"Strange" is the title of a song written by Wendell Mobley, Jason Sellers

Jason Sellers

Jason Sellers is an American country music artist. After several years of touring the United States in his family's band, Sellers joined the road band of Ricky Skaggs. By 1997, he was signed to a recording contract with BNA Records, for whom he recorded two studio albums: 1997's I'm Your Man and...

 and Neil Thrasher

Neil Thrasher

Joe Neil Thrasher, Jr. is an American country music singer and songwriter. Between 1995 and 1997, he and Kelly Shiver comprised the duo Thrasher Shiver, which recorded a studio album for Asylum Records in 1996 and charted two singles on the Billboard country charts in early 1997...

. It was recorded by American country music

Country music

Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...

 artist Reba McEntire

Reba McEntire

Reba Nell McEntire is an American country music artist and actress. She began her career in the music industry as a high school student singing in the Kiowa High School band , on local radio shows with her siblings, and at rodeos. As a solo act, she was invited to perform at a rodeo in Oklahoma...

 as her first release for the Valory label, a sister label of Big Machine Records

Big Machine Records

Big Machine Records is an Independent American record label specializing in country music artists. It was launched in 2005 by former DreamWorks Records executive Scott Borchetta. The label was part of a joint venture between Borchetta and country singer Toby Keith, although Keith dropped his...

. McEntire debuted the song on the Academy of Country Music

Academy of Country Music

The Academy of Country Music was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California as the Country & Western Music Academy. Whereas the Country Music Association, founded in 1958, was based in Nashville, the Academy sought to promote country music in the western states. Among those involved in the...

 awards the week before its release to country radio. It is the first single from her twenty-fifth studio album, Keep On Loving You, released on August 18, 2009.

Content

"Strange" is a moderate up-tempo in which the narrator says that she has just ended a relationship, and that she finds it "strange" that she is not upset over its ending. McEntire described the song as "tongue-in-cheek. It's a little bit about, you know, 'I'm supposed to be in love with this guy and really heartbroken, but I'm not.' So, it's a tough-woman song."

Critical reception

Matt Bjorke of Roughstock gave the song a favorable review, saying that McEntire sang the song strongly, and by doing so, sounded "renewed, refreshed and ready to conquer the charts once again." Billboard also gave the song a positive review, with critic Deborah Evans Price saying McEntire delivers "the ultimate sassy anthem about a woman's resilience" and calling it a "delicious performance from one of country music's most gifted divas." Entertainment Weekly

Entertainment Weekly

Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...

called the song the best on the album, by saying "Reba McEntire leads off her 31st album with 'Strange', an addictively sinister kiss-off that the next 12 tracks struggle to match".

Music video

A music video, directed by Trey Fanjoy

Trey Fanjoy

Trey Fanjoy is a country music and pop music video director. Fanjoy has directed over 150 major label music videos. Her videos have appeared on CMT, VH-1, GAC, The Nashville Network, CMT Canada, and MTV.-Music videos:...

, premiered on CMT

Country Music Television

Country Music Television, or CMT, is an American country music-oriented cable television network. Programming includes music videos, taped concerts, movies, biographies of country music stars, game shows, and reality programs...

 on May 28, 2009. In the video, McEntire is shown in bed, surrounded by used tissues and chocolates while she talks on the phone. Later, she is shown looking through a rack of strapless black dresses. Throughout the video, scenes of her performing with her band and in front of a kaleidoscope background are included. This is also the first music video in which her road band appears. It is also her first music video where she's credited as just Reba.

Chart performance

"Strange" was released to radio on April 6, 2009, one day after McEntire performed the song on the Academy of Country Music

Academy of Country Music

The Academy of Country Music was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California as the Country & Western Music Academy. Whereas the Country Music Association, founded in 1958, was based in Nashville, the Academy sought to promote country music in the western states. Among those involved in the...

 awards show. On the Billboard

Billboard (magazine)

Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...

Hot Country Songs

Hot Country Songs

Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...

chart dated for April 25, 2009, the song debuted at #39, the highest solo chart debut of her career.

Chart (2009)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs	11
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	76
Canadian Hot 100	92