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 Greatest Man I Never Knew
Reba McEntire Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
and ev'ry day we said hello but never touched at all.
He was in his paper. I was in my room.
How was I to know he thought I hung the moon?
The greatest man I never knew came home late ev'ry night,
He never had to much to say. Too much was on his mind.
I never really knew him, oh and now it seems so sad.
Then the days turned into years, and the mem'ries to black and white.
He grew cold like an old winter wind blowing across my life.
The greatest words I never heard I guess I'll never hear.
The man I thought could never die has been dead almost a year.
Oh, he was good at bus'ness but there was bus'ness left to do.
He never said he loved me. Guess he thought I knew.
In Reba McEntire's song, "The Greatest Man I Never Knew," the singer reflects on her relationship with her father, whom she calls the greatest man she never knew. She explains that while they had daily interactions that included greetings and cordial exchanges, they never developed a deeper connection, despite living in the same house. She reveals that her father, a hardworking and successful businessman, never expressed his emotions and was not able to form a close bond with his family, even though he provided for them financially. As time passes, the singer realizes that her memories of her father are fading, and he becomes a distant figure in her life, much like the old winter wind that blows through her memories.
The song's poignant lyrics explore themes of the pain that comes from unexpressed emotions and missed opportunities for connection, bring to life the universal struggles in parent-child relationships, especially between fathers and daughters. The song is a reminder of how important it is to appreciate the people in our lives and to nurture our relationships with them while they are still around.
Line by Line Meaning
The greatest man I never knew lived just down the hall,
The person who had the most significant influence on my life was someone I barely knew, who happened to live near me.
and ev'ry day we said hello but never touched at all.
Although we acknowledged each other's presence, we never had any substantial conversations or interactions with one another.
He was in his paper. I was in my room.
When we were in each other's vicinity, we were distracted by our own passions or distractions, which prevented us from forming a connection.
How was I to know he thought I hung the moon?
Despite our lack of communication, he had a deep admiration for me that I had no idea about.
The greatest man I never knew came home late ev'ry night,
The person who had the greatest impact on me was absent from my life due to his demanding work schedule.
He never had to much to say. Too much was on his mind.
When he was around, he was often silent because he was preoccupied with his own thoughts and worries.
I never really knew him, oh and now it seems so sad.
Looking back, I realize that I didn't truly understand who he was as a person, and that realization brings me sorrow.
Ev'rything he gave to us took all he had.
The sacrifices he made in his personal life, including his relationships with loved ones, were all in service of providing for his family.
Then the days turned into years, and the mem'ries to black and white.
As time passed, my recollections of him lost their vibrancy and detail, becoming more faded and monochromatic.
He grew cold like an old winter wind blowing across my life.
Over time, he became more distant and emotionally removed from me, like a chilling gust of wind that swept through my existence.
The greatest words I never heard I guess I'll never hear.
There were meaningful, significant and loving words that he never shared with me and now, unfortunately, never will be able to.
The man I thought could never die has been dead almost a year.
I had always perceived him as a strong, resilient person, but he passed away unexpectedly and nearly a year had passed without me realizing it.
Oh, he was good at bus'ness but there was bus'ness left to do.
Although he was a successful businessman, he had unfinished work or affairs in his personal life that remained incomplete.
He never said he loved me. Guess he thought I knew.
He never vocalized his affection or adoration for me, but maybe he assumed that his actions spoke louder than words and already expressed his love, which now I know was heartbreaking for me.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: LAYNG JR. MARTINE, RICHARD C LEIGH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind