Reba McEntire loves a good love song. But McEntire has also released plenty of songs about hard topics, including infidelity, death, and more. We found four Reba McEntire songs that prove she really is as tough as nails.
“Consider Me Gone”
McEntire released “Consider Me Gone” in 2009, on her Keep On Loving You album. Written by Steve Diamond and Marv Green, even McEntire’s delivery sounds tough in the recording. If “Consider Me Gone” proves anything, it’s that McEntire isn’t settling down, for anybody.
“Consider Me Gone” says in part, “If I’m not the one thing you can’t stand to lose / If I’m not that arrow to the heart of you / If you don’t get drunk on my kiss / If you think you can do better than this / Then I guess we’re done / Let’s not drag this on / Consider me gone.”
“Fancy”
“Fancy” is one of McEntire’s most beloved songs, and with good reason. Out in 1991 on her Rumor Has It record, the song is the story of a young girl who is sent away by her mother to “She said, “Be nice to the gentlemen, Fancy / And they’ll be nice to you.”
“Even though she was a prostitute, [she] and her mother realized this is how you’re going to be able to survive in this world,” McEntire says. “You get your toe-hold and then go on and be bigger and better, and also take care of yourself and help others.”
“The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia”
With “The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia“, McEntire sings about a wrongful murder conviction, which cost someone their life. The song is on McEntire’s 1991 For My Broken Heart album.
Bobby Russell penned the song, with McEntire showing off her acting skills in the video. The song says in part, “Well, they hung my brother before I could say / The tracks he saw while on his way / To Andy’s house and back that night were mine / And his cheating wife had never left town / That’s one body that’ll never be found / You see little sister don’t miss when she aims her gun.” Not surprisingly, McEntire plays the protagonist in the video, which is more like a short film.
“Little Rock”
When McEntire released “Little Rock” in 1986, the song was a bold move at the time. Bravely singing about leaving a marriage, at a time when a woman leaving was still somewhat taboo, the song was written by Pat McManus, Bob DiPiero, and Gerry House.
“Oh little rock / Think I’m gonna have to slip you off,” McEntire sings. “Take a chance tonight and untie the knot / There’s more to life than what I’ve got.“
While the song is empowering, the idea actually came from a licensed place. According to Classic Country Music Stories, House had the idea for the song while driving behind a car from Little Rock, Arkansas.
“Little Rock” appears on McEntire’s Whoever’s In New England album. The title track and “Little Rock” are the only two songs released from the record.
