Have you ever wondered what it's like to hold a hit record in your hands? I don't mean buying one at the store — I mean finishing a song and knowing that it's going to take you places. The members of the country music group Restless Heart must have known that their song "I'll Still Be Loving You" would rocket them to the top of the charts.
It's a gentle classic country ballad that transcends genre. The public thought so, too — not only did the song go to No. 1 on the Hot Country Songs chart, but it also was a top 40 single on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Larry Stewart, John Dittrich, Paul Gregg, Dave Innis, and Greg Jennings ended up with one of the greatest hits of their careers. Although the band had set out to make a hit, they had never planned on being country music stars.
A Happy Accident
Restless Heart was formed by record producer Tim DuBois as a way to record demos of country singles that he had written. Eventually, however, the band coalesced into its own entity, united by songs that married '80s pop to country music. The band's first album, 1984's Restless Heart, won them three top 10 hits: "I Want Everyone to Cry", "(Back to the) Heartbreak Kid" and "Til I Loved You." However, it wasn't until three years later, when the band released Wheels, that they'd truly hit the big time.
Crossover Success
"I'll Still Be Loving You" was released in January 1987 as the second single from the Wheels, which was released on RCA Nashville. The album enjoyed four consecutive Number One hits on the country charts: "That Rock Won't Roll", "I'll Still Be Loving You", "Why Does It Have to Be (Wrong or Right)," and the title track, "Wheels." "I'll Still Be Loving You" was written by Todd Cerney, Pam Rose, Mary Ann Kennedy, and Pat Bunch. It went to No. 1 on Hot Country Songs for one week and spent 25 weeks on the chart. It was produced by Tim Dubois, Scott Hendricks, and Restless Heart and included "Victim of the Game" on its B-side.
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The single crossed over to the Adult Contemporary chart and won the band recognition on the pop charts. It would be the only country song to have crossed over to the Billboard Hot 100 for five years running until Billy Ray Cyrus' "Achy Breaky Heart" rolled around in 1989. The album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments of 500,000 copies.
Almost 35 years later, "I'll Still Be Loving You" might amuse listeners with its synth-lines, but lyrically it's a simple declaration of love that stands the test of time.
"I'll Still Be Loving You" Lyrics
Changin' my life with your love
Has been so easy for you
And I'm amazed every day
And I'll need you
'Till all the mountains are valleys
And every ocean is dry, my love
I'll be yours
Until the sun doesn't shine
'Till time stands still
Until the winds don't blow
When today is just a memory to me
I know I'll still be loving
I'll still be loving you
I'll still be loving you
Never before did I know
How loving someone could be
Now I can see, you and me
For a lifetime
Until the last moon is rising
You'll see the love in my eyes, my love
I'll be yours
Until the sun doesn't shine
'Till time stands still
Until the winds don't blow
When today is just a memory to me
I know I'll still be loving
I'll still be loving you
I'll be yours
Until the sun doesn't shine
'Till time stands still
Until the winds don't blow
When today is just a memory to me
I know I'll still be loving
I'll still be loving you
I'll still be loving you
I'll still be loving
I'll still be loving you
I'll still be loving
I'll still be loving you
I'll still be loving
I'll still be loving you
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This story was originally published on Aug. 22, 2018.
