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.
Only In My Mind
Reba McEntire Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We sat and watched the children play
If it was the heat or the noise
He didn't have too much to say
Then with a move of his eyes
A move that could have made the wind stand still
He took my hand in his and said the words
[Chorus]
He said have you ever cheated on me
Has there been someone else
Is there someone you love more than me
Someone you can't forget
If his memory is opened again
Let it be chased away by time
He said have you ever cheated on me
I said only in my mind
How can I tell him
The time we spent together
Was time between friends
There's just somethings I can talk about with you
That I can't just talk with him
How can I tell you
That somewhere in the cards it was meant for us to be
Why am I blushing in front of you now
Is it you or the heat
[Chorus]
The first verse of Reba McEntire's song "Only In My Mind" describes a scene where the singer and her significant other sit on a park bench in the middle of July under the sweltering heat. They watch the children play, and the singer's significant other seems disinterested, either because of the heat or the noise. Suddenly, the significant other looks into the singer's eyes and takes her hand, and asks if she has ever cheated on him, or if there's anyone she loves more than him. These questions catch the singer off guard, and she responds by saying she has only cheated on him in her mind.
The second verse reveals a more profound understanding of the relationship between the singer and her significant other. She explains that the time they have spent together has only been between friends; there are things she can talk about with him that she can't discuss with anyone else. She also mentions the idea that fate brought them together, alluding to the fact that she has deeper feelings for him, which she might have trouble expressing. The chorus repeats the significant other's question about whether the singer has cheated on him before, and whether someone else has taken her heart away. The singer answers, truthfully, that she has only cheated on him in her mind.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh on a park bench in the middle of July
It was a hot summer day, and we were sitting on a bench in the park.
We sat and watched the children play
We watched as the children enjoyed their carefree lives.
If it was the heat or the noise
He didn't seem to be in the mood to talk, and it was unclear if it was due to the temperature or the loud sounds of kids playing.
He didn't have too much to say
He was quiet and reserved, not expressing his thoughts or feelings out loud.
Then with a move of his eyes
Suddenly, he looked at me in a way that caught my attention.
A move that could have made the wind stand still
His glance was so powerful that it seemed like everything around us was frozen in time.
He took my hand in his and said the words
He held my hand and spoke what would become unforgettable words between us.
That I never will forget
Those words will always stay in my mind and heart.
He said have you ever cheated on me
He asked if I had been unfaithful to him.
Has there been someone else
He wanted to know if there was another person in my life.
Is there someone you love more than me
He questioned if there was anyone I cared for or valued more than him.
Someone you can't forget
He wondered if there was anyone who would stay in my heart and mind forever.
If his memory is opened again
He hoped that if this topic ever came up again in the future.
Let it be chased away by time
I would have been able to forget any mistakes or regrets I had, and he hoped that healing would come with time.
He said have you ever cheated on me
He repeated the question, emphasizing its importance.
I said only in my mind
I admitted that my thoughts may have strayed, but nothing physical had ever happened with anyone else.
How can I tell him
I was uncertain how to inform him.
The time we spent together
Our time spent was special and unique for me.
Was time between friends
However, I was not sure if he felt the same way or if we were just friends.
There's just somethings I can talk about with you
I trusted and felt comfortable with him, but there were still certain things that I could not tell him.
That I can't just talk with him
It was a contradiction that I was struggling to resolve and understand.
How can I tell you
I was not certain how to explain it to him either.
That somewhere in the cards it was meant for us to be
It felt like there was a destined future between us, but I did not know how to approach it.
Why am I blushing in front of you now
I was embarrassed and confused about my feelings for him.
Is it you or the heat
It was unclear if my discomfort was due to the summer weather or my emotions towards him.
[Chorus]
The chorus repeats the first set of lyrics, emphasizing the question and answer that had just taken place.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: REBA MCENTIRE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
James Cullen
My favorite female vocalist of all time. Such a beautiful woman inside and outside country music!
MrJamieMurph4141969
Brings back memories of fall 1985 when this was first released; I was 16 and a high school junior, AND it was the “heyday” of my country music era. In other words, when I was big into country music-often times on weekends you could find me at home listening to what used to be “FM Z 107” here in my hometown of York, Pennsylvania, the former local country station. I could go on forever naming country songs from 1985-1987, when I was big into country-this, Memories to Burn(Gene Watson, also fall 1985), Kids of the baby boom(March 1987), Digging up bones(Randy Travis, fall 1986), to name several.
Reba Mcentire
It’s a memories ones can’t forget easily like that .
Lynda Gibbs
Beautiful..as usual. Reba is my favorite female singer of all times and at nearly 57, an absolutely beautiful woman.
michael traynor
She is a beautiful woman.
Michelle Davidson
Love anything that Reba McEntire sings she's awesome.
Peter Kolovos
Her very best in my opinion. The depth of her vocals in this song is stupendous.
DIANE. K
Love ❤️ her she's a great singer
HaraDell Lovett
Beautiful voice, I love to hear her sing.
Love the story songs
Gwyn English Nielsen
I love Reba's resonant voice as it touches the soul.