Reba McEntire is known as the Queen of Country for good reasons. Her "reign" will never end. She sings great songs, is truly relatable and down-to-earth despite her immense fame and wealth, and always performs with intense passion and conviction. All of that registers deeply with her loyal audience. Sometimes, the songs that McEntire chooses have a special meaning for her. That seems to be the case with one song, "Fancy," from 1990, whose fascinating history goes back a long way. Let's dive in.
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Bobbie Gentry Recorded 'Fancy'
She Actually Wrote The Song In 1969 And It Caught MeEntire's Attention
You may recall the song "Ode To Billie Joe"from the 1960s. That hit brought tremendous renown to its singer, the talented Bobbie Gentry. She also wrote and recorded "Fancy." Per NBC, "It was a modest hit at the time, cracking the Billboard Top 40," however, McEntire took notice of it. Years later, she did her own version of "Fancy" for her album Rumor Has It. It did well, breaking into the Top 10 on country charts from Billboard.
Reba McEntire Talked About What Drew Her To The Song
She Liked The Rags-To-Riches Aspect
Per Country Living, McEntire said in 2019, "It's a rags-to-riches story. I love rags-to-riches stories. Cinderella, Annie Get Your Gun, all poverty and then make it big in the world." The singer added, "Well, she did, too. Fancy—she had a lot going against her and she persevered and moved on."
She explained further, "I always wanted to record it.Then [producer] 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."
As Far As We Know, 'Fancy' Is Not Based On Any Real Person Or Story
McEntire's Video Of The Song Brought It To Life Vividly
Country Living called the "Fancy" video "a mini movie" in which McEntire is Fancy, an affluent woman who comes back to her humble childhood home to revisit her roots. The singer plays it to the hilt, as always. A sign in front of the tumbledown house says, "Future Site of the Fancy Rae Baker Home for Runaways."
