Shania Twain Sings ‘Can’t Do That If You’re Driving’ in Catchy Uber Ad

Shania Twain sings a catchy original track and Aussie comedian-musician Tom Cardy plays a trombone sample of ‘Man, I Feel Like a Woman’ feature in an ad launching Uber’s new platform, ‘Can’t Do That If You’re Driving’.

The country-pop icon fronts the musical spot outlining the many joys of being a passenger rather than the one behind the wheel: finding a restaurant, doing a face of make-up, or getting some beauty sleep.

Special’s group creative directors, Simon Gibson and Nils Eberhardt, told LBB the work was built on the insight that Australians crave more time being passengers.

“Aussies have been conditioned to believe that driving is the best way to get around,” they said. 

“Because being the driver – literally – puts you in the seat of control. Yet with that comes a whole lot of responsibility and stress. But being in control isn’t always the greatest thing.

“In a world where so much of our lives are spent ‘in the driver’s seat’, many of us actually crave more time as a passenger. That led us to the insight that sometimes life’s better on the passenger side.”

When someone is driving, that’s where all of their focus needs to be. That’s not the case in an Uber. “You have to focus. You have to find the car park. When you’re in the backseat of an Uber, you actually get to enjoy yourself and use your time how you want.”

Special wanted to harness a “shift occurring in culture”: people want to relinquish responsibility.

“Aussies are actually tired of being so in control, all the time. They’re looking for ways to outsource responsibility from things that they find stressful, and with driving high on that list – being a ‘passenger’ actually is a chance for them to take charge of their time and sanity.”

Australia has a stereotype as a nation “obsessed with their cars,” and although local car ownership sits at 91%, the pair said “nearly 80% of Aussies find [driving] can be anxiety-inducing.”

With “lines between country and pop blurring over the last few years,” Simon and Nils said “the timing felt really right for this surprising duet” between Shania and Tom. They had confidence in the pairing following the success of Uber Eats’ use of celebrities in previous platform ‘Tonight I’ll Be Eating’ and the current iteration, ‘Get Almost, Almost Anything.’ The latter has most recently featured Cher ordering a ‘time machine’ and being transported back to the 1680s instead of the 1980s.

“After years of working on Uber Eats, we know unexpected pop culture pairings can cut through the clutter, but when it came to making a song, we needed to find a combination that worked musically and culturally,” the creative pair said.

“We wanted to find artists with different strengths and different fan bases to create something that lots of people would enjoy. And we think these two were exactly that.”

The casting choices also allowed Uber to straddle local understanding and global appeal. “The brand is local but the way people move and live here is unique – so it makes sense to tell stories that reflect that. Whether it’s the humour, the tone, or the people we cast, leaning into local moments and personalities helps make Uber feel part of the culture.”

The spot also features Tom riding a floating hay horse and showing off a chest tattoo of Shania Twain. It is supported by a series of 15” spots and an out-of-home campaign capturing moments people enjoy in the back seat of Ubers: swiping on dating apps, sleeping, or making out with someone.