1969 Hit, Reimagined by Reba McEntire Decades Later, Ranked Among ‘Greatest Country Songs of All Time’

In 1991, Reba McEntire put her own spin on a song that was written and released over 20 years earlier — Bobbie Gentry’s “Fancy.” 

Already a hit for Gentry, the track reached No. 31 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 26 on the Hot Country Songs chart. But, decades later, McEntire would introduce the song to a new generation, and in turn, the Southern Gothic classic became one of her signature songs and a major success for her. 

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Though McEntire’s version never went No. 1, it surpassed the original on the country charts, reaching No. 8 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart. Her version also ranked at No. 65 on Rolling Stone’s 2024 list of “200 Greatest Country Songs of All Time.”

“Fancy” was released as a single on Feb. 11, 1991, but McEntire had wanted to record the track since 1984. Producer Jimmy Bowen initially opposed the idea, and it wasn’t until Tony Brown began producing her records that she finally recorded it for her Rumor Has It album.

“I always wanted to record it,” McEntire shared in a 2019 interview with Country Living. “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.”

McEntire even had a hand in the making of the music video directed by Jack Cole. The clip finds her portraying the adult version of Fancy Rae Baker, the character from the song. She plays a now-famous Fancy who takes a cab to the rickety shack where she once lived, drawing up old memories of her troubled past through heartbreaking flashbacks. 

Written by Gentry, “Fancy” provides a masterclass in storytelling, offering vivid details throughout its nearly five-minute runtime. The song is told from the perspective of a young girl named Fancy, who looks back on growing up in poverty in a one-room shack on the outskirts of New Orleans with her mother and infant sibling. In a desperate attempt to give Fancy a chance for a better life, her mother spends their last penny on a satin dancing dress for 18-year-old Fancy, dolls her up, and sends her out into the world, telling her, “Here’s your one chance, Fancy, don’t let me down.” 

Later verses find Fancy escaping poverty after being taken in by a benevolent man. She eventually becomes involved with powerful men, and acquires a mansion and a townhouse. Looking back on her upbringing, Fancy pushes back against the critics who judged her mother for sending her out into the world. 

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Of why she felt the urge to record the song, McEntire shared: “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. Well, she did, too. Fancy, she had a lot going against her, and she persevered and moved on.”

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