Strange (Reba McEntire song)

"Strange"
"Strange"
Single by Reba
from the album Keep On Loving You
Released	April 6, 2009
Genre	Country
Length	2:59
Label	Starstruck Records/Valory Music Co.
Songwriter(s)	Wendell Mobley; Jason Sellers; Neil Thrasher
Producer(s)	Mark Bright; Reba McEntire
Reba singles chronology

"Strange" is a song written by Wendell Mobley, Jason Sellers and Neil Thrasher, and recorded by American country music artist Reba McEntire as her first release for the Valory label, a sister label of Big Machine Records. McEntire debuted the song on the Academy of Country Music awards the week before its release to country radio. It is the first single from her twenty-fifth studio album, Keep On Loving You, released on August 18, 2009.

Content

"Strange" is a moderate up-tempo in which the narrator says that she has just ended a relationship, and that she finds it "strange" that she is not upset over its ending. McEntire described the song as "tongue-in-cheek. It's a little bit about, you know, 'I'm supposed to be in love with this guy and really heartbroken, but I'm not.' So, it's a tough-woman song."^[1]

Critical reception

Matt Bjorke of Roughstock gave the song a favorable review, saying that McEntire sang the song strongly, and by doing so, sounded "renewed, refreshed and ready to conquer the charts once again."^[2] Billboard also gave the song a positive review, with critic Deborah Evans Price saying McEntire delivers "the ultimate sassy anthem about a woman's resilience" and calling it a "delicious performance from one of country music's most gifted divas."^[3] Entertainment Weekly called the song the best on the album, by saying "Reba McEntire leads off her 31st album with 'Strange', an addictively sinister kiss-off that the next 12 tracks struggle to match".^[4]

Music video

A music video, directed by Trey Fanjoy, premiered on CMT on May 28, 2009.^[5] In the video, McEntire is shown in bed, surrounded by used tissues and chocolates while she talks on the phone. Later, she is shown looking through a rack of strapless black dresses. Throughout the video, scenes of her performing with her band and in front of a kaleidoscope background are included. This is also the first music video in which her road band appears. It is also her first music video where she's credited as just Reba.

Chart performance

"Strange" was released to radio on April 6, 2009, one day after McEntire performed the song on the Academy of Country Music awards show.^[6] On the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart dated for April 25, 2009, the song debuted at number 39, the highest solo chart debut of her career.^[7]

Chart (2009)	Peak position
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)^[8]	11
US Billboard Hot 100^[9]	76
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)^[10]	92

Year-end charts

Chart (2009)	Position
US Country Songs (Billboard)^[11]	53

References

^ "Reba McEntire's 'Strange' New Single A Girl-Power Anthem". Starpulse. 2009-04-10. Retrieved 2009-04-13.
^ Bjorke, Matt. "Reba McEntire - "Strange"". Roughstock. Archived from the original on 2009-04-17. Retrieved 2009-04-13.
^ Evans Price, Deborah. "Single Review, Strange". Billboard. Archived from the original on April 17, 2009. Retrieved 2009-04-13.
^ "Music Review: Keep On Loving You, by Reba McEntire". Entertainment Weekly. 2009-08-12.
^ Music Binge 5.28.09 : Strange
^ "Reba McEntire shares 'Strange' single, readies new album". The Tennessean. 2009-03-30. Retrieved 2009-04-13. ^{[dead link]}
^ "SUPERSTAR REBA'S "STRANGE" MAKES HIGHEST SOLO CHART DEBUT OF CAREER". PR Newswire. 2009-04-13. Archived from the original on 2012-07-24. Retrieved 2009-04-13.
^ "Reba McEntire Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
^ "Reba McEntire Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
^ "Reba McEntire Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard.
^ "Best of 2009: Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2009. Retrieved December 13, 2009.

[1] "Reba McEntire's 'Strange' New Single A Girl-Power Anthem". Starpulse. 2009-04-10. Retrieved 2009-04-13.

[2] Bjorke, Matt. "Reba McEntire - "Strange"". Roughstock. Archived from the original on 2009-04-17. Retrieved 2009-04-13.

[3] Evans Price, Deborah. "Single Review, Strange". Billboard. Archived from the original on April 17, 2009. Retrieved 2009-04-13.

[4] "Music Review: Keep On Loving You, by Reba McEntire". Entertainment Weekly. 2009-08-12.

[5] Music Binge 5.28.09 : Strange

[6] "Reba McEntire shares 'Strange' single, readies new album". The Tennessean. 2009-03-30. Retrieved 2009-04-13. ^{[dead link]}

[7] "SUPERSTAR REBA'S "STRANGE" MAKES HIGHEST SOLO CHART DEBUT OF CAREER". PR Newswire. 2009-04-13. Archived from the original on 2012-07-24. Retrieved 2009-04-13.

[sc_Billboardcountrysongs_Reba_McEntire-8] "Reba McEntire Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.

[sc_Billboardhot100_Reba_McEntire-9] "Reba McEntire Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.

[sc_Billboardcanadianhot100_Reba_McEntire-10] "Reba McEntire Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard.

[11] "Best of 2009: Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2009. Retrieved December 13, 2009.

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v t e Reba McEntire singles
Albums Singles Videos
1970s	"I'd Really Love to See You Tonight" (with Jacky Ward) "Sweet Dreams"
1980s	"(You Lift Me) Up to Heaven" "I Can See Forever in Your Eyes" "I Don't Think Love Ought to Be That Way" "Today All Over Again" "Only You (And You Alone)" "I'm Not That Lonely Yet" "Can't Even Get the Blues" "You're the First Time I've Thought About Leaving" "Why Do We Want (What We Know We Can't Have)" "There Ain't No Future in This" "Just a Little Love" "He Broke Your Memory Last Night" "How Blue" "Somebody Should Leave" "Have I Got a Deal for You" "Only in My Mind" "Whoever's in New England" "Little Rock" "What Am I Gonna Do About You" "Let the Music Lift You Up" "One Promise Too Late" "The Last One to Know" "Love Will Find Its Way to You" "A Sunday Kind of Love" "I Know How He Feels" "New Fool at an Old Game" "Cathy's Clown" "'Til Love Comes Again" "Little Girl"
1990s	"Walk On" "You Lie" "Rumor Has It" "Fancy" "Fallin' Out of Love" "For My Broken Heart" "Is There Life Out There" "The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia" "The Greatest Man I Never Knew" "Take It Back" "The Heart Won't Lie" (with Vince Gill) "It's Your Call" "Does He Love You" (with Linda Davis) "They Asked About You" "Why Haven't I Heard from You" "She Thinks His Name Was John" "Till You Love Me" "The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter" "And Still" "On My Own" "Ring on Her Finger, Time on Her Hands" "Starting Over Again" "You Keep Me Hangin' On" "The Fear of Being Alone" "How Was I to Know" "I'd Rather Ride Around with You" "What If It's You" "If You See Him/If You See Her" (with Brooks & Dunn) "Forever Love" "Wrong Night" "One Honest Heart" "What Do You Say"
2000s	"I'll Be" "We're So Good Together" "I'm a Survivor" "Sweet Music Man" "I'm Gonna Take That Mountain" "Somebody" "He Gets That from Me" "My Sister" "You're Gonna Be (Always Loved by Me)" "Love Needs a Holiday" "Because of You" (with Kelly Clarkson) "The Only Promise That Remains" (with Justin Timberlake) "Every Other Weekend" (with Kenny Chesney or Skip Ewing) "Strange" "Consider Me Gone"
2010s	"I Keep On Loving You" "Turn On the Radio" "If I Were a Boy" "When Love Gets a Hold of You" "Somebody's Chelsea" "Going Out Like That" "Until They Don't Love You" "Just Like Them Horses" "Softly and Tenderly" "Back to God" "God and My Girlfriends" "Freedom"
2020s	"Does He Love You" (with Dolly Parton) "I Can't"
Other singles	"Mind Your Own Business" (with Hank Williams Jr.) "Oklahoma Swing" (with Vince Gill) "Cowgirls Don't Cry" (with Brooks & Dunn) "Forever Country" (with Various artists) "Be a Light" (with Thomas Rhett) "What If"