Remember When Shania Twain Released the Biggest Country Pop Album Ever in 1997?

Shania Twain‘s Come On Over made history in more ways than one. It not only gave listeners 11 Top 40 country pop hits, but it still holds the title of the best-selling country album of all time. Over twenty years later, that’s a pretty impressive record to hold. Come On Over was the album that truly catapulted Shania Twain into the spotlight, for better or for worse. 

A few years back, a much older Shania reflected with Variety on what that kind of success felt like for her. 

“It was an exciting period in my life, but it wasn’t the most fun period in my life,” she explained. “Looking back on it now, I’m enjoying it more from where I stand more than I ever did while it was happening. But it was hard to escape, then.” 

The release of Come On Over might have solidified Shania as a star and earned her several Grammy nominations, but from her perspective, it also led to isolation and high-pressure feelings. 

“I do like to be isolated when I’m creative and writing or in the studio, but otherwise, it’s very hard to cope with,” she told the outlet. “Loneliness is a terrible thing. And the workload was outrageous. And not a lot of people were that gracious all the time with me.”

Shania Talks About “Man, I Feel Like A Woman!”

Shania Twain, now 60 years old, recently looked back on her career in a Us Weekly interview, talking about confidence then and how “Man, I Feel Like A Woman!” played a role in that.

“Man, I Feel Like A Woman!” is perhaps Shania’s most enduring hit, alongside songs like “You’re Still The One” and “That Don’t Impress Me Much.” To this day, the song is an anthem for girls, celebrating feminine confidence in a positive, fun light. 

“I was always insecure about my body. As a female, throughout my youth [I was] touched inappropriately so many times [and] I was in abusive situations where you hate being a woman. I hated being a girl,” she shared.

“Once I got behind the camera and started looking at clothes and fashion, I was like, “Wow, I’m actually a woman after all, and I think I might like it.” When I wrote “Man, I Feel Like a Woman!,” it was an absolute celebration [of that],” she explained. “And I felt empowered behind the camera. I was like, “They can’t grab me. I’m safe.”

I guess that “Man I Feel Like A Woman!” was just as much of an anthem for her as it was for all of us.

Photo by: Beth Gwinn/Redferns