“Somebody”
Reba McEntire
Written by Dave Berg, Sam Tate, and Katheline Wright
Billboard
#1 (1 week)
August 7, 2004
Reba McEntire’s return to number one after a six year absence was a quiet one by her standards.
Her rich catalog of story songs were notable for their melodrama, often building to dramatic climax in both storyline and vocal performance. Even when she was working with an understated backing production, like on “The Greatest Man I Never Knew,” the vocal performance brought the fireworks.
Those are nowhere to be found on “Somebody,” which is restrained in both performance and production, and this approach works in service to a song that has little drama built into it. basically, a lonely guy talks to the waitress at the Cafe about how he can’t find love, and she encourages him to keep looking. The big reveal is that the waitress was dropping hints all along that she was the one he was looking for, and he gets on board in the final verse.
It’s a lovely vignette that she delivers with a subtle performance that succeeds through its intimacy.
“Somebody” gets a B+.
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Was always shocked that this one got to Number One (then I heard about the label shenanigans and it made total sense). This is my least favorite Reba chart topper since Cathy’s Clown; I actually preferred the single that preceded it (I’m Gonna Take That Mountain) and the one that followed it (He Gets That From Me) far more. This one, despite good production and a typically spot on Reba vocal, is just kinda there. That said, I’m sure it’s, ahem, somebody out there’s favorite Reba single; they’re welcome to it. B-