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Still the One

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Not to be confused with You're Still the One.
"Still the One"
blue side-A label by Asylum Records
One of side-A labels of the US single
Single by Orleans
from the album Waking and Dreaming
B-side"Siam Sam"
ReleasedAugust 1976
Recorded1975
GenreSoft rock[1]
Length3:54
LabelAsylum
Songwriter(s)Johanna Hall, John Hall
Producer(s)Chuck Plotkin
Orleans singles chronology
"Dance with Me"
(1975) 		"Still the One"
(1976) 		"Reach"
(1977)
Audio
"Still the One" on YouTube

"Still the One" is a song written by Johanna Hall and John Hall, and recorded by the soft rock group Orleans on their album Waking and Dreaming, released in 1976; it reached No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Country singer Bill Anderson recorded and released a successful cover version, peaking at No. 11 on Billboard's Hot Country Singles chart in 1977.

Song lyrics

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The lyrics of the uptempo love song are of someone (as the lyrics were written by a woman and sung by a man, it does not state the gender of the singer or of their beloved) describing their feelings for a person with whom they had and still have, a long-lasting relationship ("We've been together since way back when... Now I want you to know / After all these years"); with trust ("You're still the one / I want whispering in my ears"); that they are close ("You're still the one / I want to talk to in bed"); find them attractive ("Still the one that turns my head"); and of an intimate or sexual nature ("You're still the one / Who can scratch my itch / You're still the one, that I wouldn't switch") and all the reasons why their lover is "Still the One" for whom they have feelings.

Background

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Orleans bass player Lance Hoppen recalls that Johanna Hall wrote the lyrics for "Still the One" after a friend "asked her why somebody couldn't write a song about staying together, as opposed to breaking up"; Johanna Hall wrote the lyrics on an envelope which she then handed to John Hall who Hoppen says "created the music in about fifteen minutes".[2] Johanna Hall's recollection is that the realization that there was a dearth of songs about long-term relationships came to her while she was doing laundry, and that she handed John Hall a napkin on which she'd written the song's lyric.[3] John Hall would recall that "Still the One" was not an automatic choice for lead single from Waking and Dreaming saying rather that "we had several songs that were candidates. We were too close to it to see. Fortunately, our producer, Chuck Plotkin, had a strong feeling about the song."[4]

Record World said that it was a "suitable follow-up to 'Dance with Me'" and that "chiming guitars and confident harmony work are the ingredients to make it happen."[5]

The B-side was a non-album track called "Siam Sam" that was sung by Wells Kelly and composed by both Kelly and songwriter/instrumentalist Chris Myers.

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In 1977, "Still The One" was used as a jingle by the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) to promote the 1977-78 television season,[6] and again in the 1979-80 television season,[7] when the network was the highest rated in the country. A lot of ABC News affiliates used it to promote strong ratings. The lyrics were sometimes adapted for local station promotional advertisements, sometimes awkwardly; e.g. "We're still having fun, Dayton Twenty-Two's the one." ABC made two more versions of the song in 1995 and 2002. The song was used in commercials for Burger King in 1996 and 1997.

The song was also used in adverts and promotions for the Nine Network of Australia from the late 1970s to the mid-2000s, and even though the song only charted at No. 61 in Australia in its original chart run, it is most remembered for its usage by the Nine Network. It was also used at EM TV in Papua New Guinea in the 1980s (at the time owned by the Nine Network), and by Sky Television in the United Kingdom.[8][9] In 2004, the Bush campaign played the song at campaign events until Orleans co-founder (and future Democratic congressman and Bush critic) John Hall commented publicly that the campaign had never received permission to use the song. The campaign later dropped the song from its playlist. Hall expressed similar criticisms when John McCain used the song in his 2008 presidential campaign.[10] A version of the song's chorus was sung at the 2008 Democratic National Convention, following the conclusion of Senator Ted Kennedy's speech.[11]

A remade version of the song has been used to promote Oklahoma City's Riverwind Casino throughout 2018-19.

The original version of the song appears in a 2020 TV commercial for Applebee's.

Charts

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Bill Anderson version

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"Still the One"
Side A of the US retail single
Single by Bill Anderson
from the album Scorpio
B-side"This Ole Suitcase"
ReleasedMarch 1977 (1977-03)
RecordedDecember 13, 1976
Genre
Length3:20
LabelMCA
Producer(s)Buddy Killen
Bill Anderson singles chronology
"Where Are You Going, Billy Boy"
(1977) 		"Still the One"
(1977) 		"I Can't Wait Any Longer"
(1978)

"Still the One" was notably recorded by American country singer-songwriter Bill Anderson. It was released as a single in 1977 via MCA Records and became a major hit the following year.

Anderson's version was recorded on December 13, 1976 in Nashville, Tennessee. The session was produced by Buddy Killen, who recently became Anderson's producer after many years of working with Owen Bradley. Killen would continue producing Anderson until his departure from MCA Records. "Still the One" was the only song recorded during this particular session.[22]

"Still the One" was released as a single by MCA Records in October 1977.[23] The song spent 12 weeks on the Billboard Hot Country Singles before reaching number 11 in June 1977.[24] The song was among Anderson's final major hits as a recording artist. His final top ten hit would be released in 1978, followed by his final top 20 release in 1979.[23] In Canada, the single also reached the top 20, reaching number 13 on the RPM Country Songs chart in 1977.[25] It was Anderson's second single that was a cover version of an original recording. His first was 1969's "But You Know I Love You", which reached the country top 10.[23] It was first released on his 1977 studio album Scorpio, which also included the major hit "Head to Toe".[22]

7" vinyl single

  • "Still the One" – 3:20
  • "This Ole Suitcase" – 4:14

Chart performance

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Chart (1977) Peak
position
Canada Country Songs (RPM)[25] 13
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[26] 11

References

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  1. ^ "VH1's 40 Most Softsational Soft-Rock Songs". Stereogum. SpinMedia. May 31, 2007. Retrieved July 31, 2016.
  2. ^ "Orleans and Friends at Ridgefield Playhouse, folk icon Jonathan Edwards in Newtown". NewsTimes. 2011-09-15. Retrieved 2016-10-11.
  3. ^ Rudetsky, Seth (2016-04-04). "Onstage & Backstage: How Disaster! Plans to Beat the Fundraising Competition in Honor of BC/EFA". Playbill. Retrieved 2016-10-11.
  4. ^ "John Hall Aug 1996, Rocknet Interview". Orleansforever.com. Retrieved 2016-10-11.
  5. ^ "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. July 17, 1976. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-03-04.
  6. ^ "ABC-TV "Still the One" Promos: 1977 and 1979". Retrieved 15 September 2023 – via YouTube.
  7. ^ "ABC 1979 | We're Still the One". Retrieved 15 September 2023 – via YouTube.
  8. ^ "EMTV Promo 1987". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 10 June 2021.
  9. ^ "Sky Advert We're The One". YouTube. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
  10. ^ "Rep. To McCain: Stop using my song! - First Read - MSNBC.com". Archived from the original on 2008-09-22. Retrieved 2011-11-04.
  11. ^ "DNC Tribute and Speech by Sen. Edward Kennedy". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  12. ^ Steffen Hung. "Forum - Top Singles of 1976 (Personal Charts: Your Special Occasion Charts)". Australian-charts.com. Retrieved 2016-10-11.
  13. ^ "RPM Top Singles" (PDF). Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 9 October 1976. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
  14. ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1976-09-11. Retrieved 2018-12-31.
  15. ^ "Flavour of New Zealand, 5 November 1976". Flavourofnz.co.nz. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
  16. ^ a b "Still the One (song by Orleans)". Music VF.com. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
  17. ^ "Top 100 1976-10-16". Cashbox Magazine. Retrieved 2015-07-30.
  18. ^ "RPM Top Singles". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 8 January 1977. Archived from the original on 12 October 2016. Retrieved 2016-10-11.
  19. ^ "Top 100 Hits of 1976/Top 100 Songs of 1976". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 2016-10-11.
  20. ^ "Top 100 Year End Charts: 1976". Cashbox Magazine. Retrieved June 5, 2016.
  21. ^ "Scorpio: Bill Anderson: Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  22. ^ a b Anderson, Bill (April 1977). "Scorpio (Album Information and Liner Notes)". MCA Records.
  23. ^ a b c Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. ISBN 978-0-89820-177-2.
  24. ^ ""Still the One" chart history". Billboard. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  25. ^ a b "Search results for "Bill Anderson" -- Country Singles". RPM. 17 July 2013. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
  26. ^ "Bill Anderson Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
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