3 Times Reba Released Covers That Made It on the Country Charts

Reba is the kind of cover artist that makes you forget her covers aren’t actually written by her. Many might remember her cover of “Fancy”, which was originally recorded by Bobbie Gentry. Others may know her cover of Patsy Cline’s “Sweet Dreams”. With so many covers to choose from, it’s hard to narrow it down, but here are some of our favorites.

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“The Night The Lights Went Out in Georgia” (1992)

A lot of Reba fans might not know this, but “The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia” was actually originally recorded by Vicki Lawrence. Yeah that’s right, the comedian from The Carol Burnett Show. The song was written by Lawrence’s husband, Bobby Russell, and was also pitched to icons like Cher and Liza Minnelli. Lawrence ultimately recorded it herself, and even got a No. 1 out of it. When Reba did her own version in 1991, she also found success with the hit, which peaked at No. 12 when she recorded it.

“Ring On Her Finger, Time On Her Hands” (1995)

In this song, Reba flipped Lee Greenwood’s 1982 male version to fit a more female gaze. In turn, it became the most successful song on her album, Starting Over. Reba’s version tells the story of a woman whose husband is often away. On Starting Over, Reba actually recorded several songs that had been done by other artists before her. She did versions of songs like “On My Own” by Patti LaBelle and “You’re No Good” by Linda Ronstadt. “Ring On Her Finger, Time On Her Hands”, however, was the only song on this project to reach the Top 10.

“If I Were A Boy” (2011)

Even though Beyoncé has been a subject of controversy among country music fans in recent years, few will remember this cover Reba did of her song. Originally, Reba performed the song on CMT Unplugged, and fans liked it so much that she ended up releasing it. To Billboard, she later admitted that she wished she hadn’t released the cover because, at the time, she “didn’t feel good about it.” It wasn’t Reba’s most successful cover, but it did peak at No. 22 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs Chart.

Photo by: Frederick Breedon/WireImage for NARAS