Important news: Shania Twain is finally impressed by Brad Pitt. On Dec. 18, the glorious day Brad Pitt entered the universe, the country music and pop superstar the Oscar winner a happy birthday, with a nod to her 1997 hit "That Don't Impress Me Much."
"Happy Birthday to Brad Pitt," Twain wrote on Twitter. "I'll make an exception for today."
Happy Birthday to Brad Pitt, I’ll make an exception for today ?
— Shania Twain ??? (@ShaniaTwain) December 18, 2020
Twain's reference to the Thelma & Louise and Ocean's 11 star was the namedrop heard around the world. But how did the multi-year People's Sexiest Man Alive winner end up in the song?
The Story Behind the Brad Pitt Lyric:
Twain says the song was never meant as a knock on Pitt. In fact, as the singer-songwriter explained at a 2017 listening party, it all began when Playgirl magazine published naked photos of Pitt. The photos were taken in 1995, when a photographer trespassed on the grounds of a hotel in the French West Indies where Pitt was staying with then-girlfriend Gwyneth Paltrow. (Pitt later sued the magazine over the photos.)
"I had a girlfriend visiting me. It was near Christmas and we were baking cookies. I was writing [third studio album Come on Over] and there was a scandal of him and Gwyneth [Paltrow] where there were naked photos of him," Twain said. "This was like all the rage, right? I just thought 'well I don't know what all the fuss is about.' And this is where I took it from. I'm like 'well, that don't impress me much'...We see people naked every day. I wasn't picking on Brad Pitt. But that was just the association in that moment and things that we make fusses about. Of course, it could've been any gorgeous guy."
The rest is history. Twain's album Come On Over became the best-selling country album ever and "That Don't Impress Me Much" was a smash on country, pop and adult contemporary charts. The son was Twain's third most successful single on the Billboard Hot 100, after "You're Still the One" and "From This Moment On." (The song peaked at No. 8 on the country charts.) The lyrics "Okay, so you're Brad Pitt/ That don't impress me much/ So you got the looks, but have you got the touch" forever linked the two celebrities.
Read More: Shania Twain + Frédéric Thiébaud: How Their Love Story Healed Their Heartbreak
Over the years, the "Man! I Feel Like a Woman" and "Rock This Country" singer has had fun with the lyrical namedrop.
Earlier this year, the shared a tweet about Ad Astra, a movie in which Brad Pitt is a literal rocket scientist who presumably owns a car.
— Shania Twain ??? (@ShaniaTwain) January 13, 2020
As for whether the two superstars have ever crossed paths, Twain says...not yet. But she is a fan.
"It's sort of a running thing for me now. I've never met him. We have this connection through this giant hit and yet we've never met," Twain said. "I'm a fan. He's awesome."
Sadly, Brad Pitt has never publicly commented on the song. But I like to think that whenever he hears "Don't Be Stupid" or "Any Man of Mine," he silently vows to keep striving to impress Shania Twain.
[sweeps="https://bit.ly/3pGvtZl"]
'That Don't Impress Me Much' Lyrics:
But you've got being right down to an art
You think you're a genius
You drive me up the wall
You're a regular original know-it-all
Oh-oo-oh, you think you're something else
Okay, so you're a rocket scientist
So you got the brains, but have you got the touch
Now don't get me wrong, I think you're alright
But that won't keep me warm in the middle of the night
That don't impress me much
Ah-huh, yeah yeah
And a comb up his sleeve - just in case
And all that extra hold gel in your hair oughtta lock it
'Cause Heaven forbid it should fall out of place
Oh-oo-oh, you think you're something else
So you got the looks, but have you got the touch
Now don't get me wrong, yeah, I think you're alright
But that won't keep me warm in the middle of the night
That don't impress me much
Yeah!
You'll make me take off my shoes before you let me get in
I can't believe you kiss your car good night
Now c'mon, baby, tell me - you must be joking right!
Oh-oo-oh, you think you're something else
Okay, so you've got a car
Now don't get me wrong, yeah, I think you're alright
But that won't keep me warm in the middle of the night
Oh, now ou think you're cool but have you got the touch?
Now don't get me wrong, yeah, I think you're alright
But that won't keep me warm on the long, cold, lonely night
That don't impress me much
Ah-huh, yeah yeah
That don't impress me much
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