All The Ways Reba McEntire and Dolly Parton’s ‘Does He Love You’ Video Pays Tribute To The Original Video with Linda Davis

Longtime friends and two of country music’s most prominent female superstars, Reba McEntire and Dolly Parton, teamed up for a…

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Lauren Jo Black

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October 11, 2021

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Dolly Parton, Reba McEntire; Photo Courtesy Reba

Longtime friends and two of country music’s most prominent female superstars, Reba McEntire and Dolly Parton, teamed up for a new version of the 1993 chart-topper, “Does He Love You.” 

The reprised version of the GRAMMY-winning song is featured on McEntire’s just-released new project, Revived Remixed Revisited, a three-part box set that gives new life to some of the Country Music Hall of Fame member’s most beloved hits. 

The buzzed-about collaboration marks the first-ever duet for McEntire, 66, and Parton, 75, and is included on the Revisited portion of the box set, which was produced by award-winning producer Dave Cobb. 

The pair brought the song to life with a brand-new music video that pays homage to the original “Does He Love You” video featuring McEntire’s collaborator, Linda Davis. 

Shot in Nashville, TN and directed by Dano Cerny, the video features McEntire and Parton meeting in a smoky, candlelit bar to discuss the sticky situation at hand. 

Throughout the video, there are subtle nods to the original 1993 clip. Below is a list of similarities between the two music videos.  

New Music Video:

YouTube video

Original Music Video: 

YouTube video

The Video Concept Was Written By Justin McIntosh

The concept for the music video was written by McEntire’s creative and marketing director, Justin McIntosh.

“The goal of this treatment was to create an intimate, conversational moment between Dolly and Reba that is easy to shoot and pays homage to the original video in subtle ways that only true Reba fans will recognize – the colors of Dolly and Reba’s outfit, the audible director’s cut at the end, seeing the ‘real’ Reba and Dolly laughing and having fun similar to how Reba and Linda did at the end of the original video after the boat blew up,” he shared. “The performance would be beautifully and softly lit so that Reba and Dolly both look amazing – bring on the beauty lights!”

The Video Was Filmed at Rudy’s Jazz Room in Nashville

The location for the new video resembles the bar featured in the original clip. 

According to McIntosh, the scene was set as “a dimly lit, intimate, mostly empty jazz club… [with] beautiful lighting [that] fills a somewhat smoky stage with a piano player, upright bass, acoustic guitar and snare drum. There are two microphones in front of the musicians.”

Reba, Does He Love You (1)
Reba, Does He Love You

Reba Wears The Same Shawl From Original Music Video

In the new clip, McEntire is seen wearing the same white fur shawl that she wore in the original music video as she entered the bar. In the original music video, McEntire is seen wearing the white shawl while exiting a limo to walk a red carpet.

Reba and Dolly’s Outfits Were Nods To Reba and Linda 

Throughout the new clip, McEntire and Parton wear outfits that pay tribute to the clothes worn in the original music video. 

McEntire’s white suit is a nod to her white outfit in the 1993 video, while Parton’s teal green dress is a salute to Davis’ outfit. 

First Duet & Music Video From The Two Country Icons

The duet is shockingly the first-ever collaboration between the longtime friends and country superstars. 

“I’m shell shocked. How have we not done one?” Reba shared in a new Billboard interview. “Every time I’d hear Dolly doing a duet with somebody else, I would get a little sad or jealous, like, ‘I want to do a duet with Dolly.’”

Still, she added, “Everything happens for a reason and timing is everything. So it worked out perfectly.”

Does He Love You
“Does He Love You”

Reba and Dolly Are Positioned The Same As The Original Clip During The Second Chorus 

During the second chorus, the two country icons are seen positioned with McEntire in the foreground and Parton in the background, similar to the original video. 

Reba Was Drinking Real Alcohol, Dolly Wasn’t

After meeting in the bar, McEntire is seen sipping on a glass of whiskey, while Parton is enjoying a glass of white wine. 

On Twitter, McEntire revealed that she was actually drinking whiskey, while Parton was sipping on juice. 

“They always put in apple juice and some kind of colored water or something for the whiskey. But, when I took that first drink, a big drink of my drink, it was really whiskey and my eyes started watering, and my throat was burning and everything,” McEntire confessed. “And when we finished that take I looked at Dolly and said ‘are you drinking real wine?’ and she said ‘no, are you?’ And I said ‘yeah, didn’t you see my eyes watering?’ So, we got a big kick out of that.”

Dolly Parton, Reba McEntire; Photo via Facebook
Dolly Parton, Reba McEntire; Photo via Facebook

Reba Plays The Girlfriend, Dolly Plays The Mistress

Parton joked that she “stepped into the shoes of Jolene” when McEntire asked her to sing the mistress’ verses.

The Video Plays Out As A Confrontation Between The Singers’ Characters

In the video, the two Opry members sit down at a table together for an arranged meeting to discuss their two-timing partner after they find out about each other. 

“The way that Dolly and I approached it, it’s like confrontation on Valium. It’s kind of like, ‘I know you. You know me. We’re adults.’ Whereas when I did it with Linda, that was mid-‘90s, and it was like cat fight city. Now it’s like, ‘I don’t like him. Do you like him? You can have him.’ So it was totally different. It was confrontation, but not hatred,” the Oklahoma native explained.

"Does He Love You" Music Video
“Does He Love You” Music Video

The Ending Scene Is Modeled After the Original Music Video

The original video, featuring Davis, includes the director showing McEntire a cut of the scene where she blows up a boat. 

The new video concludes in the same way with a director praising the scene and artists.

Parton then adds, “don’t I get to blow something up on this,” referencing the original video’s ending.

McEntire & Parton’s Personalities Come To Life When Director Cuts The Scene

When the cameras stop rolling, the country music icons come out of character and their loveable personalities shine. 

“You can just have that ol’ boy, I don’t want ’em,” McEntire tells Parton.

“I don’t want him either. Let’s find us a new man,” she replies. 

“I like the way you’re thinkin’” McEntire tells Parton with a laugh.

A Behind The Scenes Video Is Coming

McEntire revealed that superstars will soon take fans behind-the-scenes of the music video. “It was a ton of laughs on set,” she shared on Twitter. “Stay tuned, we’ll be releasing it soon,” she teased

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Lauren Jo Black

Written by

Lauren Jo Black

Lauren Jo Black, a University of Central Florida graduate, has immersed herself in the world of country music for over 15 years. In 2008, she co-founded CountryMusicIsLove, eventually selling it to a major record label in 2015. Following the rebranding of the website to Sounds Like Nashville, Black served as Editor-in-Chief for two and a half years. Currently, she assumes the role of Editor-in-Chief at Country Now and oversees Country Now’s content and digital footprint. Her extensive experience also encompasses her previous role as a Country Music Expert Writer for Answers.com and her work being featured on Forbes.com. She’s been spotlighted among Country Aircheck’s Women of Influence and received the 2012 Rising Star Award from the University of Central Florida. Black also spent time in front of the camera as host of Country Now Live, which brought live music directly to fans in 2021 when the majority of concerts were halted due to the pandemic. During this time, she hosted 24 weeks of live concerts via Country Now Live on Twitch with special guests such as Lady A, Dierks Bentley, Jordan Davis, Brett Young, and Jon Pardi. Over the course of her career, she has had the privilege of conducting interviews with some of the industry’s most prominent stars, including Reba McEntire, Blake Shelton, Luke Combs, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson, and many others. Lauren Jo Black is a longtime member of the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music.