Little Rock (Reba McEntire song)

"Little Rock"
"Little Rock"
Single by Reba McEntire
from the album Whoever's in New England
B-side	"If You Only Knew"
Released	June 2, 1986
Genre	Country
Length	3:07
Label	MCA
Songwriter(s)	Pat McManus; Bob DiPiero; Gerry House
Producer(s)	Jimmy Bowen; Reba McEntire
Reba McEntire singles chronology

"Little Rock" is a song written by Pat McManus, Bob DiPiero and Gerry House, and recorded by American country music artist Reba McEntire. It released in June 1986 as the second single from the album Whoever's in New England. The song reached number one on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart in late 1986.^[1]

Background

"Little Rock" was recorded at the MCA studio in Nashville, Tennessee. The song itself is not to be confused with either the capital of Arkansas or the Collin Raye song, both of which have the same name.

Content

The song is about a woman who marries a wealthy man and is at first enamored at the prospect of living a wealthy lifestyle and "having all the finer things". But she soon grows tired of not being truly loved by her husband. The song's chorus further describes its storyline:

Oh little rock, think I'm gonna have to slip you off

Take a chance tonight and untie the knot

There's more to life than what I got

Oh little rock you know this heart of mine just can't be bought

I'm gonna find someone who really cares a lot, when I slip off this little rock

Critical reception

"Little Rock" was reviewed mainly positively. William Ruhlmann of Allmusic reviewed the album, Whoever's in New England, calling the song a "cheery cheating song."^[2] About.com's Jolene Downs also reviewed McEntire's 1986 album and gave "Little Rock," praise, calling it one of the "pros" of the album, along with the songs, "Whoever's in New England" and "Can't Stop Now." Downs also said that the song was "of my favorites," praising McEntire's voice on the track (among a few others mentioned), further stating, "She can sing a love ballad with enough feeling to bring tears to your eyes. She can dish out the ultimatums to the "other woman" like no one else."^[3]

Release and chart performance

"Little Rock" was released as the second single from Whoever's in New England on June 2, 1986, following the success of the title track. "Little Rock" became McEntire's sixth number one single on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart and was the last single released from the album. In addition, the song also reached #2 in on Canada's RPM Country Tracks chart, becoming her highest-charting single in Canada up to that point. With the single's success the album became McEntire's first album to certify "Gold" by the Recording Industry Association of America, and eventually went "Platinum."^[4]^[2]

Charts

Chart (1986)	Peak position
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)^[5]	1
Canadian RPM Country Tracks	2

References

^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 225.
^ ^a ^b Ruhlmann, William. "Whoever's in New England > Overview". Allmusic. Retrieved 2009-09-03.
^ Downs, Jolene. "Reba McEntire - Whoever's in New England". about.com. Retrieved 2009-09-03.
^ Ruhlmann, William. "Reba McEntire > Biography". Allmusic. Retrieved 2009-09-03.
^ "Reba McEntire Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.

[1] Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 225.

[allmusicreview-2] Ruhlmann, William. "Whoever's in New England > Overview". Allmusic. Retrieved 2009-09-03.

[3] Downs, Jolene. "Reba McEntire - Whoever's in New England". about.com. Retrieved 2009-09-03.

[4] Ruhlmann, William. "Reba McEntire > Biography". Allmusic. Retrieved 2009-09-03.

[sc_Billboardcountrysongs_Reba_McEntire-5] "Reba McEntire Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.

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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) "What If" "Cowgirls Don't Cry" (with Brooks & Dunn) "Forever Country" (with Various artists) "Be a Light" (with Thomas Rhett)