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.
That's What He Said
Reba McEntire Lyrics
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But that's what he said
That's what he said
And forever is a word
That should mean something
But that's what he said
That's what he said
You're telling me the same sweet things he told me
And in your eyes I see that same sweet glow
And did you say you'd never leave me lonely
Well that's what he said
That's what he said
You're telling me I've got to go on living
To open up my heart and just let go
And it's better to love and lose
Then live with nothing
But that's what he said
That's what he said
That's what he said
That's what he said
The lyrics to Reba McEntire's song "That's What He Said" explore the theme of dishonesty and the promises that people make but don't keep. The song talks about a situation where the singer of the song is being told the same sweet things that someone else had told her before, and questions whether those promises will be kept. The singer mentions that "forever" should mean something, but people use those words without any intention of keeping them. She feels like she's being fed the same lies and empty promises as before.
The singer is encouraged to move on and open up her heart, but she questions whether it's worth it to try again when people don't keep their promises. She is hesitant to trust and hesitant to let go because she has been hurt before. The singer is left with the same words ringing in her ears, but feels like they have lost their value because of how many times she has heard them before. The song sends a powerful message about the importance of keeping promises and being honest with the people you love.
Line by Line Meaning
You tell me that you're always gonna love me
You're making a promise to always love me.
But that's what he said
But someone else made the same promise before.
And forever is a word
The word 'forever' implies a very long time.
That should mean something
And that promise should hold a lot of meaning and weight.
But that's what he said
But someone else made the same promise before.
You're telling me the same sweet things he told me
You're using the same sweet words someone else used with me.
And in your eyes I see that same sweet glow
I recognize the same look of affection in your eyes.
And did you say you'd never leave me lonely
You made a promise to never abandon me.
Well that's what he said
But someone else made the same promise before.
You're telling me I've got to go on living
You're telling me to keep living my life.
To open up my heart and just let go
To be vulnerable and let my guard down.
And it's better to love and lose
It's preferable to experience love and lost than never to have loved at all.
Then live with nothing
Rather than experiencing a life without love.
But that's what he said
But someone else made the same advice before.
That's what he said
Someone else has made similar promises before.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: JANIS CARNES, RICK CARNES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind