Retro Single Review: Shania Twain, “Don’t Be Stupid (You Know I Love You)”

1997 | Peak: #6

Because it was soon overshadowed by a pair of crossover ballads, “Don’t Be Stupid” is something of a Come On Over footnote in North America.

The song has a nice Celtic flavor to it, even if it showcases Twain at her silliest.  Who else would add “Max!” to the bridge’s “Relax!” the second time around?

So it isn’t one of the biggest or best country hits from the album, but it’s fairly entertaining in its original form.

Written by Robert John “Mutt” Lange and Shania Twain

Grade: B

International Release:

2000 | Peak:  #5 (U.K.); #32 (Australia)

At the other end of the album cycle, “Don’t Be Stupid” served as the sixth and final single in Europe and Australia. By this point, Come On Over was one of the best selling albums of all-time in both the U.K. and Australia.  Rather than release it in its international album version – which was just the U.S. remix version anyway – the song was completely reinvented.

Basically, they turned it into “Cotton Eye Joe”, making the original version a little more stupid but a lot more lovable.

Grade: B+

Next: You’re Still the One

Previous: Love Gets Me Every Time

North American Version:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aP4puxOMsKg

International Version:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVvjKA22MYs&ob=av2e

 

4 Comments

  1. My name is Sweetcheeks and here is what I think: I never was a fan of this song – the lyrics are so cheesy, and it sounds like they are such an afterthought that they were created with a rhyming dictionary. But its still Shania and bad Shania is still better than most of the other mid to late 1990s fare — David Kersh, Michael Peterson, Mindy McCready or Regina Regina! LOL!I I also really like Shania because she (and Garth Brooks before her) made country music socially respectable to listen to. We need someone new to be the Shania of the current decade because country has lately embraced Jesus and Patriotism a bit too much to be socially respectable. Sweetcheeks out!

  2. Never really picked up on the Celtic connection, but I’ve always enjoyed this song. I tend to prefer the North American version, though, as I find the International version a bit cluttered and annoying. I love how Shania could take silly or cheesy lyrics and turn them into the coolest catchiest thing ever. Of all the songs on the Come On Over album, this isn’t exactly the one I find myself coming back to most often, but whenever I do come back to it, it always makes me smile (and occasionally bust out an amateur Irish jig).

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