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.
Starting Over Again
Reba McEntire Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Daddy sold the house
They split up the money
And went on their own way
And all the kings horses
And all the kings men
couldn't put mama and daddy back together again
Starting over again
Where should they begin
'Cause they never been out on their own
Starting over again
Where do you begin
When your dreams are all shattered
and the kids are all grown
And the whole world cries
He got an apartment
She moved in with her sisters
He's schemin' big deals with one of his friends
While she sits at home sortin' out pieces
Of left over memories from thirty odd years
Starting over again
Where do you begin
When you've never been out on your own
Starting over again
Never any end
What will the neighbors say
They're talking talk it's small town news
They're fifty years old wrecking up a happy home
And this far down the roadYou find yourself alone
Two fools
Starting over again
Where do you begin
When you've never been out on your own
Starting over again
Never any end
When your dreams are all shattered
and the kids are all grown
And all the kings horses
And all the kings men
couldn't put mama and daddy back together again
The lyrics of Reba McEntire’s song “Starting Over Again” describe the struggles and challenges that come with trying to rebuild a life after a marriage has ended. The opening lines indicate that the singer’s parents have recently gone through a divorce, with Mama moving out and Daddy selling the house. The lines “And all the kings horses / And all the kings men / couldn’t put mama and daddy back together again” use a well-known nursery rhyme to convey the idea that even though the children might have hoped for reconciliation, it was ultimately not possible.
The song then shifts to focus on the challenges that the parents face as they attempt to move on. The repeated line “Starting over again / Where do you begin” conveys a sense of overwhelming uncertainty and confusion, as the parents have never been on their own before. Meanwhile, the singer observes that the parents are each struggling in their own way: Daddy is trying to launch a new business venture while Mama is left with nothing but memories of their life together. The lines “What will the neighbors say / They’re talking talk it’s small town news” suggest that the parents are also facing the scrutiny of the community around them, which only adds to their sense of isolation and discomfort.
Overall, the song provides a poignant glimpse into the emotional upheaval that can occur as a result of divorce, as well as the difficulty of rebuilding a life when everything you’ve known is suddenly gone.
Line by Line Meaning
Mama moved out
Reba McEntire sings about her mother leaving the family
Daddy sold the house
Her father sold the family home
They split up the money
The profits from the sale were divided between them
And went on their own way
They went their separate ways and started new lives
And all the kings horses
Despite everyone’s efforts
And all the kings men
And no matter how hard they tried
couldn't put mama and daddy back together again
They couldn't reconcile their differences and get back together
Starting over again
The theme of the song is starting anew
Where should they begin
The singer is unsure of how to start all over again
'Cause they never been out on their own
The parents had always been together and this is the first time they have been without each other
Where do you begin
The singer repeats the question of how to start again
When your dreams are all shattered
Their aspirations and plans have all crumbled
and the kids are all grown
Their children are adults and independent
And the whole world cries
The situation affects everyone, not just the parents
He got an apartment
The father moved into a new place
She moved in with her sisters
The mother went to live with her siblings
He's schemin' big deals with one of his friends
The father is making plans with a friend
While she sits at home sortin' out pieces
The mother is staying at home, going through their possessions
Of left over memories from thirty odd years
Memories from their three decades of marriage are being re-evaluated
Never any end
There is no resolution in sight, no endpoint to their situation
What will the neighbors say
The opinion of others in their community is a worry
They're talking talk it's small town news
Rumours and gossip are easy to spread in a small town
They're fifty years old wrecking up a happy home
The parents are in their fifties and they seemingly destroyed a harmonious household
And this far down the road
At this point in their lives
You find yourself alone
The singer suggests that both parents may end up living solitary lives
Two fools
The two parents are compared to the nursery rhyme characters Humpty Dumpty - who falls down and breaks into pieces - and Jack and Jill - who fall down and hurt themselves
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: GOODMAN, RYLES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@MAAivoges
God bless Donna Summer and her husband Bruce Sudano for writing this beautiful song. RIP Donna!!!
@kristins4494
To anyone who has to start over again, just know that when it's needed, it's needed, and you'll be fine. Sending you love and peace.
@MrUnknown-wf1xf
I have to start over after being with my best friend for 9 yrs, only married for a year unfortunate divorce that I never wanted. Ive tried everything from apologising for hurting, mistakes I've made. She refuses to talk to me despite my love for her. I'm lonely without that person who can accept me for who I am as a person not pass judgment upon me.
@freedom768
Thank you, bless you.
@lindacarbone9576
Back at you love from FL, im not starting over except for with the Lord, peace be with everyone. I agree with the comment .
@melissarosecopeland6551
Thank you. I have done it to many times. I hate it but I found myself again and now I don't want to do it again
@melissarosecopeland6551
@@lindacarbone9576 I'm in Florida as well. And that's what I did as well
@evanpace3179
When I worked at Casablanca Records
as director of A&R and publishing, a song came in, I listened and within four bars I knew it was a hit, written by Donna Summer and her husband, Bruce Sadono.. through Dolly Parton's producer, Gary Klien, Dolly recorded it. ..Then Reba...I am so grateful to these two beautiful women for hearing what I heard ...and the rest of the world did.
@renessarogers1809
Ok
@ninamartinez5171
That's awesome i have family in the industry it's hard work back stage. ❤ Reba