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 Stand In Line
Reba McEntire Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Everything you wanted in this world
Every time I turn around
I hear tell you paint the town
With one of this million other girls
Oh, watcha do to me is not the question
I swear I felt the magic from the start
But I am not about to share your heart
[Chorus]
I'd do almost anything just to make you mine
But I won't stand in line
I won't stand in line waiting for your call
I won't take a number, just to take a fall
So make up your mind
I won't stand in line
Oh, how long do you think that you can handle
Keeping all those hearts up in the air
Don't you know in time you're bound to stumble
And when that day comes it won't be my affair
[Chorus: x 2]
Oh, I won't stand in line
I won't stand in line
I won't stand in line
I'd do almost anything if I could make you mine
I won't stand in line
I won't stand in line
I'd do almost anything if I could make you mine
I won't stand in line
I won't stand in line
I won't stand in line
I won't stand in line
I'd do almost anything if I could make you mine
I won't stand in line
The lyrics to Reba McEntire's "I Won't Stand in Line" tell the story of a woman who is tired of waiting for a man who cannot make up his mind. The woman has been told that she is special - "one in a million" - but the man she desires continuously seeks out other women. While she feels a connection with him and believes in the potential for a "legendary love," she ultimately chooses to prioritize her own self-respect and dignity above chasing after him endlessly. She won't stand in line for him or compete with other women to win his heart.
The lyrics reveal a sense of frustration and a desire for control over one's own destiny. The woman realizes that she deserves more than to be strung along as a backup option. She challenges the man to make up his mind, warning him that he can't keep juggling multiple hearts without eventually stumbling. The repetition of the phrase "I won't stand in line" reinforces the woman's determination to value herself and not settle for less than she deserves.
Overall, "I Won't Stand in Line" is a powerful anthem of self-worth and independence, encouraging listeners to prioritize their own well-being and not chase after someone who cannot fully commit.
Line by Line Meaning
You told me I was one in a million
You said I was special and unique.
Everything you wanted in this world
I was everything you desired in life.
Every time I turn around
Whenever I look away for a moment,
I hear tell you paint the town
I hear rumors that you go out and have a good time,
With one of this million other girls
With one of the many other girls out there.
Oh, watcha do to me is not the question
It's not about what you do to me,
I swear I felt the magic from the start
I felt a special connection with you right from the beginning,
I see the promise of a legendary love
I envision the potential for an epic romance,
But I am not about to share your heart
But I'm not willing to compete for your affection.
I'd do almost anything just to make you mine
I'm so interested in you that I would do anything to have you,
But I won't stand in line
But I won't wait my turn or put myself in a queue,
I won't stand in line waiting for your call
I won't wait by the phone for you to contact me,
I won't take a number, just to take a fall
I won't subject myself to humiliation or disappointment by waiting my turn for you,
So make up your mind
Therefore, decide what you want,
Oh, how long do you think that you can handle
How much longer do you think you can manage
Keeping all those hearts up in the air
Keeping all those people interested in you,
Don't you know in time you're bound to stumble
Don't you realize that you're likely to make a mistake eventually,
And when that day comes it won't be my affair
And when that day arrives, it won't matter to me.
I'd do almost anything if I could make you mine
I'm so enamored with you that I'm willing to go to great lengths to be with you,
I won't stand in line
But I refuse to wait my turn or compete for your attention,
I won't stand in line
I won't wait around for you to make up your mind,
I won't stand in line
I won't subject myself to the indignity of being one of many.
I won't stand in line
No matter how much I want you, I won't compromise my self-respect.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: STEVE DIAMOND, RANDY SHARP, RANDY L SHARP
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind