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.
You Keep Me Hangin
Reba McEntire Lyrics
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Set me free why don't cha babe
Get out my life why don't cha babe
'Cause you don't really love me
You just keep me hangin' on
Set me free why don't cha babe
'Cause you don't really need me
But you keep me hangin' on
Why do you keep a comin' around playing with my heart?
Why don't cha get out of my life and let me make a brand new start?
Let me get over you the way you gotten over me, yeah, yeah
Set me free why don't cha babe
Get out my life why don't cha babe (ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh)
'Cause you don't really love me
You just keep me hangin' on
No, you don't really need me
You just keep me hangin' on
You say although we broke up you still just wanna be friends
But how can we still be friends when seeing you only breaks my heart again
(And there ain't nothing I can do about it)
Whoa, ooh, whoa, ooh, whoa
Whoa, ooh, whoa, ooh, whoa, whoa
Whoa, ooh, whoa, ooh, whoa, whoa
Whoa, ooh, whoa, ooh, whoa,
Yeah, yeah
Get out, get out of my life
And let me sleep at night
'Cause you don't really love me
You just keep me hangin' on
You say you still care for me but your heart and soul needs to be free
And now that you've got your freedom you wanna still hold on to me
You don't want me for yourself so let me find somebody else
Set me free why don't cha babe
Get out my life why don't cha babe (ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh)
'Cause you don't really love me
You just keep me hangin' on
Why don't cha be a man about it and set me free (ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh)
Now you don't care a thing about me
You're just using me, hey, abusing me
Get out, get out of my life
And let me sleep at night (ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh)
'Cause you don't really love me
You just keep me hangin' on (ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh)
Reba McEntire's rendition of "You Keep Me Hangin' On" was released in 1996 as a single from her album What If It's You. The song was originally recorded by The Supremes in 1966 and written by Holland-Dozier-Holland. The lyrics describe a troubled relationship where one person is holding onto the other despite not really loving them. The singer of the song pleads to be set free from the manipulative partner who keeps coming back even after breaking up.
The song's opening lines, "Set me free why don't cha babe, get out my life why don't cha babe," are a direct call to the manipulative partner asking them to leave and let go of the singer. Throughout the song, the singer expresses frustration, confusion, and heartbreak at the situation they are in. The lyrics "You don't want me for yourself so let me find somebody else" is a plea to the partner to stop holding onto them, and let them move on and find someone who truly wants to be with them.
The repeated chorus, "You just keep me hangin' on," is a desperate plea for the partner to stop playing with their emotions and set them free. The song's powerful vocals and lyrics speak to the common struggle of being stuck in a toxic or manipulative relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
Set me free why don't cha babe
Please let me go and move on from this relationship
Get out my life why don't cha babe
Stop coming around and playing with my emotions
'Cause you don't really love me
You are not actually in love with me
You just keep me hangin' on
You are holding onto me for your own benefit
Why do you keep a comin' around playing with my heart?
Why are you still here if you don't really care about me?
Why don't cha get out of my life and let me make a brand new start?
Please leave so I can move on and begin a new chapter
Let me get over you the way you gotten over me, yeah, yeah
Allow me to move on from this relationship just as you have
You say although we broke up you still just wanna be friends
You claim to want friendship but your actions are causing me pain
But how can we still be friends when seeing you only breaks my heart again
I cannot handle seeing you and pretending everything is alright when it is not
No, you don't really need me
You are using me out of convenience rather than necessity
Whoa, ooh, whoa, ooh, whoa
Various exclamations of frustration and emotion
Get out, get out of my life
Leave me alone and let me move on
And let me sleep at night
Don't keep me up at night with your games and presence
You say you still care for me but your heart and soul needs to be free
You claim to care but really just want freedom and independence
And now that you've got your freedom you wanna still hold on to me
You want to have your cake and eat it too, keeping me around while being free
You don't want me for yourself so let me find somebody else
You don't want a real relationship with me, so let me move on and find someone who does
Why don't cha be a man about it and set me free
Take responsibility for your actions and let me go
Now you don't care a thing about me
You've shown your true colors and no longer care about me
You're just using me, hey, abusing me
You are manipulating and taking advantage of me
'Cause you don't really love me
Your actions have shown that you don't truly love me
You just keep me hangin' on
You are keeping me in limbo, unsure of where we stand
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BRIAN HOLLAND, EDWARD HOLLAND, EDWARD JR. HOLLAND, LAMONT DOZIER, LAMONT HERBERT DOZIER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind