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Country Music Throwback: Shania Twain’s ‘Up!’ Album Released 18 Years Ago Today

It was 18 years ago today that Shania Twain released her fourth studio album, “Up!” And Twain is celebrating the anniversary with a tweet.

“Happy Birthday Up!” Twain posted to Twitter on Thursday. “18 years of going up up up! Favourite song?”

‘Up!’ Debuts at No. 1

The album was distinctive for Twain’s decision to offer it in three different flavors: a red CD for pop, a green CD for country music, and a blue CD for international or Indian-inspired music. And it became her third diamond-certified album in a row.

“Up!” debuted at No. 1 on the pop and country charts, according to U Discover Music. It also led to a number of single releases, such as “I’m Gonna Getcha Good” and “Ka-Ching!”

Twain’s songs on the record mostly steered clear of difficult topics, such as her impoverished youth. The exception was “Ka-Ching!”, which was intended as a dig at consumerism.

“I grew up in a household where we really did not have enough to get by, and spending money you didn’t have was absolutely something you could not afford to do,” she said at the time of “Up!”’s release. “I don’t even think my parents had credit cards until way later in their life, so I just think we’ve gotten so far from that healthy basic way of looking at things.”

Critical Reception

Some critics liked the album. Rolling Stone declared that there were “no duds, and no dull bits” on the record. And Billboard called it “light as vapor, sweet as sugar, rendered with personality and undeniable charisma.” 

Others were decidedly less enthusiastic. Mark Caro of the Chicago Tribune wrote that “Shania represents the downfall of popular culture.” He eviscerated her for her selection, for her song titles, for allowing her husband (and producer/co-songwriter) to “push the buttons,” for her multicolored demographic targeting efforts, and for “sounding like ABBA.”

Still, whatever your take on “Up!,” you can’t deny Twain has packed a lot of hits into her long musical career.