Orleans – Still the One

Orleans – Still the One

‘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, which reached No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100.

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 have a long-lasting relationship ("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.

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". 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. 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."

In 1977, ‘Still The One’ was used as a jingle by the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) to promote the 1977-78 television season, and again in the 1979-80 television season, when the network was the highest rated in the country. 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." 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.

Label – Asylum
Songwriters – Johanna Hall, John Hall
Producer – Chuck Plotkin

SONG LYRICS

[Verse 1]
We've been together since way back when
Sometimes I never want to see you again
But I want you to know, after all these years
You're still the one I want whispering in my ear
 
[Chorus]
You're still the one I want to talk to in bed
Still the one that turns my head
We're still having fun and you're still the one
 
[Verse 2]
I looked at your face every day
But I never saw it 'til I went away
When winter came, I just wanted to go (Wanted to go)
Deep in the desert, I longed for the snow
 
[Chorus]
You're still the one that makes me laugh
Still the one that's my better half
We're still having fun and you're still the one
 
You're still the one that makes me strong
Still the one I want to take along
We're still having fun and you're still the one
Yes, you are
 
Ooh
Ooh
 
[Bridge]
Changing, our love is going gold
Even though we grow old, it grows new
 
[Chorus]
You're still the one that I love to touch
Still the one and I can't get enough
We're still having fun and you're still the one
 
You're still the one who can scratch my itch
(You're) Still the one that I wouldn't switch
We're still having fun and you're still the one
 
You are still the one that makes me shout
Still the one that I dream about
We're still having fun and you're still the one
 
You are still the one
You're still the one
We're still having fun and you're still the one
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