Reba Nell McEntire (born on March 28, 1955 - Kiowa, Oklahoma, USA) is a Gra… Read Full Bio ↴Reba Nell McEntire (born on March 28, 1955 - Kiowa, Oklahoma, USA) is a Grammy Award-winning singer and one of the best-selling country music performers of all time, known for her pop-tinged ballads that include 24 #1 hits. She has issued 28 studio albums and 13 compilations, with more than 50 million records sold as of 2007.

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.

Whoever's Watchin'
Reba McEntire Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I'm not wasting my time on earthly longing
Let that glory leave me be
I'm just tasting my life story
Just a page in history

[Chorus]
Whoever's watching
Must be watching over me

Whoever's watching
Must be watching over me

Well I'm not hurting like I used to
I got lucky can't you see
Love came searching
It could choose you
Love's the greatest victory

[Chorus]

I always look to the sky
And held my head high
Had to be what I had to be
Till the day that I die
Yes I wonder why
Somebody's watching
Watching over me

[Chorus]

Well if you know me
You know I've squandered
Everything that's dear to me
Still I stand here in total wonder
How it's all come back to me

[Chorus]

Whoever's watching
Must be watching over me

Overall Meaning

The song "Whoever" by Reba McEntire is a reflection on life, love and spirituality. The lyrics suggest that the singer has moved beyond earthly desires and is content with just living her life one page at a time. She feels like she has been blessed by a higher power and that she is being watched over by someone or something that is safeguarding her every step. The chorus reinforces this feeling of security and the idea that the singer is not alone.

The second verse describes how the singer has been lucky in love and how she feels that love is the ultimate reward in life. She feels like she has been chosen by love and that this love has helped her heal from past hurts. The third verse suggests that even though the singer has made mistakes and has not always done the right thing, she still feels like she is being watched over and that her life has been redeemed.

The song ends with a reiteration of the chorus and the realization that whoever is watching over her, is responsible for bringing her back to where she is today. It is a powerful message of hope and faith that will resonate with anyone who has ever felt lost or alone.

Line by Line Meaning

I'm not wasting my time on earthly longing
I am not spending my precious time chasing material desires

Let that glory leave me be
I don't seek worldly fame or attention

I'm just tasting my life story
I am experiencing my own life journey

Just a page in history
Just a small part of the larger story of humanity

Whoever's watching
Whoever is looking out for me

Must be watching over me
Must be keeping a watchful eye on me

Well I'm not hurting like I used to
I am not in as much pain as I once was

I got lucky can't you see
I am fortunate, it's obvious

Love came searching
Love unexpectedly found me

It could choose you
It could happen to anyone

Love's the greatest victory
Finding love is the ultimate triumph