CULTURE | Canada and Shania Twain.

There’s just something embarrassing about her.

Something that goes beyond her country roots and big-hair days. Shania Twain produced the most successful female solo artist album of all time, yet somehow, she isn’t solely a national treasure – she’s also a national embarrassment.

It doesn’t make much sense, really.

Shania is ostensibly a musician.

One who hasn’t diversified her fame in an attempt to take over the entire entertainment world.

Dare I say the music isn’t bad? Stripped down to the roots of her image, Shania exhibits all the markers of a huge talent. She’s been performing practically since she was in diapers, she’s a competent guitarist, and most tellingly, she has a big voice – big enough to take the stage with the VH1 Divas – though she played it just a little too nice to be believable.

The unfortunately ubiquitous cropped red turtleneck.

More importantly, Shania really is a decent songwriter.

The only one of her albums that didn’t sell well was the one in which she didn’t have a hand in writing – her 1993 self-titled debut. And while her lyrics do leave something to be desired (“you’re a fine piece of real estate / and I’m gonna get me some land” comes to mind) her upbeat pop melodies and cheerful messages shouldn’t necessarily be condemned for frivolity.

Frankly, it’s to her credit that she hasn’t tried to inject serious profundity into her music.

Shania knows her markets. In an unprecedented move, she released three different remixes of 2002’s Up! – a pop mix, a country mix, and a world mix (in Europe). It’s the same album, just tweaked for different tastes. The common denominator is that they all remain light-hearted. No one goes to a Shania Twain concert because they want to know her opinion on world issues. People head to her concerts because they’re fun.

Fun is a dirty word when it comes to music.

Mainstream is another one. Somehow both have come to imply a thing lacking in artistry, content, or innovation. Prevalent instinct tells us that if too many people like something, it must be generic. The McDonalds’s of the music world. And that’s the problem with Shania. She tastes good and too many people like her.

Even if you put the music aside, Shania is too reminiscent of Cher (read: too theatrical) to be taken seriously. Remember the leopard print ensemble from the video for That Don’t Impress Me Much? Yikes. It’s one thing to embrace your inner big cat, but when you carry a matching hatbox you’re just asking for trouble. Then there was that mid-riff bearing red sweater from breakout hit If You’re Not In It For Love – I’m Outta Here! She wore that thing so often, it probably hardened into the shape of her body and had to be cut off.

Shania Twain, debut album cover, 1993.

Shania Twain, Up! album cover, 2002.

On the cover of her first album the one that didn’t sell – she wears a bulky winter coat, jeans, and sheepskin boots.

This is all a far cry from the torn white beater and panties (or what look like panties) she sports on the cover of Up! It’s a great illustration of her career. When you’re famous, a little bit of sex is a good thing, but it’s all too easy to cross the line into overexposed.

The mention of her name may elicit eye rolls and giggles, but Shania’s still selling out amphitheatres worldwide. Vancouver’s no exception. After playing two sold out shows at the Pacific Coliseum in December, she returns again tonight. That’s three shows in less than six months, all on the same tour. And the Coliseum accommodates nearly 18,000 people.

A movie of the week about her life – particularly about her much publicized poor days when she still went by the name Eileen – is currently in the works in Toronto. And Timmins, Ontario has built a museum in her name.  She’s also an established comedic dartboard. She’s not yet as silly as say, fellow Canadian superstar Celine Dion, but she was spoofed on SNL by Molly Shannon. And they don’t bother unless you’re a somebody. That’s the dichotomy.

Canadians tend to turn on their own.

This happens when – as the country music world might say – they become too big for their britches. Both Celine Dion, and Brian Adams – the only two Canadian stars whose international fame really compares to Shania’s – suffer the same persecution. Allowing so few to represent us is too close to the days when Canada meant Mounties, igloos, and Anne of Green Gables. We sew flags on our backpacks and hoof it all over Europe trying to dispel such ideas. Maybe we feel that opening our collective arms to Shania would be a step back in the ongoing fight for Canadian identity.

The bottom line is that Shania is likeable.

She’s also beautiful – bad fashion choices aside, you have to give her that. She’s a real singer, and a real musician, which puts her head and shoulders above a number of stars in the pop arena, and she seems genuinely nice – supposedly a Canadian trademark. And if her songs do run on relatively simple melodies and silly poetics, what’s the harm? Being unique shouldn’t be about rejecting everything mainstream and mass-produced. So, if your secret shame is a stint with Shanias Anonymous, be proud and ignore the naysayers. Maybe mother did know best. Maybe they’re just jealous.

More music pieces by Jen Selk can be found here.

A version of “Canada and Shania Twain” was published in the Vancouver Sun, June 17, 2004 under the headline “We pretend we don’t like her, but Shania Twain has won our hearts”. See below.

Published June 17, 2004 in The Vancouver Sun.