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.
Don't Say Goodnight Say Good Morning
Reba McEntire Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Looks like we didn't get too far
Love has found its way back home
Guess time just couldn't change
The way we are
That old feeling comes so easy
When your body's close to mine
Always one more time
[Chorus]
Don't say good night, say good morning
We can make it this time if we try
Don't say good night, say good morning
And in the morning
Never say goodbye
The night's ours and we're alone
I know I've wasted too much time
Chasing rainbows that I could never run out
I've come back to make you mine
Don't let the morning come too early
Don't leave me here to face the day
Take me in your arms and never let me go
And don't let the feelings slip away
[Chorus: x2]
The lyrics to Reba McEntire's "Don't Say Goodnight Say Good Morning" explore the possibility of a second chance at love. The song opens with the singer acknowledging that they thought they could make it on their own, but ultimately love has found its way back to them. Even though time has passed, the singer implies that they and their lover haven't changed, indicating that they may have messed up in the past and are looking for redemption through love. The lyrics hint at a sense of longing, as the singer reflects on the past and the feelings that come naturally when they are with their lover.
The chorus is particularly uplifting, with the singer pleading with their lover not to say goodnight but to say good morning instead, expressing their desire to make their love work this time around. There's a sense of undying hope and optimism in the chorus, with the singer promising to never say goodbye and urging their lover to do the same. In the final verse, the singer becomes vulnerable, admitting that they have wasted too much time chasing after things that they could never attain, and that getting back together with their lover is their priority. The song ends with a plea for their lover to hold onto them and not let their feelings for each other slip away.
Line by Line Meaning
Thought we could make it on our own
We believed our love was strong enough to survive without help.
Looks like we didn't get too far
Our love didn't get very far without support.
Love has found its way back home
Our love has found its way back to where it belongs.
Guess time just couldn't change
Despite the passage of time, some things remain the same.
The way we are
Our personalities and relationship dynamics haven't changed.
That old feeling comes so easy
Our love is still alive and easy to feel.
When your body's close to mine
Physical proximity intensifies our feelings.
I think our crazy hearts have finally made their
Our passionate hearts have finally found their home.
Always one more time
We will always come back to each other one more time.
Don't say good night, say good morning
Rather than ending the night, let's keep our love going into the morning.
We can make it this time if we try
If we work together, we can make our love last.
And in the morning
Our love will still be strong in the morning.
Never say goodbye
Let's never end our love.
The night's ours and we're alone
The night belongs to us and our love.
I know I've wasted too much time
I regret not prioritizing our love in the past.
Chasing rainbows that I could never run out
I pursued things that couldn't compare to our love.
I've come back to make you mine
I'm here to make sure our love stays together.
Don't let the morning come too early
Let's savor our love and not let it be interrupted too soon.
Don't leave me here to face the day
I don't want to be without you.
Take me in your arms and never let me go
Hold me tightly and don't let our love fade.
And don't let the feelings slip away
Let's actively work to maintain our loving feelings towards each other.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Bluewater Music Corp.
Written by: PATTI A RYAN, WANDA LOIS MALLETTE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind