Any Man of Mine by Shania Twain - Story Behind The Song
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Join country radio personality Amanda as she dives into the impact of Shania Twain's iconic 1995 hit "Any Man of Mine." Learn how the song was created, and look back at its chart-topping success. Discover how Shania's fashion choices became a signature look, and revisit her nominations and awards.
00:00 The Impact of "Any Man of Mine" in 1995
00:24 Writing the Iconic Song
1:39 Shania's Rise to Fame
02:01 Fashion and Iconic Performances
02:41 Chart-Topping Success and Awards
03:39 Memorable CMA Performance
05:10 End of Year Highlights and Grammy Nominations
05:40 Top Country Songs of 1995
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Transcript
Shania Twain's iconic "Any of Man of Mine" was inescapable in the summer of 1995. I'm diving into the song’s impact on the chart sales, awards, fashion, and state of country music in 1995.
The three iconic guitar chords that changed the world. A video that shook up CMT. A song that lit up request lines across America.
Let’s go back to the song’s beginnings.
In a 1995 interview with CMT, Shania revealed how she and her then-husband producer, Mutt Lang, created the song.
“He kept playing this riff around the house, and I said, do you realize how country that is? It is so country. That is a country song. And I said, we gotta write this song. We gotta write it country,” Shania says. “I said, well, I have this one song that I kind of like the attitude of it, and it was actually called This Man of Mine.”
Shania continues, “So we changed it to “This Man of Mine” to “Any Man of Mine”. The melody stayed the same on that line and everything else changed. The lyrics are pretty demanding in this song, but that's the fun of it. Us women are more realistic than that. We realize that this man doesn't exist.”
So back to that immediately recognizable guitar opening.
Guitarist Larry Byram is responsible for those licks. He also played guitar on “Breathe” from Faith Hill and Tim McGraw's “Angry All the Time,” both known for those guitar openings.
Released on April 26, 1995, it would become one of the radio's most requested songs. Shania would soon be making her network TV debut, playing everywhere from “The Late Show with David Letterman”, “Live with Regis and Kathie Lee”, and “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.”
During her July 12th appearance on “The Tonight Show,” Shania wore the outfit from the song's iconic video. In a 2020 interview with Vogue, Shania revealed all the details on her fashion choice, saying: “I'm a little surprised that I did wear this on national television, but it's all about comfort. So, these are my personal jeans and my personal vest. And my personal tank top that I cropped myself with scissors and, like, tucked it under. I had really tiny hips and big athletic legs, so it was hard to fit into jeans. This was one pair that fit me comfortably, and it was like my go to pair.”
After 20 weeks of radio play, “Any Man of Mine” reached its peak, landing at number one on July 22, 1995.
The cassette single was cresting the country singles chart for the 10th consecutive week, and her landmark album, The Woman in Me was the best-selling country album in the nation. This marked the first time an artist topped all three of those charts at the same time. Accolades and nominations from the Canadian Country Music Awards that fall resulted in Shania sweeping every single category she was eligible in.
With four nominations from the Country Music Association, including Female Vocalist, Horizon Award, Single, and Music Video of the Year, she would end up opening the prestigious telecast. The memorable opening numbers showed Shania flirting and strolling through the star-studded aisles of the Grand Ole Opry house, playfully admiring Tim McGraw, Marty Stuart, John Michael Montgomery, Johnny Cash, and Rhett Akins.
And there was a moment she sat in Travis Tritt's lap, and it was their only encounter at this point in their careers. So, this is 1995. The two never saw each other again until 2017 when they teamed up as judges on USA's “Real Country” singing competition show, laughing and joking about it.
Shania went home empty handed on the 1995 CMAs, but the next night, she dropped by TNN's “Music City Tonight” and talked about her CMA experience with hosts Lorianne Crook and Charlie Chase.
“Well, I always get nervous. You never get used to it. I think you get a case of the nerves, and I think I was excited. I don't know if it was exciting nerves, it was just butterflies,” Shania shared. She continued, “I was, of course, really honored to be able to open the show. It was kind of my prize for the night. I realized that is the key and the coolest spot of the night. And I just have to thank producer Walter Miller for letting me do it.”
As 1995 ended, Shania played the hit song during the legendary Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. A slew of Grammy nominations followed.
She would land a coveted spot on the broadcast the next year where she was nominated for the all-genre prize, Best New Artist. That was a rare feat for a country artist at that time. Her song “Any Man of Mine” scored Best Country Song and Best Female Vocal Performance nominations.
Most Played Country Songs of 1995
Let's break down the top ten:
“If the World Had a Front Porch” by Tracy Lawrence kicks off the top 10.
Neal McCoy is at number 9 with “They’re Playin Our Song.”
Vince Gill was at number 8 with “You Better Think Twice”
At number 7, you had “This Woman and This Man” from Clay Walker
Trisha Yearwood's “Thinkin’ About You” was at number six
John Michael Montgomery’s hit, “I Can Love You Like That” was at number five
“Summer's Comin’” by Clint Black was at number four
Tim McGraw's “I Like It, I Love It” is at number three
And then, there it is at number two – “Any Man of Mine” from Shania.
The most-played country hit? That was “Sold (The Grundy County Auction)” from John Michael Montgomery.
Sales of The Woman In Me have surpassed 12 million copies since its 1995 release, and the song's legacy continues. It appeared on the Waking Up in Reno soundtrack, performed by contestants on “American Idol” and “The Voice,” was prominently featured on “Lip Sync Battle,” and Shania teamed up with Kelsea Ballerini for a rendition at a Stagecoach festival performance.
And the iconic video?
It's racked up over 200 million views. All these years later, it is safe to say, this is what a woman wants, and undoubtedly, the rest of the world too. Thank you so much for joining me for this episode of Across The Country With Amanda. Make sure you subscribe so you don't miss any of the deep dives of country music – and join me each week for syndicated radio show!