"Ka-Ching!"
Single by Shania Twain
from the album Up!
ReleasedFebruary 17, 2003
Recorded2002
Genre
Length3:22
LabelMercury Nashville
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Robert John "Mutt" Lange
Shania Twain singles chronology
"Up!"
(2003) 		"Ka-Ching!"
(2003) 		"Forever and for Always"
(2003)
Music video
"Ka-Ching!" on YouTube

"Ka-Ching!" is a song recorded by Canadian singer Shania Twain. It was released on February 17, 2003 as the second single to her fourth studio album Up! (2002), exclusively to Europe and Central America. The song was written by Twain and Robert John "Mutt" Lange. "Ka-Ching!" lyrically centers on greed and consumer culture, a topic Twain had never sung about before.

"Ka-Ching!" became one of Twain's most successful singles in Europe to date, reaching the top ten in six European countries and topping the Portuguese music charts, which lead to the song peaking at number two on the European Hot 100 Singles, becoming her highest peaking single on the chart. Twain performed the song on the Up! Tour, while an interlude of the song was performed on European dates of her Now Tour.

Background and composition

The song was written by Robert Lange and Shania Twain. Lyrically, the song deals with what it considers to be the greed in the world.[1] The tongue-in-cheek lyrics look at how our world revolves around money.[2] It features an opening similar to Pink Floyd's "Money".[1] According to Jennifer Nine from Yahoo! Music, "it's essentially Radiohead's "squealing Gucci little piggies" served up for those without Oxford educations and Naomi Klein's Guardian columns: "We spend the money that we don't possess/Our religion is to go and blow it all".[3]

Lyrics and themes

"Ka-Ching" centres on consumerism. Opening with sound of a cash register ringing, Twain then sings that the U.S. teaches children to want and want and want ("we live in a greedy, little world/that teaches every little boy and girl/to earn as much as they can possibly/then turn around and spend it foolishly") and that the adults do not know how to spend their money wisely, either ("we've created us a credit card mess/we spend the money that we don't possess"). And as soon as the money is there, people will go to the new churches — the malls ("Our religion is to go and blow it all/so it's shoppin' every Sunday at the mall"). In the chorus, Twain sings the satisfaction and fulfillment people find in buying and having more money and things ("Can you hear it ring/it makes you wanna sing/it's such a beautiful thing -- Ka-ching!").[4]

In the second verse, she sings that the shallow, materialistic people are irresponsible and will go to drastic lengths, including risking foreclosure on their home to buy more stuff ("when you're broke go and get a loan/take out another mortgage on your home/consolidate so you can afford/to go and spend some more when you get bored"). She taunts them in the bridge ("Dig deeper in your pocket/Oh yeah/Come on, I know you've got it/Dig deeper in your wallet").[4]

Critical reception

The song received mostly positive reviews from most music critics. S. Renee Dechert from PopMatters wrote that the song "stands out as different against the others."[1] Jennifer Nine from Yahoo! Music commented that "musically, its Timbaland-style strings and off-kilter chorus are the best thing on the album."[3] Jake Taylor from Sputnikmusic agreed, writing that the song is "one of the more triumphant moments of the album."[5] Robert Christgau picked the song as one of the best tracks on the album.[6] Lachlan Sutherland from "UK Mix" wrote: "The song is a definite stand out track, with incredibly witty lyrics. It's very fresh and invigorating!."[2] "Traveling to the Heart" wrote a very positive review, stating: "Twain's delivery matter-of-fact and matches the biting tone. With this gem, she proves that she is capable of writing music with some substance to it. Unlike her previous hits, 'Ka-Ching!' is against type. Pop music is being about glamorous, into high-fashion, and living in mansions. However, Twain sees the emptiness of it all and sings about something different for once."[4]

Chart performance

"Ka-Ching!" has become one of Twain's biggest singles in Europe. In the UK, it became her sixth consecutive, seventh overall, top ten single. It debuted on March 22, 2003, at its peak at number eight. It remained on the entire chart for eight weeks.[7] In all, "Ka-Ching!" hit the top ten in seven countries: Austria, Germany, Hungary, Romania, Switzerland, Portugal (where it reached #1) and the UK. It became her highest charting single in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Hungary where it spent 62 weeks in the top 40.

Music video

Shania in the music video to "Ka-Ching!"

The music video for "Ka-Ching!" was shot in the Casino Español and in a hotel in Mexico City, Mexico, and Madrid, Spain, in January 2003. It was directed by Finnish director Antti J, who also shot her video for "Up!" around the same time. The video debuted in Europe and Central and South America on February 25, 2003. It was not released to North American stations. The video depicts a city consumed with greed, Twain finds the streets empty and cars left abandoned while everyone is in a casino, sticking with the theme of the song. Scenes of Twain sporting a silver outfit and a red dress, both by Marc Bouwer are intercut throughout the video. These scenes are the base of two further versions of the video that lack the narrative and only show Twain performing the song in the studio. One of these two videos shows her in the silver outfit while in the other one, she is seen wearing the red dress. "Ka-Ching!" was released on YouTube in mid-2011.[8]

Uses in media

"Ka-Ching!" appears in the Oxford University Press' New English File: Intermediate Student's Book, an ESL book.[9]

Track listings

These are the formats and track listings of major single releases of "Ka-Ching!".

Official versions

"Ka-Ching!" remains one of Twain's most genre-diverse songs. The main "Red" version is an upbeat rhythmic song with a Middle Eastern influence. The "Green" version has a country feel, and the "Blue" version is more worldly. Remixes have provided Hip hop, Lounge, and Bhangra versions.

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Austria (IFPI Austria)[41] Gold 15,000*
Germany (BVMI)[42] Gold 150,000^
United Kingdom — 71,264[43]

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Release dates and formats for "Ka-Ching!"
Region Date Format Label Ref.
Germany February 17, 2003 Maxi single Universal [44]
February 26, 2003 CD single [45]
United Kingdom March 10, 2003
[46]

References

  1. ^ a b c PopMatters (January 24, 2003). "Shania Twain: Up! | PopMatters Music Review". PopMatters. Archived from the original on September 10, 2010. Retrieved 2011-05-07.
  2. ^ a b Sutherland, Lachlan. "UKMIX - Reviews - Shania Twain - Ka-Ching!". UKMix. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
  3. ^ a b Jennifer Nine (November 18, 2002). "Shania Twain: 'Up!' Album Review, New album reviews and latest album releases on Yahoo! Music". Yahoo! Music. Archived from the original on July 24, 2008. Retrieved 2011-05-07.
  4. ^ a b c "Music Review: Shania Twain "Ka-Ching!"". Traveling to the Heart. September 18, 2004. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
  5. ^ Taylor, Jake (May 20, 2008). "Shania Twain Up! (album review) | Sputnikmusic". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
  6. ^ Robert Christgau (November 24, 2002). "Robert Christgau: Album:Shania Twain: Up!". MSN. Retrieved 2011-05-07.
  7. ^ ""Ka-Ching", Official Charts Company". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 17 October 2009.
  8. ^ "Shania Twain - Ka-Ching! (Red Version)". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
  9. ^ Oxenden, Clive; Latham-Koenig, Christina (2006). "2A: Ka-ching!". New English File: Intermediate Student's Book. Oxford University Press. University of Oxford. p. 20. ISBN 978-0-19-451800-0.
  10. ^ "Shania Twain – Ka-Ching!" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
  11. ^ "Shania Twain – Ka-Ching!" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
  12. ^ "Shania Twain – Ka-Ching!" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
  13. ^ "Shania Twain – Ka-Ching!" (in Danish). Tracklisten. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
  14. ^ "Hits of the World" (PDF). Billboard. April 19, 2003. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
  15. ^ "Shania Twain – Ka-Ching!" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
  16. ^ "Shania Twain – Ka-Ching!" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
  17. ^ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Rádiós Top 40 játszási lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
  18. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Ka-Ching!". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
  19. ^ "Shania Twain – Ka-Ching!". Top Digital Download. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
  20. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 14, 2003" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
  21. ^ "Shania Twain – Ka-Ching!" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
  22. ^ "Shania Twain – Ka-Ching!". VG-lista. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
  23. ^ "Airplay Chart Top 30" (in Polish). PiF PaF Production. Archived from the original on October 21, 2007. Retrieved April 27, 2017.((cite web)): CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  24. ^ "Hits of the World" (PDF). Billboard. December 6, 2003. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
  25. ^ "Arhiva romanian top 100". SC Vento Consultanta. Archived from the original on May 14, 2005. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
  26. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
  27. ^ Fernando Salaverri (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  28. ^ "Shania Twain – Ka-Ching!". Singles Top 100. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
  29. ^ "Shania Twain – Ka-Ching!". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
  30. ^ "Shania Twain: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
  31. ^ "Jahreshitparade 2003" (in German). Hung Medien. Archived from the original on August 14, 2011. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
  32. ^ "Classement Singles - année 2003" (in French). SNEP. Archived from the original on April 4, 2012. Retrieved April 27, 2017.((cite web)): CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  33. ^ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
  34. ^ "Single Top 100 Van 2003" (PDF) (in Dutch). Stichting Nederlandse Top 40. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 4, 2012. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
  35. ^ "Jaaroverzichten - single 2003" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
  36. ^ "Romanian Top 100 - Top of the Year 2003". Romanian Top 100. Archived from the original on January 22, 2005. Retrieved January 22, 2005.
  37. ^ "Årslista Singlar - År 2003" (in Swedish). GLF. Archived from the original on October 17, 2014. Retrieved April 27, 2017.((cite web)): CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  38. ^ "Swiss Year-end Charts 2003". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
  39. ^ "The Official UK Albums Chart 2003" (PDF). OCC. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
  40. ^ "MAHASZ Rádiós TOP 100 - 2004" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
  41. ^ "Austrian single certifications – Shania Twain – Ka-Ching!" (in German). IFPI Austria. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
  42. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Shania Twain; 'Ka-Ching!')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
  43. ^ James Hanley (July 31, 2017). "World Exclusive: Shania Twain". Music Week. Retrieved July 31, 2017.
  44. ^ "Ka Ching". Amazon Germany.
  45. ^ "Ka Ching". Amazon Germany.
  46. ^ "New Releases – For Week Starting 10 March 2003: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. March 8, 2003. p. 21. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
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