WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.459 I want you to just take a second and imagine 00:00:02.459 --> 00:00:05.379 something for me. Okay, I'm with you. Just picture 00:00:05.379 --> 00:00:08.060 a number in your head. Right. I want you to specifically 00:00:08.060 --> 00:00:12.279 picture the number 40 million. Wow. OK, that 00:00:12.279 --> 00:00:14.839 is a massive number. Right. Now, think about 00:00:14.839 --> 00:00:17.920 an album, a piece of recorded music, so incredibly 00:00:17.920 --> 00:00:21.940 massive, so just universally undeniable that 00:00:21.940 --> 00:00:25.920 it physically moves over 40 million copies worldwide. 00:00:26.280 --> 00:00:27.820 It's almost hard to wrap your head around that 00:00:27.820 --> 00:00:29.899 scale, honestly. It really is. I mean, we are 00:00:29.899 --> 00:00:31.899 talking about the best -selling country album 00:00:31.899 --> 00:00:34.000 of all time. Yeah. We are talking about the best 00:00:34.000 --> 00:00:37.020 -selling album by a Canadian artist ever. Absolutely. 00:00:37.079 --> 00:00:39.359 And if we zoom all the way out, you know, to 00:00:39.359 --> 00:00:42.399 the entire history of recorded music across every 00:00:42.399 --> 00:00:45.880 genre and every era, it is the eighth best -selling 00:00:45.880 --> 00:00:48.840 album in human history. It is just a staggering 00:00:48.840 --> 00:00:51.759 level of commercial dominance. That's, I mean, 00:00:51.920 --> 00:00:54.539 that is the kind of cultural footprint that most 00:00:54.539 --> 00:00:57.179 artists, even the absolute legends of the industry, 00:00:57.640 --> 00:00:59.700 can only dream of brushing up against. Exactly. 00:00:59.759 --> 00:01:03.350 It is very rarefied air. It really is. And well, 00:01:03.710 --> 00:01:05.730 that is exactly what we are focusing on today. 00:01:06.030 --> 00:01:08.659 Welcome to the deep dive. Glad to be here. Our 00:01:08.659 --> 00:01:13.859 topic today is Shania Twain's 1997 absolute masterpiece. 00:01:14.060 --> 00:01:16.620 Come on over. A phenomenal record. It really 00:01:16.620 --> 00:01:19.799 is. And we have gathered a massive stack of sources 00:01:19.799 --> 00:01:22.579 for you today. We're looking at comprehensive 00:01:22.579 --> 00:01:27.219 encyclopedia entries, historical chart data, 00:01:27.840 --> 00:01:30.439 a ton of critical reception archives, and some 00:01:30.439 --> 00:01:33.739 incredibly detailed behind the scenes studio 00:01:33.739 --> 00:01:35.900 production notes. Which are fascinating, by the 00:01:35.900 --> 00:01:38.599 way. Oh, they're completely wild. And our mission 00:01:38.599 --> 00:01:41.340 for this deep dive is to figure out exactly how 00:01:41.340 --> 00:01:43.019 this happened because an album doesn't just, 00:01:43.019 --> 00:01:45.659 you know, sell 40 million copies by accident. 00:01:45.799 --> 00:01:47.500 No, it definitely does not. It doesn't happen 00:01:47.500 --> 00:01:49.400 just because the songs are catchy. Right. There 00:01:49.400 --> 00:01:51.700 has to be a mechanism behind it. Exactly. So 00:01:51.700 --> 00:01:53.640 we aren't just going to look at the music, although 00:01:53.640 --> 00:01:55.579 the music is obviously brilliant. We are going 00:01:55.579 --> 00:01:57.959 to put the entire machine under a microscope. 00:01:58.120 --> 00:01:59.640 I like that approach. We're talking about the 00:01:59.640 --> 00:02:03.780 songwriting process, the highly controversial 00:02:03.780 --> 00:02:07.739 production choices, the completely unprecedented 00:02:07.739 --> 00:02:10.439 marketing strategy of genre hopping. That part 00:02:10.439 --> 00:02:13.500 is so key. Right. And the massive cultural shifts 00:02:13.500 --> 00:02:15.800 this record created. Because when you really 00:02:15.800 --> 00:02:18.300 look at the raw data, when you see a certification 00:02:18.300 --> 00:02:20.939 like 20 times platinum. Which is double diamond 00:02:20.939 --> 00:02:22.939 in the US alone, by the way. Exactly. Double 00:02:22.939 --> 00:02:25.139 diamond. It just blows your mind. You look at 00:02:25.139 --> 00:02:27.919 those numbers and you have to ask. How did she 00:02:27.919 --> 00:02:30.759 actually pull this off? How do you conquer the 00:02:30.759 --> 00:02:33.620 globe like that? It's mind blowing. And the thesis 00:02:33.620 --> 00:02:35.719 we're going to explore today is that Come On 00:02:35.719 --> 00:02:38.379 Over wasn't just a collection of hit songs. It 00:02:38.379 --> 00:02:41.599 was a calculated, brilliant disruption of the 00:02:41.599 --> 00:02:44.740 entire music industry. A total disruption. Shania 00:02:44.740 --> 00:02:48.289 Twain and her producer. Mutt Lange completely 00:02:48.289 --> 00:02:50.610 rewrote the rules. They really did. They rewrote 00:02:50.610 --> 00:02:53.090 the rules regarding genre, regarding how you 00:02:53.090 --> 00:02:55.469 market a singular artist to a global audience, 00:02:55.770 --> 00:02:58.650 and even regarding how you present female empowerment 00:02:58.650 --> 00:03:03.430 in mainstream, highly commercial music. OK, let's 00:03:03.430 --> 00:03:05.909 unpack this. Because to truly appreciate the 00:03:05.909 --> 00:03:07.830 triumph of Come On Over, we kind of have to rewind 00:03:07.830 --> 00:03:09.969 a bit. We have to set the stage. We do. Let's 00:03:09.969 --> 00:03:13.740 go back to 1993. Shania Twain releases her eponymous 00:03:13.740 --> 00:03:16.699 debut studio album on Mercury Nashville Records. 00:03:17.199 --> 00:03:20.099 Right. And you might think, given her later success, 00:03:20.400 --> 00:03:22.740 that this debut was an out -of -the -gate smash, 00:03:23.599 --> 00:03:27.539 but it really wasn't. Not at all. It sold about 00:03:27.539 --> 00:03:30.919 100 ,000 copies and peaked at number 67 on the 00:03:30.919 --> 00:03:33.800 U .S. Top Country Albums Chart. And to put that 00:03:33.800 --> 00:03:35.879 into context for the music business of the early 00:03:35.879 --> 00:03:38.900 90s, that is a commercial failure. Yeah, that's 00:03:38.900 --> 00:03:42.159 barely a blip. Major labels in Nashville operated 00:03:42.159 --> 00:03:44.919 on a very high -volume, high -turnover model 00:03:44.919 --> 00:03:48.800 back then. If your debut only moves 100 ,000 00:03:48.800 --> 00:03:51.539 units, the label is already actively looking 00:03:51.539 --> 00:03:53.939 for your replacement. You are literally on the 00:03:53.939 --> 00:03:56.139 verge of being dropped. So she's teetering on 00:03:56.139 --> 00:03:58.560 the edge of becoming... a trivia question, just 00:03:58.560 --> 00:04:00.860 a one -and -done artist. But there was a saving 00:04:00.860 --> 00:04:03.300 grace, right? Yes, there was. She released a 00:04:03.300 --> 00:04:05.159 music video for the lead single, What Made You 00:04:05.159 --> 00:04:08.159 Say That? And that video, along with her very 00:04:08.159 --> 00:04:11.060 unique, expressive singing voice, caught the 00:04:11.060 --> 00:04:13.479 attention of someone completely outside the Nashville 00:04:13.479 --> 00:04:16.620 bubble. Robert John Mutlange. Mutlange! Yes, 00:04:16.620 --> 00:04:19.019 and Mutlange's involvement is the catalyst for 00:04:19.019 --> 00:04:21.579 absolutely everything that follows. It's huge. 00:04:21.920 --> 00:04:25.100 At this point, in 1993, Mutlange was already 00:04:25.100 --> 00:04:28.389 a legendary record producer. But he wasn't known 00:04:28.389 --> 00:04:30.910 for country music. Known even a little bit. No. 00:04:30.949 --> 00:04:34.009 Yeah. He was known for crafting massive stadium 00:04:34.009 --> 00:04:36.930 -shaking rock albums. I mean, he produced ACGC's 00:04:36.930 --> 00:04:39.490 Back in Black. Classic. He produced Def Leppard's 00:04:39.490 --> 00:04:42.149 Hysteria. He was a global heavy hitter, originally 00:04:42.149 --> 00:04:44.350 from Zambia, operating mostly out of Europe. 00:04:44.389 --> 00:04:48.430 Right. And yet, he sees this video of a struggling 00:04:48.430 --> 00:04:51.689 Canadian country singer and immediately recognizes 00:04:51.689 --> 00:04:54.290 a raw potential that the Nashville establishment 00:04:54.290 --> 00:04:56.959 was completely missing. It's such a wild pairing. 00:04:57.100 --> 00:04:59.439 I mean, the guy who produced Pour Some Sugar 00:04:59.439 --> 00:05:01.959 on Me is calling up a country rookie. It sounds 00:05:01.959 --> 00:05:04.339 like a joke, but it happened. So they start collaborating. 00:05:04.540 --> 00:05:06.579 And initially, it's just over long distance phone 00:05:06.579 --> 00:05:08.699 calls. Right, sending takes back and forth. Yeah, 00:05:08.779 --> 00:05:10.720 they have bouncing songwriting ideas, seeing 00:05:10.720 --> 00:05:13.120 if there's any creative chemistry. Finally, they 00:05:13.120 --> 00:05:15.459 arranged to meet in person at the Nashville Fanfare 00:05:15.459 --> 00:05:18.860 Festival in June of 1993. And for anyone who 00:05:18.860 --> 00:05:21.139 might not know, fanfare, which is now known as 00:05:21.139 --> 00:05:24.740 CMA Fest, was the ultimate proving ground for 00:05:24.779 --> 00:05:29.879 Oh, yeah, grueling. It's a massive, multi -day 00:05:29.879 --> 00:05:32.920 event where artists sit in booths for hours, 00:05:33.519 --> 00:05:35.839 signing autographs, shaking hands, and trying 00:05:35.839 --> 00:05:38.180 to build a grassroots fan base. Yeah, it was 00:05:38.180 --> 00:05:40.819 exhausting, very unglamorous work. Extremely. 00:05:40.980 --> 00:05:42.920 And right in the middle of that very traditional 00:05:42.920 --> 00:05:46.379 Nashville setting, Shinia meets this reclusive... 00:05:46.589 --> 00:05:49.269 rock producer. And things move incredibly fast 00:05:49.269 --> 00:05:52.110 from there. I mean, by December of 1993, which 00:05:52.110 --> 00:05:54.750 is just six months after meeting in person, they 00:05:54.750 --> 00:05:56.550 aren't just songwriting partners anymore. They're 00:05:56.550 --> 00:05:59.230 married. It's a whirlwind romance. Absolutely. 00:06:00.029 --> 00:06:03.040 But professionally, it is the birth of one of 00:06:03.040 --> 00:06:05.240 the most formidable creative partnerships in 00:06:05.240 --> 00:06:07.319 music history. Without a doubt. They immediately 00:06:07.319 --> 00:06:09.399 lock in and get to work on her second album, 00:06:09.560 --> 00:06:12.759 The Woman and Me, which drops in 1995. And this 00:06:12.759 --> 00:06:14.920 is where we see the first major disruption of 00:06:14.920 --> 00:06:16.660 the national system. Because they completely 00:06:16.660 --> 00:06:18.720 break the conventional country music formula. 00:06:18.939 --> 00:06:21.379 Exactly. Lange brings his rock sensibilities. 00:06:21.779 --> 00:06:24.540 They introduce this highly polished, rock -influenced 00:06:24.540 --> 00:06:27.459 country pop sound. And the result is just seismic. 00:06:27.699 --> 00:06:30.740 It explodes. The Woman in Me goes on to sell 00:06:30.740 --> 00:06:34.500 over 10 million copies. It actually surpasses 00:06:34.500 --> 00:06:38.240 Patsy Kline's greatest hits from 1967 to become 00:06:38.240 --> 00:06:40.779 the best selling female country album of all 00:06:40.779 --> 00:06:43.720 time. 10 million copies. 10 million. It produces 00:06:43.720 --> 00:06:46.680 four number one singles. It wins album of the 00:06:46.680 --> 00:06:48.519 year at the Academy of Country Music Awards. 00:06:48.779 --> 00:06:52.040 It wins a Grammy. She goes from an opening act 00:06:52.040 --> 00:06:54.199 on the verge of being dropped to the biggest 00:06:54.199 --> 00:06:57.139 sensation in country music. literally overnight. 00:06:57.420 --> 00:06:59.819 But here is where the story takes a fascinating 00:06:59.819 --> 00:07:03.759 and highly controversial turn. She has the biggest 00:07:03.759 --> 00:07:06.899 album in the genre. She is the reigning queen 00:07:06.899 --> 00:07:09.540 of country music. Yes. The traditional next step, 00:07:09.819 --> 00:07:11.819 the mandatory next step in the music industry 00:07:11.819 --> 00:07:14.720 playbook is that you go on a massive grueling 00:07:14.720 --> 00:07:16.720 concert tour to capitalize on that momentum. 00:07:16.740 --> 00:07:19.420 Of course. You get on a bus, you play 200 cities 00:07:19.420 --> 00:07:21.589 and you cash in. Right. because that's where 00:07:21.589 --> 00:07:23.569 the real money is made. But she doesn't do that. 00:07:23.689 --> 00:07:26.410 She flat out refuses to tour to support the woman 00:07:26.410 --> 00:07:28.490 in me. Exactly. She just says no. Wait, hold 00:07:28.490 --> 00:07:30.990 on. She has the biggest album in country music 00:07:30.990 --> 00:07:33.269 and she just stays home? Pretty much. Wasn't 00:07:33.269 --> 00:07:35.889 her label absolutely furious? I mean, how do 00:07:35.889 --> 00:07:37.569 you even justify that to the executives who are 00:07:37.569 --> 00:07:40.629 paying your bills? Walking away from a 10 million 00:07:40.629 --> 00:07:44.290 selling albums tour revenue is a massive gamble. 00:07:44.470 --> 00:07:46.829 It was an unprecedented gamble and the industry 00:07:46.829 --> 00:07:50.160 backlash was severe. Nashville insiders were 00:07:50.160 --> 00:07:53.180 furious. But more than that, they were highly 00:07:53.180 --> 00:07:56.199 suspicious. Dispicious how? The speculation ran 00:07:56.199 --> 00:07:58.459 rampant that Shania was a manufactured artist. 00:07:58.620 --> 00:08:01.579 Oh, wow. Yeah. The rumor mill turned out stories 00:08:01.579 --> 00:08:04.120 that she was entirely a studio creation of Mutt 00:08:04.120 --> 00:08:07.399 Lange. They said her vocals were heavily manipulated 00:08:07.399 --> 00:08:10.379 and that she simply couldn't sing live. That's 00:08:10.379 --> 00:08:12.480 brutal. They genuinely thought she was hiding 00:08:12.480 --> 00:08:14.300 because she didn't have the actual talent to 00:08:14.300 --> 00:08:16.500 back up the studio polish. So while she is sitting 00:08:16.500 --> 00:08:19.040 at home, the entire industry is essentially calling 00:08:19.040 --> 00:08:21.899 her a fraud. That has to be an incredible amount 00:08:21.899 --> 00:08:24.199 of psychological pressure. It had to be. But 00:08:24.199 --> 00:08:26.379 when you look at her actual reasoning, it wasn't 00:08:26.379 --> 00:08:28.800 about fear at all. It makes total sense for a 00:08:28.800 --> 00:08:32.419 visionary artist. It really does. First, she 00:08:32.419 --> 00:08:34.860 cited a lack of logistical support from the label 00:08:34.860 --> 00:08:37.399 to put on the kind of massive theatrical show 00:08:37.399 --> 00:08:39.580 she envisioned. She didn't want to just do the 00:08:39.580 --> 00:08:42.019 standard acoustic set. Exactly. She didn't just 00:08:42.019 --> 00:08:43.559 want to stand in front of a microphone stand 00:08:43.559 --> 00:08:46.259 with an acoustic guitar. She wanted a true spectacle. 00:08:47.080 --> 00:08:48.740 And the label wasn't ready to fund that yet. 00:08:48.860 --> 00:08:51.460 Makes sense. Second, she only had two albums 00:08:51.460 --> 00:08:54.500 out. She felt she didn't have enough of her own 00:08:54.500 --> 00:08:58.039 powerful original music to fill out a 90 -minute 00:08:58.039 --> 00:09:00.019 headlining set list. Right, because the first 00:09:00.019 --> 00:09:03.139 album wasn't really a hit. Right. and she explicitly 00:09:03.139 --> 00:09:06.220 said she refused to go out on stage and sing 00:09:06.220 --> 00:09:08.679 other people's cover songs just to kill time. 00:09:09.039 --> 00:09:10.899 Which is such a flex, honestly, just saying, 00:09:10.980 --> 00:09:12.740 no, I only want to play my hits and I don't have 00:09:12.740 --> 00:09:16.179 enough yet. It is a massive flex. But the biggest 00:09:16.179 --> 00:09:19.379 reason, she wanted to retreat and focus entirely 00:09:19.379 --> 00:09:21.779 on writing songs for her next album. She was 00:09:21.779 --> 00:09:24.799 looking ahead. She realized that a grueling two 00:09:24.799 --> 00:09:27.600 -year bus tour would completely drain her creative 00:09:27.600 --> 00:09:30.539 energy and distract her from improving her craft. 00:09:30.759 --> 00:09:33.580 She wanted to build a bulletproof catalog of 00:09:33.580 --> 00:09:36.000 hits before she ever stepped foot on a stage. 00:09:36.379 --> 00:09:39.259 It's a profound display of delayed gratification. 00:09:39.879 --> 00:09:42.679 She absorbed the criticism, she ignored the pressure 00:09:42.679 --> 00:09:45.379 from executives to cash in immediately, and she 00:09:45.379 --> 00:09:48.100 just went to work. Which brings us to the songwriting 00:09:48.100 --> 00:09:50.919 machine that would ultimately produce the masterpiece. 00:09:51.139 --> 00:09:53.519 Come on over. And the songwriting process was 00:09:53.519 --> 00:09:56.409 completely unconventional. because she was doing 00:09:56.409 --> 00:09:58.929 a massive amount of promotional press for The 00:09:58.929 --> 00:10:02.649 Woman in Me, and Mutt Lange had his own intense 00:10:02.649 --> 00:10:05.330 producing schedule with other artists. Very busy 00:10:05.330 --> 00:10:07.370 guys. Yeah, they couldn't just lock themselves 00:10:07.370 --> 00:10:09.490 in a cabin in the woods for six months to write. 00:10:09.769 --> 00:10:12.809 No, they often wrote completely apart in entirely 00:10:12.809 --> 00:10:15.690 different lotations and then amalgamated their 00:10:15.690 --> 00:10:18.730 parts later. It's such a fragmented, almost modern 00:10:18.730 --> 00:10:21.220 way of working. Our sources note that Shania 00:10:21.220 --> 00:10:23.940 documented her ideas constantly. She carried 00:10:23.940 --> 00:10:26.120 recording devices with her absolutely everywhere 00:10:26.120 --> 00:10:28.600 she went. Like a musical diary? Yes. She had 00:10:28.600 --> 00:10:30.580 notebooks for lyrics, and she carried a small 00:10:30.580 --> 00:10:32.759 tape recorder or a mini -disc player for capturing 00:10:32.759 --> 00:10:35.620 melodies. It really echoes how modern artists 00:10:35.620 --> 00:10:38.500 today use the voice memos app on their phones 00:10:38.500 --> 00:10:41.360 to capture lightning in a bottle. Inspiration 00:10:41.360 --> 00:10:43.929 doesn't adhere to a studio schedule. I love this 00:10:43.929 --> 00:10:46.309 specific detail from the sources. She said she 00:10:46.309 --> 00:10:48.210 would be driving to the grocery store, just doing 00:10:48.210 --> 00:10:50.789 a mundane errand, and a melody would hit her. 00:10:50.889 --> 00:10:52.789 Out of nowhere. Right. And if she had forgotten 00:10:52.789 --> 00:10:55.289 her tape deck in the car, she couldn't just write 00:10:55.289 --> 00:10:57.190 it down because it was a melody, not a lyric. 00:10:57.309 --> 00:10:59.850 You can't write a tune on a napkin easily. Exactly. 00:10:59.909 --> 00:11:01.970 So she would have to sing the melody out loud 00:11:01.970 --> 00:11:04.690 over and over again the entire drive home just 00:11:04.690 --> 00:11:06.669 so she wouldn't forget it and then sprint into 00:11:06.669 --> 00:11:09.490 the house to record it. That is dedication. It 00:11:09.490 --> 00:11:11.529 really goes to show you that inspiration isn't 00:11:11.529 --> 00:11:14.429 this mystical that only happens in a multi -million 00:11:14.429 --> 00:11:16.750 dollar studio. It happens in the produce aisle. 00:11:16.850 --> 00:11:19.549 It really does. And the locations where this 00:11:19.549 --> 00:11:23.450 album was actually written reflect that chaotic, 00:11:24.149 --> 00:11:27.149 scattered schedule. For instance, the song You've 00:11:27.149 --> 00:11:29.769 Got Away was partly composed at the pop singer 00:11:29.769 --> 00:11:32.210 Michael Bolton's house in New Jersey, of all 00:11:32.210 --> 00:11:34.750 places. Wait, Michael Bolton? How am I supposed 00:11:34.750 --> 00:11:36.909 to live without you, Michael Bolton? The very 00:11:36.909 --> 00:11:40.830 same. Yeah. Lange was working on Bolton's 1995 00:11:40.830 --> 00:11:43.309 greatest hits compilation at the time, so Shania 00:11:43.309 --> 00:11:45.230 was staying there, and she just kept writing. 00:11:45.450 --> 00:11:48.509 That is wild. It's an amazing piece of trivia 00:11:48.509 --> 00:11:51.669 that a foundational country pop classic was birthed 00:11:51.669 --> 00:11:53.830 in Michael Bolton's guest room. I would never 00:11:53.830 --> 00:11:56.500 have guessed that. And speaking of how she gathered 00:11:56.500 --> 00:11:58.960 material, there's a great note in the sources 00:11:58.960 --> 00:12:01.879 from Shamiah's longtime friend, Helene Boldick. 00:12:02.059 --> 00:12:04.399 Oh yes, about her observation skills. Exactly. 00:12:04.679 --> 00:12:07.379 She observed that Shaniah was a perpetual watcher 00:12:07.379 --> 00:12:10.120 of people. She wouldn't just sit in a room trying 00:12:10.120 --> 00:12:13.100 to summon deep poetry. She would sit in public 00:12:13.100 --> 00:12:15.879 spaces and observe everyday human interactions. 00:12:16.220 --> 00:12:18.539 Just listening to how people actually talk. Yeah. 00:12:18.679 --> 00:12:20.580 She would write down snippets of dialogue in 00:12:20.580 --> 00:12:22.940 her notebook and then later mine those notes 00:12:22.940 --> 00:12:25.320 for titles and concepts. That observation from 00:12:25.320 --> 00:12:27.320 her friend is absolutely key to understanding 00:12:27.320 --> 00:12:30.580 the lyrical genius of come on over. How so? When 00:12:30.580 --> 00:12:32.919 you look at the landscape of 90s alternative 00:12:32.919 --> 00:12:34.879 rock, which was dominating the culture at the 00:12:34.879 --> 00:12:37.960 time, so much of it was about deep, dark, brooding 00:12:37.960 --> 00:12:40.960 confessions. Angst was the currency of the era. 00:12:41.100 --> 00:12:44.460 Very true. Grunge was huge. Exactly. But Shania 00:12:44.460 --> 00:12:46.860 and Mutt deliberately went the opposite direction. 00:12:47.539 --> 00:12:50.980 The goal. as Shania stated, was simply to entertain 00:12:50.980 --> 00:12:52.820 the listener. They wanted it to be fun. They 00:12:52.820 --> 00:12:55.940 wanted to create a conversational album. They 00:12:55.940 --> 00:12:58.419 deliberately incorporated common phrases, everyday 00:12:58.419 --> 00:13:01.139 language you'd use, chatting with a friend over 00:13:01.139 --> 00:13:03.879 coffee. Hence the title, Come On Over. Right. 00:13:04.240 --> 00:13:06.059 Which, by the way, wasn't the original title. 00:13:06.440 --> 00:13:09.500 She originally wanted to call the album No Inhibitions. 00:13:09.960 --> 00:13:12.735 That's a very different vibe. It is. She realized... 00:13:12.730 --> 00:13:16.470 Come on over was so much more inviting. No inhibition 00:13:16.470 --> 00:13:19.129 sounds like a clinical psychology term, whereas 00:13:19.129 --> 00:13:21.169 come on over sounds like someone opening their 00:13:21.169 --> 00:13:23.350 front door and handing you a drink. Precisely. 00:13:23.389 --> 00:13:26.750 It sets a welcoming tone. And this conversational 00:13:26.750 --> 00:13:30.610 tone was heavily laced with humor and sass. Lange 00:13:30.610 --> 00:13:33.009 really encouraged this. He was known for that, 00:13:33.169 --> 00:13:36.100 right? Yes, as a producer, he was a master of 00:13:36.100 --> 00:13:38.759 the double entendre and playful phrasing. You 00:13:38.759 --> 00:13:40.600 can see this reflected in the track list itself. 00:13:40.840 --> 00:13:42.779 The song titles are full of exclamation points, 00:13:43.000 --> 00:13:46.159 puns, and brackets. Man, I feel like a woman. 00:13:46.539 --> 00:13:48.639 Exactly. It looked energetic before you even 00:13:48.639 --> 00:13:51.840 pressed play. But Shania provided the core perspective. 00:13:52.399 --> 00:13:54.360 She specifically wanted to write from a woman's 00:13:54.360 --> 00:13:56.519 point of view, expressing her own beliefs and 00:13:56.519 --> 00:13:59.039 attitudes, but always with a wink and a sense 00:13:59.039 --> 00:14:01.559 of humor. Let's look at some specific examples 00:14:01.559 --> 00:14:04.419 of how they turned real life into these massive 00:14:04.419 --> 00:14:08.480 pop hooks. Take the song, You're Still the One. 00:14:08.679 --> 00:14:11.519 A classic. It sounds like a universal, sweeping 00:14:11.519 --> 00:14:13.879 love song. You hear it at weddings all the time. 00:14:14.320 --> 00:14:16.799 But it was actually written as a direct, joyful 00:14:16.799 --> 00:14:18.919 rebuttal to all the critics and tabloids who 00:14:18.919 --> 00:14:20.980 said her marriage to Mutt Lange wouldn't last. 00:14:21.159 --> 00:14:25.039 Ah, yes. The industry gossip. The media was obsessed 00:14:25.039 --> 00:14:26.960 with their age difference and their disparate 00:14:26.960 --> 00:14:29.000 backgrounds, and they were constantly predicting 00:14:29.000 --> 00:14:31.980 an imminent divorce. So they took that industry 00:14:31.980 --> 00:14:34.279 gossip and turned it into an anthem. They said, 00:14:34.279 --> 00:14:36.220 I bet they'll never make it, but just look at 00:14:36.220 --> 00:14:39.409 us holding on. Exactly. It's the ultimate I told 00:14:39.409 --> 00:14:41.750 you so. It's a brilliant way to address controversy 00:14:41.750 --> 00:14:44.190 without sounding bitter. You just make it a hit 00:14:44.190 --> 00:14:47.149 song. Right, or consider the song when. Shania 00:14:47.149 --> 00:14:49.769 actually cited this track as her personal favorite 00:14:49.769 --> 00:14:52.330 lyric on the entire album. That's an interesting 00:14:52.330 --> 00:14:55.389 choice. It uses all these surreal metaphors of 00:14:55.389 --> 00:14:59.210 an idealistic, impossible world to describe a 00:14:59.210 --> 00:15:02.419 broken relationship. As she put it, the song 00:15:02.419 --> 00:15:04.779 was a clever way of saying when hell freezes 00:15:04.779 --> 00:15:07.620 over about getting back together with a bad ex 00:15:07.620 --> 00:15:10.179 without actually having to say the tired cliché 00:15:10.179 --> 00:15:12.840 out loud. It's very smart, perceptive songwriting 00:15:12.840 --> 00:15:15.620 disguised as breezy, effortless pop music. And 00:15:15.620 --> 00:15:18.379 as we move into the broader themes of the album, 00:15:18.740 --> 00:15:22.200 we see how they managed to balance these breezy, 00:15:22.340 --> 00:15:24.820 entertaining vibes with some surprisingly heavy 00:15:24.820 --> 00:15:27.340 topics. Let's talk about the romance first because 00:15:27.340 --> 00:15:30.059 they really pushed the envelope there. They certainly 00:15:30.059 --> 00:15:33.600 did. From this moment on is undeniably one of 00:15:33.600 --> 00:15:36.659 the biggest ballads of the entire decade. But 00:15:36.659 --> 00:15:38.580 originally Shania didn't even want to sing it. 00:15:38.759 --> 00:15:40.740 That's right. She felt uncomfortable singing 00:15:40.740 --> 00:15:43.240 a massive soaring power ballad. She actually 00:15:43.240 --> 00:15:45.539 wrote it hoping to pitch it to a powerhouse vocalist 00:15:45.539 --> 00:15:47.539 like Celine Dion. She didn't think she had the 00:15:47.539 --> 00:15:49.659 chops for it. She thought her own voice was too 00:15:49.659 --> 00:15:51.679 understated for the sheer scale of the melody. 00:15:52.080 --> 00:15:54.080 But Lange convinced her to record it herself. 00:15:54.360 --> 00:15:57.019 He knew her voice could carry the emotion. They 00:15:57.019 --> 00:15:59.279 ended up bringing in country singer Brian White 00:15:59.279 --> 00:16:02.740 to make it a duet, to give it that sweeping romantic 00:16:02.740 --> 00:16:05.940 dialogue feel. And interestingly, White found 00:16:05.940 --> 00:16:08.940 the song extremely challenging vocally. Really? 00:16:09.360 --> 00:16:10.980 A professional country singer struggled with 00:16:10.980 --> 00:16:13.179 it. Yes, our sources note he really struggled 00:16:13.179 --> 00:16:14.960 in the studio because it pushed the boundaries 00:16:14.960 --> 00:16:17.779 of what a traditional country ballad was expected 00:16:17.779 --> 00:16:20.379 to be. It required a pop diva level of breath 00:16:20.379 --> 00:16:23.990 control and belting. Wow. Now, Beyond Romance, 00:16:24.269 --> 00:16:26.929 Come On Over is heavily focused on women's experiences, 00:16:27.450 --> 00:16:30.389 female empowerment, and role reversal. And they 00:16:30.389 --> 00:16:32.750 tackle these themes with an infectious energy. 00:16:33.049 --> 00:16:36.129 Man, I feel like a woman is the ultimate example 00:16:36.129 --> 00:16:38.669 of that. It is pure hedonism. It's celebrating 00:16:38.669 --> 00:16:40.909 female liberty, dressing up, going out, and just 00:16:40.909 --> 00:16:43.330 having unapologetic fun. It became an instant 00:16:43.330 --> 00:16:45.110 cultural touchstone. Then you have a track like, 00:16:45.309 --> 00:16:47.629 Honey, I'm Home. This is a brilliant narrative 00:16:47.629 --> 00:16:50.049 of role reversal. I love the lyrics on this one. 00:16:50.200 --> 00:16:52.639 It's sung from the perspective of a working woman 00:16:52.639 --> 00:16:55.720 coming home completely exhausted after a grueling 00:16:55.720 --> 00:16:58.840 day at her job, demanding that her partner rub 00:16:58.840 --> 00:17:01.559 her feet, get her a drink, and take care of her. 00:17:01.860 --> 00:17:04.019 Several music critics in our sources actually 00:17:04.019 --> 00:17:07.259 compared its thematic impact to Dolly Parton's 00:17:07.259 --> 00:17:10.460 iconic anthem 9 to 5 from 1980. It's an excellent 00:17:10.460 --> 00:17:13.519 comparison. Dolly's 9 to 5 was about acknowledging 00:17:13.519 --> 00:17:15.940 the woman in the workplace fighting for basic 00:17:15.940 --> 00:17:18.359 respect in a corporate environment. Right. Honey, 00:17:18.519 --> 00:17:21.380 I'm Home, nearly two decades later, updates that 00:17:21.380 --> 00:17:24.140 conversation. It takes the working woman as a 00:17:24.140 --> 00:17:26.599 given and shifts the focus to domestic equity. 00:17:26.829 --> 00:17:29.250 It's saying, I work just as hard as you do, so 00:17:29.250 --> 00:17:31.990 when I get home, I expect the same pampering 00:17:31.990 --> 00:17:34.069 that men have traditionally expected. It's got 00:17:34.069 --> 00:17:36.569 a sharp social commentary wrapped up in a stadium 00:17:36.569 --> 00:17:38.630 rock stomp. But they didn't just stick to fun 00:17:38.630 --> 00:17:40.789 role reversals and upbeat anthems. They tackled 00:17:40.789 --> 00:17:43.650 some deeply serious issues, but they did it through 00:17:43.650 --> 00:17:47.130 this unique lens of optimism. Black Eyes, Blue 00:17:47.130 --> 00:17:49.720 Tears is a great example of that. Yes, Black 00:17:49.720 --> 00:17:53.259 Eyes, Blue Tears is a song explicitly about domestic 00:17:53.259 --> 00:17:55.559 abuse. It's about a woman leaving a physically 00:17:55.559 --> 00:17:58.500 abusive relationship. But instead of focusing 00:17:58.500 --> 00:18:02.440 on the trauma or writing a slow, mournful dirge, 00:18:02.559 --> 00:18:04.940 the lyrics focus entirely on the empowerment 00:18:04.940 --> 00:18:08.059 of walking away. Right. Shania associated the 00:18:08.059 --> 00:18:10.339 theme with the movie Thelma and Louise. She stated 00:18:10.339 --> 00:18:12.380 she wanted to show that there is vibrant life 00:18:12.380 --> 00:18:14.799 after abuse rather than just doom and destruction. 00:18:14.980 --> 00:18:16.960 This raises an important question about how pop 00:18:16.960 --> 00:18:19.700 music functions. Can you tackle themes of abuse 00:18:19.700 --> 00:18:22.079 and bodily autonomy while still maintaining massive 00:18:22.079 --> 00:18:24.559 commercial viability? Clearly, yes, you can. 00:18:24.900 --> 00:18:26.660 Because another track on the album, If You Wanna 00:18:26.660 --> 00:18:29.319 Touch Her, Ask, directly navigates the topic 00:18:29.319 --> 00:18:32.240 of sexual consent and respecting a woman's personal 00:18:32.240 --> 00:18:34.740 physical space. Shania noted it was inspired 00:18:34.740 --> 00:18:37.559 by her own awkward adolescence and physical development, 00:18:37.940 --> 00:18:40.160 where she felt objectified. But again, she framed 00:18:40.160 --> 00:18:43.059 it positively. not as an angry lecture, but as 00:18:43.059 --> 00:18:45.900 an upbeat practical guide for men on how to sensitively 00:18:45.900 --> 00:18:48.619 and respectfully approach a woman. Now, regarding 00:18:48.619 --> 00:18:50.779 these themes, we have to mention how this album 00:18:50.779 --> 00:18:53.240 is viewed historically today. When you read the 00:18:53.240 --> 00:18:55.359 cultural retrospectives from modern journalists, 00:18:55.700 --> 00:18:57.299 it's really interesting to see how they view 00:18:57.299 --> 00:19:00.500 this album. It really is. Critics from outlets 00:19:00.500 --> 00:19:03.119 like The Independent have frequently analyzed 00:19:03.119 --> 00:19:05.740 these tracks and pointed to songs like Black 00:19:05.740 --> 00:19:08.779 Eyes, Blue Tears, and If You Wanna Touch Her, 00:19:09.079 --> 00:19:12.700 Ask. as highly relevant early precursors to the 00:19:12.700 --> 00:19:14.779 conversations we're having today about consent. 00:19:15.180 --> 00:19:17.640 Yes, and looking at the source material, it's 00:19:17.640 --> 00:19:19.880 clear the critical consensus highlights these 00:19:19.880 --> 00:19:23.539 themes as pioneering for a female artist in the 00:19:23.539 --> 00:19:25.880 late 90s country music scene. They've even gone 00:19:25.880 --> 00:19:28.440 so far as to call the album an overlooked feminist 00:19:28.440 --> 00:19:31.059 masterpiece. And we should clarify. Whether you 00:19:31.059 --> 00:19:33.039 view the album through a modern sociopolitical 00:19:33.039 --> 00:19:35.839 lens or just as straightforward, honest storytelling 00:19:35.839 --> 00:19:38.680 about the female experience, speaking so frankly 00:19:38.680 --> 00:19:41.720 about consent and surviving domestic abuse was 00:19:41.720 --> 00:19:44.240 a major undeniable disruption of the genre's 00:19:44.240 --> 00:19:46.640 norms at the time. Absolutely. Country music 00:19:46.640 --> 00:19:48.740 traditionally leaned towards songs about standing 00:19:48.740 --> 00:19:51.589 by your man. Shania was writing songs about setting 00:19:51.589 --> 00:19:54.369 boundaries. It's a huge shift. It's absolutely 00:19:54.369 --> 00:19:57.069 fascinating how an album designed simply to entertain 00:19:57.069 --> 00:19:59.789 the listener ended up carrying so much thematic 00:19:59.789 --> 00:20:02.509 weight and holding up so well decades later. 00:20:02.809 --> 00:20:04.950 But of course the lyrics and the themes are only 00:20:04.950 --> 00:20:08.829 half the story. Oh yeah. The sound of this album. 00:20:09.200 --> 00:20:12.099 The absolute sonic sorcery that Mutt Lange and 00:20:12.099 --> 00:20:14.539 Shania cooked up in the studio is where things 00:20:14.539 --> 00:20:18.640 get truly wild. The recording process was incredibly 00:20:18.640 --> 00:20:21.180 meticulous. They officially started recording 00:20:21.180 --> 00:20:25.579 in late 1996, and Mutt Lange was obsessive about 00:20:25.579 --> 00:20:28.079 preparation. Obsessive is the right word. Before 00:20:28.079 --> 00:20:29.980 they even entered the physical studio space, 00:20:30.160 --> 00:20:33.180 he called session drummer Paul Lime. Lange played 00:20:33.180 --> 00:20:35.339 him every single song on the album, singing and 00:20:35.339 --> 00:20:37.700 playing guitar himself over the phone. Over the 00:20:37.700 --> 00:20:40.099 phone. Over the phone. He wanted the drummer 00:20:40.099 --> 00:20:42.559 to understand the exact vision and groove for 00:20:42.559 --> 00:20:44.619 every track before the tape ever rolled. That 00:20:44.619 --> 00:20:47.119 is wild. They told the audio engineer Jeff Balding 00:20:47.119 --> 00:20:49.759 that they wanted a real fun Motown feel, and 00:20:49.759 --> 00:20:51.799 they discussed the musical direction endlessly. 00:20:52.339 --> 00:20:54.640 The actual recording took place over three weeks 00:20:54.640 --> 00:20:56.619 at the master phonics tracking room in Nashville, 00:20:56.960 --> 00:20:59.180 and they were obsessive about the acoustics. 00:20:59.529 --> 00:21:02.150 Finding the right drum sound alone was a massive 00:21:02.150 --> 00:21:04.589 challenge. Well, acoustic spaces drastically 00:21:04.589 --> 00:21:07.210 change how an instrument sounds. For the rock 00:21:07.210 --> 00:21:09.589 -heavy tracks, Paul Lime recorded the drums in 00:21:09.589 --> 00:21:12.710 a room with a solid stone floor and highly reflective 00:21:12.710 --> 00:21:15.029 rock walls. And for anyone who isn't an audio 00:21:15.029 --> 00:21:17.930 engineer, hard surfaces like stone reflect sound 00:21:17.930 --> 00:21:20.990 waves rapidly, which creates a big, echoing, 00:21:21.210 --> 00:21:23.250 stadium -like sound and makes the drum sound 00:21:23.250 --> 00:21:25.750 huge. But for the ballads, he packed up his kit 00:21:25.750 --> 00:21:29.109 and moved to small, heavily padded dead booths. 00:21:29.109 --> 00:21:31.569 Right. These are small rooms lined with acoustic 00:21:31.569 --> 00:21:34.549 foam that absorb sound, resulting in a very tight, 00:21:34.789 --> 00:21:37.349 dry, intimate sound that doesn't overpower the 00:21:37.349 --> 00:21:39.309 vocals. And the gear they used was top of the 00:21:39.309 --> 00:21:42.130 line. The mixing was done by Mike Shipley on 00:21:42.130 --> 00:21:45.630 an SSL 9000J console. Which is a crucial detail. 00:21:45.789 --> 00:21:48.000 It really is. For those not familiar with studio 00:21:48.000 --> 00:21:51.099 gear, think of the SSL -9000J console as the 00:21:51.099 --> 00:21:53.779 absolute Ferrari of mixing desks in the 1990s. 00:21:53.859 --> 00:21:57.599 The gold standard. It was a massive, highly expensive, 00:21:57.980 --> 00:22:00.940 computerized piece of technology that gave pop, 00:22:01.500 --> 00:22:05.059 hip -hop, and rock records that incredibly punchy 00:22:05.210 --> 00:22:08.430 crystal clear, larger than life sound. Using 00:22:08.430 --> 00:22:11.289 an SSL desk of that magnitude for a country album 00:22:11.289 --> 00:22:14.009 was a huge statement. It signaled they were aiming 00:22:14.009 --> 00:22:16.529 for a sonic fidelity that rivaled Michael Jackson 00:22:16.529 --> 00:22:18.809 or Madonna. And the musicianship on this album 00:22:18.809 --> 00:22:23.029 is top tier Nashville session players. Joe Chime 00:22:23.029 --> 00:22:26.109 on bass. Including playing a fretless bass, which 00:22:26.109 --> 00:22:28.250 allowed him to slide between pitches smoothly. 00:22:28.509 --> 00:22:30.950 You have Biff Watson on acoustic guitars. You 00:22:30.950 --> 00:22:33.150 even have Larry Byrum, the former guitarist from 00:22:33.150 --> 00:22:35.069 the rock band Steppenwolf, playing slide guitar. 00:22:35.430 --> 00:22:37.769 Steppenwolf. Magic Carpet Ride Steppenwolf playing 00:22:37.769 --> 00:22:40.880 on a Shania Twain record. Exactly. But while 00:22:40.880 --> 00:22:43.400 Lange had a strict obsessive vision, he also 00:22:43.400 --> 00:22:45.400 allowed these seasoned musicians the freedom 00:22:45.400 --> 00:22:48.000 to add their own stylistic touches, which brought 00:22:48.000 --> 00:22:50.440 a really organic life to the tracks. However, 00:22:50.960 --> 00:22:53.019 there were moments where Lange exerted total 00:22:53.019 --> 00:22:55.220 control to achieve a specific sound. And this 00:22:55.220 --> 00:22:57.279 brings us to one of the most fascinating production 00:22:57.279 --> 00:22:59.380 techniques on the album. The fiddles. Right. 00:22:59.779 --> 00:23:02.119 The fiddles. You cannot have a country album 00:23:02.119 --> 00:23:05.400 in 1997 without fiddles. It's the law. It was 00:23:05.400 --> 00:23:07.569 basically a requirement for airplay. But both 00:23:07.569 --> 00:23:10.250 Shania and Mutt felt that traditional fiddle 00:23:10.250 --> 00:23:12.349 playing just didn't sound big enough for the 00:23:12.349 --> 00:23:14.910 massive pop stadium sound they were building. 00:23:15.529 --> 00:23:17.990 The standard way to record a fiddle is to have 00:23:17.990 --> 00:23:20.029 one player, and maybe you record them a second 00:23:20.029 --> 00:23:22.170 time to double the track. But Lange comes up 00:23:22.170 --> 00:23:24.789 with a trick. Yes, the infamous Bo Burroughs 00:23:24.789 --> 00:23:27.769 technique. He brought in four distinct, highly 00:23:27.769 --> 00:23:31.630 talented fiddle players, Rob Hajakos, Joe Spivey, 00:23:31.869 --> 00:23:34.420 Glenn Duncan, and Aubrey Haney. But instead of 00:23:34.420 --> 00:23:36.859 having them play complex countermelodies or harmony 00:23:36.859 --> 00:23:39.079 parts like a standard string quartet, he had 00:23:39.079 --> 00:23:41.519 all four of them play the exact same part in 00:23:41.519 --> 00:23:44.059 perfect unison. Which is incredibly difficult 00:23:44.059 --> 00:23:46.039 to do well. Wait, but isn't that just a nightmare 00:23:46.039 --> 00:23:48.660 for mixing? Having four guys playing the exact 00:23:48.660 --> 00:23:51.259 same notes at the exact same time? Why not just 00:23:51.259 --> 00:23:53.140 have one guy play it and then copy and paste 00:23:53.140 --> 00:23:55.559 the audio track four times in the computer? It's 00:23:55.559 --> 00:23:57.460 a great question. If you just copy and paste 00:23:57.460 --> 00:23:59.839 the exact same audio file, it doesn't sound bigger, 00:23:59.900 --> 00:24:01.839 it just gets louder. And you can actually cause 00:24:01.839 --> 00:24:04.200 phase cancellation where frequencies cancel each 00:24:04.200 --> 00:24:07.339 other out. Oh, I see. But when you have four 00:24:07.339 --> 00:24:10.519 distinct physical instruments moving actual air 00:24:10.519 --> 00:24:14.809 in a room, you get micro variations. No. two 00:24:14.809 --> 00:24:17.730 humans play with the exact same millisecond of 00:24:17.730 --> 00:24:20.549 timing or the exact same microscopic pitch. That 00:24:20.549 --> 00:24:24.309 makes sense. Those tiny organic imperfections 00:24:24.309 --> 00:24:27.670 blend together to create a naturally thick chorusing 00:24:27.670 --> 00:24:30.250 effect that you simply cannot replicate digitally. 00:24:30.430 --> 00:24:33.829 That is fascinating, moving actual air in the 00:24:33.829 --> 00:24:37.009 room. And the mic placement was insanely precise 00:24:37.009 --> 00:24:39.190 to capture this. Very precise. Sometimes the 00:24:39.190 --> 00:24:40.990 microphones were placed just six to eight inches 00:24:40.990 --> 00:24:42.730 from each fiddle to get the scrape of the bow. 00:24:43.210 --> 00:24:45.549 Other times, all four players stood in a tight 00:24:45.549 --> 00:24:49.650 semicircle around two Newman KM582 microphones. 00:24:49.970 --> 00:24:52.250 And those Newman's are highly sensitive vintage 00:24:52.250 --> 00:24:54.930 tube condenser microphones. They capture the 00:24:54.930 --> 00:24:57.470 warmth and the room ambience perfectly. The audio 00:24:57.470 --> 00:25:00.329 engineer noted that this unison playing captured 00:25:00.329 --> 00:25:03.730 by those specific mics, created a massive, thick 00:25:03.730 --> 00:25:06.289 sound without making the track feel cluttered 00:25:06.289 --> 00:25:08.829 or muddy. All of this technical obsessiveness, 00:25:09.130 --> 00:25:11.470 the SSL consoles, the reflective stone rooms, 00:25:11.650 --> 00:25:14.430 the four -man fiddle sections, was in service 00:25:14.430 --> 00:25:17.609 of a very specific goal, creating what critics 00:25:17.609 --> 00:25:20.619 would later call the illusion of genre. The genre 00:25:20.619 --> 00:25:23.799 debate around this album is wild. If you ask 00:25:23.799 --> 00:25:26.160 a music historian to categorize Come On Over, 00:25:26.460 --> 00:25:30.039 they struggle. Because it defies simple categorization. 00:25:30.299 --> 00:25:33.619 Is it country? Is it pop? Is it arena rock? Is 00:25:33.619 --> 00:25:36.039 it adult contemporary? When you look at the track 00:25:36.039 --> 00:25:37.700 list and really listen to the production, it's 00:25:37.700 --> 00:25:40.160 actually all of those things operating simultaneously. 00:25:40.599 --> 00:25:42.960 Shania herself described it as an upbeat album 00:25:42.960 --> 00:25:45.119 that equally combined country, pop, and rock. 00:25:45.339 --> 00:25:47.019 Let's break down some of these tracks to see 00:25:47.019 --> 00:25:49.119 how they actually pulled off this genre blending, 00:25:49.200 --> 00:25:50.839 because it's brilliant. Let's start with the 00:25:50.839 --> 00:25:53.619 opener, man. I feel like a woman. Perfect example. 00:25:53.920 --> 00:25:56.140 You have Shania delivering the vocals with a 00:25:56.140 --> 00:25:58.920 distinct country twang. You can hear the Nashville 00:25:58.920 --> 00:26:01.400 in her voice. But underneath that twang, You 00:26:01.400 --> 00:26:04.759 have synthesized strings and a heavy, fuzz -drenched 00:26:04.759 --> 00:26:07.880 electric guitar riff. Music journalists constantly 00:26:07.880 --> 00:26:10.740 compare that opening guitar riff to Norman Greenbaum's 00:26:10.740 --> 00:26:14.299 classic 1969 psychedelic rock song, Spirit in 00:26:14.299 --> 00:26:16.660 the Sky. Exactly. Country voice, psychedelic 00:26:16.660 --> 00:26:19.500 rock guitar, pop synthesizers. It's a true hybrid. 00:26:19.720 --> 00:26:22.420 Then you have Honey, I'm Home. The defining feature 00:26:22.420 --> 00:26:26.039 of this track is this massive driving stomp clap 00:26:26.039 --> 00:26:29.049 rhythm. Stomp, stomp, clap. Right. Critics universally 00:26:29.049 --> 00:26:32.029 pointed out that this rhythm is a direct, undeniable 00:26:32.029 --> 00:26:34.430 mirror of Queen's stadium rock anthem, We Will 00:26:34.430 --> 00:26:37.430 Rock You. But instead of Brian May's guitar soaring 00:26:37.430 --> 00:26:39.769 over it, it's layered with bluesy fiddles and 00:26:39.769 --> 00:26:42.250 crying pedal steel. Then they venture into entirely 00:26:42.250 --> 00:26:44.910 international sounds. I Won't Leave You lonely 00:26:44.910 --> 00:26:48.349 has a distinct European flavor. It features juxtaposed 00:26:48.349 --> 00:26:50.890 accordions and pedal steel with verses actually 00:26:50.890 --> 00:26:52.990 sung in French and Spanish to broaden its global 00:26:52.990 --> 00:26:55.589 appeal. And the rhythm guitar track. Critics 00:26:55.589 --> 00:26:58.190 noted its striking similarity to the tight, muted 00:26:58.190 --> 00:27:01.569 reggae -influenced picking on the police's 1983 00:27:01.569 --> 00:27:04.089 hit, Every Breath You Take. And what about the 00:27:04.089 --> 00:27:06.990 title track, Come On Over? It has this amazing 00:27:06.990 --> 00:27:10.809 swampy cajun sound driven by mandolin and accordion, 00:27:11.250 --> 00:27:13.549 but the rhythmic foundation of the song is an 00:27:13.549 --> 00:27:15.950 electronic Caribbean beat. It's a melting pot. 00:27:15.950 --> 00:27:19.220 Yeah. And then rock this country. is basically 00:27:19.220 --> 00:27:22.900 an 80s arena rock song, complete with power chords 00:27:22.900 --> 00:27:26.240 and pounding aggressive drums, just with a frantic 00:27:26.240 --> 00:27:28.200 fiddle solo thrown in the middle. What Alison 00:27:28.200 --> 00:27:30.240 Hussey of Pitchfork so brilliantly pointed out 00:27:30.240 --> 00:27:32.440 in our sources is that the fiddles are the key 00:27:32.440 --> 00:27:35.279 element. They are the anchor transmitting the 00:27:35.279 --> 00:27:37.480 album's country core. As long as the fiddle is 00:27:37.480 --> 00:27:40.259 there, country radio feels safe. Exactly. But 00:27:40.259 --> 00:27:43.240 the smeared edges of Lange's production master 00:27:43.240 --> 00:27:46.140 this illusion. They crafted songs that had enough 00:27:46.140 --> 00:27:48.809 twang for country radio. enough melodic hook 00:27:48.809 --> 00:27:51.329 for pop radio, and enough rhythmic drive for 00:27:51.329 --> 00:27:53.809 rock radio. It made the album palatable to almost 00:27:53.809 --> 00:27:56.309 any listener anywhere in the world. Which brings 00:27:56.309 --> 00:27:58.730 us to perhaps the most brilliant part of this 00:27:58.730 --> 00:28:01.430 entire story. The master class in marketing. 00:28:01.990 --> 00:28:04.089 The crossover strategy. This is where it gets 00:28:04.089 --> 00:28:06.589 really interesting. Because recording a genre 00:28:06.589 --> 00:28:08.910 -bending album is an artistic achievement, certainly. 00:28:09.609 --> 00:28:12.480 But selling 40 million copies of it... That requires 00:28:12.480 --> 00:28:14.960 a strategic rollout, unlike anything the music 00:28:14.960 --> 00:28:16.940 industry had ever seen. The disruption started 00:28:16.940 --> 00:28:20.920 with the track list itself. In 1997, the standard 00:28:20.920 --> 00:28:24.079 rule for a country album was strictly 10 to 12 00:28:24.079 --> 00:28:27.619 tracks, running maybe 35 to 40 minutes tops. 00:28:27.839 --> 00:28:29.619 It was an efficiency model. Get in, give them 00:28:29.619 --> 00:28:32.640 a couple of hits, get out. Come on. Over completely 00:28:32.640 --> 00:28:35.579 shattered that expectation. It featured 16 tracks 00:28:35.579 --> 00:28:38.720 and ran for over 60 minutes. It was a massive, 00:28:39.200 --> 00:28:40.970 sprawling piece of work. And they didn't just 00:28:40.970 --> 00:28:44.450 put 16 songs on there as filler to justify the 00:28:44.450 --> 00:28:47.930 CD price. Out of those 16 tracks, Mercury Records 00:28:47.930 --> 00:28:50.670 released an unbelievable 12 of them as singles. 00:28:50.869 --> 00:28:53.269 12 singles from one album. Think about that for 00:28:53.269 --> 00:28:55.329 a second. That means they were actively promoting 00:28:55.329 --> 00:28:57.829 this exact same record on the radio for nearly 00:28:57.829 --> 00:29:01.359 three solid years. It's unheard of today. Imagine 00:29:01.359 --> 00:29:05.160 it's late 1997. You hear the first single. Now 00:29:05.160 --> 00:29:07.839 it's the summer of 1998. Another single drops. 00:29:08.359 --> 00:29:11.480 Now it's the end of 1999. You are two years older. 00:29:11.819 --> 00:29:14.319 Your life has changed. And they are still releasing 00:29:14.319 --> 00:29:16.680 brand new hit singles from the exact same album 00:29:16.680 --> 00:29:18.779 you bought two years ago. It's an incredible 00:29:18.779 --> 00:29:21.420 life cycle for a piece of media. But the absolute 00:29:21.420 --> 00:29:24.380 genius was where and when they promoted those 00:29:24.380 --> 00:29:28.819 singles. They utilized a staggering highly disciplined 00:29:28.819 --> 00:29:31.339 pop crossover strategy in North America. How 00:29:31.339 --> 00:29:33.299 did that work exactly? When the album launched, 00:29:33.660 --> 00:29:35.819 they did not send the music to pop radio immediately. 00:29:36.359 --> 00:29:39.220 They resisted the urge. The first two singles, 00:29:39.579 --> 00:29:41.099 Love Gets Me Every Time and Don't Be Stupid, 00:29:41.460 --> 00:29:43.910 were sent only to country radio stations. Why 00:29:43.910 --> 00:29:46.009 did they do that? If it's a pop album, why hide 00:29:46.009 --> 00:29:47.970 it from pop radio? Because they had to prove 00:29:47.970 --> 00:29:50.430 her loyalty to the country base first. Remember 00:29:50.430 --> 00:29:53.230 the backlash about her not touring? The accusations 00:29:53.230 --> 00:29:55.289 that she was a fake? Oh, right. They had to win 00:29:55.289 --> 00:29:57.930 back the Nashville purists. If she had come back 00:29:57.930 --> 00:30:01.049 with a massive pop single out of the gate, country 00:30:01.049 --> 00:30:03.470 radio would have banished her forever. She wouldn't 00:30:03.470 --> 00:30:05.650 have been seen as a traitor. They had to assure 00:30:05.650 --> 00:30:08.210 the Nashville establishment that she was still 00:30:08.210 --> 00:30:11.029 a country girl at heart. And it worked. Love 00:30:11.029 --> 00:30:14.329 gets me. every time I spent five weeks at number 00:30:14.329 --> 00:30:16.549 one on the country charts. So once the country 00:30:16.549 --> 00:30:18.930 base is locked in, and the album is a certified 00:30:18.930 --> 00:30:21.430 country smash, then they execute the crossover. 00:30:21.509 --> 00:30:24.549 I see. In January 1998, once she was secure on 00:30:24.549 --> 00:30:27.410 the country charts, they finally released You're 00:30:27.410 --> 00:30:30.549 Still the One to US Pop Radio. And because the 00:30:30.549 --> 00:30:33.269 country foundation was so solid, the pop stations 00:30:33.269 --> 00:30:35.390 embraced it, and the country stations didn't 00:30:35.390 --> 00:30:37.730 feel abandoned. It hit number two on the Billboard 00:30:37.730 --> 00:30:40.940 Hot 100. They repeated this double -dipping strategy 00:30:40.940 --> 00:30:43.700 over and over. Songs like From This Moment On 00:30:43.700 --> 00:30:46.240 were serviced to country radio in May and then 00:30:46.240 --> 00:30:48.460 pushed to pop stations months later in August. 00:30:49.140 --> 00:30:51.680 They effectively squeezed two distinct lifespans 00:30:51.680 --> 00:30:54.500 out of every single song. But if you think that's 00:30:54.500 --> 00:30:56.619 impressive, we have to talk about the international 00:30:56.619 --> 00:30:59.480 remixes. Because this right here is the ultimate 00:30:59.480 --> 00:31:02.140 genius move. This is how you reach 40 million. 00:31:02.329 --> 00:31:04.950 It's a phenomenal strategy. When the North American 00:31:04.950 --> 00:31:07.250 album was finished and shipped to stores, Mutt 00:31:07.250 --> 00:31:09.789 Lange didn't take a vacation. He didn't celebrate. 00:31:09.970 --> 00:31:12.750 He went right back into the studio and spent 00:31:12.750 --> 00:31:16.410 four additional months completely remixing 15 00:31:16.410 --> 00:31:18.970 of the 16 tracks for the international release, 00:31:19.049 --> 00:31:22.490 which came out in Europe in February 1998. He 00:31:22.490 --> 00:31:24.490 fundamentally altered the sonic architecture 00:31:24.490 --> 00:31:27.289 of the album for the global market. Right. He 00:31:27.289 --> 00:31:29.869 knew the cultural context of international audiences. 00:31:30.890 --> 00:31:34.630 Pedal steel guitars and aggressive sawing fiddles 00:31:34.630 --> 00:31:36.950 simply didn't historically sell well in Europe 00:31:36.950 --> 00:31:39.789 or Asia. No, they don't. To a listener in London 00:31:39.789 --> 00:31:42.390 or Tokyo, a pedal steel doesn't sound like a 00:31:42.390 --> 00:31:45.470 cool sonic texture. It sounds intensely hyper 00:31:45.470 --> 00:31:48.029 localized to the American South. It's a barrier 00:31:48.029 --> 00:31:51.059 to entry. So what does he do? He painstakingly 00:31:51.059 --> 00:31:53.460 strips out those country elements. He mutes the 00:31:53.460 --> 00:31:55.779 fiddle tracks. He makes the snare drums more 00:31:55.779 --> 00:31:58.339 subtle. He replaces the acoustic twang with driving 00:31:58.339 --> 00:32:00.740 pop beats, synthesized drum loops, keyboards 00:32:00.740 --> 00:32:04.039 and lush pop synthesizers. He effectively erases 00:32:04.039 --> 00:32:06.759 the country DNA. The only song he left completely 00:32:06.759 --> 00:32:09.319 untouched was rock this country. So if you bought 00:32:09.319 --> 00:32:12.119 the album in a record store in North America, 00:32:12.460 --> 00:32:14.859 you got a country pop record. If you bought it 00:32:14.859 --> 00:32:18.319 in the UK, Ireland or Australia, you got a straight 00:32:18.319 --> 00:32:21.900 up global pop record. Think about that. Think 00:32:21.900 --> 00:32:24.059 about the version of these songs that you remember 00:32:24.059 --> 00:32:26.579 hearing on the radio. If you grew up in London, 00:32:27.019 --> 00:32:29.180 the song in your head sounds completely different 00:32:29.180 --> 00:32:31.579 than if you grew up in Texas. Lange literally 00:32:31.579 --> 00:32:34.039 manipulated our musical memories based on our 00:32:34.039 --> 00:32:36.559 zip codes. And they even changed the visual branding 00:32:36.559 --> 00:32:40.160 to match the sonic vibe. The original North American 00:32:40.160 --> 00:32:43.039 album cover features Shania, in a casual red 00:32:43.039 --> 00:32:46.299 shirt with a very direct, come hither pose. Very 00:32:46.299 --> 00:32:49.000 classic, approachable country aesthetic. But 00:32:49.000 --> 00:32:51.559 the international cover, completely different 00:32:51.559 --> 00:32:53.380 photo shoot. Entirely different. It features 00:32:53.380 --> 00:32:55.839 her with windswept household hair, wearing a 00:32:55.839 --> 00:32:58.079 sleek, sleeveless silver gown, turning toward 00:32:58.079 --> 00:33:00.480 the camera with a much more high fashion, icy, 00:33:00.700 --> 00:33:03.680 pop diva aesthetic. They sold two completely 00:33:03.680 --> 00:33:05.779 different versions of Shania Twain to the world 00:33:05.779 --> 00:33:08.539 simultaneously. The success of this dual release 00:33:08.539 --> 00:33:12.089 strategy simply cannot be overstated. By tailoring 00:33:12.089 --> 00:33:14.630 the instrumentation to regional tastes, while 00:33:14.630 --> 00:33:16.869 keeping the core, universal melodies and her 00:33:16.869 --> 00:33:19.789 pristine vocals intact, they conquered the globe. 00:33:19.890 --> 00:33:21.890 And they didn't stop tweaking it. No, they kept 00:33:21.890 --> 00:33:25.250 going. In February 1999, recognizing the booming 00:33:25.250 --> 00:33:28.750 club scene, they released a specific dance remix 00:33:28.750 --> 00:33:31.630 of that don't impress me much to pop stations. 00:33:31.769 --> 00:33:34.490 Oh, that dance remix is legendary. You couldn't 00:33:34.490 --> 00:33:36.529 go to a wedding, a club or a grocery store without 00:33:36.529 --> 00:33:39.190 hearing it. It absolutely conquered the world. 00:33:39.369 --> 00:33:42.049 It hit number one in Ireland, New Zealand and 00:33:42.049 --> 00:33:45.690 Norway and went top 10 in the UK, Germany, Australia 00:33:45.690 --> 00:33:48.670 and the US. Eventually, the demand for these 00:33:48.670 --> 00:33:51.170 pop and dance remixes was so unbelievably high 00:33:51.170 --> 00:33:53.960 in America. that Mercury Records actually released 00:33:53.960 --> 00:33:56.119 the international pop version of the album in 00:33:56.119 --> 00:33:59.700 the U .S. in November 1999. That is two full 00:33:59.700 --> 00:34:01.839 years after the original release. People were 00:34:01.839 --> 00:34:03.759 literally going to the store buying the album 00:34:03.759 --> 00:34:05.900 twice just to get the different mixes. It was 00:34:05.900 --> 00:34:08.099 an absolute master class in extending an album's 00:34:08.099 --> 00:34:10.760 life cycle and maximizing revenue. And to bring 00:34:10.760 --> 00:34:13.659 this entire massive story full circle, we have 00:34:13.659 --> 00:34:17.559 to talk about the tour. Remember back in 1995, 00:34:18.260 --> 00:34:20.300 the entire industry doubted she could perform 00:34:20.300 --> 00:34:22.920 live. They said she was a studio fake hiding 00:34:22.920 --> 00:34:26.059 behind Mutt Lange's mixing desk. Well, from May 00:34:26.059 --> 00:34:29.840 1998 to December 1999, Shania embarked on the 00:34:29.840 --> 00:34:31.980 Come On Over tour. It was her first tour as a 00:34:31.980 --> 00:34:34.420 headliner. And the pressure must have been immense. 00:34:34.719 --> 00:34:37.099 If she cracked on the first note, the critics 00:34:37.099 --> 00:34:39.110 would have ended her career right there. But 00:34:39.110 --> 00:34:42.190 she just obliterated them. She played 165 shows 00:34:42.190 --> 00:34:44.809 across North America, Australia, Ireland, and 00:34:44.809 --> 00:34:49.289 the UK. The tour grossed over $70 million. Massive 00:34:49.289 --> 00:34:52.070 numbers. The reviews praised her incredible vocal 00:34:52.070 --> 00:34:54.690 stamina, her energetic performances, and the 00:34:54.690 --> 00:34:57.230 massive theatrical production value she had always 00:34:57.230 --> 00:34:59.789 envisioned. She completely vindicated herself. 00:35:00.170 --> 00:35:02.230 She proved, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that 00:35:02.230 --> 00:35:04.690 she was a powerhouse live performer. The tour 00:35:04.690 --> 00:35:07.340 was a multimedia spectacle. She didn't just play 00:35:07.340 --> 00:35:09.679 arenas, she dominated the airwaves. She had a 00:35:09.679 --> 00:35:12.519 live broadcast on DirecTV from Dallas. She had 00:35:12.519 --> 00:35:15.380 a primetime CBS TV special. And she brought out 00:35:15.380 --> 00:35:19.800 massive, globally recognized guest stars. Elton 00:35:19.800 --> 00:35:22.440 John joined her on stage in Miami to sing a medley 00:35:22.440 --> 00:35:25.380 of You're Still the One and his hit Something 00:35:25.380 --> 00:35:27.579 About the Way You Look Tonight. The Backscree 00:35:27.579 --> 00:35:29.900 Boys, who were arguably the biggest pop group 00:35:29.900 --> 00:35:32.460 on the planet at the time, came out to sing from 00:35:32.460 --> 00:35:35.480 this moment on. It cemented her status not just 00:35:35.480 --> 00:35:38.920 as a country star who got lucky, but as a bonafide 00:35:38.920 --> 00:35:41.960 global pop icon playing on the same level as 00:35:41.960 --> 00:35:44.420 Elton John. And the sales numbers reflect that 00:35:44.420 --> 00:35:47.719 relentless unstoppable momentum. Now I have to 00:35:47.719 --> 00:35:49.400 ask you, because I love this piece of trivia. 00:35:50.000 --> 00:35:53.300 When Come On Over debuted in November 1997, did 00:35:53.300 --> 00:35:55.780 it debut at number one on the Billboard 200? 00:35:55.960 --> 00:35:58.920 Actually, no. In a crazy piece of late 90s trivia, 00:35:59.139 --> 00:36:02.840 it debuted at number two, selling 172 ,000 copies 00:36:02.840 --> 00:36:05.019 in its first week. She was beaten out for the 00:36:05.019 --> 00:36:07.639 number one spot by a margin of just 3 ,000 copies. 00:36:07.800 --> 00:36:09.619 And the artist who beat her? The rapper Mace, 00:36:09.860 --> 00:36:12.300 with his debut album Harlem World. It's so funny 00:36:12.300 --> 00:36:14.599 to look back at chart history like that. It really 00:36:14.599 --> 00:36:17.719 is. But while most albums drop off significantly 00:36:17.719 --> 00:36:20.760 after week one, Come On Over defied the laws 00:36:20.760 --> 00:36:25.099 of gravity. It held on. It sold another 170 ,000 00:36:25.099 --> 00:36:27.579 copies in week two. And because of that relentless 00:36:27.579 --> 00:36:30.869 release of 12 singles? the international remixes, 00:36:31.030 --> 00:36:33.789 the dance mixes, and the massive tour, the album's 00:36:33.789 --> 00:36:36.530 highest sales week didn't happen in 1997. It 00:36:36.530 --> 00:36:39.130 didn't happen in 1998 either. The highest sales 00:36:39.130 --> 00:36:41.150 week for this album happened during Christmas 00:36:41.150 --> 00:36:44.909 week of 1999, two full years after it was initially 00:36:44.909 --> 00:36:49.010 released, when it sold 355 ,000 copies in a single 00:36:49.010 --> 00:36:52.170 week. That is simply unheard of chart longevity. 00:36:52.429 --> 00:36:54.570 Albums just do not peak two years into their 00:36:54.570 --> 00:36:57.710 cycle. It spent a staggering 50 weeks at number 00:36:57.710 --> 00:36:59.889 one on the U .S. top country albums chart. It 00:36:59.889 --> 00:37:01.949 was certified 20 times platinum in the U .S. 00:37:02.090 --> 00:37:04.150 The Guinness World Records officially recognized 00:37:04.150 --> 00:37:07.110 it as the biggest selling studio album by a female 00:37:07.110 --> 00:37:09.510 solo artist in history. If we pull back and look 00:37:09.510 --> 00:37:11.710 at the macro view, the true legacy of Come On 00:37:11.710 --> 00:37:13.789 Over is that it fundamentally revolutionized 00:37:13.789 --> 00:37:17.030 country music. It really did. Before Shania Twain, 00:37:17.389 --> 00:37:19.849 attempting to cross over to pop was largely viewed 00:37:19.849 --> 00:37:22.530 as an act of betrayal in Nashville. The industry 00:37:22.530 --> 00:37:24.710 was highly protective of its borders. But after 00:37:24.710 --> 00:37:27.090 Come On Over, crossing over became the gold standard. 00:37:27.340 --> 00:37:29.280 She proved that you didn't have to be confined 00:37:29.280 --> 00:37:32.679 by strict arbitrary genre boundaries to be authentic. 00:37:33.239 --> 00:37:36.599 Exactly. You can draw a direct undeniable lineage 00:37:36.599 --> 00:37:39.179 from Shania to the massive modern country pop 00:37:39.179 --> 00:37:42.619 stars of today. Think about Taylor Swift. Swift 00:37:42.619 --> 00:37:45.199 actually publicly thanks Shania on TikTok for 00:37:45.199 --> 00:37:47.360 eradicating the misconception that country girls 00:37:47.360 --> 00:37:49.719 can't go to pop. Think about Carrie Underwood, 00:37:49.980 --> 00:37:52.880 Maren Morris, Kelsey Ballerini. Shania's fearless 00:37:52.880 --> 00:37:55.400 genre blending took the arrows so that the next 00:37:55.400 --> 00:37:57.360 generation could walk through the door she kicked 00:37:57.360 --> 00:37:59.340 down. And it wasn't just a sonic revolution. 00:37:59.860 --> 00:38:02.719 It was visual. Shania's music videos were high 00:38:02.719 --> 00:38:06.179 budget, highly choreographed, glamorous and vibrant. 00:38:06.409 --> 00:38:08.550 As our sources note, her visual presentation 00:38:08.550 --> 00:38:11.570 benefited from heavy airplay on CMT, MTV, and 00:38:11.570 --> 00:38:15.190 VH1s simultaneously. She conveyed a powerful 00:38:15.190 --> 00:38:17.949 visual message that country music didn't have 00:38:17.949 --> 00:38:20.329 to look like just one thing. It didn't have to 00:38:20.329 --> 00:38:22.590 be just dusty boots, denim, and pickup trucks. 00:38:22.809 --> 00:38:25.570 It could be high fashion, leopard print, and 00:38:25.570 --> 00:38:28.130 global glamour. So to summarize the findings 00:38:28.130 --> 00:38:31.210 of this deep dive... Come On Over was a perfect 00:38:31.210 --> 00:38:34.750 storm. It was a monumental achievement in balancing 00:38:34.750 --> 00:38:39.050 pure artistic vision with shrewd commercial reality. 00:38:39.809 --> 00:38:42.230 Shania and Mutt Lange understood their core audience 00:38:42.230 --> 00:38:45.889 deeply, but they also possessed the unparalleled 00:38:45.889 --> 00:38:48.889 genius to expand that audience globally without 00:38:48.889 --> 00:38:51.449 losing the emotional core of the songs. Absolutely. 00:38:51.550 --> 00:38:55.420 It was the combination of brilliant relatable, 00:38:55.420 --> 00:38:57.519 everyday songwriting captured on a mini disc 00:38:57.519 --> 00:38:59.760 in a grocery store parking lot. It was a result 00:38:59.760 --> 00:39:02.219 of meticulous, obsessive recording techniques 00:39:02.219 --> 00:39:04.679 in expensive studios. It was fearless boundary 00:39:04.679 --> 00:39:07.340 pushing in a genre that hated change. And it 00:39:07.340 --> 00:39:10.219 was powered by a completely unprecedented marketing 00:39:10.219 --> 00:39:12.780 strategy of releasing dual sonic versions to 00:39:12.780 --> 00:39:14.559 different continents. The next time you hear 00:39:14.559 --> 00:39:16.940 a country song with a heavy pop beat on the radio, 00:39:17.460 --> 00:39:19.699 or you see an artist seamlessly crossing genres 00:39:19.699 --> 00:39:21.539 and changing their aesthetic for different markets, 00:39:21.619 --> 00:39:23.699 just remember, you are listening to the shock 00:39:23.699 --> 00:39:27.179 waves of Shania Twain and Mutt Lange's 1997 experiment. 00:39:27.400 --> 00:39:30.199 They built the blueprint. But diving into the 00:39:30.199 --> 00:39:33.460 mechanics of this 40 million selling juggernaut 00:39:33.460 --> 00:39:36.099 does leave us with a fascinating philosophical 00:39:36.099 --> 00:39:38.679 puzzle to consider. What's that? When we talk 00:39:38.679 --> 00:39:42.139 about music and integrity, we often equate authenticity 00:39:42.139 --> 00:39:45.139 with an artist sticking strictly to a single 00:39:45.139 --> 00:39:47.719 traditional genre. We expect them to play the 00:39:47.719 --> 00:39:50.019 same acoustic instruments, regardless of who 00:39:50.019 --> 00:39:52.159 is in the audience. Right, there's this idea 00:39:52.159 --> 00:39:54.400 that keeping it pure to the original sound is 00:39:54.400 --> 00:39:57.719 the only way to be a real artist. Exactly. But 00:39:57.719 --> 00:40:01.000 if Shania Twain changed the literal instrumentation 00:40:01.000 --> 00:40:04.099 of her songs, swapping her fiddles for synthesizers 00:40:04.099 --> 00:40:06.739 and her steel guitars for drum loops just to 00:40:06.739 --> 00:40:08.739 sell records to different audiences in Europe 00:40:08.739 --> 00:40:11.360 and Asia, does that make the music less authentic? 00:40:11.739 --> 00:40:14.400 Or is the ultimate form of artistic integrity 00:40:14.400 --> 00:40:17.179 actually found in breaking down those genre borders 00:40:17.179 --> 00:40:20.840 entirely? Is true authenticity found in adapting 00:40:20.840 --> 00:40:23.079 the sonic packaging so that the core emotional 00:40:23.079 --> 00:40:25.619 message of the song can be understood and felt 00:40:25.619 --> 00:40:28.239 by as many human beings as possible, regardless 00:40:28.239 --> 00:40:30.800 of where they live? That is a brilliant question 00:40:30.800 --> 00:40:34.320 to chew on. Is authenticity found in the wooden 00:40:34.320 --> 00:40:36.980 instrument you play or in the genuine connection 00:40:36.980 --> 00:40:38.699 you make with the listener on the other end of 00:40:38.699 --> 00:40:41.280 the speaker? Something to think about the next 00:40:41.280 --> 00:40:44.099 time you put on, you're still the one. Thank 00:40:44.099 --> 00:40:46.000 you so much for joining us for this deep dive 00:40:46.000 --> 00:40:48.530 into come on over. We'll see you next time!