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.
Roses
Reba McEntire Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Another time, another place
He brought her red roses
On their very first date
She got carried away by the things that he said
Time would erase them
But she would never forget
The rose in her hair, the rose in her hand
The roses in the paper on the wall
There's a story to tell if roses could talk
Somewhere close to midnight
Another time, another place
She lays in the darkness
With tears on her face
While he talks in his sleep
Confessing his love
And calls out a name she's never heard of
And the roses heard it all
The rose in the vase that set by their bed
The roses in the paper on the wall
There's a story to tell if roses could talk
She never told him
She never let him see her cry
Only the roses know
What she kept deep down inside
The years took their toll
And the angels took her away
Now there's family and friends
At a cold winter's grave
He kneels down and whispers
?You're the only love I have known?
As he lays a rose on a cold marble stone
But the roses heard it all
The rose from her garden, the rose in her bible
The roses in the paper on the wall
What a story they'd tell if roses could talk
The song Roses by Reba McEntire tells the story of a couple who started off with the perfect beginning, but things took a dramatic turn at some point in their lives. At the start of their relationship, the man gave the woman red roses which had a significant impact on her. She was very taken by the things he said to her, and even though time would eventually pass and changes would ensue, she would never forget that moment. However, their relationship eventually lost its spark, and she found herself crying herself to sleep while the man talked in his sleep and called out a name she had never heard before. The song speaks to the fact that roses can hold a story, and if they could talk, they would tell the story of the couple's journey.
The second verse of the song reveals that the woman never told the man what she was feeling or let him see her cry. The chorus highlights the fact that through it all, the roses were present, and if they could talk, they would tell the story of what had happened. Towards the end of the song, the woman had passed away, and the man was left laying a rose on her marble stone while whispering how she was the only love he had ever known. The roses were still present, bearing witness to the end of their story.
Line by Line Meaning
A soft summer evening
It was a calm summer night.
Another time, another place
It was a different era and location than the present.
He brought her red roses
He gifted her with red roses.
On their very first date
They were on their initial romantic outing.
She got carried away by the things that he said
The things he said had a powerful emotional impact on her.
Time would erase them
Time would fade those emotions.
But she would never forget
But those events would never be forgotten.
And the roses heard it all
The flowers witnessed the entire sequence of events.
The rose in her hair, the rose in her hand
The particular roses which were present.
The roses in the paper on the wall
The roses that were pictured on the wall.
There's a story to tell if roses could talk
If flowers could speak, they would have quite a tale to convey.
Somewhere close to midnight
It was almost midnight.
She lays in the darkness
She lies in the dark.
With tears on her face
Crying silently.
While he talks in his sleep
While he is asleep and mumbling.
Confessing his love
Saying I love you.
And calls out a name she's never heard of
He mentions someone she does not recognize.
The rose in the vase that set by their bed
The particular rose that was next to them.
She never told him
She never disclosed this to him.
She never let him see her cry
She never allowed him to observe her weeping.
Only the roses know
The flowers are the only ones who know.
What she kept deep down inside
What she was keeping hidden inside of her.
The years took their toll
The years had an impact on her.
And the angels took her away
She passed away and went to heaven.
Now there's family and friends
Now there are loved ones nearby.
At a cold winter's grave
Nearby her frigid gravesite in winter.
He kneels down and whispers
He gets on his knees and murmurs.
“You're the only love I have known”
He confesses he never loved anyone else.
As he lays a rose on a cold marble stone
He leaves a rose on the headstone to show his love.
The rose from her garden, the rose in her bible
The specific roses in attendance.
What a story they'd tell if roses could talk
If the flowers could speak, they would have a dramatic story to tell.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Reservoir Media Management, Inc.
Written by: LESLIE WINN SATCHER, MELBA MONTGOMERY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind