The song ended with a black and white shot of the country legend’s mother, Jacqueline, who died in March 2020.
And find a quiet corner booth,” McEntire sang powerfully, backed by a band that included pedal steel, piano and a trio of violins. “I wouldn’t spend all my seconds asking God questions/ ‘Cause He knows I’d be back soon/ If I had seven minutes in Heaven/ I’d spend them all with you,” she continued in the tearjerking chorus of the song in which she wonders how the fishing is up in heaven and whether they serve beer in the afterlife, because she sure will need one.
The performance ended with the projection of a beautiful black and white picture of McEntire’s mother on the screen behind her. McEntire premiered the moving video for “Seven Minutes” in October. The song is the only new track on her Dave Cobb-produced acoustic album Not That Fancy.
The performance came on a live show night when the top nine singers advanced to the semifinals, with all three of Niall Horan’s team members — Nini Iris, Huntley and Mara Justine — advancing and four others who landed in the bottom of the rankings fighting for their TV lives. In the end, Team McEntire’s Jordan Rainer snagged the Instant Save, while Team Legend’s Azán and Team Stefani’s Tanner Massey and Kara Tenae got the boot.
Next week’s semifinals will air on NBC on Monday (Dec. 11) and Tuesday (Dec. 12)
Watch McEntire perform “Seven Minutes in Heaven” below: