The Story Behind the Song That Forever Changed Reba McEntire’s Career

In 1991, Reba McEntire released a song that would change everything for her and her career, although she likely didn’t know it at the time. On February 11, 1991, McEntire released “Fancy” as a single. The song, written and originally recorded by Bobbie Gentry, is on McEntire’s 1990 Rumor Has It album.

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The song, which surprisingly did not hit No. 1, still remains among her most popular songs today. It’s an unlikely success story, since the song is almost five minutes long. It is also an unsavory story of a girl being sold by her impoverished mother, who later becomes a wealthy woman.

“It’s a rags-to-riches story,” McEntire tells Country Living. “I love rags-to-riches stories. Cinderella, Annie Get Your Gun, all poverty, and then make it big in the world.”

“Well, she did, too,” she adds. “Fancy, she had a lot going against her, and she persevered and moved on.”

McEntire got to show off her impressive acting skills in “Fancy”. After discovering she liked acting in “Whoever’s In New England“, her first video, McEntire bravely took on the role of Fancy for the video. The video is also where McEntire wore her now-famous red dress. She typically concludes all of her live shows with “Fancy”, wearing a red dress like in the video.

How Reba McEntire Was Able to Record “Fancy”

For years, McEntire wanted to record “Fancy”, but wasn’t able to. But when Tony Brown began producing McEntire, she was finally able to put her own spin on the bold song.

“I always wanted to record it,” McEntire says. “Then Tony Brown said, ‘What’s a song you’d like to do a remake of?’ And I said, ‘Fancy.’ He said, ‘That’s one of my favorite songs, too.’ And so we recorded it.”

Prior to Brown taking over McEntire’s records, Jimmy Bowen was in charge of her albums. It’s Bowen who kept McEntire from recording “Fancy”, even though she wanted to.

“The first time I ever heard it, I fell in love with it because I like story songs,” McEntire says (via Wide Open Country). “I’m a huge fan of Dolly Parton, Tom T. Hall — people who write story songs — Bobbie Gentry, ‘Ode to Billie Joe.’ Well, ‘Fancy’ was the first one that was really big in 1968. Later on, when I got to start recording and singing old songs, I wanted to do ‘Fancy’. Jimmy Bowen wouldn’t let me because it’s a rags-to-riches song and probably in a very not-appropriate form. She’s a prostitute.”

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