# On This Day in 1981, Reba McEntire Stepped Into a Nashville Studio and Recorded the Song That Would Become Her First No. 1 Hit

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/on-this-day-in-1981-reba-mcentire-stepped-into-a-nashville-studio-and-recorded-the-song-that-would-become-her-first-no-1-hit/
- Published: 2026-11-11T23:45:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-12T00:27:33+00:00
- Original publisher: American Songwriter
- Original article: https://americansongwriter.com/on-this-day-in-1981-reba-mcentire-stepped-into-a-nashville-studio-and-recorded-the-song-that-would-become-her-first-no-1-hit/
- Topics: Entertainment, Music

## Key points

- McEntire recorded her first No. 1 hit in 1981.
- “Can’t Even Get the Blues” spent a week at No. 1.
- The song began a run of 24 chart-toppers.

## Summary

On 12 November 1981, Reba McEntire recorded “Can’t Even Get the Blues” at Woodland Sound Studio in Nashville. The song became her first No. 1 hit and marked a shift from the slow ballads that had shaped her early career towards a more upbeat sound.

The mid-tempo track was initially intended for Jacky Ward, but McEntire pushed to record it herself. Its lyrics describe a woman so repeatedly hurt that she can no longer summon heartbreak; the song spent one week at No. 1 and began a run of 24 chart-toppers. Some of McEntire’s best-known songs, including “Fancy” and “The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia”, never reached the top spot.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.