Bootleg Betty
Happy 26th Anniversary To The Album “Bette”
By Mister D
Oct. 10, 2026
This release marks the 26th anniversary of the album Bette by Bette Midler. The set, commonly known as Bootleg Betty, showcases her distinctive vocal range and performance style..
Bette (sometimes styled Bette!) is Bette Midler’s self-titled studio album, released by Warner Bros. Records on October 10, 2000. Additionally, it was timed to the premiere of her short-lived CBS sitcom Bette. The album by Bette Midler is mostly covers of soul, R&B, and singer-songwriter material, produced mainly by Don Was.
Overview: The album runs about 47–48 minutes. It mixes 1970s soul and R&B covers with newer songs.
Don Was produced the project with Rick Nowles and Marc Shaiman on a couple of tracks. They framed Midler in mid-tempo, pre-rock, neo-Brill Building pop instead of broad comedy or big ballads.
Recording took place at Cello Studios and the Record Plant in Hollywood. Additional sessions occurred at Chung King and Sony Music Studios in New York.
It peaked at No. 69 on the Billboard 200. This was her lowest chart position for a studio album at the time. By October 2003, it had sold about 226,000 copies in the U.S. (Nielsen SoundScan).
Warner Bros. dropped her from the roster in 2001 amid declining sales. Moreover, her next album, Bette Midler Sings the Rosemary Clooney Songbook (2003), came out on Columbia. The album release marked the continuation of her recording work after the label change.
Generally, critical reception was favorable. Additionally, Metacritic scored it 73/100. AllMusic gave it four stars and called it a consistent, tasteful collection that showcases her singing without her usual excesses. Rolling Stone praised her material choices and the work with her touring band. Entertainment Weekly was cooler (a C), singling out “In These Shoes” while calling much of the rest bland.
Track listing shows the songs in this release. Moreover, it accompanies the album and confirms the order.
“That’s How Heartaches Are Made” (Baby Washington / Ben Raleigh–Bob Halley)“In These Shoes” (Kirsty MacColl, Pete Glenister)“God Give Me Strength” (Elvis Costello, Burt Bacharach)“Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)” (Norman Whitfield, Barrett Strong)“Love T.K.O.” (Cecil and Linda Womack, Gip Noble Jr.)“Moses” (Patty Griffin)“Nobody Else but You” (Bette Midler, Marc Shaiman)“Color of Roses” (Beth Nielsen Chapman, Matt Rollings)“Bless You Child” (Billy Steinberg, Rick Nowels, Marie-Claire Cremers)“When Your Life Was Low” (Will Jennings, Joe Sample)“Shining Star” (Leo Graham, Paul Richmond)Singles were “Nobody Else but You” (the sitcom theme) and “In These Shoes.” A remix maxi-single of the latter reached No. 8 on Billboard’s Dance Club Play chart. It also reached No. 14 on Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales. Promo singles also included “Bless You Child” (Japan) and “Love T.K.O.”
The album did not receive major awards or Grammy nominations, nor was it RIAA-certified. Midler’s Grammy history (Best New Artist, Record of the Year for “Wind Beneath My Wings,” and others) predates this record. Moreover, chart recognition for the “In These Shoes” remixes is the main awards-adjacent note.
Trivia ‘Nobody Else but You,’ co-written with longtime collaborator Marc Shaiman, was the theme for the CBS sitcom Bette. The show ran 18 episodes from October 2000 to March 2001. In These Shoes is a cover of Kirsty MacColl’s song from her 2000 album Tropical Brainstorm. Midler’s version became the album’s dance-club calling card. God Give Me Strength is the six-and-a-half-minute centerpiece. The Burt Bacharach–Elvis Costello ballad was written for the film Grace of My Heart. Other notable covers include the Temptations’ ‘Just My Imagination’ and Teddy Pendergrass’s ‘Love T.K.O.’ Also included is the Manhattans’ ‘Shining Star’ and Patty Griffin’s ‘Moses,’ described as mbaqanga-leaning. Midler’s touring band, plus guests such as Plas Johnson, Mark Isham, and Lenny Castro, performed. AllMusic framed the sound as deliberately restrained. Cover photography is by Greg Gorman, with additional photos by Norman Jean Roy. It sits between Bathhouse Betty (1998) and the Clooney songbook, marking her move to Columbia after Warner Bros. ended relations.
