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.
Will He Ever Go Away
Reba McEntire Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
As he headed out the driveway and finally out of my life
Oh I knew he'd soon be miles from my mind
So why should tears start fallin' after all this time
[Chorus]
How can a memory last this long
Will he ever go away
Will he ever go away
How can someone who left so long ago
Still be here with me today
Will he ever go away
Shouldn't I start living my life for myself
Shouldn't it be easy to fall in love with someone else
Oh why should it be his touch I feel in the dark
And will his voice always echo through my heart
[Chorus]
In Reba McEntire's song "Will He Ever Go Away," she reflects on the enduring pain and memories of a past relationship. She describes the moment when her ex-partner leaves her life for good, and how her tears start falling even though she knows he will soon be gone from her mind. The chorus repeats the question of whether this memory will ever fade away, comparing it to the fading of stars. She questions why his touch is still felt in the dark and why his voice echoes in her heart, despite his absence from her life. Reba struggles to move on from this relationship and wonders if she will be forever haunted by the memories of this love long gone.
Line by Line Meaning
On a cool gray morning, I watched with my own eyes
I personally witnessed his departure on a cool, gray morning
As he headed out the driveway and finally out of my life
He was leaving my life for good as he drove out of the driveway
Oh I knew he'd soon be miles from my mind
I was aware that he would soon be completely out of my thoughts
So why should tears start fallin' after all this time
I couldn't understand why I was still crying even though it had been a long time
How can a memory last this long
I wondered how a memory could have such a lasting impact
Will he ever go away
I questioned whether he would ever truly leave my mind
Even the stars burn out and fall
I contemplated how even something as grand as stars can fade away, yet not my memory of him
How can someone who left so long ago
I couldn't understand how someone who had left a long time ago could still have an influence in my life
Still be here with me today
I was puzzled about why he still remained in my heart and mind
Will he ever go away
I repeated my question, still unsure if he would ever truly leave my thoughts
Shouldn't I start living my life for myself
I wondered if it was time for me to focus on my own life and well-being
Shouldn't it be easy to fall in love with someone else
I questioned why it was difficult for me to move on to new love interests
Oh why should it be his touch I feel in the dark
I expressed confusion as to why I still felt the touch of his presence even in darkness
And will his voice always echo through my heart
I pondered whether his voice would still resonate in my heart and mind forever
Will he ever go away
I repeated my question, still uncertain about his departure from my life
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