"Don't Be Stupid (You Know I Love You)" is a song by Canadian singer Shania Twain, written by her and then-husband Robert John "Mutt" Lange, who also produced it. The track was released to country radio by Mercury Records on November 10, 1997, as the second single from Twain's third studio album Come On Over (1997). Internationally however, it was released as the seventh single.
The track received mixed reviews from music critics, who questioned why Twain released an "oddly disposable single."[1] Additionally, the track's dance-pop's remix, which was the version released for European and Australian audiences, was compared to Swedish group Rednex's single "Cotton Eye Joe" (1994).
Commercially, the track performed well, hitting number six on the US BillboardHot Country Songs and topping the Canadian RPM Country Tracks chart for one week. Internationally, it reached number five on the UK Singles Chart and also entered the top 10 in Hungary and Romania.
Composition
According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Songs of Polygram International, Inc., "Don't Be Stupid" is written in the key of D major with Shania Twain's vocals spanning from A3 to B5. The song moves at a moderate tempo.[2]
Music video
In June 1997, Twain held auditions for clog dancers. In August 1997, it was reported that Larry Jordan would be directing the music video, which Twain confirmed herself in early October 1997. From October 18 to 19 of that year, the music video was shot and it debuted on November 12, 1997 on CMT. The video is set on a stage that is covered in water, and Twain is accompanied by backup Irish dancers following the Riverdance trend of the time and children playing fiddles. By the end of the video, the sprinklers come on, and everyone, including Twain and the Riverdancers, are soaked. "Don't Be Stupid" won the Video of the Year award at the 1998 Canadian Country Music Awards.[3] Three versions of the video exist, the 'Original Album Version', and one released in Europe in 2000 of the 'Dance Mix Single' are the most common. The 'Original Album Version' is available on Twain's compilations Come On Over: Video Collection (1999) and The Platinum Collection (2001). The 'Dance Mix' version is available on iTunes and YouTube.
Reception
Critical reception
The track received mixed reviews from music critics. Billboard magazine negatively reviewed it, calling the single a "weak song" but predicted it would do well commercially nonetheless; they criticized the immaturity of the song's lyrics and said the production was subpar.[4]Can't Stop the Pop however reviewed the song's dance mix positively, saying "it is utterly bonkers – in the best way possible."[1] Kevin John Coyne of Country Universe reviewed and rated both versions.[5] For the country version, he rated it a "B", saying that the song "had a nice Celtic flavor" although criticized it as showcasing Twain "at her silliest."[5] For the dance mix, he rated it a "B+", saying, "Basically, they turned it into “Cotton Eye Joe”, making the original version a little more stupid but a lot more lovable."[5]
Chart performance
"Don't Be Stupid" debuted at number 51 on the US BillboardHot Country Singles & Tracks chart the week of November 15, 1997, the highest debut of the week. The single spent 20 weeks on the chart and peaked at number six on January 31, 1998, where it remained for two weeks. It reached number two on the Country Singles Sales chart. The single became Twain's sixth Top 10 single and her eighth Top 20 hit. "Don't Be Stupid" became Twain's sixth song on the Billboard Hot 100 where it peaked at number 40. It reached number 25 on the Hot 100 Singles Sales chart. In Canada, the song reached number 12.
"Don't Be Stupid" became Twain's fourth-biggest single in the UK. It also became her fourth consecutive top-10 single there (and fifth overall) when it debuted on February 26, 2000, at its peak of number five. It remained on the chart for 11 weeks.[6] It has sold 155,000 copies in the UK.[7]
1 2 3 4 "Shania Twain – Don't Be Stupid (You Know I Love You) review". Can't Stop the Pop. Retrieved January 3, 2025. Don't Be Stupid (You Know I Love You) is utterly bonkers [...] it ends up within the same hi-NRG hillbilly jamboree territory as "Cotton Eye Joe". Yes, really. The song now features a thumping, juddering Eurobeat...
↑ Don't Be Stupid (You Know I Love You) (Canadian & US cassette single sleeve). Shania Twain. Mercury Records. 1997. 314-568 242-4.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
↑ Don't Be Stupid (You Know I Love You) (US 7-inch single vinyl disc). Shania Twain. Mercury Records. 1997. 314-568 242-7.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
↑ Don't Be Stupid (You Know I Love You) (Australasian CD single liner notes). Shania Twain. Mercury Records. 1999. 172 150-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
↑ Don't Be Stupid (You Know I Love You) (European CD single liner notes). Shania Twain. Mercury Records. 1999. 172 127-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
↑ Don't Be Stupid (You Know I Love You) (European maxi-CD single liner notes). Shania Twain. Mercury Records. 1999. 172 128-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
↑ Don't Be Stupid (You Know I Love You) (UK CD single liner notes). Shania Twain. Mercury Records. 2000. 172 149-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
↑ Don't Be Stupid (You Know I Love You) (UK cassette single sleeve). Shania Twain. Mercury Records. 2000. 172149-4.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
↑ Come On Over (Canadian CD album booklet). Shania Twain. Mercury Records. 1997. 314-536 003-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
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