Weather | Sports | Forums | Comics | Classifieds | Calendar | Movies
Orleans lets All Children's Hospital rework its signature song, Still the One, for its annual telethon, and the band will entertain Taste of Pinellas with the original version and more.
By DEBORAH HIRSCH
© St. Petersburg Times, published May 30, 2002
ST. PETERSBURG -- The 1976 hit Still the One by the pop band Orleans gets new life -- and some new words -- this weekend as the theme song for the All Children's Hospital telethon.
The new chorus, written by Joel Momberg, executive vice president of All Children's Hospital Foundation: "You're still the one, what a change you make. You're still the one, for All Children's sake. There's much more to be done, and you're still the one."
The lyrics can be heard on radio and TV advertisements, urging people to donate to the hospital. The telethon airs from 8:30 p.m. Saturday to 6:30 p.m. Sunday on WFLA-Ch. 8.
Orleans also will sing the original and new versions during its performance at Taste of Pinellas on Sunday afternoon.
"We're really proud to be involved in this, and we're really happy they're using our song," lead singer Larry Hoppen said. Last November, Momberg asked the song's writers, John and Johanna Hall, for permission to use the melody but modify the words. Hoppen, his brother and keyboardist, Lane, and drummer Charlie Morgan sang the new lyrics at a recording studio in January.
Borrowing a melody for the telethon theme is a first for the hospital. Staff members had written original words and music for the past 18 years.
The new Still the One, Momberg said, "is a pure song written to the people who support All Children's: You're the ones who have helped us keep going."
This is Orleans' second appearance at Taste of Pinellas. It appeared in 1994. In 1995, it had to cancel a scheduled appearance because of rain, but the band set up on a patient floor of All Children's and played "unplugged" for the kids, Momberg said.
Orleans has been together 30 years. The band members, all in their 50s, play about 50 concerts a year.
"We all do a lot of different things, but Orleans has been a common thread through all of our lives," Larry Hoppen said. "It's just one of those things that's got a timeless quality to it, and we're still writing and recording stuff. It's the kind of music that people seem to like for a long time. It's very melodic and intelligent and fun stuff."
After performing at 3:30 p.m. Sunday, Orleans will join America at 5:45 to play the theme song for the close of the telethon broadcast.