In 1972, Toni Tennille was the co-writer of an ecology-themed musical, Mother Earth. At that time, Daryl Dragon (son of composer Carmen Dragon) was working as a keyboardist for the Beach Boys. When Tennille's show was preparing to move from San Francisco's Marines Memorial Theatre to Southern California's South Coast Repertory, a call was put out for a replacement keyboardist. Dragon was between tours when he heard about the opening, met Tennille in San Francisco to audition, and landed the gig.
Dragon later reciprocated by recommending Tennille to the Beach Boys when the band needed an additional keyboardist, and they hired her. She toured with them for a year, and has since been known as The Beach Boys' one and only "Beach Girl".
Realizing their collaborative potential when the tour was over, Tennille and Dragon began performing as a duo at the now-defunct Smokehouse Restaurant in Encino, California. They started to become popular in the Los Angeles area, and their early version of the Tennille-penned "The Way I Want to Touch You" became popular on a local radio station. This led to a recording contract with A&M Records.
Their first hit single, a rendition of Neil Sedaka's and Howard Greenfield's "Love Will Keep Us Together", reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart nine weeks after its 1975 debut, and went on to win the Grammy Award for Record of the Year. It sold over 1 million copies and was awarded a gold disc by the RIAA on July 1, 1975. Tennille paid tribute to Sedaka in the recording when she sang the overdub "Sedaka is back" at the end of the song. The duo successfully mined the Sedaka songbook a number of times over their chartmaking career. Two of their other hit singles were the Sedaka co-writes "Lonely Night (Angel Face)" and "You Never Done It Like That". Their Spanish recording of "Love Will Keep Us Together", "Por Amor Viviremos", also charted in 1975; it was the first time two versions of the same single charted simultaneously. Tennille and Dragon included renditions of several other Sedaka songs on their albums.
Tennille and Dragon married on November 11, 1975 (not on Valentine's Day 1974, as is often erroneously reported, for example, on the February 14, 1976 edition of Casey Kasem's American Top 40).
Over the next few years, Captain and Tennille released a string of hit singles mostly from their first two albums Love Will Keep Us Together (US #2, 1975) and Song Of Joy (US #9, 1976) including "The Way I Want to Touch You" (US #4), "Lonely Night (Angel Face)" (US #3), "Shop Around" (US #4), and "Muskrat Love" (US #4).
In July 1976, they were invited by First Lady Betty Ford to perform in the East Room of the White House in the presence of Queen Elizabeth II and President Gerald Ford during the country's bicentennial celebration. After a long journey, the Queen fell asleep during their show.
Such was the level of their popularity that they were given their own television variety show. The Captain and Tennille TV show aired from September 1976 to March 1977 on ABC. It featured musical numbers and comedy sketches performed with various guest stars. However, despite solid ratings success, the duo wanted to focus on their music and touring career and, after one season, asked to be released from their contract.
The duo's third album Come in from the Rain (US #18, 1977) produced three singles: "Can't Stop Dancing" (US #13), the title track (US #61), and "Circles", which did not chart. A&M Records later released a Greatest Hits album (1977) which peaked at #55 on the US Top 200.
The duo released their fourth studio album Dream (US #131, 1978), although their first single "I'm on My Way" (US #74) failed to become a hit. However, their second single, and third Sedaka title, "You Never Done It Like That," fared much better at #10. A third single was "You Need a Woman Tonight" (US #40). Dream would be the last Captain and Tennille studio album released by A&M.
In 1979, Neil Bogart signed them to a contract on his Casablanca Records label. The album Make Your Move (US #23, 1979) rose much higher on the chart than the act's previous release, and the first single "Do That to Me One More Time" reached the summit on February 16, 1980, becoming their second #1 single. However, subsequent singles "Love on a Shoestring" (US #55) and "Happy Together (A Fantasy)" (US #53) only achieved minimal success.
Keeping Our Love Warm (1980) was the duo's second Casablanca release, and sixth studio album overall, but failed to crack the Top 200. The first single from this album, the title track, was performed live (although lip synced) during the 1980 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
During the duo's period of highest popularity, Tennille also worked as a session singer (most frequently partnered with The Beach Boys' Bruce Johnston), performing as a backing vocalist on the Elton John albums Caribou, Blue Moves, and 21 at 33 (some vocally arranged by Dragon) and most notably on the hit track "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me". She also appeared as a backing vocalist on tracks by Art Garfunkel and The Beach Boys, as well as Pink Floyd for whom she performed backing tracks on The Wall album.
In the liner notes of the Captain & Tennille anthology Ultimate Collection: The Complete Greatest Hits, Tennille explains how her work on Pink Floyd's album gained her at least one new fan:
I went to see the Pink Floyd concert at the Sports Arena in Los Angeles. There was a 15-year-old boy sitting in front of me who recognized me. He turned around and snottily said, 'What are YOU doing here?' So I told him I sang on the album. He ran off to find a friend who had brought the LP to the show, and looked at the back to see if my name was really on there. A few minutes later, he came back and apologetically said, 'Can I have your autograph?'
Toni Tennille hosted her own syndicated television talk show from September 1980 to January 1981.
Throughout the 1990s, they continued to perform various concert dates at venues around the world, frequently at Harrah's Lake Tahoe and Harrah's Reno, which were located close to their home near Carson City, Nevada. One of their more notable appearances in that decade occurred when they played at the House of Blues on the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles in 1995, as part of their 20th anniversary as an act.
At the same time throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Tennille enjoyed a second career as a big band and pop standard singer, not unlike pop colleague Linda Ronstadt. She performed with orchestras throughout the country and subsequently recorded several solo albums including Mirage Records' More Than You Know (1984), and All of Me on Gaia Records in 1987.
In 1999, on Cartoon Network, the duo made a guest appearance, interviewed by Harvey Birdman, rather than Space Ghost (who is sent to jail and breaks out) in an episode of Space Ghost Coast to Coast.
In 2001, on the popular television series, Friends, the duo was referenced in "The One With Joey's Award."
Toni Tennille also enjoyed a year as the star of the Broadway tour of Victor/Victoria. At the end of that project, she and Dragon were to have embarked on a 25th anniversary tour; however, the stresses of the road proved too demanding and Captain & Tennille instead put an indefinite hold on their career as a performing duo. Nevertheless, Captain & Tennille's popularity remained evident in the release of their Ultimate Collection: The Complete Hits on Hip-O Records (a subsidiary of Universal Records) in 2001, and More Than Dancing... Much More, a 2002 compact disc. The latter contains what was originally their final album in 1982, More Than Dancing, which at that time was released only in Australia, and is combined with selected tracks from their 1995 20 Years of Romance, originally on K-Tel (re-recording of their songs, and cover versions of others), as well as five newly released tracks.
In November 2003, Tennille performed a benefit concert for the Reno, Nevada Chamber Orchestra, where her surprise guest was Dragon. It was the first time they had publicly performed as Captain & Tennille in many years. Their first live recording, An Intimate Evening with Toni Tennille, was released to commemorate the event.
In 2005, Brant Berry, the vice president of a small Portland, Oregon–based entertainment company, Respond 2 Entertainment (R2), signed an agreement with Captain & Tennille to release three projects. The first was the home video release of Captain & Tennille's 1976 variety series, on a three-disc DVD set containing 11 complete episodes with bonus musical tracks. Second, R2 re-released all six of their albums, both from the original A&M and Casablanca labels, on newly remastered CDs. Several of the CDs were previously available only in Japan. The new CDs, packaged both as individual CDs and in a box set, contained new liner notes written by Tennille.
Third, a new recording by Captain & Tennille was released—a three-song Christmas CD entitled Saving Up Christmas. This effort was followed by The Secret of Christmas released on Captain & Tennille's own label, Purebred Records, on November 1, 2006. It was Captain & Tennille's first complete original album produced in more than a decade, and their first-ever Christmas album.
Tennille returned to the UK airwaves and to club play when the band Bent sampled a small portion of her vocals from Captain & Tennille's 1979 track, "Love on a Shoestring" (from the album Make Your Move), into their "Magic Love" single in 2003. An Ashley Beedle remix of the single heightened the danceability of the original ambient track.
In October 2006, Cartoon Network's animated special Casper's Scare School was aired. The duo recorded two songs for the film, and voiced the dialog for the characters who sang the songs. Tennille portrayed Aunt Belle and the Captain was Uncle Murray, who together formed a two-head-on-one-body being known as the Ankle. The two songs they performed, "Why Does Love Make Me Feel So Good" and "World Without Fear," were written by Magnus Fiennes. Captain & Tennille's co-stars on the show included Phyllis Diller, James Belushi, Dan Castellaneta, and Bob Saget.
In 2007, three new DVDs were released of Captain & Tennille's ABC TV specials: Captain & Tennille in Hawaii, Captain & Tennille in New Orleans, and Captain & Tennille Songbook.
Dragon and Tennille spent most of the 1990s and 2000s living in the Carson City area of Nevada, where they had lived for more than fifteen years, and where Tennille served as Ambassador for the Arts for the state. In the mid-2000s, they temporarily took year-round residence at their second home, located in the Palm Springs area of Southern California. In 2008 they sold their home near Carson City, and built a house and settled down in Prescott, Arizona, where Tennille participates in the annual Prescott Jazz Summit.
Wedding Song
Captain & Tennille Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Rest assured this troubadour is acting on his part
The union of your spirits here has caused him to remain
For whenever two or more of you are gathered in his name
There is love, there is love
Well a man shall leave his mother, and a woman leave her home
They shall travel on to where the two shall be as one
A woman draws her life from man and gives it back again
And there's love, there is love
And then what's to be the reason for becoming man and wife
Is it love that brings you here or love that gives you life
For if loving is the answer then who's the giving for
Do you believe in something that you've never seen before
Oh there's love, there is love
And then what's to be the reason for becoming man and wife
Is it love that brings you here or love that gives you life
For if loving is the answer then who's the giving for
Do you believe in something that you've never seen before
Oh there's love, there is love
The Captain & Tennille's "Wedding Song" is a beautiful love song that affirms the power of love and the sacredness of a marriage. The song represents the singer or troubadour as the representative of love, who has come to bless the union of two souls. The song begins by establishing an aura of hope and calmness that surrounds everyone gathered at the wedding. The troubadour has come to join the union of two spirits, and it is his duty to make sure that this love remains everlasting.
The second verse shows that as much as love brings two individuals together, it also requires them to move away from their past lives. The verse sheds light on the idea that a man leaves his mother and a woman her home to travel to a new place where they shall become one. The bridge then raises the question of the purpose of marriage. The reason behind two people of the opposite sex coming together in the bond of marriage is questioned. Is it love that brings them here or love that gives them life? Or do they believe in something that they have never seen before?
The song is a classical take on romance, love, and marriage. It encourages the listener to believe in an impactful symbol of human bonding under the celebration of love. The lyrics show the importance of staying committed, and the power of love to move mountains in relationships. The song is a perfect representation of love, which is powerful, graceful, and life-changing.
Line by Line Meaning
He is now to be among you at the calling of your hearts
The singer believes that the person they're singing about has been placed among the listeners by fate.
Rest assured this troubadour is acting on his part
The singer is confirming that the person they're singing about is fulfilling their destiny by being present.
The union of your spirits here has caused him to remain
The singer is hinting that the person they're singing about is drawn to the gathering because the unified spirits of those present hold a powerful attraction for them.
For whenever two or more of you are gathered in his name
The singer is making a reference to a Bible passage (Matthew 18:20) and suggesting that the person they're singing about is present because of the power of faith and shared belief.
There is love, there is love
The singer is emphasizing the presence and power of love at the gathering and the importance of recognizing it.
Well a man shall leave his mother, and a woman leave her home
The singer is acknowledging the tradition of leaving one's family to start a new life together as a married couple.
They shall travel on to where the two shall be as one
The singer is suggesting that the couple will journey together towards becoming unified as one entity.
As it was in the beginning and is now until the end
The singer suggests that this cycle of life, love, and togetherness has been ever-present and will continue indefinitely.
A woman draws her life from man and gives it back again
The singer describes the way in which two people can complete each other and sustain one another.
And there's love, there is love
Once again, the singer emphasizes the importance of recognizing and honoring the love present at the gathering.
And then what's to be the reason for becoming man and wife
The singer poses a question about the motivations and reasons behind getting married.
Is it love that brings you here or love that gives you life
The singer imagines two possible answers to the previous question, suggesting that love is both the reason for coming together and the force that sustains and gives meaning to life.
For if loving is the answer then who's the giving for
The singer poses a rhetorical question about the nature of love and the role that selflessness plays in it.
Do you believe in something that you've never seen before
The singer asks the listeners to question their beliefs and their ability to embrace love even when it isn't easily seen or defined.
Oh there's love, there is love
Once again, the singer emphasizes that the most important thing present at the gathering is love.
Lyrics © MUSIC & MEDIA INT'L, INC.
Written by: NOEL PAUL STOOKEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jeffbaumann3289
Wedding Song.
He is now to be among you at the calling of your hearts
Rest assured this troubadour is acting on his part
The union of your spirits here has caused him to remain
For whenever two or more of you are gathered in his name
There is love, there is love
Well a man shall leave his mother, and a woman leave her home
They shall travel on to where,
the two shall be as one
As is was in the beginning is now until the end
Woman draws her life from man and gives it back again
And there's love, there is love
Well then what's to be the reason for becoming man and wife
Is it love that brings you here or love that gives you life
For if loving is the answer then who's the giving for
Do you believe in something that you've never seen before
Oh there's love, there is love
Well then what's to be the reason for becoming man and wife
Is it love that brings you here or love that gives you life
For if loving is the answer then who's the giving for
Do you believe in something that you've never seen before
Oh there's love, there is love
Songwriters: Paul Stookey
Released: 1976
@royloyd5526
This was sung at our wedding. 31 and a half years ago and we are still going strong. I love my wife more today than I did then.
@mrman8342
thats love & I hope it never ends for u both....not enough love in the world of cheap bachelor married at first sight reality TV shows only prostitutes love
@bobvocal100
49 years this year and I love her even more as the years pass!!
@ellenedgcomb3741
A friend of ours, sang this song for me to walk down. It's was my dream to walk down with this song. Going 12 years strong
@alchemystik
My dear husband and I married to this lovely song. Four years later, cancer took him on our 4th anniversary. My heart is still broken, but the song is still one of the best. :)
@bobhayes1167
A one eyed one horn flying purple people eater
@timothycarrigan419
1 of the very best renditions of an all time classic, when and if i ever marry this will be playing at the church as my blushing bride walks down the aisle!!! PEACE!! bless all of those that marry, i pray a very special blessing on your union, and may you both thrive and live according to the laws of god!! AMEN
@victorhoe2321
35 years ago, we were blessed with a beautiful voice who sang this song at our wedding. We are celebrating our 35th this September. I met Captain and Toni Tennille when I was working at a TV station in San Francisco.
@shellyhanson4653
Our wedding song. 36 years ago. Still going strong.
@1982river
RIP Captain, August 27,1942 - January 2, 2020