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 Have What She's Having
Reba McEntire Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Please sit me where there ain't no smoke
Don't want nothin' cloudin' up my eyes
Well you see that girl over there
Dancin' like shes on thin air
There's got to be a secret to her smile
And hes twirlin' her around
Well I'd like to place my order
You might wanna to write this down
[Chorus]
I'll have what she's havin'
I want what she's got
Someone sweet as he can be
And by the way that hot
A tall order I suppose
But if you can find me one of those
I'll have what she's havin'
Well I like the way he looks at her
Its plain to see he knows the words
That makes her shine from forty feet away
If there's any justice in this world
He's got a twin who wants a girl
Who looks like me excuse me while I pray
So if you could slip my number in that pocket on his hip
It would be appreciated and reflected in your tip
[Chorus]
A tall order I suppose
But if you can find me one of those
I'll have what she's havin'
Well I know its wrong to covet
But why should she have all of it
I'll have what she's havin'
Oh I'll have what she's havin'
In Reba McEntire's song I'll Have What She's Having, the singer sets her sights on another woman who is dancing gracefully with a man. She admires the woman's radiant smile and wants to know the secret behind it. She asks the waiter to bring her the same drink as the woman, as she thinks that it might be the reason behind her happiness. Furthermore, upon observing the man that the woman is dancing with, the singer notices that he is sweet and handsome, and he knows how to make the woman shine from a distance.
The singer's admiration for the woman's and man's qualities manifests in her desire to possess those qualities herself. She covets the woman's happiness and the man's attention, wanting them for herself. She even goes as far as to ask the waiter to slip her number in the man's pocket, wishing for a chance to be with someone like him. The lyrics illustrate the singer's longing for a fulfilling relationship and her belief that the solution lies in the other woman's and man's affections.
In summary, the song expresses a universal desire for happiness in relationships and the longing for someone who can provide it. The singer explores this desire through her observation of a seemingly happy couple, wishing to acquire their qualities for herself.
Line by Line Meaning
No I don't want no jack and coke
I don't want to drink alcohol tonight.
Please sit me where there ain't no smoke
I don't want to be around cigarette smoke.
Don't want nothin' cloudin' up my eyes
I don't want anything to impair my vision or mood.
Well you see that girl over there
I notice the girl dancing with that man.
Dancin' like shes on thin air
She dances gracefully and effortlessly.
There's got to be a secret to her smile
I believe there must be something that makes her happy.
Well I think that I just found it
I think I have figured out what makes her happy.
And hes twirlin' her around
The man is spinning her while they dance.
Well I'd like to place my order
I want what she has.
You might wanna to write this down
Please take note of my request.
I'll have what she's havin'
I want what she has.
I want what she's got
I desire what she has.
Someone sweet as he can be
I want a man who is kind and gentle.
And by the way that hot
I want him to be physically attractive as well.
A tall order I suppose
I understand that my request may be difficult to fulfill.
But if you can find me one of those
If you can help me find a man like that.
Well I like the way he looks at her
I appreciate the way he gazes at the girl.
Its plain to see he knows the words
It's clear that he knows what to say to make her happy.
That makes her shine from forty feet away
The words he says make her stand out from a distance.
If there's any justice in this world
If the world is fair.
He's got a twin who wants a girl
He has a twin who is looking for a girlfriend.
Who looks like me excuse me while I pray
I hope that his twin will find me attractive too.
So if you could slip my number in that pocket on his hip
If you could give him my phone number.
It would be appreciated and reflected in your tip
I would be grateful and reward you for your help.
A tall order I suppose
I know it's not easy to find someone like that.
But if you can find me one of those
If you can help me find a man like that.
Well I know its wrong to covet
I understand that it's not right to want what someone else has.
But why should she have all of it
But why should she be the only one who has that happiness.
I'll have what she's havin'
I still want what she has.
Oh I'll have what she's havin'
I really want what she has.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Spirit Music Group
Written by: GEORGIA MIDDLEMAN, JIMMY MELTON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Michelle Davidson
Great song Reba's great on this and I love the arrangement.
J.W. Gauntt
appreciate you listening
Primrose Haran
Great singer and song thanks for the great post
Marryann Lamb
Thanks J. W. For sharing
J.W. Gauntt
you're welcome
JoAnne Johnson
Roll Tide lol