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 Not Your Girl
Reba McEntire Lyrics
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I could stay here forever, my heart could be free
Oh I wish it were that easy, but it's never been for me
I'm not your girl
Feels so warm and so safe here, now don't get me wrong
But it's selfish to stay here, I'd be leading you on
Maybe someone else can give you
I'm not your girl
They say people change
I wish it were true
It's something I've tried so hard to do
I can't explain
Why right feels so wrong
And I keep hearing the same old song
See, I've been here before, left a good thing behind
Can't see where I'm going, maybe love's really blind
I'm so afraid to lose the one, who was so hard to find
But I'm not your girl
They say people change
I wish it were true
It's something I've tried so hard to do
I can't explain
Why right feels so wrong
And I keep hearing the same old song
One day I'll come back here, and I'll knock at your door
She'll be sweet when she answers, then I'll know for sure
That life is never easy, in my complicated world
I'm not your girl
Reba McEntire's "I'm Not Your Girl" is a heart-wrenching country song about a woman who had a short-lived relationship that felt so right but quickly realized that it wasn't meant to be. The verses describe the woman's time with her partner in a moment of solace and passion, but soon, she realized that she cannot stay there forever. The song's chorus says that she is not his girl, and although she wishes that changing was easy, she hasn't been able to, and what feels right is still wrong.
The lyricist's message echoes universal themes of love, loss, and self-discovery, exploring heartbreak and the difficulty to be honest with oneself and loved ones in realizing that their relationship is not right. She has to leave to find better for herself and the partner who deserves to be with someone who can provide what they need out of a relationship. However, she fears that she may lose him and hurt him in the process of letting him go, but she can't be his girl because that's not who she is.
Overall, this song is a reminder that sometimes we need to take a step back from a relationship and realize that it's not the best path forward. It's a mature decision, but it's the right one for everyone involved.
Line by Line Meaning
Felt so right for awhile, almost really believed
I was comfortable here for a short while and convinced myself that I could stay longer, but it's not that simple.
I could stay here forever, my heart could be free
I thought that being here could set me free emotionally, but it's not that easy.
Oh I wish it were that easy, but it's never been for me
As much as I want to stay and be free, it's never really worked out for me.
I'm not your girl
I'm not the woman you're hoping to have a relationship with.
Feels so warm and so safe here, now don't get me wrong
Being here is comforting, but it would be selfish of me to stay when I'm not committed to you.
But it's selfish to stay here, I'd be leading you on
Staying here when I'm not interested in having a relationship with you would be unfair and misleading.
Maybe someone else can give you
What you really, really want
Perhaps you'll find someone else who can give you what you're looking for.
They say people change
I wish it were true
It's something I've tried so hard to do
I've heard that people can change, and I want to change myself, but it's difficult.
I can't explain
Why right feels so wrong
And I keep hearing the same old song
I don't understand why the right decision feels so uncomfortable, and I keep facing the same situation repeatedly.
See, I've been here before, left a good thing behind
Can't see where I'm going, maybe love's really blind
I've been in similar situations where I left a good relationship behind, and now I'm unsure which direction to take, perhaps love truly is blind.
I'm so afraid to lose the one, who was so hard to find
But I'm not your girl
I don't want to lose someone that took me a long time to find, but I'm not interested in being in a relationship with you.
One day I'll come back here, and I'll knock at your door
She'll be sweet when she answers, then I'll know for sure
That life is never easy, in my complicated world
I'm not your girl
Someday I may return, and if someone else is at the door when I come, it will confirm that life is complex, and I still won't be interested in a relationship with you.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: SHELLY PEIKEN, ERIC SILVER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind