Alan is back with a new track just days before his final concert.
Though many point to George Strait as being the King of country music, there’s always been an argument to be made about Alan Jackson being just as good, if not better, than the Texas legend. Beyond getting his own Alan Jackson Lifetime Achievement Award at the ACMs, he’s a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, along with having won 17 CMA Awards, 19 ACM Awards, 2 Grammy Awards and an incredible 35 #1 singles.
Of course, he’s gearing up for his final concert, a massive event at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee, this Saturday, June 27, that will mark the end of his legendary touring career. To celebrate the living legend, the likes of Strait, Lainey Wilson, Eric Church, Luke Combs, Luke Bryan, Riley Green, Cody Johnson, Carrie Underwood, Miranda Lambert, Keith Urban and more will all make guest appearances throughout the star-studded night.
With the concert just two days away, today, Jackson decided to release a cover of the ’70s pop-rock band Orleans’ hit song, “Still The One,” in honor of his wife, Denise.
In the Instagram post announcing the release of “Still The One,” Jackson dove into why he chose “Still The One” for Denise. As the “Livin’ On Love” singer explained it, when they first started dating back in high school, Denise had a cheerleading routine set to the track. Given the impact of the song in the early days of their relationship, “Still The One” has remained one of their favorite songs that has been, in Alan’s words, “one of our old memories of our starting out days.”
“Fifty years ago, in 1976 [in my] hometown, Newman, Georgia, I started dating this young girl. She was a cheerleader for Newman High School. One day, she went over to her friend’s house — her girlfriend’s house — and I went over and hung out awhile. And she was practicing her dance routine with the cheerleader squad for the football game to a hit song. It had been a hit that summer; it was called ‘Still The One. I think by a group called Orleans.
Anyway, I had sit there and watched her. And three years later, I ended up marrying that young girl. She’s my wife today, Denise. In honor of fifty years ago, this has always been one of our old memories of our starting out days. Every time we hear that song, every now and then, it brings back these memories. So in honor of fifty years this year, I went into the studio and re-recorded that pop song with a little country seasoning on it. And I gave it to her for her birthday, ’cause she’s still the one.”
What results is an incredibly fun rendition of the mid ’70s hit from Orleans. Filled to the brim with fiddle and steel, the living legend truly makes the song his own, with it sounding like a tried and true Alan Jackson track. In particular, his voice sounds just as good as it did two decades ago. Of course, it’s made even more special considering the importance it holds between him and Denise.
At this stage in his career, with his touring days coming to a climatic close on Saturday, you truly cannot ask for a better performance here on “Still The One” for the living legend.
“Still The One”
