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 Just Has To Be This Way
Reba McEntire Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If we go there it will start all over again
So don't even call there's no need for checking in
If it's really over let it just be over
[Chorus]
No, we won't be sharing coffee
Or having lunch from time to time
Please don't ask me about mine
This is never what I wanted
And it's killing me to say
It just has to be this way
We gave all we could we fought the good fight
But no matter how we loved we just couldn't get it right
It hurts to let go but it's harder hangin' on
I don't want it to be over we know that it's over
[Chorus]
And even if I change my mind
Don't let me hurt me one more time
Stay away from me be as cold as you can be
[Chorus]
Just has to be this way
Oh, it just has to be this way.
The lyrics to Reba Mcentire & Vince Gill's song It Just Has to Be This Way speak about the end of a relationship that has come to a standstill. The singer of the song is telling their former partner not to get in touch with them since there is no need to check on each other. The pain of separation is clear, but the singer is determined to move on. They have tried their best to make the relationship work and fought for it, but it just could not succeed. Therefore, they have decided to end it, and it has to be this way.
The chorus of the song further elaborates on how the separation will entail no contact or sharing of details about each other's lives, indicating a clear break. The singer knows that the separation might be for the best, but it is still a difficult choice to make. However, they request their partner not to hold on, and if they do decide to come back, they should stay away from them to avoid further pain.
Overall, the lyrics to It Just Has to Be This Way are about accepting the end of a romantic relationship that has run its course. Although the separation may be devastating, it is a necessary decision, and it is better to move on than prolong the pain.
Line by Line Meaning
The sound of your voice the touch of your skin
The familiarity of your voice and touch is tempting, but going back to that will only lead to starting over.
If we go there it will start all over again
Returning to that closeness will only restart the old, unresolved problems we had before.
So don't even call there's no need for checking in
We've come to an end, there's no need to maintain contact just to check in on each other.
If it's really over let it just be over
Let's accept that things have ended, without trying to hold on to something that cannot be fixed.
No, we won't be sharing coffee
We won't be continuing the simple daily routines, just to avoid complicating things more.
Or having lunch from time to time
It's best if we don't see each other for meals, even if they were a significant part of our past relationship.
I won't ask about your family
There will be no curiosity or sympathy for each other's family, making the heartbreaking separation easier to bear.
Please don't ask me about mine
In the same vein, we're not to question each other's family separation as it is too painful to share while mourning the relationship.
This is never what I wanted
Breaking up we wanted things to work out differently, but this outcome is the painful reality.
And it's killing me to say
Saying goodbye is an agonizing task to undertake, as we have been invested in each other's lives for a long time.
It just has to be this way
It is devastating having to say goodbye, but we must as what happened cannot be ignored, and it can never work out between us again.
We gave all we could we fought the good fight
We tried a lot to make it work, even putting up a good fight, but it never quite worked out the way we hoped.
But no matter how we loved we just couldn't get it right
No matter how much we loved each other or tried to mold ourselves, our idiosyncrasies could not fit, and we couldn't get past that.
It hurts to let go but it's harder hangin' on
It's strenuous to let go of something dear, but it's more challenging to hold on, even though there's nothing else left to salvage.
I don't want it to be over we know that it's over
Even though we can't help it, neither of us wants the relationship to be over. However, we know that there's no way around it and we must accept it.
And even if I change my mind
Even though we have decided to part ways, there is always the possibility of changing our minds.
Don't let me hurt me one more time
Despite the potential for changing our minds, breaking up again will only prolong the pain further. So, please avoid tearing yourself apart over this relationship.
Stay away from me be as cold as you can be
To avoid getting hurt repeatedly and to not get caught up in old thoughts again, there needs to be distance and an icy demeanor from us towards each other.
Just has to be this way
It's sad and painful, but unfortunately, this is what has to happen for both involved parties can move ahead and heal from the aftermath.
Oh, it just has to be this way.
There is no other way of parting that would be less painful or easy. This is the only way of moving on and leaving the painful past behind.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, ON THE MANTEL MUSIC, Peermusic Publishing, RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: HENGBER, HICKS, SMITH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind