Fancy (Bobbie Gentry song)
| "Fancy" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| B-side | "Court Yard" |
"Fancy" is a song originally written and performed by Bobbie Gentry in 1969. The song depicts its heroine's overcoming poverty to become a successful courtesan. The song enjoyed critical and popular success in a cover by Reba McEntire.
Plot
The Southern Gothic style-song tells the tale of an impoverished mother whose husband has recently abandoned the family. She buys her daughter a red "dancing dress" and encourages her to "be nice to the gentleman" (implying prostitution but not encouraging it) as a means to gain financial independence. Told from the perspective of a woman (named Fancy) approximately thirty-two, looking back to when she was an eighteen-year-old girl, the song describes their poverty and her mother's predicament, and recalls her mother's parting words: "Here's your one chance, Fancy, don't let me down" and "'If you want out, well, it's up to you." Soon after, Fancy's mother dies and her baby sibling becomes a ward of the state. In the song, the girl ends up using connections she makes to build a better life for herself, eventually making peace with her mother, and acknowledging the complexity of the decision her mother was forced to make.
Reception
It was a cross-over country and pop hit for Gentry in early 1970, and she received a Grammy nomination for best female pop vocal performance. The catchy tune, throaty delivery, and brash refrain made it memorable to sing along to.
Covers
In 1991 Reba McEntire took the song to number eight on the Billboard Country charts. McEntire also produced a popular music video for the song, expanding on the song's storyline. For years, McEntire has encored her live concerts with the hit, singing the first half of the song in a ragged black mink coat/hat then to reveal a floor length red gown for the second half. McEntire has referred to the song as her "possible signature hit".
The Geraldine Fibbers also covered "Fancy" on "What Part of Get Thee Gone Don't you Understand?".
Megan Mullally recorded a version of the song for her album Big As a Berry. In 2006 Katie Melua also covered "Fancy (Live)" from a concert performance, available on her "Download Only" single titled "Shy Boy". "Fancy" was also remade by the southern post-hardcore band He Is Legend and released on their June 6, 2006 Split EP with Classic Case called Black Unicorn Split.
Kellie Pickler sang "Fancy" during Country Week on a 2006 episode of American Idol.
Singer Julia Murney covered the song on her debut solo album "I'm Not Waiting" and performs it at her concerts in conjunction with her "porn story".
In 2007, Reba McEntire and Kelly Clarkson sang a duet version of the song on CMT's "Crossroads" program. ,
Cultural References
Pop singer Jessica Simpson used her debut country video for her song Come On Over for a product placement of her perfume, Fancy. Because of her father's reputation for making inappropriate comments about her[1], some country fans found the choice of names, and the decision to showcase it in a country video both odd, and very funny.[2]