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.
Once You
Reba McEntire Lyrics
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I'm tryin' my best to give enough
To keep this love alive
It wouldn't be so hard for me to do
If it hadn't have been for all my heart's been through
But once you've learned to be lonely
And lonely is the only thing you've known
It becomes your comfort zone
And once you've learned to be without someone
And settle for the silence of an empty room
Oh, it changes you
There's a lot you have to undo
Once you've learned to be lonely
It becomes a habit of the heart
To be afraid to even start
To try and love again
I want to give you myself to you
But I've been alone that I'm scared to move
But once you've learned to be lonely
And lonely is the only thing you've known
It begins to feel like home
It becomes your comfort zone
Once you've learned to be without someone
And settle for the silence of an empty room
Oh,it changes you
There's a lot you have to undo
Once you've learned to be lonely
I've built these walls but I feel them falling down
Touch by touch your love is my way out
But once you've learned to be lonely
And lonely is the only thing you've known
It begins to feel like home
It becomes your comfort zone
Once you've learned to be without someone
And settle for the silence of an empty room
Oh,it changes you
There's a lot you have to undo
Once you've learned to be lonely
There's a lot you have to undo
Once you've learned to be lonely.
The song "Once You've Learned To Be Lonely" by Reba McEntire expresses the difficulty of opening up to love after experiencing heartbreak and loneliness. The singer is aware of the emotional barriers they have built up, making it difficult for them to give themselves to the person they love. They have become accustomed to feeling lonely, and it has become their "comfort zone." The lyrics speak about "settling for the silence of an empty room," showing that the singer has become used to being alone and has learned to live with it.
The song is relatable to those who have experienced heartbreak and find it hard to open up again. It can be challenging to trust someone new enough to let them in and allow ourselves to be vulnerable. The lyrics highlight the difficulties of breaking down the emotional walls we have built up as a result of our experiences.
Overall, "Once You've Learned To Be Lonely" is a poignant ballad that explores the complexities of love and heartbreak. The lyrics are emotive, and Reba McEntire delivers a powerful vocal performance, making it a memorable song.
Line by Line Meaning
You're asking me to open up
You want me to be vulnerable and share my true feelings
I'm tryin' my best to give enough
I'm doing my best to meet your emotional needs
To keep this love alive
To sustain our relationship
It wouldn't be so hard for me to do
It wouldn't be difficult for me
If it hadn't have been for all my heart's been through
If I hadn't experienced so much emotional pain in the past
But once you've learned to be lonely
But once you've become accustomed to being alone
And lonely is the only thing you've known
And loneliness is all you've ever experienced
It begins to feel like home
It starts to feel familiar and comfortable
It becomes your comfort zone
It becomes the place where you feel safe
And once you've learned to be without someone
And once you've gotten used to not having anyone by your side
And settle for the silence of an empty room
And accept the quietness of a room without any company
Oh, it changes you
Oh, it transforms you
There's a lot you have to undo
There's a lot of past hurt and trauma that you must heal from
It becomes a habit of the heart
It becomes an ingrained pattern in your emotions
To be afraid to even start
To be scared to even begin a new relationship
To try and love again
To attempt to enter into a new romantic connection
I want to give you myself to you
I desire to be emotionally available and connected to you
But I've been alone that I'm scared to move
But I've been so used to being alone that I'm afraid to take the risk
I've built these walls but I feel them falling down
I've erected emotional barriers but sense them crumbling
Touch by touch your love is my way out
Your love for me is helping me heal from my past loneliness and pain
There's a lot you have to undo
There's much emotional baggage that you must work through
Once you've learned to be lonely
After you've grown accustomed to being alone
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., MIKE CURB MUSIC, RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: CANDY CAMERON, CHIP DAVIS, RAYMOND CHARLES JR DAVIS, SHARON VAUGHN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind