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.
One Promise Too Late
Reba McEntire Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If I'd known that you'd be here
We could have shared our lives together
And held each other close all through the years
But I've met someone before you
And my heart just couldn't wait
So no matter how much I adore you
I've got to stand behind the promise that I made
Where were you
When I could have loved you
Where were you
When I gave my heart away
All my life I've been dreaming of you
You came along one promise too late
You came along one promise too late
I won't say that I'm sorry that I met you
I can't have you but I never will forget you
Where were you
When I could have loved you
Where were you
When I gave my heart away
All my life I've been dreaming of you
You came along one promise too late
You came along one promise too late
Where were you
When I could have loved you
Where were you
When I gave my heart away
All my life I've been dreaming of you
You came along one promise too late
You came along one promise too late
The lyrics of Reba McEntire's song "One Promise Too Late" are about a missed opportunity for love. The singer, who has long dreamed of finding someone to share their life with, meets someone who they adore, but their heart already belongs to someone else. The singer wishes that this new love interest had come into their life earlier, before they made a promise that they feel obligated to stand behind. The song expresses deep regret and longing, but also acknowledges the impossibility of changing the past.
The lyrics are notable for their emotional depth and honesty. Many people can relate to the experience of missed opportunities and the longing for what could have been. The song's universal theme of love and loss has made it enduringly popular among country music fans. McEntire's powerful vocals and the song's heartfelt lyrics combine to create a moving tribute to the complex emotions that come with love.
Line by Line Meaning
I would have waited forever
If I knew that I would eventually end up with you, I would have waited for you for as long as it took
If I'd known that you'd be here
If I had known that you were the one for me, I would have waited for you
We could have shared our lives together
We could have had a life together, shared our joys and sorrows, and built a future together
And held each other close all through the years
We could have held each other, provided support and care, and enjoyed life's journey together
But I've met someone before you
Unfortunately, I fell in love with someone else before I met you
And my heart just couldn't wait
I couldn't hold back my feelings for the other person and had to act on them
So no matter how much I adore you
Even though I have feelings for you and think highly of you, my heart belongs to someone else
I've got to stand behind the promise that I made
I made a commitment to someone else and I must honor that promise, even though it means rejecting someone I care about deeply
Where were you
I wonder where you were when I was falling in love with someone else
When I could have loved you
At a time when I was open to and seeking love, you were not in my life and I missed the opportunity to be with you
When I gave my heart away
I gave my heart to someone else and perhaps missed the chance to be with someone I could have loved
All my life I've been dreaming of you
I always imagined being with you and dreamed about the possibility of us being together
You came along one promise too late
Even though I have feelings for you now, it is too late because I am committed to someone else and cannot break that promise
I won't say that I'm sorry that I met you
Even though things did not work out between us, I do not regret meeting you and having you in my life
I can't have you but I never will forget you
Although we cannot be together, you will always hold a special place in my heart and memories
Lyrics Β© Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DAVID LOGGINS, DON SCHLITZ, LISA MIRIAM SILVER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@theuninvited1944GR
I must admit that the more I hear this song by Reba McEntire,the more I believe this is the greatest song she ever recorded.It's always tough to pick just one song from all her many hits, but this one song really grabs you emotionally, recalling the universal pain and sorrow of a lost love.The song was from 1986 when Reba was an established country music star, but was not yet the Country Music Icon she was to become.She has an incredible voice with a multi-octave range, perfect pronunciation and tempo.Yet she always has the right instinct to pick just the right song to include in her record albums.She has sold over 75 million record albums in her career, won ACM Awards,Grammys,been a recording star, film and stage actress, college grad, author,producer,mother,successful business woman, humanitarian,and the list goes on.What a role model she has been for anybody.I consider her The Country Music Entertainer Of The Century.When you look into her blue eyes, see that lovely smile, and hear that wondrous voice, how can you not love this woman?
@Missy_561
I agree π― it's my most fav from her
@Richard-t3m
Yes. This is one of my favorite songs from Reba. I also like falling out of love and what do you say.
@Richard-t3m
I also like because of you, with Kelly Clarkson. It puts a spotlight on a topic that most people shy away from, and that is women being abused. That goes against every fiber of my being, but when it is brought up, you only hear crickets.
@radiogal67
I had this vinyl copy when it came out. I'm 57, so been listening for a while now π. Glad someone else thinks it's one of her best songs too!
@kimberlysmith2400
ESP knowing now how she felt about Rex Linn. Kind of seems personal for her.
@iantomlinson8685
This lady optimises everything about this music, she is country to the core. She is stunning and she is musically faultless. β¦.
@willdowney6843
This is one of the best country songs ever written hands down.
@mastervantastic
I could listen to this song all day long and never grow tired of hearing it.
@sandrafuller4416
Jessie