Recorded 2002 Length 3:22 | Genre Pop
world
R&B Label Mercury Nashville | |
 | ||
Released February 17, 2003 (Europe)
March 10, 2003 (UK) Format Maxi single, 5" CD single | ||
"Ka-Ching!" is a 2003 song by Canadian singer Shania Twain. It was the second international single released from her 2002 album Up!. The song was written by Robert John "Mutt" Lange and Shania Twain. "Ka-Ching!" was the second release to Europe and Central American markets following "I'm Gonna Getcha Good!". "Ka-Ching!" has become one of Twain's most successful singles in Europe to date. The song deals with consumer culture in the United States through the boom years of the 1990s and early 2000s. The line "all we ever want is more" is the general theme of the song.
Contents
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. The tongue-in-cheek lyrics look at how our world revolves around money. It features an opening similar to Pink Floyd's "Money". 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".
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 don't know how to spend their money wisely, either ("we've created us a credit card mess.") 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!").
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, singing, "Dig deeper in your pocket/Oh yeah/Come on, I know you've got it."
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." Jennifer Nine from Yahoo! Music commented that "musically, its Timbaland-style strings and off-kilter chorus are the best thing on the album." Jake Taylor from Sputnikmusic agreed, writing that the song is "one of the more triumphant moments of the album." Robert Christgau picked the song as one of the best tracks on the album. Lachlan Sutherland from "UK Mix" wrote: "The song is a definite stand out track, with incredibly witty lyrics. It's very fresh and invigorating!." "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.
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. 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
The music video for "Ka-Ching!" was shot 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. 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 are intercut throughout the video. "Ka-Ching!" is one of five Shania videos to remain commercially unavailable, although it was released on Youtube in mid-2011
Uses in media
"Ka-Ching!" appears in the Oxford University Press' New English File: Intermediate Student's Book, an ESL book.
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.