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.
Everything But My Heart
Reba McEntire Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm searching for my pride through tangled covers
And loneliness is not a very pretty sight
When you first discover
That it's over
A hard one to lose
Love hurts
He wanted my arms around him
Oh without a doubt
He wanted my warm red lips
Soft on his mouth
He loved all of me
Except for one small part
He wanted everything
Everything but my heart
Love is not an easy word for me right now
Too much has happened to my feelings
It's gonna be rough not having him around
Until time has done some healing
And it's over
And I'm over you
Love hurts
It's sad but true
He wanted my arms around him
Oh without a doubt
He wanted my warm red lips
Soft on his mouth
He loved all of me
Except for one small part
He wanted everything
Everything but my heart
Reba McEntire's song Everything But My Heart is a deeply emotional track that speaks about the pain of unrequited love. The lyrics are straightforward, and there is no beating around the bush. Reba sings about waking up one morning to a cold and empty bed with tangled covers, looking for her pride while feeling loneliness in its rawest form. She realizes then that it's over and that love is a hard thing to lose. This realization is the source of her pain, and she expresses it vividly through her lyrics.
The chorus of the song is where she expresses the root of the pain. She sings about how her ex-lover wanted everything from her, but he did not want her heart. He loved all of her, except for one small part. This rejection leaves a deep wound that is hard to heal from. The singer recognizes that love hurts and that it's sad but true. She knows she needs time to heal, but it's going to be difficult without him around.
Everything But My Heart is a song that speaks to many people who have been through a similar experience. It speaks to the pain of losing someone and the struggle to move on. Reba McEntire does an excellent job of capturing these feelings and expressing them through her music.
Line by Line Meaning
The bed is cold and empty in the morning light
Waking up alone in bed makes me feel empty and cold inside
I'm searching for my pride through tangled covers
I'm trying to regain my confidence and self-respect, but it's a struggle
And loneliness is not a very pretty sight
Feeling lonely is not attractive or desirable
When you first discover
When you realize for the first time
That it's over
That the relationship has ended
A hard one to lose
A difficult person to let go of
Love hurts
Love can be painful
It's sad but true
Unfortunately, it's a fact of life
He wanted my arms around him
He wanted physical affection from me
Oh without a doubt
Without any hesitation
He wanted my warm red lips
He was attracted to me and wanted to kiss me
Soft on his mouth
Gently touching his lips
He loved all of me
He had feelings for me
Except for one small part
Except for my heart
He wanted everything
He wanted physical intimacy and emotional connection
Everything but my heart
Except for my feelings and emotions
Love is not an easy word for me right now
I find it difficult to talk about love at the moment
Too much has happened to my feelings
My emotions have been through a lot and are confused
It's gonna be rough not having him around
It will be tough to get used to life without him
Until time has done some healing
Until enough time has passed for me to feel better
And I'm over you
And I have moved on from our relationship
Lyrics Ā© Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., BMG Rights Management
Written by: GRAHAM HAMILTON LYLE, TROY HAROLD SEALS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind