Some yacht rock songs can’t help but put you in a positive state of mind. “Still the One,” the 1976 hit by the band Orleans, certainly fits into this category. The song went to No. 5 on the charts, and would prove to be the biggest hit in the band’s history.
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What is the song about? What prompted the topic of the song? And how did Orleans come together in the first place? Let’s look back at “Still the One,” a chipper love song that’s perfect for long-time relationship partners.
Orleans or Bust
Orleans took its name from its influences, not its origin of location. The core trio of John Hall, Larry Hoppen, and Wells Kelly knew each other from nearby areas in upstate New York. All three were active in the music scene and crossed paths on various projects before deciding to form their own unit.
By the time Orleans released the 1976 album Waking and Dreaming, they were a five-piece, with bassist Lance Hoppen (Larry’s brother) and drummer Jerry Marotta joining the fold. But there were fits and starts in the time between when they formed and reached that point, with a few lineup changes and a record deal that came and went.
The band hit their stride when they joined up with producer Chuck Plotkin and Asylum Records. “Dance with Me,” a song they had recorded once before, was rejuvenated on their 1975 album Let There Be Music and went to the Top 10. That set the tone for “Still the One” the following year.
A Husband-and-Wife Collaboration
John Hall’s then-wife Johanna was a journalist who began helping her husband out with lyrics for Orleans songs. She was responsible for the lyrics to “Dance with Me.” In the case of “Still the One,” it was a prompt from a friend that got the ball rolling for her, as explained by John Hall in the liner notes for the band’s greatest hits CD:
“A friend of ours was going through a divorce and asked Johanna (Hall’s wife and lyricist) to write a song about a couple staying together. So she did, and she handed me the finished lyric on the back of an envelope and said, ‘Do you think you can do anything with this?’ I wrote the music to it in 10 minutes, which was a good sign.”
The band initially wasn’t sure about “Still the One” as a potential single, but producer Plotkin immediately heard it as a winner. He turned out to be right a couple of times over. In 1977, veteran country music singer Bill Anderson put out a version that made it into the Top 20 on the country charts.
What is the Meaning of “Still the One”?
Larry Hoppen sung the energetic lead vocal on “Still the One,” a song that earns its goodwill by not overselling its main point. The song wouldn’t have worked quite as well if the narrator had claimed everything had always been wonderful in the long love affair that’s being celebrated.
Instead, the narrator admits there are rough patches: We’ve been together since way back when / Sometimes I never want to see you again. He also talks about the times when he took her for granted: I looked at your face every day / But I never saw it ‘til I went away. Much of the song is given over to the refrain of You’re still the one, followed by all the different reasons he chose her in the first place, and keeps choosing her as the years pass.
We’re still having fun / And you’re still the one, sing the members of Orleans in buoyant harmonies. “Still the One” lives up to its name by wearing its affection so well throughout the years and enchanting those couples out there who have stuck it out and feel as much love for each other as they ever did.
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Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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