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.
Close To Crazy
Reba McEntire Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In the middle of my dreams each night
But my arms come up empty every time
And lately I talk to your memory
More than I should
If I could just forget the past I would
Cause this missing you ain't doing me no good
I'm so close to crazy
Right on the edge
Just one step away from going insane
But I'm not there yet
If I could just lose my mind
I wouldn't know we're through
But this close to crazy
Is far from over you
Today I caught myself
Reliving how it used to be
At a table for two just you and me
But talking to an empty chair
And laughing right out loud
Turned everybody's head and left no doubt
I'm a broken woman close to breaking down
[Chorus]
I still reach for you
In the middle of my dreams each night
The lyrics to Reba McEntire's song Close To Crazy tell the story of someone who is struggling to let go of a past love. The singer is haunted by memories of the person they used to be with, and they can't seem to escape the feeling of missing them. They reach out for this person, both in their dreams and in their thoughts during the day, but they always come up empty-handed. The singer talks to the memory of their former love more than they probably should, and they wish they could just forget the past and move on.
The chorus of the song reflects the singer's current emotional state: they feel like they are on the edge of insanity, one step away from losing their mind. They admit that they are "close to crazy," but at the same time, they are not quite there yet. The singer suggests that if they could just forget their former love and the pain that comes with missing them, they wouldn't feel so close to the brink of insanity. However, for now, they are still struggling to let go.
Overall, Close To Crazy is a poignant song about heartbreak and the struggle to move on. With its introspective lyrics and heartfelt delivery by Reba McEntire, the song is sure to resonate with anyone who has ever experienced the pain of a broken heart.
Line by Line Meaning
I still reach for you
Despite our breakup, I still wish for your presence and touch.
In the middle of my dreams each night
Even when I'm asleep, I can't escape my longing for you.
But my arms come up empty every time
Every time I reach out, I'm faced with the reality that you're not there.
And lately I talk to your memory
As time passes, I find myself having more conversations with your memory than with you.
More than I should
Perhaps I'm holding on too tightly to the past by dwelling in these memories.
If I could just forget the past I would
If only I could let go and find closure, I would.
Cause this missing you ain't doing me no good
This constant longing for you is only hurting me and preventing me from moving on.
[Chorus] I'm so close to crazy Right on the edge Just one step away from going insane But I'm not there yet If I could just lose my mind I wouldn't know we're through But this close to crazy Is far from over you
I'm on the verge of losing my sanity due to my inability to forget you. If only I could completely forget about you, then maybe I wouldn't feel like we're really over.
Today I caught myself Reliving how it used to be
Even though we've broken up, I often find myself dwelling on happier times in the past.
At a table for two just you and me
I often revisit our memories of being together, which helps me feel closer to you.
But talking to an empty chair
When I try to engage with you as if you're still here, I'm reminded that you're not really here anymore.
And laughing right out loud
Sometimes I laugh so hard at these memories that other people around me take notice.
Turned everybody's head and left no doubt
Other people can see that I'm still attached to you and that it's not allowing me to move on.
I'm a broken woman close to breaking down
I feel like I'm close to completely falling apart due to this emotional turmoil.
[Chorus]
As stated earlier, I'm losing my sanity and am struggling to move on from our relationship.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JERRY SALLEY, MELBA MONTGOMERY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind