With a contract to Mercury Records (1975), McEntire began her professional career singing heavily pop-influenced ballads, a far cry from the neotraditionalist movement she would help lead a few years later.
"I Don't Want To Be A One Night Stand" became her first charting single in 1976. Her first Top 10 hit "(You Lift Me) Up to Heaven" followed four years later, and in 1982 she scored her first #1 hit with "Can't Even Get The Blues."
Frustrated at her limited commercial success, McEntire left Mercury and signed with MCA Records in 1984. 1984's "Just A Little Love" wasn't much different form her Mercury material and was only moderately successful. However, another album followed later that same year, titled "My Kind of Country." This was a return-to-roots record, complete with fiddles and steel. It was comprised largely of covers of classic country songs, as well as original songs such as "How Blue" and the Harlan Howard-penned "Somebody Should Leave", both of which reached #1 on the Billboard country singles chart.
In the early 1990s McEntire expanded her audience by adopting a softer, more pop-oriented sound. She became one of the best-selling country artists of all time, releasing three volumes of greatest hits collections.
Since that first #1 hit in 1982, she's forked out 21 more chartbusters, which are all recapped on "Reba #1s" released on November 22nd, 2005. The 2-disc compilation features all 22 number one singles (according to Billboard magazine) in chronological order, including two new tracks "You're Gonna Be" and "Love Needs A Holiday." "Reba #1s" also contains 11 singles that reached the #1 spot in publications other than Billboard.
She won the Female Vocalist of the Year award from the Country Music Association four times in a row (a record she holds with Martina McBride), and had dozens of Top Ten hits during the 80s. For her contribution to the recording industry, Reba McEntire has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7000 Hollywood Blvd. In 1995, she was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
She is one of only six solo women (others include Shania Twain, Barbara Mandrell, Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn, and Taylor Swift), to win the Country Music Association's highest honor, "Entertainer Of The Year". McEntire continued to hit the charts through the 2000s, as well as appearing in television and film, most notably Tremors, a cult horror movie series, Forever Love, and One Night at McCool's. She also starred as Annie Oakley in Annie Get Your Gun on Broadway, receiving critical acclaim.
From 2001 to 2007, Reba starred in the hit WB television show, Reba (with Texan actor Christopher Rich as her philandering ex-husband), even getting a visit from fellow country star Dolly Parton who played Reba's character's supervisor at a real estate firm.
A New Love
Reba McEntire Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That's cut me deeper than the sharpest knife
And once again here I am and I'm paying the price for a new love
I still hurt the one I lost
Standing here on a bridge that I can't get across
And I can't burn but I will when I walk with a new love
[Chorus]
It's gonna be better then ever before
That's why I'm looking for
A new love
For this old heart
A new love
And I just can't wait to start
I want to feel that way again
Oh when I find a new love
For this old heart of mine
Say I'm looking for a new love
Somebody tell me where I find a new love
For this old heart of mine
Love's the only thing that's ever made me cry
Nothing's ever made me feel more alive
That's why once again here I am
Looking for the eyes of a new love
I know that somewhere in this world tonight
There's a guy
(She goes high on this part and I have no clue what she says)
I'd even look if I thought I might find a new love
[Chorus: x2]
Oh I'm looking for a new love
For this old heart of mine
Oh I'm looking for a new love
For this old heart of mine
Say I need a new love
For this old heart of mine
Oh I'm looking for a new love
Somebody tell me where I'll find
For this old heart of mine
In Reba McEntire's song A New Love, the artist sings about the pain of losing love but also the hope for finding love again. She admits that love is the only thing in life that has ever hurt her deeply, and she is paying the price for it with a new love. She stands on a bridge that she cannot cross, unable to go back to the love she lost, but eagerly looking forward to discovering a new one. The chorus is a declaration of her faith in finding a love that is even better than before; she longs to feel that way again, but she knows it will only be possible with a new love.
The lyrics are a poignant reminder that love can bring both pain and joy, but the hope for love remains strong. Reba McEntire's powerful vocals add to the emotional depth of the song. Despite the heartbreak, the artist is determined to keep looking for a new love, believing that it will be worth it in the end. The song's message is one of resilience, reminding us that even when love hurts, it is always possible to love again.
Line by Line Meaning
Love's the only thing I know in this life
Love is the most prominent thing that has affected my life.
That's cut me deeper than the sharpest knife
Love has had a profound effect on me, even causing me immense pain.
And once again here I am and I'm paying the price for a new love
I am suffering the consequences of my past love, but I am willing to give my heart another chance.
I still hurt the one I lost
Even though I've moved on, I still feel remorse over the love that didn't work out.
Standing here on a bridge that I can't get across
I am in a state of in-between, unable to fully move forward or completely return to my past.
And I can't burn but I will when I walk with a new love
I may not be able to completely forget my past pain, but I am willing to take the risk of being hurt again for the possibility of finding new love.
I believe
My hope is steadfast.
It's gonna be better then ever before
I believe that the next love I find will be better than any love I've experienced before.
That's why I'm looking for
This hope fuels my desire to find...
A new love
...a new love.
For this old heart
For my heart that has weathered love's many storms.
And I just can't wait to start
My eagerness in starting anew is palpable.
I want to feel that way again
I want to recapture that feeling of being in love again.
Oh when I find a new love
I am optimistic that I will find love again.
Love's the only thing that's ever made me cry
Love has had such an emotional impact on me that it has brought me to tears before.
Nothing's ever made me feel more alive
At the same time, love has given me a sense of being fully alive like nothing else has.
That's why once again here I am
This is why I find myself in the same position once again...
Looking for the eyes of a new love
...searching for a new love.
I know that somewhere in this world tonight
I am confident that somewhere out there...
There's a guy
...there is a man...
(She goes high on this part and I have no clue what she says)
Unknown.
I'd even look if I thought I might find a new love
I am willing to search diligently for someone new, even if the chances seem slim.
Say I need a new love
I am vocalizing my desire for a new love.
Oh I'm looking for a new love
I am actively searching for a new love.
Somebody tell me where I'll find
I am asking for help and guidance in finding...
For this old heart of mine
...a new love to soothe my wearied heart.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DAVID LOGGINS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind