Song Information
“Does He Love You” is a powerful country duet originally recorded by Reba McEntire and Linda Davis. The song was written by Sandy Knox and Billy Stritch, and it was released on August 31, 1993, as the lead single from Reba’s compilation album Greatest Hits Volume Two. Produced by Tony Brown, the song became a massive success, reaching #1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and winning a Grammy Award for Best Country Vocal Collaboration in 1994. It also won a CMA Award for Vocal Event of the Year. The dramatic music video, which plays like a mini soap opera, remains one of the most iconic in Reba’s career.
Song Content
“Does He Love You” is a dramatic and emotionally charged duet between two women entangled in a love triangle. One is the wife, the other the mistress — and both are deeply in love with the same man. Instead of confrontation, the women sing directly to each other, questioning who he truly loves, and if either of them really knows the answer.
Each verse builds tension, with the wife reflecting on the betrayal and the mistress struggling with guilt and hope. Neither woman attacks the other; rather, they share a haunting vulnerability, bound together by the same emotional wound. The chorus, with its soaring harmonies and bitter questions — “Does he love you, like he’s been lovin’ me?” — captures the torment of being second in someone’s heart… or worse, never being sure where you stand at all.
The song’s success stems not only from its relatable lyrics, but from the vocal chemistry between Reba and Linda Davis. Their back-and-forth delivery turns the song into a heartbreaking conversation, one that ends not with resolution but with raw, lingering uncertainty.
Explaining the Emotional Conflict
The most gripping element of “Does He Love You” is its exploration of shared heartbreak between two rivals — without villainizing either. It’s easy to assume a story like this would paint one woman as the “bad guy,” but the brilliance of this song lies in its emotional fairness.
Both women are suffering, and neither truly knows the man’s heart. The wife fears losing him. The mistress fears never fully having him. And yet, instead of clashing, they ask the same painful question — does he love you… or me?
This emotional ambiguity hits a nerve with many listeners because it taps into a very real kind of insecurity: being in love with someone whose loyalty is divided. It challenges listeners to look beyond the labels of “cheater” and “other woman” and instead reflect on the pain, longing, and confusion that haunt all sides of a broken triangle.
Reba’s voice brings strength and sadness to the role of the wife, while Linda Davis adds sincerity and longing as the mistress. The result is not a battle — but a duet of heartbreak, where both women are victims of the same man’s inability to choose.
Watch the Music Video
Lyrics
I’ve known about you for a while now
When he leaves me he wears a smile now
As soon as he’s away from me
In your arms is where he wants to be
But you’re the one he rushes home to
You’re the one he gave his name to
I never see his face in the early morning light
You have his mornings, his daytimes
And sometimes I have his nights
But does he love you (does he love you)
Like he loves me (like he loves me)
Does he think of you (does he think of you)
When he’s holding me
And does he whisper (does he whisper) all his fantasies
Does he love you (does he love you) like he’s been lovin’ me
But when he’s with me, he says he needs me
And that he wants me, that he believes in me
And when I’m in his arms, oh he swears there’s no one else
Is he deceiving me, or am I deceiving myself?
But does he love you (does he love you)
Like he loves me (like he loves me)
Does he think of you (does he think of you)
When he’s holding me
And does he whisper (does he whisper) all his fantasies
Does he love you (does he love you) like he’s been lovin’ me
Oh shouldn’t I lose my temper
Oh and shouldn’t I be ashamed
Cause I have everything to lose
And I, I have nothing to gain
But does he love you (does he love you)
Like he loves me (like he loves me)
Does he think of you (does he think of you)
When he’s holding me
And does he whisper (does he whisper) all his fantasies
Does he love you (does he love you) like he’s been lovin’ me
Does he love you