Alan Jackson Releases New Song “Still The One” As Gift to Wife
Alan Jackson might be officially retiring in a matter of days when he performs what’s billed as his final concert on June 27th at Nissan Stadium in Nashville. But that doesn’t mean he’s totally out to pasture, or won’t put out any new music. In fact, ahead of his career finale, Mr. Chattahoochee has released a rare cover song, but one that holds important significance for him.
“50 years ago in 1976, in Newnan, Georgia, I started dating this young girl. She was a cheerleader for Newnan High School,” Alan Jackson explains. “And one day, she went over to a friend’s house, a girlfriend’s house, and I went over there and hung out a while, and she was practicing her dance routine for the cheerleeding squad and the football game to a hit song that was a hit that summer called ‘Still The One,’ I think by a group called Orleans.”
Jackson continues, “I sat there and watched her, and three years later, I ended up marrying that young girl. She’s my wife today Denise. So in honor of 50 years ago, this has always been one of our old fond memories of our starting out days. Any time we hear that song, it brings back these memories. So in honor of the 50 years, I went into the studio and recorded that little pop song with some country seasoning, and I gave it to her for her birthday, ’cause she’s still the one.”
Though Alan Jackson wrote most of his own songs, he had some big hits with some covers too, most notably another summer hit in 1994 with his take on “Summertime Blues,” along with “Mercury Blues” in 1993. He also had a Top 10 hit with “Pop a Top” in 1999. Jackson has said just because he’s no longer touring, that doesn’t mean we should never expect him to release new music. Whatever Alan Jackson wants to sing, it’s music to the ears of most an self-respecting country fan. His take on “Still The One” is no different.
In September of 2021, Alan Jackson revealed that he’s been suffering from a degenerative nerve condition called Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, nicknamed CMT. The good news is that the disease is not life threatening, nor does it affect longevity. But CMT does significantly affect coordination, which has restricted Alan Jackson’s ability to perform. That is the reason for his retirement at the age of 67.
June 24, 2026 @ 10:11 pm
Nice cover, I forgot about this song. I do think it’s funny you neglected to mention the other covers of AJ’s that actually topped the charts, It Must Be Love (Don Williams) and Who’s Cheatin’ Who (Charly McClain). Also love his version of Thank God For the Radio that was a hit for The Kendall’s.
June 24, 2026 @ 10:11 pm
Jackson’s had quite a bit of success with covers–some of it quite unexpected.
He had a #2 hit with “Mercury Blues,” and a #1 hit with “Tall Tall Trees,” a rather obscure Roger Miller song from decades earlier.
And he did a whole album of covers in 1999 called “Under the Influence,” that went platinum. I think it was successful because Jackson was able to convey that reallyliked the songs and knew them cold: He wansn’t just doing a covers album because every country and pop singer was. He had three hit singles off that album including a #1 with “It Must Be Love” and a #3 with “Pop a Top,” which had been a big hit in 1967 and the career song for Jim Ed Brown, as a solo act. I’m sure that having that song on the radio again gave a boost to Jim Ed, who was still on the Opry and performing at other places at the time.
June 24, 2026 @ 11:29 pm
Fun cover! Works rather well as a country song. 🙂