Shania Twain’s Life in Songs Revealed
Get the Culture newsletter
Daily culture — film, music, books, the trends and ideas worth your attention. Free.
- Shania Twain was deeply moved by Ennio Morricone’s Gabriel’s Oboe at age 22, pulling off the road and crying, marking her realization of music’s emotional power.
- Shania Twain bought Janis Ian’s At Seventeen as her first single, a song that inspired her songwriting and reflected her teenage feelings of being a misfit.
- Shania Twain rushes out of the bathroom when Abba’s Dancing Queen plays, calling it the ultimate party anthem.
- Shania Twain secretly listens to the full Phantom of the Opera album alone, admitting she nerds out over it despite telling others she dislikes it.
- Shania Twain starts her mornings with Harry Styles’s Sign of the Times, drawn to pop music that transports her to new emotional spaces.
- Shania Twain chose Bobby McFerrin’s Don’t Worry, Be Happy as her funeral song, embracing its message that some things in life are beyond control.
Why it matters: Fans gain intimate insight into Shania Twain’s emotional world through her song choices, which trace her personal history and resilience. The selections reveal how specific tracks became anchors during hardship and joy, offering a rare, unguarded look at the artist behind the public persona.
