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.
She's Turning 50 Today
Reba McEntire Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
For a woman who was half her age.
Sunday she just laid in bed.
With the covers pulled over her head.
But on Monday morning she woke up.
And loaded up her pick-up truck.
Took one last look at her old life.
To all her jeans and her old baseball caps.
Cause she knows for sure, she ain't comin' back.
This is a house she though
She'd never spend this day
Sitting behind the wheel, on the interstate.
40 was quite alright
She's changing roads tonight.
And its such a bittersweet
Way to celebrate
She's turning 50 today.
She left that Oklahoma town
The only world she had know till now.
Memories of those 20 years.
She watched them in her rear-view mirror.
Fade away
Oh, but that's all right
Yeah, this could be the time of her life.
This is a house she thought
She'd never spend this day
Sitting behind the wheel, on the interstate
40 was quite alright
She's changing roads tonight
And it's such a bittersweet way to celebrate
She's turning 50 today.
Oh, her windows are down
The wind blows her hair
There she goes, could be anywhere
40 was quite alright
But she's changing roads tonight
Tomorrow's a mystery
Oh, and she can't wait.
She's turning 50
She's turning 50
She's turning 50 today
The song "She's Turning 50 Today" by Reba McEntire tells the story of a woman who is celebrating her 50th birthday by leaving her old life behind and starting anew. The first verse describes how her husband left her for a younger woman, causing her to spend Sunday in bed feeling sorry for herself. However, when Monday comes, the woman decides to take control of her life and leaves behind all of her old belongings, symbolized by her jeans and baseball caps. She hits the road with a sense of freedom, driving away from her old life and embracing the unknown.
The chorus reflects on how the woman never thought she would spend her 50th birthday like this, on the road alone, leaving behind everything she knows. But she's excited about the possibilities that her new life holds, even though it is bittersweet to say goodbye to her old life. The bridge talks about how the woman leaves her small Oklahoma town behind, with all of its memories, to start over. She embraces the wind blowing through her hair and the open road ahead of her, excited for the mystery of what tomorrow will bring.
Overall, the song is about finding the strength to leave behind the past and embrace new beginnings, even when it is scary and difficult. The woman in the song shows courage and resilience, choosing to make the most of her 50th birthday by starting a new chapter in her life.
Line by Line Meaning
Her husband left on saturday.
Her husband recently left her for a younger woman.
For a woman who was half her age.
The new woman is significantly younger than the singer.
Sunday she just laid in bed.
She spent a day in bed grieving.
With the covers pulled over her head.
She was trying to hide from reality and her emotions.
But on Monday morning she woke up.
She decided to move on and face the world.
And loaded up her pick-up truck.
She packed up her things and hit the road.
Took one last look at her old life.
She said goodbye to her past.
Then hit the gas, then said goodbye
She left her old life behind and started a new chapter.
To all her jeans and her old baseball caps.
She gave up her comfortable, familiar things.
Cause she knows for sure, she ain't comin' back.
She's certain that she's moving on and won't look back.
This is a house she thought
She never expected to spend this milestone in her current situation.
She'd never spend this day
Her life is different than she imagined.
Sitting behind the wheel, on the interstate.
She's driving away and starting a new journey.
40 was quite alright
Her 40s were okay, but she's ready for a change.
She's changing roads tonight.
She's ready for a new path in life.
And it's such a bittersweet way to celebrate
She's sad about what she's leaving behind but hopeful about the future.
She left that Oklahoma town
She said goodbye to the only home she's known.
The only world she had know till now.
She's leaving behind everything she's ever known.
Memories of those 20 years.
She has a lot of memories and experiences from her time in Oklahoma.
She watched them in her rear-view mirror.
She's leaving behind her past and focusing on the future.
Fade away
Her memories are slowly disappearing behind her.
Oh, but that's all right
She's at peace with leaving it all behind.
Yeah, this could be the time of her life.
She's excited for what's to come and optimistic about the future.
Oh, her windows are down
She's enjoying the freedom of the open road.
The wind blows her hair
She's feeling alive and free.
There she goes, could be anywhere
She's leaving her past behind and open to new possibilities.
Tomorrow's a mystery
She doesn't know what the future holds.
Oh, and she can't wait.
She's excited to find out and start a new chapter in her life.
She's turning 50
It's her 50th birthday, a milestone occasion.
She's turning 50
It's her 50th birthday, a milestone occasion.
She's turning 50 today.
Today is the day of her 50th birthday and the start of her new life.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
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