In 2010, Reba McEntire released her 28th album, All the Women I Am, which went to No. 3 on the Country chart and No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100. The opening track and first single “Turn On the Radio” went to No. 1 but it was the song that followed, a cover of Beyoncé‘s “If I Were a Boy,” that McEntire regretted recording.
McEntire performed the song during an Unplugged on CMT in 2010. Shortly after, her label asked her to record the Beyoncé song.
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‘I Am… Sasha Fierce’
Written by BC Jean (Brittany Jean Carlson) and Tony Gad for Beyoncé’s 2010 album I Am… Sasha Fierce, the song went to No. 3 on the Hot 100. The song was the only track on I Am… Sasha Fierce that wasn’t co-written by Beyoncé.
The song came to Jean after she refrained from eating pizza with Gad because she was watching her weight. The moment made her think that if she were a boy it wouldn’t matter what she ate. From there, came a flood of other thoughts, which Gad recorded on a pocket recorder. The two wrote the song in 15 minutes and recorded a demo of it that same day.
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“It’s broad,” said Beyoncé of her hit. “But I had to try it because I remember Aretha Franklin said a great singer can sing anything and make it her own.”
Reba’s Version
When released by McEntire, her version of “If I Were a Boy” peaked at No. 22 on the Country chart but it was never a song of her choosing. “The record label really wanted me to record it and put it out as a single,” said McEntire in 2019. “I didn’t feel real good about it. It wasn’t that successful. The people in the music industry, they’re professionals, and sometimes you have to go with the team. It just didn’t work out.”
In 2021, country singer and songwriter Mickey Guyton also released a cover of “If I Were a Boy” as an Amazon Music exclusive. Guyton later released her version of the song on her debut album Remember Her Name.
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“It was important for me to record ‘If I Were a Boy’ because I have been fighting in country music for so long to just be accepted for who I am,” said Guyton of her cover. “This song means so much more to me, and has a completely different meaning, than when I first heard it.”
Though she decided to go forward and record Beyoncé’s hit, McEntire admitted that there have been plenty of other songs that she’s passed on over the years. “It has to have a message,” said McEntire. “If a song has touched my heart, hopefully, it’ll touch your heart when I sing it. I’m the conduit. I’m the one that delivers the message.”
McEntire added, “It might solve a problem for them, it might entertain them, it might get them away from what they’re going through. That’s my job on earth. I feel very strongly about that.”
Photo: Noam Galai/Getty Images
