“Does He Love You,” made famous by Reba McEntire and Linda Davis, has had a storied life. It has caught the attention of a wide range of musicians—everyone from Liza Minnelli to Donna Summer.
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Though many artists have tried their hand at the tune, it was only put to record when McEntire and Davis took it on in 1993. The effort landed the pair on the No. 1 spot on Billboard‘s Hot Country chart, making them the only female duet partners to have earned that accolade until Miranda Lambert and Elle King dethroned them in 2022 with “Drunk (And I Don’t Wanna Go Home).”
Given the song’s meandering lifespan, many may not know who to attribute the tune to originally. Do you know who wrote, “Does He Love You?” If not, find out below.
Who Wrote “Does He Love You”
I’ve known about you for a while now
When he leaves me, he wears a smile now
As soon as he’s away from me
In your arms is where he wants to be
But you’re the one he rushes home to
You’re the one he gave his name to
I never see his face in the early morning light
You have his mornings, his daytime
And sometimes, I have his nights
“Does He Love You” plays well as a duet given its subject matter. The song sees two women (or in some cases, men) talk about their experience of having the same lover at the same time. One plays the dutiful wife/girlfriend while the other plays the woman he is cheating with.
The tale of infidelity was penned by Sandy Knox and Billy Stritch.
“Billy and I are both from Houston,” Knox once explained. “So we met in Houston. I don’t think I was 20 years old yet, and I don’t think Billy was even 18. He’s two or three years younger than I am. I ended up coming here to Nashville, and Billy went on to pursue greater things in New York City.”
“Billy has lived in NYC for years,” she continued. “He was Liza Minnelli’s musical director for many years and also was Tony Bennett’s musical director. So Billy has quite a career on his own.”
The pair penned the song and then set off in two different directions—Knox to Nashville and Stritch to New York City.
“Billy had started performing it up in New York, and Liza Minnelli heard it, and she wanted to do it,” Knox added. Minelli had the song on hold for a year when Tony Bennett heard it and aimed to do a gender-swapped version with Frank Sinatra.
Around the same time, McEntire was looking for a “great female duet” to record. Veteran publisher, Mike Sebastian, brought “Does He Love You” into the mix. The country singer quickly snapped the song up and turned it around.
“Mike said to her, ‘Give me a minute,'” Knox added. “And he literally walked across the street, had them (make) a cassette, walked back over, and handed it to her. She listened to it on her way home, I understand, in the car, and put it on a hard hold. And six weeks later, it was on the radio.”
Knox has worked with McEntire on a few occasions. Her other Reba-writes include “He Wants to Get Married” and “She Thinks His Name Was John.”
On top of his solo musical pursuits, Stritch is mostly known for his time with Minnelli. He was her musical director, piano player, and “confidant” for 23 years.
In more recent years, Stritch has taken to the stage to perform in a number of musicals, including 42nd Street and Put a Little Love in Your Mouth!
Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images
