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.
Somebody Should Leave
Reba McEntire Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When the kids go to bed
We sit here in the silence
Putting off what must be said
I read a book you watch TV
As our love dies quietly
I'm so sad I don't know what I just read
Somebody should leave
But which one should it be
You need the kids and they need me
Somebody should leave
But we hate to give in
We keep hoping somehow we might need each other again
You say goodnight and turn and face the wall
We lie here in the darkness and the tears start to fall
If it was only you and me goodbye might come more easily
But what about those babies down the hall
[Chorus: x2]
Reba McEntire's song "Somebody Should Leave" is a heart-wrenching account of a couple who have fallen out of love, but feel trapped in their marriage due to their children. The lyrics describe a bleak, lonely existence, where the only sound heard in the house is the silence when the children are asleep. The couple is unable to communicate their true feelings to each other, resulting in an emotional disconnection that is palpable as they sit together, lost in their own thoughts. The singer is struggling to come to terms with the fact that her relationship is dying, and her partner seems equally uninterested in saving it. They are stuck in a cycle of inaction, too scared to leave and too hurt to stay.
The chorus of the song sums up the couple's predicament - somebody should leave and end the misery, but who should it be? They're both needed by the kids, so neither is eager to walk away. They're holding onto the hope that they might need each other again someday, but the reality is that they're living in a loveless marriage that's taking a toll on them emotionally. The final verse is particularly poignant - if it were just the two of them, it may be easier to say goodbye, but they realize that their decision affects those babies down the hall.
Overall, "Somebody Should Leave" is a heartbreaking depiction of a relationship that has run its course, but is being kept alive by a sense of duty and responsibility. The lyrics are raw and authentic, and Reba McEntire's emotive vocals only serve to underscore the pain that the couple is experiencing.
Line by Line Meaning
It sure gets quiet
The atmosphere becomes silent.
When the kids go to bed
The children fall asleep.
We sit here in the silence
We are silent while sitting.
Putting off what must be said
We avoid mentioning what needs to be addressed.
I read a book you watch TV
I engage in literature while you entertain yourself with television.
As our love dies quietly
Our affection for each other fades away silently.
I'm so sad I don't know what I just read
I feel so sorrowful I cannot remember what I just read.
Somebody should leave
One of us should depart.
But which one should it be
Which person should be the one to go?
You need the kids and they need me
You require the children while they depend on me.
Somebody should leave
One of us should depart.
But we hate to give in
We don't want to surrender.
We keep hoping somehow we might need each other again
We still believe there is a chance we will require each other again someday, in some way.
You say goodnight and turn and face the wall
You bid me goodnight and turn away, facing the wall.
We lie here in the darkness and the tears start to fall
We remain in bed, crying in the darkness.
If it was only you and me goodbye might come more easily
Saying farewell would be more straightforward if it was just the two of us.
But what about those babies down the hall
However, we must think about the children in the other room.
Somebody should leave
One of us should depart.
But which one should it be
Which person should be the one to go?
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: HARLAN HOWARD, CHICK RAINS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Drops of Jupiter
Ahh the calming sounds of being a child and hearing grandma play some Reba idk but country music always helped me process my emotions when I had no one else to teach me 💜 anyways reba is another legend for the books 📚 ✌🏼✌🏼
tamversuschris
My grandma got me to love Reba as well!
Joseph Bowers
That’s exactly right. ❤️
Joseph Bowers
When I listened to Reba in the car with my Mother everything was right in the world.
Daniel Hill
Great performance of one of her biggest and most important hits. This hit really paved the way for Whoever's In New England to lift her career to an even higher level.
Bill Somrak
The first time I heard this song .. I cried. Now, over 30 years later .. I still cry at the emotion of the song. Thank you Reba for touching so many people's hearts!
Venita Sheppard
Such a tiny lady but a beautiful and powerful voice. Love this lady 👍🏻👍🏻👏👏💕🙏
Wendy Moore
Reba McEntire shameful……
Wendy Ramirez
Such a beautiful song ❤️🎶Reba has such a beautiful voice I love ❤️ all her music amazing lady amazing country music 🎶 and a amazing singer 🎤God bless you Reba !!🎶
KeithB Bliss
Music that moved you to the depth of your soul!