM-DD.[12] | 3 |
| US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[13] | 67 |
| US Top Catalog Albums (Billboard)[14] | 35 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (2001) | Position |
|---|---|
| Canadian Country Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)[15] | 53 |
| Chart (2002) | Position |
|---|---|
| Canadian Country Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)[16] | 60 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[17] | 2× Platinum | 200,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[18] | Silver | 85,692[19] |
| United States (RIAA)[20] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
Release history
| Region | Date | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| US, Canada | April 20, 1993 | CD, cassette | Mercury Nashville |
| UK, Europe | May 2000 | CD | Mercury Nashville |
| US | October 14, 2016 | LP vinyl[21] | Mercury Nashville |