WATCH: Hear Cody Johnson's New Reba Cover of "Whoever's in New England"
It's hard to believe that Reba McEntire's "Whoever's in New England" is more than 30 years old. What's not hard to believe, though, is that Cody Johnson has made the classic country cheatin' song sound brand new.
Johnson shared the acoustic cover last week, when he tweeted about it for his friends, family, fans and followers. He made his video -- armed with just his voice and his guitar -- at Orb Recording Studio in Austin, TX. (And he tweaked the pronouns in the song so that he's questioning his wife instead of his wife questioning him.)
The song was originally written by Kendal Franceschi and Quentin Powers, and McEntire recorded it and released it in 1986 on her album of the same name. Later that year, it was nominated for Best Country Song at the 29th Annual GRAMMY Awards.
Full lyrics for "Whoever's in New England":
You spend an awful lot of time in Massachusetts
Seems like every other week you've got a meeting waiting there
Business must be booming or could something else
Be moving in the air up there?
You say that it's important for our future
An executive on his way up has got to play the part
And each time duty calls you got to give it all
You've got with all your heart
When whoever's in New England is through with you
And Boston finds better things to do
You know it's not too late
'Cause you'll always have a place to come back to
When whoever's in New England's through with you
I hear the winter time up north can last forever
I've been told it's beautiful to see this time of year
They say the snow can blind you till the world you left behind
Just disappears I hear
I've packed your bags and left them in the hallway
But before you leave again
There's just one thing you ought to know
When the icy wind blows through you remember that it's me
Who feels the cold most of all
When whoever's in New England is through with you
And Boston finds better things to do
You know it's not too late
Cause you'll always have a place to come back to
When whoever's in New England's through with you
McEntire's video was classic 80's Reba, with her playing the role of the dubious housewife starting to question her husband's comings and goings, but letting him know she'll be there for him when whoever's in New England is through with him.