Reba Nell McEntire (born on March 28, 1955 - Kiowa, Oklahoma, USA) is a Gra… Read Full Bio ↴Reba Nell McEntire (born on March 28, 1955 - Kiowa, Oklahoma, USA) is a Grammy Award-winning singer and one of the best-selling country music performers of all time, known for her pop-tinged ballads that include 24 #1 hits. She has issued 28 studio albums and 13 compilations, with more than 50 million records sold as of 2007.

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.

It's Gotta Be Love
Reba McEntire Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

[Chorus]
It's gotta be love
That keeps us together
It's gotta be a feeling from the heart
It's gotta be love
It must last forever
Or I won't let the fire start
It's gotta be love

I don't have time for a part time love affair
I can't pretend it's love when it's not really there
So don't you lead me on if you don't really care
It's gotta be real
And I got a feeling

[Chorus]

I can't just let you take my love and walk away
And you must know that love is not a game I play
So when you say you love me
You better mean just what you say

It's gotta be real
And I got a feeling

[Chorus: x2]

Overall Meaning

In Reba McEntire's song "It's Gotta Be Love," the chorus declares that love is the foundation that keeps a relationship together. The songwriter notes that this love must come from within, from the heart, and it must be genuine to last. Without this love, there can be no lasting warmth or passion, and no fires can spark.

The verses express a clear warning against pretending or offering only part-time love. The singer does not have time for half-hearted relationships and does not want to be led on by someone who does not genuinely care. The lyrics strongly convey that love cannot be taken for granted or treated as a game. Love must be sincere, and the person claiming to feel it must truly mean their words. In essence, the song's message is that true love is the only thing that can sustain and nourish a relationship.

In terms of interesting facts, "It's Gotta Be Love" was released as a single in 1991 from Reba McEntire's album "For My Broken Heart." The album was the first one McEntire released after a tragic plane crash in 1991 that killed eight members of her touring band. The accident deeply affected McEntire, and the album reflects her emotions and pain during that time.

The song was co-written by Ronnie Samoset and Tom Shapiro, two accomplished country music songwriters who have written hit songs for many other performers. The music video for "It's Gotta Be Love" features McEntire in a black blouse and silver pants, performing the song on stage with her band.

Line by Line Meaning

It's gotta be love
The bond between us is held together by love

That keeps us together
It's the glue that binds us and makes us inseparable

It's gotta be a feeling from the heart
Love is not just a mental decision, it's an unexplainable feeling that comes from the heart

It must last forever
Love endures through hardships and must be able to stand the test of time

Or I won't let the fire start
If I know it won't last, I won't even bother starting a relationship

I don't have time for a part time love affair
I'm not interested in being in a relationship that only meets your needs part of the time

I can't pretend it's love when it's not really there
I won't deceive myself into thinking it's more than it really is

So don't you lead me on if you don't really care
Don't play with my emotions if you're not serious about me

It's gotta be real
Love has to be genuine and true

And I got a feeling
My instincts tell me if what we have is real love

I can't just let you take my love and walk away
I won't allow you to use my love for you and then leave me heartbroken