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 Really Better Love Me After This
Reba McEntire Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I've changed though since I've been here
I've learned there's more to life
Than your promises
There's someone here
In Colorado
Who won't forget tomorrow
On a bus somewhere in Kansas
Heading home to take my chances
Lord I hope this time you mean
The things you say
I won't say this is the last time
And let you play with my mind
But you really better love me after this
[Chorus]
Cause after all the pain we've been through
After all the chances we blew
Doesn't really mean that much to you
But you really better love me
As the bus pulls in the station
I can see you waiting
And I believe we both forget
What we can't forgive
Now we're holding to each other
I can feel my heart recover
And I know you'll gonna love me after this
Cause after all the pain we've been through
After all the chances we blew
I guess we really mean that much to you
Oh you're really gonna love you
Oh you're really gonna love me
Oh you're really gonna love me
The lyrics to Reba McEntire's song You Really Better Love Me After This depict a woman who has received a letter from her lover while she is in Denver, and she is contemplating the future of their relationship. The singer has changed since her arrival in Denver and has come to realize that life is more than just promises. She warns her lover that there is someone in Colorado who won't forget tomorrow, and he had better love her after this.
The woman is traveling by bus home to her lover, hoping that things will be different this time. She is hesitant to let her lover continue playing with her mind and emotions, but at the same time, she longs for his love. As the bus arrives at the station, she sees her lover waiting for her, and they both forget what cannot be forgiven. Holding each other, the singer can feel her heart recover, and she believes the love they have for each other will endure after all the pain and chances they have let slip away.
The lyrics of the song reveal a complicated relationship that has had its ups and downs. The singer has come to the realization that promises alone are not enough to sustain a relationship. They need action and follow-through, and this is what she demands from her lover. The song also talks about forgiveness and the hope that love will prevail in the end.
Line by Line Meaning
Your letter found me here in Denver
I recieved your letter while I was in Denver
I've changed though since I've been here
The experience has changed me
I've learned there's more to life
I have learnt that life has more to offer than just promises
Than your promises
Promises that were made previously
There's someone here
I've found someone new
In Colorado
In the state of Colorado
Who won't forget tomorrow
Someone who will remember the moments spent here
So you really better love me after this
If you truly love me, you must love me after all that happened
On a bus somewhere in Kansas
I am travelling on a bus somewhere in Kansas
Heading home to take my chances
I am going back home taking chances on what awaits me
Lord I hope this time you mean
I hope you are really sincere this time
The things you say
What you say to me
I won't say this is the last time
I won't say this is the final chance I give you
And let you play with my mind
And let you fool me again
But you really better love me after this
If you truly love me, you must love me after all that happened
[Chorus]
Here comes the chorus
Cause after all the pain we've been through
After all the pain we endured together
After all the chances we blew
After all the chances we missed
Doesn't really mean that much to you
It seems you don't care about it
But you really better love me
If you truly love me, you must love me
As the bus pulls in the station
As the bus reaches the station
I can see you waiting
I can see you waiting for me
And I believe we both forget
I believe we both forget about the past
What we can't forgive
What we can't forgive about each other's actions
Now we're holding to each other
We are holding on to each other
I can feel my heart recover
I can feel like my heart is healing
And I know you'll gonna love me after this
And I know in my heart that you'll love me after all that happened
[Chorus]
Here comes the chorus again
Cause after all the pain we've been through
After all the pain we endured together
After all the chances we blew
After all the chances we missed
I guess we really mean that much to you
I guess we really mean a lot to you
Oh you're really gonna love you
I know you're going to love me
Oh you're really gonna love me
I know you're going to love me
Oh you're really gonna love me
I know you're going to love me
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind