On December 18, Shania Twain, the iconic country music star, took to social media to wish Brad Pitt a happy 60th birthday. But this wasn’t your typical birthday message. Twain playfully referenced her own hit song, “That Don’t Impress Me Much,” in a cheeky comment directed at the Hollywood heartthrob.
In her 1997 chart-topping single, Twain rattled off a list of traits she didn’t find particularly impressive in a man. These included obsessively caring for his car, being a rocket scientist, or fussing over his hair with a mirror and comb. The chorus famously declared, “Okay, so you’re Brad Pitt? That don’t impress me much.”
Fast forward to 2020, and Twain decided to make an exception for Pitt’s birthday. She posted on Instagram, “That don’t impress me much, but HBD,” accompanied by a playful kissy face emoji. It was a lighthearted nod to their shared history, even though the two have never actually met.
Interestingly, the song’s inspiration came from an unexpected source. While working on her third studio album, “Come On Over,” news broke of Brad Pitt’s nude photo scandal with then-fiancée Gwyneth Paltrow in Playgirl. Pitt sued the magazine for invasion of privacy and emotional distress, alleging that a photographer had trespassed at a hotel to capture intimate photos of the couple without their consent.
Twain’s lyrics weren’t meant as a snarky call-out to Pitt; rather, she simply didn’t understand what all the fuss was about. “I mean, we see people naked every day,” she explained in a 2017 interview with Billboard. “That’s really what I thought. I wasn’t picking on Brad Pitt. But that was just the association in that moment and things we make fusses about and whatever. Of course, it could have been any gorgeous guy.”
Despite the playful jab, it’s clear that Shania Twain holds no ill will toward Brad Pitt. Their occasional birthday shoutouts remain a friendly reminder of a song that became an anthem for not being easily impressed. As for Pitt’s response? Well, he hasn’t said anything—at least not yet. Maybe he’s still trying to impress Shania
