If you had the soundtrack to the 1995 movie Clueless, you know that the opening track is a Kim Wilde cover by The Muffs. It is probably the best known song by The Muffs, and got the band a lot of exposure.
If you've seen the movie, you know the song is the first :45 seconds of the movie.
If you were lucky enough to see The Muffs live, you know they rocked the hell out of the song.
Reba was finally able to record the song in 1990, six years after she first proposed to her producer that she do so..... but her producer was too afraid of being overshadowed by the ghost of Bobbie Gentry. Well, she changed producers, and finally got her wish. She was right, by the way.
This version of the song was a top 10 country hit - one of Reba's biggest and certainly her most enduring hit song to this day - and a dance remix even made a small splash in the clubs.
It was a rare modern country song that I enjoyed - and at the time of its release, I didn't know it was a cover, either. Actually, that explains a lot.
Plus, the video tells a story.
So, what does Bobbie Gentry think of Reba McEntire's version?
No one knows. Gentry completely disappeared after the 1982 ACM awards - just prior to Reba's rise. They never crossed paths. They've never met. They've never spoken. Reba's tried. Bobbie's cashed the royalty checks, so she can't be too upset.... but it's strange. Gentry owes Reba nothing.... but wouldn't it be nice?
Reba HAS performed the song with Kelly Clarkson, though. And it was damn good.
Of course, Kelly Clarkson is perfectly capable of performing the song herself....
Lukas Rossi is a Canadian musician and game show contestant was the lead vocalist of rock supergroup Supernova. He won the latter by winning, deservedly, a competetion show called Rock Star: Supernova.
Nowadays, he's a solo artist and this Adele cover is amazing.
I did mention that Mac Davis would eventually cover his own song - and it's this song, which was really his first big hit, that probably allowed him to move forward with a music career. This is the version I grew up with.
It's more than a heartbreaking story, though. It's a call to action. And I think Mac Davis makes that more clear than Elvis Presley could.
The Cranberries covering the Mac Davis-penned Elvis Presley classic song is something to behold. It's almost as if they understand the poverty and cycle of violence that led to this song.
