REBA MCENTIRE “FELL IN LOVE” WITH DEAR RODEO — AN INTIMATE CONVERSATION ABOUT HEART, HERITAGE, AND THE SONG THAT SPOKE TO HER SOUL
When Reba McEntire, the undisputed Queen of Country, says she “fell in love” with a song, the world pays attention. And when that song is “Dear Rodeo,” the deeply emotional ballad originally performed by Cody Johnson, it becomes clear why it resonated so powerfully with her. In a recent conversation that felt more like a fireside chat than a formal interview, Reba opened up about the memories, the heartache, and the quiet triumphs that the song awakened within her — revealing a deeply personal connection that goes far beyond music.
To understand why “Dear Rodeo” touched Reba so profoundly, one must look back to her beginnings. Long before she graced the world’s biggest stages, Reba was a young Oklahoma cowgirl who grew up in the dust, determination, and discipline of the rodeo world. She rode in barrel races, sang the national anthem at local competitions, and watched her father and brothers compete in the sport that shaped her childhood. Rodeo wasn’t simply an event — it was a way of life, a foundation of values, and a piece of home she carried with her into her future career.
So when Reba first heard Cody Johnson’s heartfelt song — a letter of goodbye to the rodeo dreams he once chased — she immediately recognized the truth in it. “It felt like someone had reached into my own story,” she shared. “There was honesty in every line. I understood that longing, that sense of something unfinished.” Her voice softened as she explained that even though life led her down the road of country music, the spirit of the rodeo never truly left her.
What makes Reba’s connection to “Dear Rodeo” so moving is the way she bridges past and present. She sees the song not just as a memory of the life she once lived, but as a tribute to the resilience and determination that rodeo taught her — values that carried her through decades of touring, heartbreak, reinvention, and success. The rodeo spirit, she explained, teaches you to get back up after every fall, to hold steady when the world shakes, and to find courage in places you didn’t know you had.
In the conversation, Reba also spoke with warmth about working with Cody Johnson, praising his authenticity and his deep respect for the traditions of Western life. Their duet version of the song is not just a collaboration — it feels like two storytellers weaving together the strands of their personal histories. Reba said she loved the vulnerability Cody brought to the performance, calling it “a rare kind of honesty that country music needs.”
Beyond the music, Reba reflected on what “Dear Rodeo” means to her fans. Many, she said, have told her how the song mirrors their own goodbyes — not necessarily to rodeo, but to chapters of life they loved deeply but had to leave behind. “We all have something we parted ways with,” she said gently. “But the love for it doesn’t disappear. It becomes part of who we are.”
By the end of the conversation, it was clear that Reba McEntire’s affection for “Dear Rodeo” is more than admiration for a beautifully written song. It is a reunion with her roots, a tribute to her upbringing, and a reminder that the past continues to shape the present in unexpected, heartfelt ways.
In falling in love with Dear Rodeo, Reba invites the world to do the same — to remember where we come from, to acknowledge the roads we didn’t take, and to honour the parts of our lives that continue to ride with us, long after the arena dust has settled.