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.
If I Had Any Sense Left At All
Reba McEntire Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
As I touch the place you may as well have never been
Love can hurt much more than one can bare
When a heart beats for someone whose not there
How many times must I tell myself that you're gone
When will the rest of me wake up and see what went wrong
So wrong
And lay pride aside
If I had any sense left at all
Voices call that only I can hear
Who would have thought love was somethin' I would fear
Almost hold, almost smell, almost taste
On my mind, in my heart, on my face
How many times must I tell myself that you're gone
And when will the rest of me wake up and see what went wrong
So wrong
And turn on the light and pick up the phone and just call
And lay pride aside
If I had any sense left at all
Oh, just lay pride aside
If I had any sense left at all
The opening lines of this song are poignant and give a clear indication of the mood the songwriter wants to convey. Reba McEntire uses the darkness as a metaphor for the emptiness she feels after losing someone close to her. The person she once loved is now gone and there is nothing left in their place. This brings about immense pain, and the lyrics suggest that it is almost unbearable.
The chorus of the song contains a question that seems to haunt the singer. She repeatedly asks herself how many times she must remind herself that the person she loved is gone, and when the rest of her will accept it too. The word "rest" here could refer to the part of her that is resisting the truth looking back on the past and refusing to let go. The chorus continues with a call to pick up the phone and lay her pride aside. Perhaps this refers to the fact that the singer is too proud to call the person she loves, even if it is just to hear their voice.
The second verse creates a vivid picture of how memories of this person fill the singer's mind. These memories are so intense that it's almost as if this person is present in the room with her. Here, the metaphor of "almost hold, almost smell, almost taste" is particularly effective. The songwriter uses delicate language, which gives the listener insight into the depth of emotions behind it. In the end, the song directly states that if the singer had any sense left, she would lay her pride aside and make the call she so desires to make.
Line by Line Meaning
I can feel the darkness reaching in
I am feeling the sadness and pain in my heart.
As I touch the place you may as well have never been
I am in a place that reminds me of you but you are not there anymore, it feels empty.
Love can hurt much more than one can bare
The pain of love can sometimes be unbearable.
When a heart beats for someone whose not there
When you love someone who is not there, it hurts a lot.
How many times must I tell myself that you're gone
I keep reminding myself that you are no longer here.
When will the rest of me wake up and see what went wrong
I wish I could understand what went wrong in our relationship.
So wrong
Our relationship went so wrong that I cannot even comprehend it.
And turn on the light and pick up the phone and just call
I should contact you, as much as it hurts, to tell you how I feel.
And lay pride aside
I should forget about my pride and be honest with you.
If I had any sense left at all
If I was smart, I would pick up the phone and call you to try to make things better.
Voices call that only I can hear
I hear voices in my head that remind me of you.
Who would have thought love was somethin' I would fear
I never thought that love could bring so much pain and suffering.
Almost hold, almost smell, almost taste
You are close enough that I can almost touch, smell and taste you, but you are not really here.
On my mind, in my heart, on my face
You are always on my mind, in my heart, and written on my face.
Oh, just lay pride aside
I need to forget about my pride to be honest with you and try to work things out.
If I had any sense left at all
If I was smart and rational, I would take action to fix the situation.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DALE DODSON, HANK COCHRAN, RED LANE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind