Reba McEntire is looking back at one of the darkest — and most beloved — songs of her career.
In a new episode of Vevo Footnotes, the country legend shares behind-the-scenes stories from the making of her haunting 1991 hit “The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia,” revealing how she stumbled upon the song, what it took to film the cinematic video, and why the whole experience “felt like a sign.”
How Reba Rediscovered the Creepy Classic
McEntire explains that she and producer Tony Brown were choosing tracks for her For My Broken Heart album when fate quite literally intervened.
“Tony thought it would be great if we could find another old song like ‘Fancy,’” McEntire recalled. “I was sitting at my desk, reached behind me and sitting on the credenza was a tape that said ‘The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia.’ I handed it to him and said, ‘What about this one?’ It just felt like a sign.”
Originally written by Bobby Russell — and first made famous by Vicki Lawrence in 1973 — the Southern Gothic murder ballad almost went to other stars first.
“The song was offered to Liza Minnelli and then Cher,” McEntire revealed. “Both passed on it. Vicki loved it so much that she just decided to cut it herself. I got to sing it with her on her talk show in the early ’90s.”
Inside the Video’s Eerie Production
Reba’s version of the song inspired one of her most cinematic music videos. Directed by Jack Cole, who also helmed her videos for “Fancy” and “Is There Life Out There,” the shoot took two full days — including one spent entirely on the haunting portrait photos seen throughout the video.
“The biggest thing I learned from doing movies and videos is to be patient. It takes time!” she said.
The video’s realistic transformation scenes came courtesy of John Caglione Jr., the Oscar-winning makeup artist behind Dick Tracy and The Dark Knight.
“To create the prosthetics, I had to have a cast made of my face — like when you go to the dentist and they make impressions of your teeth,” McEntire explained. “Then John would take clay and mold on the cast of my face to make changes to it.”
Filmed at Belmont Mansion on the campus of Belmont University in Nashville, the video blended Southern history with Hollywood-level detail, cementing its eerie atmosphere.
A Slow-Burn Fan Favorite
Though Reba’s 1991 version peaked at No. 12 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, it has become one of her most requested songs three decades later.
“My version only went to No. 12 on the charts,” Reba said, “but it’s become one of my fans’ most favorite songs of my career.”
Between its chilling storyline, gothic Southern visuals, and McEntire’s powerhouse delivery, “The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia” remains one of the most enduring — and creepiest — songs in country music.
