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.
This Is My Prayer For You
Reba McEntire Lyrics
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No dark alleys, or sudden stops
This is my prayer
This is my prayer for you
Love is calling, starry skies
Always falling, but not for lies
This is my prayer
[Chorus]
May all your sweet dreams go unbroken
May every wish you've ever spoken
Come true
This is my prayer
This is my prayer for you
Celebrations, true blue friends
Revelations, and a heart that mends
This is my prayer
This is my prayer for you
[Chorus]
Arms that welcome, doors opened wide
All your loved ones, gathered by your side
This is my prayer
This is my prayer for you
May all your days be filled with laughter
May all your prayers be quickly answered
This is my prayer
This is my prayer for you
Reba McEntire's song "This Is My Prayer For You" is a touching message of hope and love, set to a soft and soothing melody. Throughout the song, McEntire lists several blessings that she hopes will come to pass for the person she is addressing. She wishes for peaceful valleys, mountaintops without sudden stops, love, starry skies, and true blue friends. She wants this person to experience revelations and to have a heart that mends. She hopes that their arms will always be welcomed, and their doors will be opened wide. Finally, she wishes for all their dreams to come true and for their loved ones to be gathered by their side.
The song is a beautiful expression of the human need for connection, peace, and love. The list of blessings McEntire wishes for the other person is a reminder of how much we all need these things in our lives. The lyrics serve as a reminder to cherish the people and moments in our lives that bring us joy and comfort. It is a call to appreciate the beauty in the world and to always strive for happiness.
Line by Line Meaning
Peaceful valleys, mountaintops
My wish for you is to experience peace and joy in the good times and the bad.
No dark alleys, or sudden stops
I pray that you experience a life free from danger or sudden, unexpected events.
This is my prayer
I offer up my hopes and wishes for you.
This is my prayer for you
All of these things that I am asking for are for you and you alone.
Love is calling, starry skies
May you find love and joy in the beauty of the world around you.
Always falling, but not for lies
May any falls you experience in life be ones of honesty, and not deceit.
May all your sweet dreams go unbroken
I hope that all of your dreams and aspirations become a reality.
May every wish you've ever spoken
I pray that all of your heartfelt desires come to fruition.
Come true
It is my hope that everything you dream and wish for becomes reality.
Celebrations, true blue friends
May you have moments of happiness and friends who are true, caring, and loyal by your side.
Revelations, and a heart that mends
I pray that you find joy in the small things in life and that you have the ability to mend when life gets tough.
Arms that welcome, doors opened wide
May you always feel loved and have a sense of belonging in the world.
All your loved ones, gathered by your side
I pray that the people you love are always close and never far from your heart.
May all your days be filled with laughter
I hope that your life is full of joy and happiness, and that you find reasons to laugh every day.
May all your prayers be quickly answered
I pray that when you reach out for guidance or help, that you are answered quickly and with abundance.
This is my prayer
I offer this up to the universe as a wish for your happiness and wellbeing in your life.
This is my prayer for you
All of these things that I am asking for are for you and you alone.
Lyrics © HIPGNOSIS SONGS GROUP, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ANTHONY M. ARATA, GARY EUGENE SCRUGGS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind