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.
Nickel Dreams
Reba McEntire Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Reflections of yesterday's past
Now headlines and foot lights
The hours of long nights keep everything
Moving so fast
It's taken a long time
And she's walked a thin line
She kept on striving
Way of surviving
Till part of those dreams came alive
[Chorus]
And she wishes she looks like
They tell her she looks like all the time
What she'd give just to feel like
She tells them she's feeling
Just fine
All that money she makes every night
Ain't as much as it seems
A dollar a wrinkle and less then a nickel a dream
Her heart may be breaking
But she keeps on taking
What she thought she wanted way back when
It's too late to change her
There's always a stranger
To tell her she's someone again
[Chorus]
Nickel a dream
Nickel dreams
In the first verse of "Nickel Dreams" by Reba McEntire, the singer reflects on how much her life has changed since she was a young girl with little worries. She used to dream about the future and didn't know how fast life would move later on. Now, McEntire is a famous singer and performer who has reached her goals, but it has taken time and hard work. She's "walked a thin line" that has led her to achieve fame and fortune.
The chorus speaks to the feelings of many performers who are in the public spotlight. McEntire mentions people telling her how much she looks like their ideal or how much they love her work, but what they don't see is the struggle behind it all. In the end, the money she earns isn't worth the physical and emotional toll the business takes on her. The line "a dollar a wrinkle and less than a nickel a dream" showcases the sacrifice that performers make and how what they earn doesn't reflect all the hard work they put in.
Line by Line Meaning
A little girl's dream world with ribbons and long curls
The girl, when she was younger, used to dream of a world where she looked pretty.
Reflections of yesterday's past
She reflects upon her past dreams and memories.
Now headlines and foot lights
Instead of being a normal person with a normal life, she's now a celebrity.
The hours of long nights keep everything
She works long nights and continuously keeps up with her schedule.
Moving so fast
Due to her being a celebrity, everything moves so fast around her.
It's taken a long time
It's been a long time since she's started her journey to become a celebrity.
And she's walked a thin line
Throughout her journey, she's been walking a thin line, being careful not to mess up.
The fame and fortune arrived
She finally achieved what she wanted: fame and fortune.
She kept on striving
She continuously tried hard to achieve her dream.
Way of surviving
This was her way of surviving and providing for herself.
Till part of those dreams came alive
Her dreams finally came true, but only partially.
And she wishes she looks like
Despite being a famous celebrity, she still wishes to be accepted and liked for who she is.
They tell her she looks like all the time
The media and fans continuously tell her how she should look.
What she'd give just to feel like
She wishes to feel happy and content with herself.
She tells them she's feeling
She pretends to be fine so that people don't get worried about her.
Just fine
She wants to be seen as someone who is content and happy.
All that money she makes every night
Despite earning a lot of money every night, it's not as much as it might seem.
Ain't as much as it seems
The money she earns is not enough to make her happy.
A dollar a wrinkle and less then a nickel a dream
Despite earning money, she's still not happy and feels like her dreams were cheapened.
Her heart may be breaking
Despite being a celebrity, she still has feelings and they can get hurt.
But she keeps on taking
She continues with her work despite feeling hurt and broken-hearted.
What she thought she wanted way back when
What she used to dream of isn't what she really wants anymore.
It's too late to change her
She's too deep in the fame and celebrity world to change who she is and what she does.
There's always a stranger
Despite being a celebrity, there are always people around her that she doesn't know.
To tell her she's someone again
People around her always remind her that she's someone important and worth remembering.
Nickel a dream
Her dreams have been cheapened and aren't as valuable as she thought they would be.
Nickel dreams
Her dreams are worth as much as a nickel and aren't worth as much as she thought.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DONNY R. LOWERY, LYMAN C. JR. MCANALLY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind