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.
Moving Oleta
Reba McEntire Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The nurses saw an old woman cryin'
But he saw the love of his life
She don't know where she is
But she knows this isn't home
Love is a hard, hard road
He met her in the summer of '37
He loved her black hair and the mischief in her smile
But she won him with her eyes
All the years and children gone,
he still sees her the same
Love is a hard, hard road
He woke up each morning and drove into town
He stayed all day till her dinner came
Then he took her to a room, leaned on her wheelchair like a walker
Covered her with a quilt she'd made
Only God and a couple of nurses helped the old man shoulder the load
Love is a hard, hard road
He said "They tell me this is all that's left,
Say this hell on Earth is best,
I lost all those reasons and I still don't understand"
He cursed his body old and weak
Tears of failure burned his cheeks
He said "Oh, don't you know I prayed to die before this day"
Love is a hard, hard road
There's a shadow much darker than the valley of death
When you fear the reaper night not come today
The line 'em up in Laz-E-Boys out in the sunroom
The TV keeps the quiet away
She can't recall his name and she's the only love he's known
Love is a hard, hard road
Love is a hard, hard road
Moving Oleta was the hardest thing he'd done.
The song "Moving Oleta" by Reba McEntire tells the story of a man who is struggling with the difficult process of moving his wife, Oleta, to a nursing home. The lyrics paint a poignant picture of the man's love for his wife and the pain he feels upon realizing that she no longer remembers him or where she is. The nurses see an old woman crying, but he sees the love of his life, and he struggles with the knowledge that this is no longer the home they shared. The song details the man's memories of their life together, including meeting her in the summer of '37 and being won over by her black hair and her playful nature.
Despite all of the changes and challenges their life has presented, the man still sees his wife the same, and his love for her has never wavered. He takes care of her, staying with her all day in town and then bringing her back to the nursing home where he covers her with a quilt she made. His only solace comes from the fact that God and a couple of nurses are helping him shoulder the load. The song concludes with the man cursing his old, weak body and tears of failure running down his cheeks. He hides his emotions from his wife, who can't remember his name, but he knows that she is the only love he's ever known.
This song is a powerful exploration of the depths of true love and the heartbreaking challenges that come with aging, illness, and memory loss. It reminds us that even when our lives change in unexpected and painful ways, the power of love can sustain us and help us persevere.
Line by Line Meaning
Moving Oleta was the hardest thing he'd done
Leaving the nursing home with Oleta was the most difficult decision for him to make because he knew it would be a challenge.
The nurses saw an old woman cryin'
The nurses witnessed Oleta crying because she was scared and confused, not understanding where she was or why.
But he saw the love of his life
Despite the moments of confusion and fear, he still saw the woman he loved and adored in Oleta.
She don't know where she is
Oleta is suffering from memory loss, so she doesn't know where she is.
But she knows this isn't home
Even with her memory loss, Oleta can feel that the nursing home isn't her true home.
Love is a hard, hard road
The journey of caring for someone you love, especially as they age and face physical and mental changes, is an incredibly difficult path.
He met her in the summer of '37 in a brush arbor down on the Rush Creek shore
He and Oleta fell in love on the shore of Rush Creek in the summer of 1937, while spending time in a brush arbor (a type of shelter).
He loved her black hair and the mischief in her smile
He was enamored with Oleta's black hair and playful smile.
But she won him with her eyes
Although he was initially drawn to her hair and smile, it was Oleta's eyes that ultimately won his heart.
All the years and children gone, he still sees her the same
After years of marriage and raising children together, he still sees Oleta the same way he did when he first fell in love with her.
He woke up each morning and drove into town
Every morning, he would drive into town to run necessary errands.
He stayed all day till her dinner came
He would stay with Oleta while she ate dinner so she wouldn't be alone.
Then he took her to a room, leaned on her wheelchair like a walker
He would accompany Oleta back to her room and use her wheelchair to stabilize himself since he had trouble walking on his own.
Covered her with a quilt she'd made
He would cover Oleta with a quilt that she had made - both for warmth and for sentimental reasons.
Only God and a couple of nurses helped the old man shoulder the load
The only support he had in his caretaking role was from a few nurses and his faith in God.
He said 'They tell me this is all that's left, Say this hell on Earth is best, I lost all those reasons and I still don't understand'
He couldn't understand why anyone would claim the nursing home was the best possible option or that this aging process is a natural, worthwhile part of life when all he saw was suffering.
He cursed his body old and weak
He was frustrated and angry with his own aging and weakening body, which made caretaking even more difficult.
Tears of failure burned his cheeks
He felt like he was failing both himself and Oleta as caretaking became more and more difficult.
He said 'Oh, don't you know I prayed to die before this day'
Out of exhaustion and frustration, he admits that he had prayed for death before accepting the challenge and responsibility of caretaking.
There's a shadow much darker than the valley of death
The mental and emotional pain of watching someone you love struggle and suffer is even more unbearable than death itself.
When you fear the reaper night not come today
When the person you love is suffering from a terminal illness or the natural decline of aging, you don't know when their time will actually come, making each moment tense and difficult.
The line 'em up in Laz-E-Boys out in the sunroom
The nursing home gathers residents together in reclining chairs in the sunroom to keep them reasonably comfortable and occupied.
The TV keeps the quiet away
The television acts as a distraction from the quiet and emptiness of the nursing home.
She can't recall his name and she's the only love he's known
Even though Oleta has forgotten who he is, she is still the only woman he has ever loved.
Love is a hard, hard road
Repeating the song's lyric to emphasize that loving someone is hard, and that path only grows more difficult as physical and mental health declines.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BARRY GEORGE DEAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind