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.
Just Across The Rio Grande
Reba McEntire Lyrics
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And shine in a young man's eyes.
Who stand on the border and dreams of paradise.
He's heard crazy stories of how people live over in the promised land.
He heard they eat three meals a day, just across the Rio Grande.
He's got a wife named Maria, and a baby
Named Rose, and another one to feed on the way.
Two willing hands, that couldn't find work today.
That he can't understand.
He knows the child would have a chance, just
Across the Rio Grande.
[Chorus]
It's only a river,
That's not so deep or wide.
A boy can throw a stone across and
Reach the other side. It's just some
Muddy water, cutting through the land.
But a man can make a dream come true
Just across the Rio Grande.
The lights of Laredo dance on the water and
Shine in a young man's eyes. Who stand on the
Border and dreams of paradise.
He's heard crazy stories of how good life is
Over in the promised land, and
Sometimes it seems like God must live just
Across the Rio Grande.
[Chorus]
The song "Just Across the Rio Grande" by Reba McEntire is a mesmerizing ballad that tells the story of a young man who stands on the Mexican side of the Rio Grande and gazes at the lights gleaming in the Texan city of Laredo. In his eyes, the reflection of those lights flickers like a mirage, making him dream of the promise and possibility of a better life that awaits him on the other side of the river. The young man has a wife named Maria, and they are expecting their third child. However, he is struggling to find work to support his family, and he realizes that his children do not have much of a future where they are. The lyrics are poignant and are a reflection of the struggles that immigrants face when they cross borders and try to build a better life for themselves and their families.
The song portrays a sense of hope and ambition that burns within the young man, even as he stares across the river and feels the crushing weight of poverty and despair. He knows that if he can cross the Rio Grande, he'll be able to find a better future for himself and his family. The lyrics are a poignant reminder of the challenges that immigrants face, as they try to cross borders and create a new life for themselves. The chorus of the song reinforces this sense of hope, reminding listeners that the Rio Grande is "only a river," and that crossing it can help make a dream come true.
Line by Line Meaning
The lights of Laredo dance on the water
The lights reflected in the water from Laredo are vibrant and lively.
And shine in a young man's eyes.
The young man's eyes are sparkling with hope and anticipation.
Who stand on the border and dreams of paradise.
The young man is standing on the border between Mexico and the United States and is dreaming of a better place.
He's heard crazy stories of how people live over in the promised land.
The young man has heard unbelievable tales about how people live better in the United States.
He heard they eat three meals a day, just across the Rio Grande.
The young man heard that people in the United States have the luxury of eating three meals a day, which is something he cannot provide for his family.
He's got a wife named Maria, and a baby Named Rose, and another one to feed on the way.
The young man has a wife named Maria, a baby named Rose, and another child on the way who will need food and care.
Two willing hands, that couldn't find work today.
Despite his willingness to work, the young man could not find a job today.
He stares at the river and curses the future, That he can't understand.
The young man looks at the river in despair and anger at a future that seems uncertain and unknown.
He knows the child would have a chance, just Across the Rio Grande.
The young man is aware that his child would have a better chance at life just across the Rio Grande in the United States.
It's only a river, That's not so deep or wide.
The Rio Grande is just a river that is neither too wide nor too deep.
A boy can throw a stone across and Reach the other side.
A young boy can easily throw a stone across the Rio Grande to reach the other side.
It's just some Muddy water, cutting through the land.
The Rio Grande is just a stream of muddy water dividing the land between two countries.
But a man can make a dream come true Just across the Rio Grande.
Despite the river being a physical barrier, a man can still make his dreams come true in the United States that lies just across the Rio Grande.
Sometimes it seems like God must live just Across the Rio Grande.
The United States seems to be a better place where God may reside according to the young man's dream.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: COOK, RAINS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind