Shania Twain is known as the one of the best-selling female artists in the history of country music and one of the best-selling musical artists of all time. Throughout the '90s and early 2000s, Twain enjoyed an incredibly successful career in country and pop music, and the height of her career all started with "You're Still the One" from her 2x-Diamond-Certified album, Come On Over.
Prior to releasing Come On Over in 1997, Twain had seen success in country music with hits like "Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under?," "Any Man of Mine," "Don't Be Stupid (You Know I Love You)" and more, but "You're Still the One" served to be the turning point which made Twain the massive, crossover star we know today. Released as the third single from the album in 1998, "You're Still the One" is a passionate love song that celebrates the longevity of a relationship that beat the odds and proved the critics wrong.
"Looks like we made it / Look how far we've come, my baby / We mighta took the long way / We knew we'd get there someday / They said, 'I bet they'll never make it' / But just look at us holding on / We're still together, still going strong," Twain sings in the first chorus.
The song was written by Twain and then-husband and music producer/songwriter Robert John Lange (or Mutt Lange), whom she married in 1993. According to Twain, the couple often worked on songs separately and then brought them together, and on the day they wrote "You're Still the One," magic happened.
"As I sang the chorus melody repeatedly while working out the lyrics, he kicked in with the counter line, 'You're still the one,' and it gave me chills," Twain wrote in her autobiography, From This Moment On (quote via The Boot). "All of a sudden we had a hit chorus. It was a magic moment."
Not only did Twain and Lange write the song together, but it's said the song was written about their relationship and the criticism it received in its early days. Twain and Lange were divorced in 2010 after he allegedly had an affair with Twain's best friend (Twain is now married to that friend's ex-husband, Frédéric Thiébaud), but the singer still calls the song "one of my favorite songs I've ever written."
Writing honestly about their relationship at the time proved to be successful for Twain and Lange, as "You're Still the One" became her first massive crossover hit and paved the way for the rest of Twain's high-flying career. The tune topped the US Country chart and the Adult Contemporary chart; it landed at No. 4 on the Mainstream Top 40 chart and on various other charts all over the world. It also spent nine weeks at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and made an appearance on many other year-end charts. "You're Still the One" was nominated for four Grammy Awards in 1999 and won the awards for Best Country Song and Best Female Country Vocal Performance. The singer lost Record of the Year and Song of the Year to Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On."
Beyond all the accolades and awards the song received, it most of all established Twain as a force in both the country and pop genres. This song opened the door for the height of Twain's career, which included hits like "From This Moment On," "Honey, I'm Home," "That Don't Impress Me Much," "Man! I Feel Like A Woman," "You've Got A Way," and more. Fans may also remember the song's official music video, which featured Twain singing the tune on a beach. Today, the song continues to be one of Twain's greatest hits and has been covered by many artists. Musicians that have released or performed cover versions of the song include Prince, Roper, Harry Styles with Kacey Musgraves, and more.
Most recently, Shania Twain joined Harry Styles onstage to duet the song at the music festival Coachella.
'You're Still the One' Lyrics:
And the first time you touched me, I felt love
And after all this time
You're still the one I love
Look how far we've come, my baby
We mighta took the long way
We knew we'd get there someday
But just look at us holding on
We're still together, still going strong, mm
The one that I belong to
You're still the one I want for life
(You're still the one)
You're still the one that I love
The only one I dream of
You're still the one I kiss goodnight
We beat the odds together
I'm glad we didn't listen
Look at what we would be missin'
But just look at us holding on
We're still together, still going strong
You're still the one I run to
The one that I belong to
You're still the one I want for life
(You're still the one)
You're still the one that I love
The only one I dream of
You're still the one I kiss goodnight
You're still the one I run to
The one that I belong to
You're still the one I want for life, oh yeah
(You're still the one)
You're still the one that I love
The only one I dream of
You're still the one I kiss goodnight
Look how far we've come, my baby
READ MORE: The 15 Best Shania Twain Songs, Ranked
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This article was originally published in April of 2021.
