It feels like 1994…
Gas may not be close to a dollar a gallon, but Reba has once again been nominated for her 1990s remake, “Does He Love You,” after winning a Grammy for the original duet 28 years ago.
Except this time, its alongside close friend and fellow country queen, Dolly Parton.
Written by Sandy Knox and Billy Stritch, the song was originally pitched to Barbara Mandrell and could have resulted in a much different outcome. But it ultimately fell into Reba’s hands in 1993, and she selected Linda Davis, her background singer at the time, to sing on the track with her. In interviews with Reba following the later success of the song, she shared that MCA Records (her label at the time) was less than confident with her choice in duet partner and encouraged her to select someone “more established,” such as Wynonna Judd.
She sent the track over to Wynonna but never received a response, which gave her the freedom to choose her first choice – Linda.
And a hell of a choice it turned out to be, as the two swept the charts and won both a Grammy for Best Country Vocal Collaboration and a CMA for Vocal Event of the Year.
“Does He Love You” features an almost unheard-of duet combination – a conversation between two women caught in a love triangle.
Throughout the song, the wife and mistress speak openly to one another and wonder which of them the man loves more. Here’s a glimpse of the back-and-forth lyrics:
“But when he’s with me
He says he needs me
And that he wants me
That he believes in me
And when I’m in his arms
Oh, he swears there’s no one else
Is he deceiving me
Or am I deceiving myself…”
The song has been covered by many tried and true country singers, but Reba made a comeback with the track on her 2021 album, Revived Remixed Revisited, a project that “shook the cobwebs” off some of her most renowned hits through the years.
And for her “Does He Love You” remix, she selected Dolly Parton to revive the track with her.
An impeccable choice if you ask me.
In the backstage videos of Dolly and Reba’s video remake, Reba said of her new collaborative partner:
“I was thrilled to death when Dolly said yes to doing the duet with me!”
And Dolly quickly responded:
“I’ve been a fan of Reba for years… We didn’t even realize we had not done a duet!”
Dolly and Reba breathed new life into the track with their incredible vocal chops, and it didn’t go unnoticed. For the second time in the song’s duration, it has been nominated for a collaborative Grammy.
And now, over 25 years later, we could witness both Dolly & Reba snag another win, and for Reba, the same song for two different Grammys.
At least this duo is well-worth the hype of a double Grammy.
