''Fancy'' is the sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter

Bobbie Gentry Bobbie Gentry (born Roberta Lee Streeter; July 27, 1942) is an American retired singer-songwriter. She was one of the first female artists in the United States to compose and produce her own material. Gentry rose to international fame in 1967 ...

. It was released on April 6, 1970, by

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007), and simply known as Capitol, is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-base ...

. The album was produced by

Rick Hall Roe Erister "Rick" Hall (January 31, 1932 – January 2, 2018) was an American record producer, songwriter, and musician who became known as the owner of FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. As the "Father of Muscle Shoals Music", he was ...

and recorded at his FAME Recording Studios, apart from ''Wedding Bell Blues'' and ''Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head'' which were produced by Gentry herself, and recorded at

Capitol Studios Capitol Studios is a recording studio located at the landmark Capitol Records Building in Hollywood, California, United States. The studios, which opened in 1956, were initially the primary recording studios for the American record label Capi ...

in Hollywood, California. The cover art for the album is an uncredited painting of Gentry, based upon a reference photograph. According to the liner notes for the 2004 compilation ''Chickasaw County Child: The Artistry of Bobbie Gentry'', the painting is believed to have been done by Gentry herself. In the UK the album was released under the title ''I’ll Never Fall in Love Again''. This release featured a different track order and cover art, plus two additional tracks, "In the Ghetto" and "Billy the Kid", the latter would also appear on 1971’s ''Patchwork''. In 2007, Australian label Raven Records released the album on CD for the first time, paired with 1971’s ''

Patchwork Patchwork or "pieced work" is a form of needlework that involves sewing together pieces of fabric into a larger design. The larger design is usually based on repeating patterns built up with different fabric shapes (which can be different colors) ...

''. The album was also made available for digital download the same year.

Critical reception

The April 18, 1970, issue of ''

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'' featured a review which said, "This is not merely a followup LP to a successful single; Miss Gentry's folksy story-telling vocals include some outstanding material. Opening with her hit single, "Fancy", she further impresses with her Hot 100 single, "He Made a Woman Out of Me", her No. 1 English hit of "I'll Never Fall in Love Again", and Leon Russell's "Delta Man". LP should top the single's acceptance." '' Cashbox'' published a review the same day, saying, "It seemed for a long time that Bobbie Gentry would remain forever in the shadow of "Ode to Billie Joe", the record that launched her to fame and that she failed to follow up with anything as artistically powerful or commercially successful. Her duets with Glen Campbell kept her in the limelight, and finally she had another hit single – the title song of this album – on her own. The LP is of good quality and should make the charts, and Miss Gentry should continue to prove that she is not a one-song artist." The review from ''

Record World ''Record World'' magazine was one of three major weekly music industry trade magazines in the United States, with ''Billboard'' and '' Cashbox''. It was founded in 1946 as ''Music Vendor''. In 1964, it was changed to ''Record World'' under the ...

'' said, "Sexy is as sexy does and Bobbie Gentry certainly does. She's taken the sensual seductiveness of her own "Fancy" and made that the criterion for this new album. Standouts: "Delta Man", Something in the Way He Moves" (James Taylor's song that inspired George Harrison's "Something")." The album earned Gentry a Grammy nomination for "Best Contemporary Pop Vocal Performance, Female".

Commercial performance

The album peaked at No. 37 on the US ''

Top Country Albums Top Country Albums is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. The 50-position chart lists the most popular country music albums in the country, calculated weekly by Broadcast Data Systems based on physical sales ...

chart and No. 96 on the US ''Billboard'' Top LP's chart. In Canada the album peaked at No. 79 on the ''

RPM Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or r⋅min−1) is a unit of rotational speed (or rotational frequency) for rotating machines. One revolution per minute is equivalent to hertz. Standards ISO 80000-3:2019 def ...

'' Top Albums chart. The album's first single, "Fancy", was released in November 1969. It peaked at No. 8 on the US ''Billboard'' Top 40 Easy Listening chart, No. 26 on the US ''Billboard''

Hot Country Singles Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data along with digital sales and streaming. ...

chart, and No. 31 on the US ''Billboard''

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100, also known as simply the Hot 100, is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), o ...

chart. In Canada the single peaked at No. 1 on the ''RPM'' Top County Singles chart, No. 20 on the ''RPM'' Top Easy Listening Singles chart, and No. 26 on the ''RPM'' Top Singles chart. In Australia "Fancy" peaked at No. 70 on the ''

Kent Music Report The Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music historian David Kent from May 1974 through to January 1999. The chart was re-branded the Australian Music Report (AMR) in July 19 ...

'' Top Singles chart. In February 1970, "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head", was released in the UK as the album's first single, second overall. It reached a peak position of No. 40 on the '' OCC'' UK Singles Chart. "He Made a Woman Out of Me" was released in March 1970 as the second single, third overall. It peaked at No. 71 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart. In Canada it peaked at No. 57 on the ''RPM'' Top Singles chart. In April 1970, "If You Gotta Make a Fool of Somebody" was released as the album's second UK single, fourth overall. It failed to chart. "Fancy" was released as the third UK single in October 1970 and failed to chart.

Track listing

UK release (''I'll Never Fall in Love Again'')

Personnel

Adapted from the album liner notes. *Bobbie Gentry - vocals, producer *Rick Hall - producer *Jimmie Haskell - string arrangements *Don Lee Keith - liner notes *Tommy Oliver - arrangements

Chart positions

Album Singles

Accolades

13th Annual Grammy Awards The 13th Annual Grammy Awards were held on 16 March 1971, on ABC, and marked the ceremony's first live telecast. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the year 1970. The ceremony was hosted for the first time by Andy Williams. Awa ...

, - , rowspan="10" style="text-align:center;", 1971 , ''Fancy'' , Best Contemporary Vocal Performance, Female , , -

References

{{Authority control 1970 albums Bobbie Gentry albums Albums arranged by Jimmie Haskell Capitol Records albums Albums recorded at Capitol Studios