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 Won't Mention It Again
Reba McEntire Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You no longer feel the love I have for you
What happens now, what will I do with all the memories
And the dreams of all the things we'll never do
But I won't mention it again
I won't think about tomorrow
Just let it happen Live each hour day by day
But let me tell you before you go, how much I love you
Then I won't mention it again
I won't mention it again
I feel my life
Has reached an early sign of autumn
In my heart the leaves are falling, love is cold
And everything that once was warm and new is gone now
Leaving nothing but this hunger in my soul
Reba McEntire's song "I Won't Mention It Again" is a moving and heart-wrenching ballad about the end of a relationship. The lyrics describe the singer's feelings of despair and heartbreak as they come to terms with the fact that their partner no longer loves them. The singer acknowledges that their partner is tired of being with them and no longer feels the same way they do. They are left with nothing but memories and dreams of what could have been, but they know they can't dwell on those things.
The chorus, "I won't mention it again, I won't think about tomorrow, just let it happen, live each hour day by day," reflects the singer's attempt to let go and move on. They know that they can't change what has happened but they also can't bear the thought of living without their loved one. The second verse, "I feel my life has reached an early sign of autumn," uses the metaphor of the changing seasons to represent the turning point of the relationship. The leaves falling from a tree signal the end of summer and the impending arrival of winter – a time of darkness and death. The singer feels as though their relationship has similarly ended and they are left with a sense of emptiness and longing in their heart.
Overall, "I Won't Mention It Again" portrays the intense emotions of the singer as they try to cope with the loss of someone they deeply love. It captures the bittersweet nature of moving on with a mix of sadness, acceptance, and hope. The lyrics remind us of the pain of goodbye, but also encourage us to keep moving forward towards a brighter future.
Line by Line Meaning
I know you're tired of being all I ever wanted
You no longer want to be what I needed from you.
You no longer feel the love I have for you
You no longer feel the kindness and affection that I have for you.
What happens now, what will I do with all the memories
What will I do with all the good times we shared and the memories we built together?
And the dreams of all the things we'll never do
And the aspirations we had for our future, which will never come true.
But I won't mention it again
I promise to not bring up our past again.
I won't think about tomorrow
I will not worry about the uncertainties that tomorrow holds.
Just let it happen
I'll let life unfold on its own.
Live each hour day by day
I'll take each moment as it comes.
But let me tell you before you go, how much I love you
However, before you go, please know how deeply I love you.
Then I won't mention it again
And after that, I promise again to keep our past behind us.
I feel my life
I feel my life's journey.
Has reached an early sign of autumn
Has reached an end of the prime phase, and is now beginning to fade.
In my heart the leaves are falling, love is cold
I feel a sense of malaise in my heart, as if all passion is fading away.
And everything that once was warm and new is gone now
Everything that once seemed full of life and enthusiasm has dwindled away now.
Leaving nothing but this hunger in my soul
Leaving me with an intense longing for something more in my life.
Lyrics © SEAVIEW MUSIC, INC.
Written by: C. MULLINS, CAROL G. YATES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind