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.
The Bridge You Burn
Reba McEntire Lyrics
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But not for the reason you think
There'll come a day girl that you're gonna want it
To light the past up in flames
He's the lesson you learn
He's the dead end you see when you realize you made a wrong turn
He's that one last look back when you finally get over the hurt
He's the bridge you burn
No you're not the first one to think they can change him
Well that line of fools is so long
But you'll be the only one you have to blame when
You wake up and he's gone
He's the lesson you learn
He's the dead end you see when you realize you made a wrong turn
He's that one last look back when you finally get over the hurt
He's the bridge you burn, burn down
Then you turn around and say
Man that was a close one
He's the lesson you learn
He's the dead end you see when you realize you made a wrong turn
He's the lesson you learn
He's that one last look back when you get over the hurt
He's the bridge you burn
He's the bridge you burn
Yeah he's the bridge you burn
He's the bridge you burn
Burn it down girl
In Reba McEntire's song "The Bridge You Burn," the lyrics aim to tell the story of a woman who is stuck in a cycle of trying to change a man who has ultimately proven he cannot be changed. The first verse talks about how the singer should hold onto a matchbook with this man's number on it, not to call him, but to eventually use it to set the past ablaze. The man is described as someone who is going to lead the woman to understand the lesson that some people cannot be changed.
The second verse dives into the common trope of believing that one can change someone who is not up for change. The woman is warned that she is not the first, nor will she be the last, to think she can change this man, but she will be the only one to blame when he ultimately disappoints her. The chorus repeats that this man is the "bridge you burn," representing the connection to the past and the cycle the singer has been in. The song ends with the woman finally seeing the light and saying, "that was a close one."
The song is a familiar storyline, but what sets it apart is Reba McEntire's powerhouse voice and delivery. The lyrics are straightforward and easy to understand, but Reba's performance gives the song a depth that makes it an emotional listening experience.
Line by Line Meaning
Better hang on to that matchbook with his number on it
Keep his number, but not to call him, to use to set fire to the past
But not for the reason you think
The reason you're keeping his number is not because you want to call him again
There'll come a day girl that you're gonna want it
Someday, you'll want to forget and move on, and that matchbook will come in handy
To light the past up in flames
You'll use it to burn the bridge between you and him, so you can move forward
No you're not the first one to think they can change him
Many women have thought they could change him, but none have succeeded
Well that line of fools is so long
The queue of women who've tried to change him is very long
But you'll be the only one you have to blame when
You should know better not to try changing him, and if he leaves, it'll be your fault for believing you could change him
You wake up and he's gone
He will eventually leave, and you'll regret trying to change him
Then you turn around and say
After he's gone, you'll realize how close you came to getting your heart completely broken
Man that was a close one
That was a close call
He's the lesson you learn
He's a learning experience
He's the dead end you see when you realize you made a wrong turn
He's the final stop on a road that you should never have taken
He's that one last look back when you finally get over the hurt
You'll remember him when you finally move on and get over the pain he caused
He's the bridge you burn
He's the connection you need to sever to truly move on
Burn it down girl
Get rid of the connection to him and never look back
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: WENDELL MOBLEY, NEIL THRASHER, TONYL MARTIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind