Here’s Shania Twain, in a sparkly catsuit on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon, singing her new single. It’s called “Swingin’ with My Eyes Closed” and I really want to like it but am having some trouble.
I want to like this song. I really do. It’s a feel-good jam about summer, beer, taking risks and living life with no regrets—all things I endorse to varying degrees. Shania generally excels at bridging the gap between genres, but this sounds like something you’d hear at a Margaritaville-themed beachside bar decorated with fake parrots and coconuts. The lyrics are triumphant, so why does this performance sound a little bit like an upbeat dirge?
Life is short, nights are long Nothing’s sure in this world till we’re gone Fear disappears each time I close my eyes I kiss you once (kiss kiss), I kiss you twice
It’s in the air we’re breathing
Oh can you taste the freedom, oh oh
She’s free from the shackles of Mutt Lange, her husband and musical partner who cheated on her with her best friend. She looks great! She could sound better. I’m hoping against hope that one day soon, she will.
