3 All-Time Country Classics That Were Originally Rejected by Nashville Labels

No amount of music industry experience makes someone infallible when it comes to picking and choosing songs. A seasoned veteran can sometimes make a mistake with a hit, not seeing its merit until it succeeds. The three country songs below were all initially rejected by Nashville labels, for one reason or another, only to become some of the biggest songs of all time.

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“Friends In Low Places” — Garth Brooks

Garth Brooks’ “Friends In Low Places” is so appealing that no one could imagine thinking it would fail. Nevertheless, this Brooks hit was passed over several times before it found its home with Brooks.

Songwriters Dewayne Blackwell and Earl Bud Lee pitched this song around Nashville for a year or so without success. Brooks was initially just the demo artist, framing the song for another, bigger artist to take on. When the song struggled to get recorded, Brooks landed it. The rising star and this song would become inseparable. Both were integral to the other’s success.

“Fancy” — Reba McEntire

Reba McEntire’s “Fancy” took a while to get recorded. The song was previously released by Bobbie Gentry to some success. While her label was worried that “Fancy” was too closely associated with the other country’s giant, the real reservation about having McEntire deliver her own version was the subject matter.

Gentry meant for this song to be a feminist anthem. “’Fancy’ is my strongest statement for women’s lib, if you really listen to it,” Gentry once said. “I agree wholeheartedly with that movement and all the serious issues that they stand for—equality, equal pay, day care centers, and abortion rights.” The song encapsulates all of those ideas, which prompted a pause from the powers that be in Nashville when McEntire wanted to record it. Eventually, she got the green light, and history was made.

“Before He Cheats” — Carrie Underwood

While this song wasn’t “rejected” in the traditional sense, there was some trepidation amongst Carrie Underwood’s label about “Before He Cheats.” Underwood’s team worried that it wasn’t the right sentiment for the country giant, going back and forth on whether or not to record it.

“This is one that I felt everybody was nervous about,” Underwood once said before launching into “Before He Cheats.” Their worries proved to be unfounded. But with this song being as in-your-face as it is, it’s understandable that they thought twice about it.

(Photo by Jim Steinfeldt/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)