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 It My Way
Reba McEntire Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If I had it my way,
We wouldn't have to say goodbye then drive on home and dream up another alibi
If I had it my way
There'd be no more wrong numbers when I called you on the phone feeling down,
And I wouldn't have to worry she might find a little stand of my hair.
(Chorus)
If I had it my way
We'd lie here in the afterglow
'Til the break of day,
If I had it my way
you would not be leavin' me
Love would not be misery
You would always stay
If I had it myyyyyyy waaaaay
(overlap)
We wouldn't have to meet here in this dark secluded place to hide our faces
(Repeat Chorus....fade out)
The lyrics to Reba McEntire's song "If I Had It My Way" convey the wishful thinking of a person who is deeply in love and is seeking a way to remove all the barriers between them and their partner. The opening lines of the song convey the feeling of secrecy and guilt that the person carries while seeking to meet their beloved in a dark secluded place to avoid being caught. The singer longs for a relationship where they can meet openly and share their love without fear of judgement from others. The song presents an idealized version of love where there is no need to keep secrets, concoct stories, or hide faces.
Further, the second verse of the song emphasizes the wish to have a stable and lasting relationship. The singer hopes to avoid the pain and anxiety associated with a love that comes and goes. Instead, they want to bask in the afterglow of their love and stay together for eternity. The chorus of the song encapsulates the central message of the song, namely, that love should not be transient, but fixed and constant. The wish of the singer is that, if they had things their way, there would be no misery or endless goodbye but only an unbreakable bond of love.
In conclusion, the song "If I Had It My Way" is a poignant reflection of love and the pain one has to endure for it. The artist uses metaphors and imagery to convey the pain and suffering but also the hope and optimism that love can bring. The song has a simple yet compelling message that anyone can relate to, and it is sure to tug at the heartstrings of anyone who has been in love before.
Line by Line Meaning
We wouldn't have to meet here in this dark secluded place to hide our faces
I wish we didn't have to sneak around and hide our relationship from the world.
If I had it my way,
If things were under my control,
We wouldn't have to say goodbye then drive on home and dream up another alibi
We wouldn't have to make up excuses for why we have to leave each other and come up with new ones all the time.
There'd be no more wrong numbers when I called you on the phone feeling down,
Whenever I call you feeling sad, I wouldn't have to worry about dialing the wrong number and talking to someone else by mistake.
And I wouldn't have to worry she might find a little stand of my hair.
I wouldn't have to worry about someone finding evidence that we had been together by seeing a strand of my hair somewhere.
If I had it my way
Love would not be come and go
We'd lie here in the afterglow
'Til the break of day,
If I had it my way
If I had my ideal situation, love wouldn't be fleeting and we could enjoy each other's company in bed until the morning light.
you would not be leavin' me
Love would not be misery
You would always stay
You wouldn't leave me and we could enjoy our love together without it causing pain or distress. You would be there with me always.
If I had it myyyyyyy waaaaay
(overlap)
We wouldn't have to meet here in this dark secluded place to hide our faces
(reiteration) If I had complete control over our situation, we wouldn't have to hide from the world to be together.
(Repeat Chorus....fade out)
The chorus repeats, further emphasizing the singer's desire for a perfect, uncomplicated relationship.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JONES, TAYLOR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind