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've Still Got The Love We Made
Reba McEntire Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And that shoebox full of photographs got lost in my last move.
I gave away that old twin bed where you and I first laid.
But after all this time, I've still got the love we made.
And that old beat up car we dated in, finally turned to rust.
And the first rose that you gave me, oh it finally turned to dust.
But all those tender nights we shared are never gonna fade.
I've got every feeling we felt when touched.
Cause even though fell apart I kept a part of us.
I've held on to every time we held each other tight,
And promised that no matter
What we'd never say goodbye.
I don't have one souvenir
Of us I'd meant to save, but right here in my heart
I've still got the love we made.
Oh right here in my heart
I've still got the love we made.
The song 'I've Still Got The Love We Made' by Reba McEntire, is a heartwarming and emotive tribute to a past love, that despite the passage of time, the love once shared still lives on. The opening lines, "You know I can't find the letters you wrote to me in school" and "That shoebox full of photographs got lost in my last move," reinforces the idea that material possessions and even physical memories fade away with time, but memories of a love that was once shared can never truly disappear. The lyrics go on to explain that despite the many changes that have taken place since the relationship came to an end, the love shared still resides within the singer's heart.
The lines "And that old beat-up car we dated in, finally turned to rust. And the first rose that you gave me, oh it finally turned to dust," show that time has indeed passed and many things from the past have been lost or have disappeared, but the love still remains. The lines "I've got every feeling we felt when we touched. Cause even though we fell apart, I kept a part of us," illustrate that even though the relationship may have ended, the emotions and experiences that were shared are still remembered and cherished. The line "I've held on to every time we held each other tight, and promised that no matter what we'd never say goodbye," is a strong message of enduring love and loyalty, even after the relationship has ended.
In conclusion, 'I've Still Got The Love We Made' is a poignant and heartfelt track about love that transcends time and space. The song's lyrics convey the message that true love can never truly die, and while material possessions and memories may fade away, the memories of a love that was once shared will always remain in the heart.
Line by Line Meaning
You know I can't find the letters you wrote to me in school.
I have lost physical artifacts from our past, such as letters from when we were younger.
And that shoebox full of photographs got lost in my last move.
I have also lost sentimental items, like a shoebox filled with photographs of us.
I gave away that old twin bed where you and I first laid.
I no longer have the physical location where we first shared intimate moments together.
But after all this time, I've still got the love we made.
Despite losing tangible reminders of our past, the love we shared has continued to exist.
And that old beat up car we dated in, finally turned to rust.
Even the car we used to ride in together is no longer in existence.
And the first rose that you gave me, oh it finally turned to dust.
The first romantic gesture you made towards me no longer exists physically.
But all those tender nights we shared are never gonna fade.
However, memories of the intimate and loving moments we shared will never disappear from my mind.
Cause after all this time I've still got the love we made.
Even after so much time has passed, the love we created together remains within me.
I've got every feeling we felt when touched.
I even remember the feelings of love and connection we shared when we physically touched each other.
Cause even though fell apart I kept a part of us.
Despite our relationship ending, I have kept a piece of our love with me.
I've held on to every time we held each other tight,
I have cherished every moment we had together, especially the intimate ones where we held each other.
And promised that no matter what we'd never say goodbye.
During those moments, we promised to never say goodbye to each other.
I don't have one souvenir of us I'd meant to save, but right here in my heart I've still got the love we made.
Even though I may not have any tangible mementos of our past, the love we created has been preserved within me to this day.
Oh right here in my heart I've still got the love we made.
The love we shared has not disappeared or dwindled, but instead remains strong in my heart and mind.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind