'Today Is Your Day' Single: Review

6/19/2011

Victoria Meng

“Today Is Your Day,” Shania Twain’s most recent single, is uplifting despite its by-the-book lyrics.

As pop music reviewer Todd in the Shadows once said in his review of Katy Perry’s “Firework” and Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way,” the biggest problem with uplifting power ballads is that most of them speak in generalities and sound insincere. “Today Is Your Day” is no exception.

“You got what it takes,” Shania sings…whoever you are. “I know that you can, then you will”…can and will do what, exactly? Stale fortune-cookie clichés like “today is your day to begin” and “part of the fun is the climb” don’t usually help anyone, and they just make this song sound even more generic than it actually is.

Basically, the lyrics of this song are trying to convince you that you’re unique and capable, but the song is also applying the same lines to everyone else regardless of who they are; therefore, it doesn’t sound sincere. It’s like that scene in Monty Python and the Life of Brian, where Brian Blessed tells a crowd, “You’re all individuals!” so almost everyone in the crowd starts shouting, “Yes! We’re all individuals!” at exactly the same time.

“Today Is Your Day” might be a “comfort” song, but it’s blatantly a commercial, marketable comfort song. Tori Amos, Fiona Apple, Regina Spektor, and the Grateful Dead are just a few examples of artists who’ve written power ballads with far more personal and/or creative lines.

Still, a nice tune can’t hurt. If “Today Is Your Day” has sub-par lyrics, at least the music sounds pleasant. Soft-piano tunes with softer guitar music combine with Shania’s gentle vocals to create a very soothing song.

In other words, the extent to which you enjoy this song will depend on how well you can stomach condescending lyrics.

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