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.
Why Can
Reba McEntire Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He tells me over and over that he loves me so
He gives me love that I never got from you
He loves me too
His love is true
But why can't he be you
He never fails to call and tell me I'm on his mind
And he does all the things that you would never do
He loves me too
His love is true
But why can't he be you
Oh he's not the one who dominates my mind and my soul
And I should love him so 'cause he loves me I know
But his kisses leave me cold
He sends me flowers
Calls on the hour
Just to prove his love
And my friends say that when he's around
I'm all he speaks of
And he does all the things that you would never do
He loves me too
His love is true
But why can't he be you
Reba McEntire's song Why Can't He Be You is a heartbreaking tale of a woman in a new relationship who is struggling to forget her previous love. In the song, she describes how her new partner does everything to show his love for her, but his affection cannot fill the void left by her ex-lover. The singer reminisces about the times she used to share with her former partner and how no matter how hard she tries to forget him, she can't seem to do so. Reba tells her new partner that his love is true but still wonders why he can't be her first love. She further explains that even though her current partner does everything right, his kisses fail to move her emotionally.
The song deals with the theme of love and heartbreak, and it is relatable to anyone who has ever suffered a break-up. The song represents the dilemma of many people in a new relationship after experiencing heartbreak. It portrays the aftermath of a broken relationship when one is trying to move on but is finding it challenging to forget the past. Even though the new partner is doing everything to show their love and be faithful, the singer cannot help but compare them to her former lover.
The chorus of the song, "But why can't he be you", captures the emotions of the singer and the frustration of being unable to get what she once had. The lyrics, "He does all the things that you would never do" show how the current lover does everything right but still cannot measure up to the previous lover.
Line by Line Meaning
He takes me to the places you and I use to go
He takes me to the same places that you and I used to go to
He tells me over and over that he loves me so
He repeatedly expresses his love towards me
He gives me love that I never got from you
His love for me is different from what you had given me
He loves me too
He loves me back
His love is true
His love is sincere
But why can't he be you
I wish he could be more like you
He never fails to call and tell me I'm on his mind
He always remembers to call me and let me know that he's thinking about me
And I'm lucky to have such a guy I hear it all the time
People around me keep telling me how lucky I am to have him
And he does all the things that you would never do
He does things for me that you never did
Oh he's not the one who dominates my mind and my soul
He's not constantly on my mind and in my thoughts like you are
And I should love him so 'cause he loves me I know
I know that I should love him back because he loves me
But his kisses leave me cold
His kisses don't make me feel the same as yours did
He sends me flowers
He gives me flowers as a gesture of his love
Calls on the hour
He calls me constantly throughout the day
Just to prove his love
He calls me to show me how much he loves me
And my friends say that when he's around I'm all he speaks of
My friends notice that he talks about me a lot when he's around them
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: HANK COCHRAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jeffj4440
Fantastic video! Thank you for posting!
@suewalker3600
Great job on this Patsy Cline song. Reba was really young here
@grandmahicksvideocollection
Yes she was. Early twenties. Pretty rare stuff.
@marandalawson3604
🇺🇸❤🎉😢
@henilosalimatoa966
Reba McEntire you are and angle 😇🙏🙌 with three 🌟 star 💫 love 💕 you