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.
Nothing To Lose
Reba McEntire Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Rolling down through Georgia
Don't know where I'm going
And I don't care what's new
I've got nothing to lose
Well, I've had no sleep
Going on three days
Somewhere near Atlanta
It's true, I've got nothing to lose
Nothing to lose since I've lost you
Feeling all alone
Used to have it all and now my heart is gone
It's true, I've got nothing to lose
Well, we're coming up on Macon
Gonna rest here a spell
Making idle conversation
With a stranger without you
I've got nothing to lose
Nothing to lose since I've lost you
Feeling all alone
Used to have it all and now my heart is gone
It's true, I've got nothing to lose
Ooh, nothing to lose
Ooh, since I lost you
You left me with no worry
You left with no cares
And you took my whole life with you
And you left me standing there
It's true, I've got nothing to lose
Nothing to lose since I've lost you
Feeling all alone
Used to have it all and now my heart is gone
It's true, I've got nothing to lose
Yes, it's true
I've got nothing to lose
I've got nothing, nothing left to lose
I've got nothing, nothing left to lose
I've got nothing, nothing left to lose
I've got nothing, nothing left to lose
Nothing left to lose
The song "Nothing To Lose" by Reba McEntire is a heavy-hearted ballad about heartbreak, loneliness, and desperation. The song tells the story of a woman on a bus to an unknown destination, feeling lost and directionless after the end of a relationship. She reflects on the fact that since losing her partner, she feels like she has nothing left to lose, as everything important to her has already slipped away. The somber melody and McEntire's emotive vocals add to the melancholy atmosphere of the song.
The lyrics of the song are powerful and relatable to anyone who has experienced heartbreak and the sense of being lost that often accompanies it. The imagery of the bus ride, the exhaustion from lack of sleep, and the conversation with a stranger all paint a vivid picture of the singer's isolation and desperation. The repeated refrain of "nothing to lose" reinforces the singer's feeling of having hit rock bottom and having nowhere to go but up.
Overall, "Nothing To Lose" is a poignant and emotional song that speaks to the power of heartbreak and the difficult journey of moving on from loss and trauma.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, I'm sitting on the bus
I am currently sitting on a bus
Rolling down through Georgia
The bus is currently traveling through Georgia
Don't know where I'm going
I do not know where the destination of this bus is
And I don't care what's new
I have no interest in what is currently happening around me
I've got nothing to lose
I have no possessions or people to worry about losing
Well, I've had no sleep
I haven't slept in a long time
Going on three days
I haven't slept in three days
Smoked my last cigarette
I have smoked my last cigarette and have none left
Somewhere near Atlanta
I smoked my last cigarette somewhere around Atlanta
It's true, I've got nothing to lose
I have nothing to worry about losing
Nothing to lose since I've lost you
I have nothing to lose since you, the person I cared about, are gone
Feeling all alone
I currently have feelings of loneliness
Used to have it all and now my heart is gone
I used to have everything I wanted, but now my heart feels like it's missing
Well, we're coming up on Macon
The bus is approaching Macon
Gonna rest here a spell
I plan to take a break and rest at Macon
Making idle conversation
I'm having meaningless conversations
With a stranger without you
I'm speaking with a stranger since you aren't here
Ooh, nothing to lose
I have nothing to worry about losing
Ooh, since I lost you
Ever since you left, I have nothing left to lose
You left me with no worry
You left me without anything to worry about
You left with no cares
You left without any regard to my feelings
And you took my whole life with you
You took everything I had with you when you left
And you left me standing there
You left me alone and defenseless
It's true, I've got nothing to lose
I have nothing to worry about losing
Yes, it's true
What I am saying is factual
I've got nothing, nothing left to lose
I truly have nothing left to lose
I've got nothing, nothing left to lose
There is nothing left for me to lose
I've got nothing, nothing left to lose
I truly have nothing left to lose
I've got nothing, nothing left to lose
There is nothing left for me to lose
Nothing left to lose
I truly have nothing left to lose
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: KIM FOX
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind