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.
Wrong Night
Reba McEntire Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Said I wasn't gonna do it.
No how.
No sir.
No way.
I wouldn't give my heart up.
Gonna keep my guard up.
And save it for another day. Then you walked in with that crazy grin.
And everything I swore before got lost in your eyes.
And flew right out the door.
[Chorus]
Suddenly I heard love songs.
Playing real soft on the jukebox.
Somebody ordered up moonlight.
And painted stars all across the sky.
Is it gravity or destiny.
Either way there's nothing I can do.
Looks like I picked the wrong night.
Not to fall in love with you.
I briefly resisted but my heart insisted.
It was gonna be giving in.
Hard as I was trying there was no denying.
Which one of us would win.
You came up beside me and asked if I'd be wantin' to have dance.
And right then I knew.
This thing was out of my hands.
[Chorus: x2]
In "Wrong Night," Reba McEntire tells a story about a woman who is determined not to fall in love. She has set her mind to it and is very clear that she won't give her heart up, even when she meets someone new who could potentially change her mind. However, the moment the man walks in with a "crazy grin," everything she has sworn before gets lost in his eyes, and she finds herself falling for him. The chorus of the song talks about how suddenly she hears love songs playing softly on the jukebox and how it seems like destiny or gravity is making her fall for him.
The lyrics of "Wrong Night" showcase the inner turmoil of the singer as she tries to resist the temptation of falling in love. Despite trying her best, she finds herself giving in to the attraction and allowing herself to enjoy the moment. The song speaks to the universal experience of falling for someone unexpectedly and being unable to resist the pull of love.
Line by Line Meaning
I set my mind to it.
I was determined not to fall in love with you.
Said I wasn't gonna do it.
I explicitly announced my intention not to give my heart up to anyone.
No how.
Under no circumstance whatsoever.
No sir.
No, thank you, not interested.
No way.
Absolutely impossible.
I wouldn't give my heart up.
I wasn't going to let anyone get close to my heart.
Gonna keep my guard up.
I intended to protect myself from love and heartbreak.
And save it for another day.
I planned to keep my heart in reserve for some future occasion.
Then you walked in with that crazy grin.
But then you came in, looking so happy and joyful.
And everything I swore before got lost in your eyes.
And suddenly, all my resolve disappeared when I looked into your eyes.
And flew right out the door.
My determination flew away immediately.
Suddenly I heard love songs.
Then I heard songs about love playing softly in the background.
Playing real soft on the jukebox.
The jukebox was playing love songs, barely audible.
Somebody ordered up moonlight.
It felt like someone had just ordered up a romantic atmosphere with the moonlight.
And painted stars all across the sky.
The stars in the sky seemed to have aligned themselves in the perfect positions.
Is it gravity or destiny.
I couldn't decide whether it was a force of nature or destiny that brought us together.
Either way there's nothing I can do.
Regardless of the reason, it was clear that there was nothing I could do to stop myself from falling in love.
Looks like I picked the wrong night.
It seems like the night I swore off love was not the right choice.
Not to fall in love with you.
Especially not to fall in love with you, but I did anyway.
I briefly resisted but my heart insisted.
I resisted the urge to fall in love, but my heart was stronger.
It was gonna be giving in.
I knew I was going to give in eventually.
Hard as I was trying there was no denying.
No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't resist the attraction.
Which one of us would win.
It was a battle between my mind and my heart as to which decision would be made.
You came up beside me and asked if I'd be wantin' to have dance.
Then you came up to me and asked if I wanted to dance.
And right then I knew.
In that moment, I knew that I was powerless against falling in love with you.
This thing was out of my hands.
The situation was beyond my control, and my heart had already made the decision for me.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JOSH LEO, RICHARD MORGAN BOWLES, RICK BOWLES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind