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.
I'll Be Home For Christmas
Reba McEntire Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Even more then I usually do
And although I know it's a long road back
This I promise you
A one, two
Well, I'll be home for Christmas
So please have snow and lots of mistletoe
And presents under the tree
Oh, Christmas Eve will find me
Where the love light gleams
I'll be home for Christmas
If only in my dreams
You know Christmas Eve will find me
Where the love light gleams
Darling, I'll be home for Christmas
If only in my dreams
Oh, if only in my dreams
The lyrics to Reba McEntire's "I'll Be Home for Christmas" speak about wanting to return to a place that the singer loves, even more so than usual. Though they know it is a long journey to get back, they promise to return home. The song then says that the singer will be home for Christmas and asks for snow, mistletoe, and presents under the tree. The lyrics then repeat the line, "Christmas Eve will find me where the love light gleams." This is an important line because it suggests that the singer's ultimate goal is to be surrounded by loved ones during the holiday, even if they are not physically present. The song ends with the idea that the singer will only be home for Christmas in their dreams, acknowledging that it may not be possible to physically make it home.
The lyrics to "I'll Be Home for Christmas" were written by Kim Gannon, Walter Kent, and Buck Ram in 1943 during World War II. The song was popular with soldiers fighting overseas who longed to be home with their families for Christmas. Bing Crosby's version of the song was especially popular and is the most well-known version. Since then, many artists have recorded their own versions of the song, including Reba McEntire.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm dreaming tonight of a place I love
I am imagining being in a place that holds a special meaning in my heart
Even more then I usually do
My love for this place has grown even stronger than before
And although I know it's a long road back
Although I am aware that it will take a lot of effort to return to this place
This I promise you
I make a vow to you that I will get there
Well, I'll be home for Christmas
I am certain that I will be at my home for Christmas
You can plan on me
You can rely on me to be there
So please have snow and lots of mistletoe
I hope that there will be snow and plenty of mistletoe
And presents under the tree
And I wish that there will be gifts placed under the Christmas tree
Oh, Christmas Eve will find me
On Christmas Eve, I will be
Where the love light gleams
In a place where there is warmth and love
I'll be home for Christmas
I will definitely return home for Christmas
If only in my dreams
Even if I am unable to physically be there, I will be there in my heart and mind
You know Christmas Eve will find me
I am confident that I will be there on Christmas Eve
Where the love light gleams
Wherever there is love and warmth
Darling, I'll be home for Christmas
My dear, I will surely be back home for Christmas
If only in my dreams
Even if it's just in my imagination, I will be there in my heart and soul
Oh, if only in my dreams
Even if I am unable to physically be there, I will be there in my heart and mind
Lyrics © GANNON & KENT MUSIC CO, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Buck Ram, Walter Kent, Kim Gannon
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind