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.
Room To Breathe
Reba McEntire Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But I think we need to talk
You might be the one,
But before we go too far
I need a little time to figure out my heart
Who could ask for more,
But I need to know for sure
I haven't been myself from the minute that we met
All those dreams I had,
I began to second guess for you
One too many questions until I know the truth
[Chorus]
I need room to breathe
A little time to think
To make sure I don't loose me
I need room to breathe
I know your not to blame,
And I swear there's no one new
This has to do with me and not a thing to do with you
So don't try to understand,
You don't have a thing to prove to me
If you really love me, just give me what I need
[Chorus]
Please don't take this wrong
Please don't turn away
I just don't want to look back one day and say
[Chorus]
Room to breathe.
In Reba McEntire's song Room To Breathe, she addresses her need for space in order to figure out her feelings about her romantic relationship. The song begins with Reba acknowledging that her partner has not done anything wrong, but that she still feels the need to talk. She expresses her uncertainty about the relationship, admitting that while her partner might be "the one," she needs time to ascertain her own feelings.
Reba goes on to reveal that she has not been herself since meeting her partner, and that she feels as though she has given up her own dreams in order to please them. She explains that she needs space to breathe, time to think, and to make sure she doesn't lose herself in the relationship.
The chorus repeats the phrase "I need room to breathe" four times, driving home the message of the song. Reba urges her partner not to take her request the wrong way, assuring them that it has nothing to do with anyone else and everything to do with her needing to figure out her own feelings.
Line by Line Meaning
You ain't done nothin' wrong,
You haven't done anything wrong,
But I think we need to talk
But I believe we need to have a conversation
You might be the one,
You could be the right person for me
But before we go too far
But before we take things too seriously
I need a little time to figure out my heart
I require a brief period to comprehend my emotions
Who could ask for more,
What else could one ask for
But I need to know for sure
But I need absolute certainty
I haven't been myself from the minute that we met
I have lost my identity ever since we first crossed paths
I ran into your world and kinda walked out on myself
I abandoned my own world when I entered yours
All those dreams I had,
All the aspirations I possessed
I began to second guess for you
I started to doubt them for your sake
One too many questions until I know the truth
I have too many inquiries, and I cannot discover the truth until they are resolved
I need room to breathe
I need space to think and take a breather
A little time to think
A brief moment to contemplate
To make sure I don't lose me
To guarantee that I do not lose my sense of identity
I know you're not to blame,
I understand that you are not at fault
And I swear there's no one new
I guarantee that there is no one else in my life
This has to do with me and not a thing to do with you
This is entirely about my own issues and not related to you
So don't try to understand,
So do not try to comprehend
You don't have a thing to prove to me
You have nothing to demonstrate to me
If you really love me, just give me what I need
If you genuinely love me, please provide me with what I require
Please don't take this wrong
Please do not misunderstand my intentions
Please don't turn away
Please do not withdraw from me
I just don't want to look back one day and say
I do not want to have regrets in the future
Room to breathe.
I need space to think and reflect.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: VICKY MCGEHEE, DAVID VINCENT N WILLIAMS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind