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'm A Woman
Reba McEntire Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And have 'em on the line
You know I can starch and iron two dozen shirts
'Fore you can count from one to nine
I can slip up a great big dip up of lard from a drippings can
Throw it in the skillet, do my shopping, and be back before it melts in the pan
[Chorus]
W-O-M-A-N
Let me tell ya again
I'm a woman
W-O-M-A-N
Well I can rub and scrub till this house shines just like a dime
Feed the baby
Grease the car
Powder my nose at the same time
You know I can get all dressed up
Go out swinging with the M-A-N
Jump in bed at five
Sleep till 6
And start all over again
[Chorus]
Well now if you come to me sick you know that I'm gonna make you well
And if you come to me all hexed up you know I'm gonna break the spell
And if you come to me hungry, you know
I'll feed ya full of my grits
And if it's loving you want, I can kiss you and give you the shivering
fits
[Chorus]
(I'll say it again)
Well, I got a twenty dollar gold fee that says there's nothing that I
can't do
Well I can make a dress out of feeding sacks and I can make a man out
of you
[Chorus]
I'm a woman
I'm a woman
I'm a woman
Yeah I'm a woman
Reba McEntire’s “I’m A Woman” is a powerful ode to the capabilities of women. The first verse talks about the ability of the singer who can wash forty four pairs of socks, starch and iron two dozen shirts before anyone could count from one to nine. Moreover, she can also cook by herself and be finished before the lard melts in the pan. The chorus highlights her strength - “cause I’m a woman, W-O-M-A-N, let me tell you again, I’m a woman, W-O-M-A-N”. The second verse talks about how she could multitask and do a variety of household chores simultaneously. She can rub, scrub and shine the house like a dime, feed the baby, grease the car, and powder her nose at the same time.
The final verse talks about how the singer is also emotionally equipped to handle any situation thrown at her. Whether a person is sick or hexed up, she has the power to heal and remove the spell. If someone is hungry, she can feed them full of grits. And if a person wants love and affection, she can totally give them the shivering fits. This song celebrates the strength of women in all its aspects - physical, emotional and mental. It shows how women can cope with every challenge thrown their way and emerge victorious.
Line by Line Meaning
Well I can wash out forty four pairs of socks
And have 'em on the line
You know I can starch and iron two dozen shirts
'Fore you can count from one to nine
I can slip up a great big dip up of lard from a drippings can
Throw it in the skillet, do my shopping, and be back before it melts in the pan
I am a hardworking woman who can do laundry and iron clothes quickly. I can also prepare meals and run errands simultaneously.
Cause I'm a woman
W-O-M-A-N
Let me tell ya again
I'm a woman
W-O-M-A-N
I am proud of being a woman and all that I can do. I am capable of anything and everything.
Well I can rub and scrub till this house shines just like a dime
Feed the baby
Grease the car
Powder my nose at the same time
You know I can get all dressed up
Go out swinging with the M-A-N
Jump in bed at five
Sleep till 6
And start all over again
I am a multitasking machine who can clean the house, take care of the baby, and work on the car all while putting on makeup and getting dressed. I can also go out and have a good time, come back home, and start my day all over again.
Well now if you come to me sick you know that I'm gonna make you well
And if you come to me all hexed up you know I'm gonna break the spell
And if you come to me hungry, you know
I'll feed ya full of my grits
And if it's loving you want, I can kiss you and give you the shivering fits
If you need help, I am here to provide it. I will heal you, remove any hexes or curses, make sure you are fed, and give you love like no other.
(I'll say it again)
This point is important, so I am repeating myself to emphasize it even more.
Well, I got a twenty dollar gold fee that says there's nothing that I can't do
Well I can make a dress out of feeding sacks and I can make a man out of you
I am confident in my abilities and bet $20 that I can do anything. I can even make clothing out of unconventional materials and transform a person into something better.
I'm a woman
I'm a woman
I'm a woman
Yeah I'm a woman
I am a woman who is proud of her strengths and abilities, and I am not afraid to show it.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind