Fancy (song)
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"Fancy" is a song originally written and performed by Bobbie Gentry in 1969. It 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" as a means to financial independence. Told from the perspective of the eighteen-year-old girl (named Fancy), 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." 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 difficult decision she had to make.
A modest country and pop hit for Gentry in early 1970, the song was covered in 1990 by Reba McEntire, who took it to number seven on the Billboard Country charts, and who produced a popular music video for the song that expanded on the song's storyline. The song has also become a high point in McEntire's live shows. Kellie Pickler, on American Idol sang "Fancy" during Country Week. 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.
