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 Wasn
Reba McEntire Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When he'd call her on the phone
She was good to come and get him
When he couldn't make it home
She was good to make love to
And they did now and then
She was good to never ask
When he'd be back again
She wasn't good enough for him
For his family or his friends
He kept her out there on a limb
Wouldn't let her go, wouldn't let her in
She wasn't good enough for him
She was there on his bad days
And for years he led her on
We all knew she had a bad case
He was doing her all wrong
She couldn't bring herself to do the right thing
Break it off and say goodbye
'Til she overheard him one night tellin'
Somebody on the side that
She wasn't good enough for him
For his family or his friends
He kept her out there on a limb
Wouldn't let her go, wouldn't let her in
She wasn't good enough for him
She was good at late night listening
When he'd call her on the phone
The lyrics of "She Wasn't Good Enough For Him" tell the story of a woman who loves a man who doesn't fully appreciate her. She is always there for him, whether it's to listen to him late at night or to come to his aid when he needs her. However, the man in question doesn't see her as good enough for him to introduce to his family or friends. He keeps her at arm's length, never committing fully to her, but also never allowing her to move on. She hears him tell someone else that she isn't good enough for him, and finally realizes that she needs to let go of this toxic relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
She was good at late night listening
She was a supportive listener who would stay up late to talk to him on the phone
When he'd call her on the phone
He would regularly reach out to her for comfort
She was good to come and get him
She was always willing to go out of her way to help him, even picking him up when necessary
When he couldn't make it home
She was a reliable partner who would cover for him when he was absent
She was good to make love to
She was a satisfying sexual partner for him
And they did now and then
Although they weren't in a committed relationship, they engaged in physical intimacy sporadically
She was good to never ask
She was willing to tolerate ambiguity and never questioned him about his whereabouts
When he'd be back again
She was content with uncertain scheduling and didn't push for more information about his plans
She wasn't good enough for him
Despite her efforts to be a supportive partner, he did not value her or view her as an equal
For his family or his friends
He did not want to introduce her to those close to him or include her in his social and familial circles
He kept her out there on a limb
He left her hanging in a state of emotional uncertainty and instability
Wouldn't let her go, wouldn't let her in
He refused to commit to her or end their relationship, leaving her in limbo
She was there on his bad days
She was a constant source of emotional support for him when he needed it most
And for years he led her on
He gave her false hope and strung her along for an extended period of time
We all knew she had a bad case
The people around them were aware of the unhealthy dynamic and recognized that she was being mistreated
He was doing her all wrong
He was not treating her with the respect and kindness that she deserved
She couldn't bring herself to do the right thing
Despite knowing that she needed to end the relationship, she struggled to take action
Break it off and say goodbye
She needed to initiate a breakup and move on from the toxic relationship
'Til she overheard him one night tellin'
It was only after she eavesdropped on him
Somebody on the side that
He revealed to someone else
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DEAN DILLON, LESLIE SATCHER, LESLIE WINN SATCHER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@CajunMan77
The kids today will never know how controversial this song was, how important it was, and how many radio stations refused to play Reba songs after she released this. It is still one of my favorite songs!
@scottybroker
SCREW the RADIO STATIONS, THE "Correctness". It MASKS/COVERS/HIDES THE TRUTH. HOMOSEXUALITY IS A CURSE AND A SCOURGE. It destroys the family. TOO MANY PEOPLE ARE C O W A R D S. Speak Out.
@NikB331
You’re right.. They will never know! Now they have HIV/AIDS commercials with gay men in them! I’m just saying that would not have happened in 1994! I have a family member that passed from it n the poor girl suffered like a dog dying. Now we have a pill. Very sad
@dannybost
I 1st heard this at a Reba concert in Charlotte n.c. this lady gave one of the greatest concerts I've ever seen.
@kirkcather3670
We owe Reba a big thank you for recording this song. She was the ONLY one with the gravitas to get a song like this on the radio.
@YeahRightInc
Indeed. Very few if any other female country artists would have been offered this song and taken on the challenge. But when you're a giant and you have a heart like Reba, you do it because it was/is a message that needs to be conveyed. Kudos to her. I knew what it was about the first time I heard it and was very moved by the song.
@ninamartinez5171
@@YeahRightInc I wish to God almighty i knew what this song is about. She thinks his name was John ? Obviously someone was cheating?
@YeahRightInc
@@ninamartinez5171 It is about a woman who is single and has a one night stand with a stranger. Sadly, she contracts AIDS from her tryst. She knew the name and details of all the men she'd ever been with except him...but she thinks his name was John.
@jfrizell665
@@ninamartinez5171 She met a hot guy named John, they had sex, and she got AIDS from him.
@MsMeme1976
@@ninamartinez5171 No one is cheating. It’s about a woman who has a one night stand with a man she met at a party, and ended up contracting & dying from HIV/AIDS. She thinks his name was John…