Shania Twain in her music video for "Any Man of Mine"
Screengrab via YouTube

'Any Man of Mine': The Story Behind Shania Twain's Playful Warning

Shania Twain put men in their place with her hit single "Any Man of Mine." The Canadian country-pop star laid down the law when she released the song in 1995 as the second single off her record The Woman in Me. It became Twain's first No. 1 on country radio and her second Top 40 on the pop charts, immediately endearing her to U.S. audiences.

She co-wrote "Any Man of Mine" with her then-husband and producer, Robert John "Mutt" Lange, a gutsy song she credits for bringing a lot of her success that followed.

"'Any Man of Mine' was a risky song to release," Twain told CMT Insider"At the time, a lot of people were afraid of it. It was way too edgy for what was going on. Everybody was kind of leery about releasing it. And I remember when I went on the radio tour to introduce all this new music, it was so amazing getting a reaction to that song. Some people just loved it. They just fell in love with it right away. And other people it really did scare. I don't know whether they just didn't like it or whether they thought, 'Whoa!'"

Twain says she calls the song her "career song."

"That's the song I think that really, really broke me in a big way, because it was so different," she said.

How could she not, with the song earning Best Country Song and Best Female Country Vocal Performance nominations during the 1996 Grammy Awards? The song also won Single of the Year at the Canadian Country Music Awards in 1995, proving that it really did resonate with more fans than it actually scared. She was a true trailblazer from the beginning, pushing boundaries and making the music she wanted to, even if it was scary at the time.

Twain knew that with every great song, there must be a great music video, so she definitely delivered. She uploaded a video on her Youtube channel called Behind The Video. There, the superstar reminisced on the location of the shoot, working with John and Bo Derek, and how she ended up being the fashion director on the set.

Her department store fashion didn't come without a cost, though. In the video, the star wears a pair of denim jeans, a denim vest, and a white t-shirt that does not cover her midriff. THE AUDACITY! A woman in country music not dressing modestly was nearly unheard of at the time.

CMT's Chet Flippo wrote, "Twain's allure was greatly enhanced by her videos, which truly were revolutionary for the time for country music. She was hectored at the time of the 'Any Man of Mine' video, with its belly button barrage, for ruining country music by exposing her navel. But that's about all she ever really did show, when you look back at her video work. She slyly hinted at the rest. And six months after that video midriff revelation, you couldn't walk down Music Row without encountering seeming hordes of midriff-baring babes with their navels hanging out."

Twain will always be remembered for being revolutionary in country and pop music. Her strong personality set her apart from those around her and made her a music and fashion icon. Twain's incredible songwriting brought her even more notable hits throughout her career, including "If You're Not In It For Love," "You're Still The One," "That Don't Impress Me Much," "Man, I Feel Like A Woman," and "Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under."

"Any Man of Mine" Lyrics

This is what a woman wants
Any man of mine better be proud of me
Even when I'm ugly, he still better love me
And I can be late for a date that's fine
But he better be on time
Any man of mine'll say it fits just right
When last year's dress is just a little too tight
And anything I do or say better be okay
When I have a bad hair day
And if I change my mind
A million times
I want to hear him say
Yeah (yeah), yeah (yeah), yeah, I like it that way
Any man of mine better walk the line
Better show me a teasin' squeezin' pleasin' kinda time
I need a man who knows, how the story goes
He's gotta be a heartbeatin' fine treatin'
Breathtakin' earthquakin' kind
Any man of mine
Well any man of mine better disagree
When I say another woman's lookin' better than me
And when I cook him dinner and I burn it black
He better say, mm, I like it like that, yeah
And if I change my mind
A million times
I want to hear him say
Yeah (yeah), yeah (yeah), yeah I like it that way
Any man of mine better walk the line
Better show me a teasin' squeezin' pleasin' kinda time
I need a man who knows, how the story goes
He's gotta be a heartbeatin' fine treatin'
Breathtakin' earthquakin' kind
Any man of mine, woo
Let me hear you say yeah (yeah), yeah (yeah)
Yeah, I like it that way
Any man of mine better walk the line
Better show me a teasin' squeezin' pleasin' kinda time
I need a man who knows, how the story goes
He's gotta be a heartbeatin' fine treatin'
Breathtakin' earthquakin' kind
Any man of mine
Ooh, ah
Woo
Ooh, ah
You gotta shimmy shake
Make the earth quake
Kick, turn, stomp, stomp, then you jump
Heel to toe, do si do
'Til your boots want to break
'Til your feet and your back ache
Keep it movin' 'til you just can't take anymore
Come on everybody on the floor
One two, a-three four
Hup, two, hup, woo
Mmhmm
If you want to be a man of mine, that's right, woo
This is what a woman wants

READ MORE: Shania Twain + Frédéric Thiébaud: How Their Love Story Healed Their Heartbreak