Listening to “No U in Oklahoma” by Reba McEntire is like finding a hidden treasure. It may not be a popular classic, but the fun and funky country beat of the song can make you groove your way to the rhythm. It is the eighth track to her thirty-second studio album, Stronger than the Truth released on April 5, 2019.
The song was written by Donna McSpadde, Ronnie Dunn, and Reba McEntire herself. Produced by Buddy Cannon, the song was released on February 22, 2019.
The all-rounder entertainer hasn’t slowed down in giving back-to-back hits for 40 years of her career in the entertainment industry. Her Stronger than the Truth album landed No. 4 on Billboard Top Country Albums with over 57,500 copies sold in the United States as of March 2020. It is her 27th to reach the Top 10 of the aforementioned chart.
Meaning of the Song
Dubbed the Queen of Country, Reba McEntire references her birthplace in Oklahoma, United States, with the track “No U in Oklahoma” for her album Stronger than the Truth. The first verse of the track tells the story of how her father didn’t agree with her relationship with her lover. The relationship was described with the lines “Heartaches, Hurt and Lies.” Sooner or later, her father’s words occurred to her that he was right about her lover. After traveling long distances together, she quit her relationship and concluded, “There’s no U in Oklahoma, And that’s okay with me.”
The track conveys the feeling of being freed from a messy relationship. She and her lover have to go down many roads before she realizes that he isn’t the one. Now, she is no longer bound to the shackles of such a relationship.
For You
McEntire told Billboard that the process was a fun collaboration with fellow songwriter Ronnie Dunn. “Nothing came to me at first, so I sent it to Kelly Clarkson, Autumn McEntire [her niece], and Ronnie Dunn, and still nothing came from it,” she said.
“Ronnie and I ended up being in Mexico together on vacation, and we started playing around with the song, and it just evolved from there.”
Her down-to-earth personality can clearly be seen throughout the recording session of the masterpiece. She teased at the start of the video saying, “We got a treat for you now, little Ronnie Dunn.”
Thus, enjoy a joyful treat of Reba McEntire’s “No U in Oklahoma,” and check the video below!
