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 Know How He Feels
Reba McEntire Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My heart stopped dead in it's tracks.
Across the room I could see him there,
A ghost from my past.
But he's too caught up to notice me.
She must be his new love.
I never dreamed that it would hurt this much,
It's just
I know how he feels.
How warm his touch is.
Oh how he feels.
How soft his kiss is.
And it cuts right down to the bone
Cause I let him go.
I know how he cares.
How strong his love can be,
When he believes it's real.
Oh I've been there.
I know how he feels.
As long as I kept him out of site,
I kept from going out of my mind.
Tried to believe that leaving him was some how justified.
But tonight there's no denying what a love like his is worth
He once looked at me the way he's looking at her.
What a lucky girl.
The song "I Know How He Feels" by Reba McEntire is about a woman who runs into her ex-boyfriend at a party. The lyrics describe the intense emotions she experiences upon seeing him with his new girlfriend. The opening lines set the tone of the song, with the woman's heart stopping dead in its tracks upon hearing her ex's voice. The lyrics then describe how she sees him across the room with his new love-interest, but how he is too caught up to notice her. The woman laments that she never dreamed it would hurt this much, alluding to the pain of seeing the man she once loved with someone else.
The chorus of the song, "I know how he feels," repeats throughout, signifying that the woman can empathize with her ex's feelings of love and affection for his new partner. She describes how warm his touch is and how soft his kiss is, indicating that she once experienced those sensations herself. Despite the deep emotional connection they once shared, she acknowledges that she let him go and that he moved on. The lyrics are bittersweet, with the woman understanding that his love can be strong when he believes it's real.
The final lines of the song reveal the woman's envy of the new girlfriend, who is lucky enough to receive the same loving gaze that she once did from the man. The song is an emotional journey that explores the complex emotions one experiences when seeing an ex with someone new, highlighting the lasting impact of past relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
When I heard that familiar voice,
As soon as I recognized the voice, I became completely still and stunned.
My heart stopped dead in it's tracks.
I was so shocked that my heart figuratively stopped beating.
Across the room I could see him there,
I noticed him standing across the room.
A ghost from my past.
He represents an old memory that I thought I had forgotten.
But he's too caught up to notice me.
He's too focused on his new love interest to notice that I'm here.
She must be his new love.
I can tell that he's with someone new.
I never dreamed that it would hurt this much,
I didn't expect to feel this much pain.
It's just
It's just that...
I know how he feels.
I understand what he's experiencing.
How warm his touch is.
I remember the warmth of his touch.
Oh how he feels.
I know exactly how he feels.
How soft his kiss is.
I remember the softness of his kiss.
And it cuts right down to the bone
It hurts me deeply.
Cause I let him go.
Because I ended the relationship.
I know how he cares.
I understand how deeply he cares.
How strong his love can be,
I know how powerful his love is capable of being.
When he believes it's real.
When he truly believes in the relationship.
Oh I've been there.
I've experienced the same love and emotion before.
I know how he feels.
I empathize with him and his current situation.
As long as I kept him out of site,
As long as I didn't see him in person,
I kept from going out of my mind.
I managed to avoid going crazy over my memories of him.
Tried to believe that leaving him was some how justified.
I attempted to convince myself that breaking up with him was the right decision.
But tonight there's no denying what a love like his is worth
Tonight, I realize the immense value of a love like his.
He once looked at me the way he's looking at her.
He used to look at me with the same love and affection that he's currently expressing towards his new partner.
What a lucky girl.
I'm envious of his new partner for receiving his love and attention.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: RICK BOWLES, WILL ROBINSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jennifer Gould
NO one can make music as good as reba, no one at that age looks that GOOD. Reba is a role model for all, not just men, not just girls. ANYONE no matter the color of skin, or background, can relate to her songs. REBA is wonderful, with no doubt!
Jim Vanhoy
OMG this song brings me to tears when I hear it. This is one of many songs I really love by Reba. Its so heartfelt and meaningful. Timeless Classics. I wish they still made songs like this today. Who is listening 8/20/2020?
Misty Flachbart
I am always will
Lily Stuart
4/26/2021
Josie Z
Amazing, touching, heartfelt song! Yes, listening 11-22-2021
Matt Driza
1/7/2022 song is so good
Paulette Reed
I miss the real country
Lance B
Reba's 80's music is the best of her career. Songwriters don't write music like this anymore. It's a shame.
itsadryheave
This was Reba at her pinnacle, right here. So beautiful, and she could really belt out the ballad - wonderful.
Bradley Earl
So true.... what a set of lungs . Beautiful 😍