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.
Old Man River
Reba McEntire Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wash away my troubles to the sea forever more
Wind and willows whisper sadness in the sound
Tell a tale of my once happy world that's fallen down
Old man I might be going where you're bound
Old man river I've come to talk again
Yes I know you're tired cause your journey never ends
He's just like you he's movin' all the time and I think he's movin' me out of her mind
I want to travel with you in your deep and emerald soul
That's the only way to make it peaceful like before
We used to touch at midnight but now I feel he's gone
Even though she's lying next to me I feel alone old man it looks like time to travel on
Old man river I've come...
Old man river I've come...
In Reba McEntire's song Old Man River, the lyrics describe a sense of longing for freedom from emotional pain. The first verse describes the peaceful flow of the river as a metaphor for washing away the troubles of the past. The sound of the wind and willows in the second verse creates a melancholic mood, as the singer reflects on her previous happiness that has since disappeared. The old man river is represented as a source of wisdom and guidance, with the singer wanting to travel with him to find peace in his “deep and emerald soul.”
The chorus repeats the desire to have a conversation with old man river, acknowledging that he must be tired from his never-ending journey. The singer reflects on how the old man, like her, is always moving, and wonders if he can move her out of her mind, referring to her struggles with letting go of her past relationship. The use of the harmonica adds an emotional element to the song, reinforcing the feeling of sadness and longing for freedom.
In the final verse, the singer again expresses her desire to travel with the old man to find peace. She reflects on how she used to be close to her partner, but now she feels alone even when they are together. The repetition of the chorus emphasizes the singer’s yearning to find emotional freedom by traveling with the old man river. The song as a whole can be interpreted as a representation of emotional healing, with the singer looking for guidance to overcome her past struggles.
Line by Line Meaning
Cool breeze on the river ripples to the shore
The gentle wind on the river creates small waves that reach the shore.
Wash away my troubles to the sea forever more
I hope the river cleanses all my problems and carries them away to the ocean, where they'll never trouble me again.
Wind and willows whisper sadness in the sound
The sound of the wind through the trees fills me with sadness and reminds me of what I've lost.
Tell a tale of my once happy world that's fallen down
The rustle of the leaves tells the story of my past happiness that has now crumbled away.
Old man I might be going where you're bound
I may be nearing the end of my journey, just like you, Old Man River.
Old man river I've come to talk again
Old Man River, I've come back to you to have a conversation once more.
Yes I know you're tired cause your journey never ends
I understand that you're weary, Old Man River, because your journey is unending.
He's just like you he's movin' all the time and I think he's movin' me out of her mind
He's always on the move, just like you, Old Man River. I believe he's causing me to be forgotten by the woman I love.
[ harmonica ]
Harmonica interlude.
I want to travel with you in your deep and emerald soul
I desire to journey with you, Old Man River, into the depths of your green soul.
That's the only way to make it peaceful like before
I believe that traveling with you will be the only way to find peace again, like I once had.
We used to touch at midnight but now I feel he's gone
We used to have a connection late at night, but now I feel it's lost because of him.
Even though she's lying next to me I feel alone old man it looks like time to travel on
Although she's lying beside me, I feel alone, Old Man River. It seems like it's time for me to keep moving.
Old man river I've come...
Repetition of previous line to end the song.
Old man river I've come...
Repetition of previous line to end the song.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DANIEL M. HOGAN, RONNY SCAIFE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind