"Only in My Mind" is a song written and recorded by American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

artist

Reba McEntire Reba Nell McEntire (born March 28, 1955), or simply Reba, is an American country music singer and actress. Dubbed " the Queen of Country", she has sold more than 75 million records worldwide. Since the 1970s, McEntire has placed over 100 single ...

. It was released in September 1985 as the second single from the album ''

Have I Got a Deal for You ''Have I Got a Deal for You'' is the ninth studio album by American country music artist Reba McEntire, released June 10, 1985. A continuation of the same style of music that made her previous album '' My Kind of Country'' a big seller. Unlike i ...

.'' The song peaked at number 5 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

Hot Country Singles & Tracks 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 from Nielsen BDS along with digital sal ...

chart. It is still the only single ever released that was solely written by McEntire.

Background

"Only in My Mind" was recorded at the MCA studio located in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

. The song was the only track on McEntire's, ''Have I Got a Deal for You'' that was singlehandedly written by McEntire.

Content

From the viewpoint of a female narrator, the song's storyline explains the conversation between a woman and man. The woman's husband asks if she has ever cheated on him, and she answers, "only in my mind."

Critical reception

Unlike her previous releases, "Only in My Mind" received mixed reviews from many music critics. William Ruhlmann of ''

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

'' called it "Another mistake was that she dared to do some writing herself, although her "Only in My Mind," which actually got to number five in the country charts, demonstrated that she had absorbed the lesson of "

Somebody Should Leave "Somebody Should Leave" is a song written by Harlan Howard and Chick Rains, and recorded by American country music artist, Reba McEntire. It was released in January 1985 as the second single from her album '' My Kind of Country''. It was McEntire ...

" in trying to come up with songs that addressed the viewpoint of contemporary women." ''

Rolling Stone Magazine ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its cov ...

s David Gates gave the song a favorable review, after reviewing her 1985 album. Gates stated, "McEntire is at her best on these songs and on "Only in My Mind," her first noncollaborative songwriting effort on record. It's a noncheater's cheating song, a tense dialogue between husband and wife ("He said, 'Have you ever cheated on me?'/And I said, 'Only in my mind' "), as told to the man with whom she refrains from cheating."

Release and chart performance

"Only in My Mind" was officially released as a single to radio in September 1985, her last single released during the year. The song peaked one position higher than her last single, reaching number 5 on the ''

Hot Country Songs 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 from Nielsen BDS along with digital sal ...

chart in late 1985, while also reaching number 6 on the Canadian ''

RPM Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or with the notation min−1) is a unit of rotational speed or rotational frequency for rotating machines. Standards ISO 80000-3:2019 defines a unit of rotation as the dimensionl ...

'' Country Tracks chart. The song helped McEntire to become a member of country music's

Grand Ole Opry The ''Grand Ole Opry'' is a weekly American country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, founded on November 28, 1925, by George D. Hay as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM. Currently owned and operated by Opry Entertainment (a divis ...

program, where she has been a member since.

Charts

References

{{Reba McEntire singles 1985 singles 1985 songs Reba McEntire songs Song recordings produced by Jimmy Bowen MCA Records singles Songs written by Reba McEntire