It's often hard to pick why you like a certain song, so I thought I might try to write a brief account of why I like certain songs. Why? No idea, but why not?
"Any Man of Mine" (Shania Twain) and "That's what I like about you" (Trisha Yearwood)
I like both these songs a lot. They're both lively, funny and have a core of earnest meaning. Both the Yearwood and the Twain songs refer to serious elements in a relationship. Yearwood's discusses independence and reliance while Twain lightly jokes about beauty being in the eye of the beholder and a lover that transcends appearance.
"I like a man who's crazy about me
I like a man who can live without me too
That's what I like about you." (Yearwood)"Any man of mine better be proud of me
Even when I'm ugly he still better love me" (Twain)
As both songs progress though, the Yearwood song maintains its honest demand that her partner have his own identity and character, independent of her. It's clear that she wants a man who is strong enough for her to lean upon in times of crisis - yet human enough to admit his own failings and need her as well.
"I don't want a man to be my twin
Under my thumb, under my skin
Don't want a man like a shadow on the ground
With nothin' else to do but follow me around" (Yearwood)
The Twain song frolics into comic and outrageous demands on the hapless male of her affections - and yet it's completely realistic and the reason it's so delightful is that deep down, we all want to be loved unconditionally.
"And if I change my mind
A million times
I wanna hear him say
Yeah, yeah, yeah yeah, yeah I like that way" (Twain)
Yearwood is singing about the perfect man, while Twain is singing about the man who is perfect for her. The Yearwood male is able to offer strength and comfort, he's able to be all the things that a self-possessed, confident woman can demand. The Twain male on the other hand will have to be a man with an indulgent sense of humour, one with patience and the ability to surmount all the challenges and labours thrown in his path by his wilful woman.
"I like a man who can make it happen
Who can get me laughin' when my whole world breaks in two
That's what I like about you" (Yearwood)"Well any man of mine better disagree
When I say another woman's lookin' better than me
And when I cook him dinner and I burn it black
He better say, mmm, I like it like that" (Twain)
Both men are being tested, both are navigating their way through an obstacle course or a minefield depending on your point of view. The Yearwood song strike a chord, and the Twain song makes me laugh ruefully, aware that deep down, I share her sentiments completely.
For the full versions of the songs of That's what I like About You and Any Man of Mine.
Return to Why do I like that Song