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.
Mama Tried
Reba McEntire Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Was a lonesome whistle blowin'
And a young one's dream of growin' up to ride
On a freight train leavin' town
Not knowin' where I'm bound
No one could steer me right
But Mama tried
From a family meek and mild
My Mama seemed to know what lay in store
In spite of all my Sunday learnin'
Toward the bad I kept on turnin'
Till Mama couldn't hold me anymore
And I turned twenty one in prison
Doin' life without parole
No one could steer me right
But Mama tried, Mama tried
Mama tried to raise me better
But her pleading, I denied
And that leaves only me to blame
'Cause Mama tried
{And then there was another man from Texas
My Mama and Daddy used to drive for
Miles and miles just to listen to him sing
I remember Mama used to tell me
She'd say, "Reba's got the best voice I have ever heard"
And then later on when I got to go
And listen to him saying, "I'd sit there all night long
And wait for Ray Price to saying the blue"}
The lyrics of Reba McEntire's "Mama Tried" tell the story of a rebellious child who did not listen to her mother's wise words, and ended up in prison. The song opens with a poignant memory of a lonesome whistle blowing, which captures the young girl's hopes and dreams of riding on a freight train to escape her small town. Despite her mother's attempts to steer her away from a life of trouble, the singer is drawn to the "bad" and ultimately finds herself serving a life sentence in prison.
The chorus of the song emphasizes the singer's regret for ignoring her mother's guidance, as she reflects on the fact that "no one could steer me right, but Mama tried." The lyrics suggest that the mother understood the dangers that awaited her daughter, but was unable to prevent her from falling into trouble. The song ends with the singer accepting responsibility for her actions and the consequences of her choices, acknowledging that she alone is to blame.
Line by Line Meaning
First thing I remember knowin'
My earliest memory is hearing a whistle blow and dreaming of leaving town.
Was a lonesome whistle blowin'
The sound of a train whistle made me yearn for adventure.
And a young one's dream of growin' up to ride
I wanted to escape my small town and travel the world.
On a freight train leavin' town
I imagined jumping on a train and leaving without a plan.
Not knowin' where I'm bound
I didn't care where the train would take me, as long as it was far away.
No one could steer me right
I was determined to make my own way in life and ignore the advice of others.
But Mama tried
Despite my rebellious nature, my mother did her best to guide me.
One and only rebel child
I was the only one in my family who was a troublemaker.
From a family meek and mild
My family was generally quiet and obedient.
My Mama seemed to know what lay in store
Despite my wild ways, my mother saw the potential consequences.
In spite of all my Sunday learnin'
Despite being raised in a religious family, I still made bad choices.
Toward the bad I kept on turnin'
I was drawn to the wrong kind of people and behavior.
Till Mama couldn't hold me anymore
Eventually my mother was unable to control me or influence my decisions.
And I turned twenty one in prison
My wild ways finally caught up to me and I ended up incarcerated.
Doin' life without parole
I was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
But Mama tried, Mama tried
My mother's efforts to guide me were not in vain.
Mama tried to raise me better
My mother attempted to instill good values in me despite my rebellious nature.
But her pleading, I denied
Unfortunately, I was resistant to my mother's attempts to help me.
And that leaves only me to blame
I am responsible for the consequences of my own actions.
'Cause Mama tried
However, my mother's unwavering love and guidance still had an impact on my life.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Merle Haggard
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind