Opinions Nobody Asked For
Shania Twain Is Miles Above Taylor Swift, and It Isn't Close
Nobody asked for this opinion, and I am sharing it anyway.
Quick Take
Taylor Swift is a great songwriter and one of the biggest stars in the world. Shania Twain is still better. She made Come On Over, the top selling country album of all time, and almost every song on it still works in a truck, at a wedding, or on the drive to hunting camp.
Let's get this out of the way
Taylor Swift is talented. She writes her own songs, she sells out stadiums all over the world, and she started in country before moving to pop. None of that is up for debate.
This post is not about whether Taylor is good. It is about whether she is Shania, and she is not.
Come On Over settled this in 1997
Come On Over has more than 40 million sales and equivalent units, and the RIAA has certified it double Diamond. It is the top selling country album of all time and the highest selling album by a female artist of all time.
Keep that in mind the next time someone tells you nobody has ever been bigger than Taylor.
Every song works everywhere
Shania's songs fit any setting. Play "Any Man of Mine" in the truck, "You're Still the One" at a wedding, or "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!" at the end of a long night, and the whole room knows exactly what to do.
Taylor has great songs too, but I have never seen anyone pull into hunting camp playing "Shake It Off."
She took country big without leaving it behind
Shania crossed over to pop radio and still sounded like a country singer. Taylor eventually moved to pop full time. Both made a lot of money, but only one of them still belongs on a ranch radio.
The leopard print
In the "That Don't Impress Me Much" video, Shania walked through the desert in a leopard print outfit and made it look completely normal. Nobody else could have pulled that off, and nobody has tried since.
The verdict
There is no stamp, no score, and no testing required for this one. Shania Twain is miles above Taylor Swift, and it isn't close. If you disagree, that is fine. You are just wrong.
Quick Answers
- What is Shania Twain's best selling album?
- Come On Over, released in 1997. It has more than 40 million sales and equivalent units and is the top selling country album of all time, which should settle this whole debate.
- Did Taylor Swift start out as a country singer?
- Yes, Taylor Swift released her first album as a country artist in 2006. She eventually moved to pop full time, which is her right, and also the reason this post exists.
- Can you like both Shania Twain and Taylor Swift?
- You can like both, as long as you rank them in the right order.
- What are Shania Twain's biggest songs?
- Some of her best known songs are "You're Still the One," "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!," "That Don't Impress Me Much," "Any Man of Mine," and "From This Moment On." Any of them will improve a long drive to hunting camp.
