Reba's "Every Other Weekend" Joins Long Line of Weepers
Watching the video for Reba McEntire's "Every Other Weekend," I'm reminded that the divorces depicted in country music are usually more bittersweet than bitter. The theme of McEntire's song is that the divorced mom and dad who meet every other weekend to exchange their kids are still in love -- but that each is afraid to let the other know. It's a touching look at what might have been and (dare we hope?) might still be. There's no rancor, only regrets.
The situation is basically the same in Roger Miller's elegiac "Husbands and Wives," the 1966 classic Brooks & Dunn resurrected for their 1998 hit. Here, though, something other than fear maintains the unfortunate split: "The angry words spoken in haste/Such a waste of two lives/It's my belief pride is the chief cause in the decline/Of the number of husbands and wives."
In Mel Tillis' "Brand New Mr. Me" (1971) and Toby Keith's "Who's That Man" (1994) we are presented images of divorced fathers driving past the homes they once occupied and taking sorrowful stock of the men who've replaced them. Neither song, however, rages with a sense of injustice -- just a numb feeling of loss. Craig Morgan's "Every Friday Afternoon" (2003) considers what happens when the custodial parent in a divorce moves a long distance away for an entirely sensible reason ("There's a job back home in Boston/And I think I'm gonna go"). Even here -- where there might be cause for anger -- the parent left behind feels only pain.
Country music's most famous separation song -- Tammy Wynette's "D-I-V-O-R-C-E" (1968) -- is similarly shot through with grief: "I love you both and this will be pure H-E-double L for me/Oh, I wish that we could stop this D-I-V-O-R-C-E." You can find examples to the contrary, but, for the most part, country music weeps when marriages fail.
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Stacey says:
Anything that Reba McEntire does is going to leave a lasting impression. This song nails it! I mean… she delivers this song with such emotion and passion that you can feel how this couple is coping. I love everything about this song, and another A+ For Reba.
Debbie says:
Reba is the greatest! Everything she does or performs is wonderful. Whether she laughs or cries makes the listener feel so apart of her performance! Reba, you are the the greatest! This is definitely one of my favorite songs!
bkb says:
i agree.some of the young singers could take some of this delivery and put it to good use. what emotion she uses without all the other hype they use to promote a song.
Deja says:
I totally agree. Her ability to bring emotion and passion to a song unlimited. I also love that her songs are relatable to so many situations facing people today…
Amber says:
I love this song and how it is so relatable. I am now 20 and I went this with my parents for many years. She is the best at showing her true emotions in her songs. They all really do tough your heart. The younger singers could definetly take some pointers from Reba that you don’t need to have a “sexy” video to make it a great video
Bill says:
In the video, is that Van (Steven Howey) from Reba’s TV show “Reba”?
Chris says:
Yes it is. And look closely. The Mom is a red-headed Cheyenne. It’s good to see them again.
terri l cooksey says:
i agree every emotion is in her songs and the way she sings them they make you want to cry this one does but gives you a sesnse of warmth .love her voice she’s great.
terri l cooksey says:
the one thing i appreciated from reba’s video is that dispite what the parents feelings about each other the love is there for the kids and life stays the same as it can for them wish famielys today could be like that more .
Sharon says:
I love this song…have since I first heard it but did she have to use Van and Cheyenne in the vid!! It made it that much more sad for me. Yes I understand the Reba show was fake but I watched it all the time and to see them as the divorced couple in the video made it bittersweet. We get to see through Reba’s eyes what comes of the couple from the show but we learn they divorce too. BUT I love Reba and nothing she does can ever be bad. I saw her and Kelly Clarkson in Jonesboro in Feb. 08 and it was amazing!! Plan to go to the Little Rock show in Nov. as well…
Steven says:
Why wasn’t Kenny in the video?
Heather says:
Reba hit the nail on the head w/ this song and video.The actors is what touched me the most. Me and my daughters watch Reba amlost everyday and to see Van and Cheyann as the couple made me so sad. I love them on the show and the love that they have for each other is like never ending. Divorce can even happen in the movies. I Love when the video goes w/ the song, that is what makes a great video.
candy says:
THE SONG AND BOTH REBA AND KENNY SOUND SO BELEIVEABLE. IT REMINDS ME ALOT OF MY FIRST MARRIAGE. EVEN THOUGH WEVE BEEN DIVORCED 22 YRS I STILL FEEL THIS WAY WHEN I SEE HIM AT OUR GRANDAUGHTERS GET TOGETHERS AND OUR SONS. IT MUST BE THAT FIRST YOUNG LOVE THING I GUESS. WHAT I WANT TO KNOW IS IVE HEARD THE SONG ON A LOCAL STATION AND IT’S NOT KENNY CHESNEY SINGING WITH HER. ? WHO IT IS.. I EVEN CALLED THE RADIO STATION WHO PLAYED IT AND AT FIRST THEY TOLD ME IT WAS KENNY CHESNEY AND I ARGUED WITH HER THAT IT WASNT. I CALLED THE NEXT DAY WHEN I HEARD IT AGAIN AND THEN WAS TOLD NO IT WASNT KENNY BUT HE DIDNT KNOW WHO IT WAS OR WHY THEY HAD IT. HE DIDNT KNOW FOR SURE THAT IT WASNT KENNY CHESNEY I HAD TO TELL HIM. BUT WHO IS THIS SINGER AND WHY IS HE AN IMPOSTER. KENNY AND REBA SOUND SO GREAT TOGETHER!!!!!!!!!! LOVE THE SONG!!!!!!!!
millie says:
The other singer is Skip Ewing. There was an interesting dispute with the record labels, which prevented Kenny’s version from being released as the official release. Ewing is the co-writer of the song and has written over 25 Country Hits including 11 #1’s. Skip has been a songwriter in Nashville for 20 plus years. In the meantime, he also enjoyed chart success on his own in the late 1980s early 1990s. By the time the video was made the song had already been on the charts for over 20 weeks, and had made it to the top 20 on Billboard’s charts. The choice to use Kenny on the track was of course a label decision.
Cindy OBrien says:
This song never fails to bring me to tears every time. For me it brings tears to my eyes because I don’t have the option of seeing my kids at all and I think that we all would like to hope that divorce ends this way every 20 or so but the reality is that I probably doesn’t. Reba is awesome and once again she has a hit on her hands!
gail says:
when I saw this video I was shocked to see the actors who playe van and cheyenne, that how we remember them.so was that the message in this video, how it ended for them the differnce was the boy was the older one,