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.
Out of the Blue
Reba McEntire Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I needed someone to take me
Out of the blue
It seemed I'd always be alone
Till out of the blue came you
Out of the blue
Waiting for a love to take me
I thought love had passed me by
Till out of the blue came you
Spreading my wings alone I'd fly
That empty sky of blue
Hoping that I would someday find
That someone just like you
Out of the blue
Someone who's love would take me
Out of the blue
I had almost given up
Till out of the blue came you
I thought love had passed me by
Till out of the blue came you
The lyrics to Reba McEntire's song "Out of the Blue" are an ode to the unexpectedness of love. The singer describes feeling alone and stagnant in her love life, until a new connection suddenly appears "out of the blue." The repeated refrain emphasizes the suddenness of this change in her life, and the relief and gratitude she feels for finding love when she didn't expect it.
The lyrics also capture the feeling of taking a leap of faith in love. The singer talks about "spreading her wings" and taking a chance on finding someone special, even in the face of disappointment and heartbreak. The imagery of flying alone through an empty blue sky emphasizes the feeling of vulnerability and uncertainty that comes with seeking love. However, the song ultimately celebrates the joy and hope that can come from taking that chance and finding someone unexpected.
Overall, "Out of the Blue" is a song about the beauty and magic of unexpected love, and the way that it can transform our lives in amazing ways.
Line by Line Meaning
Out of the blue
Suddenly and unexpectedly
I needed someone to take me
I was looking for a partner or companion
Out of the blue
Suddenly and unexpectedly
It seemed I'd always be alone
I felt like I would never find love or companionship
Till out of the blue came you
But then you came into my life unexpectedly and changed everything
Out of the blue
Suddenly and unexpectedly
Waiting for a love to take me
I was waiting for someone to love me and take me on a romantic journey
Out of the blue
Suddenly and unexpectedly
I thought love had passed me by
I had given up on finding love
Till out of the blue came you
But then you came into my life unexpectedly and changed everything
Spreading my wings alone I'd fly
I was independent and trying to find my own way
That empty sky of blue
The world seemed empty and lonely to me without a partner
Hoping that I would someday find
I had hope that I would eventually find someone to love
That someone just like you
Someone who was perfect for me, like you are
Out of the blue
Suddenly and unexpectedly
Someone who's love would take me
I was looking for someone who would love and cherish me
Out of the blue
Suddenly and unexpectedly
I had almost given up
I had lost hope in finding love
Till out of the blue came you
But then you came into my life unexpectedly and changed everything
I thought love had passed me by
I had given up on finding love
Till out of the blue came you
But then you came into my life unexpectedly and changed everything
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: HILL, JOHNSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind