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 Waited All My Life For You
Reba McEntire Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That you're the one
I'd like to live my life through
I can't see anyone with me but you
I want to go where you go
And share the things you do
For I've waited all my life for you
That true love comes
Only once in a life time
And this time is the last time for me
For I just can't imagine
Being in love with someone new
'cause I've waited all my life for you
So here it is
All the love
That I've saved for a lifetime
Never touched
Never crushed
And never used
And to think that I'd ever find you
It's impossible but true
'cause I've waited all my life for you
Oh I just can't imagine
Being in love with someone new
'cause I've waited all my life for you
In Reba McEntire's song "I've Waited All My Life For You", she sings about a deep love for someone and the overwhelming feeling that this person was meant for her. She sings, "Don't you know that you're the one, I'd like to live my life through, I can't see anyone with me but you". This line sets the tone of the song, conveying a yearning for partnership and a desire to spend every moment with this person.
The chorus repeats the title of the song and reveals that the singer has been waiting all her life for this one person. She wants to go where they go and share in their experiences, further emphasizing the depth of their love. The second verse adds to the urgency of the song, stating that true love only comes once in a lifetime, and this time is the last time for her. She sings, "For I just can't imagine being in love with someone new, 'cause I've waited all my life for you". This line is particularly poignant, revealing the depth of her commitment to this person and her belief that they are meant to be together forever.
The final verse expresses the magnitude of her love, conveying that she has saved all of her love for this person, never touching or crushing it until now. She sings, "And to think that I'd ever find you, it's impossible but true, 'cause I've waited all my life for you". The song concludes with the refrain, "Oh I just can't imagine being in love with someone new, 'cause I've waited all my life for you", solidifying the idea that this person is her soulmate and the love they share is irreplaceable.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't you know
Do you not understand?
That you're the one
That you're the person I love?
I'd like to live my life through
I want to spend the rest of my life with you.
I can't see anyone with me but you
I cannot imagine myself with anyone but you.
I want to go where you go
I wish to accompany you wherever you go.
And share the things you do
And experience the things that you experience.
For I've waited all my life for you
Because I have been waiting for someone like you my entire life.
I've heard tales
I have been told stories.
That true love comes
That genuine love is rare.
Only once in a life time
Only occurs once in a lifetime.
And this time is the last time for me
And I believe you are that one love for me.
For I just can't imagine
Because I am unable to imagine.
Being in love with someone new
Loving someone other than you.
'cause I've waited all my life for you
Because I have waited my entire life for a love like yours.
So here it is
So here is all of the love I have.
All the love
All of the affection.
That I've saved for a lifetime
That I have kept for my entire life.
Never touched
Never worn out.
Never crushed
Never damaged.
And never used
And never given away.
And to think that I'd ever find you
And to think that I would come across such a love as yours.
It's impossible but true
It seems impossible, but it has come true.
'cause I've waited all my life for you
Because I have spent my entire life waiting for love like this.
Oh I just can't imagine
Oh, I cannot fathom.
Being in love with someone new
Loving someone other than you.
'cause I've waited all my life for you
Because I have been waiting for someone like you my entire life.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: BILL RICE, JERRY FOSTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Cheryl Harrington
This song was our wedding song 21 years ago. Such a beautiful song.
justess martin
This should have been released as a single. It has Number One written all over it. A beautiful love song.
Sonnie Hetzel
So sweet❤️
wayne hamilton
Oh so real, like a dream come true. once in a life time.