Last learned how to play piano as child, switching to bass as a teenager. He joined Hans-Gunther Oesterreich's Radio Bremen Dance Orchestra in 1946, when he was 17 years old. In 1948, he became the leader of the Becker-Last Ensemble, which performed for seven years. During that time, he was voted as the best bassist in the country by a German jazz poll for three consecutive years, from 1950-1952. After the disbandment of the Becker-Last Ensemble, he became the in-house arranger for Polydor Records, as well as for a number of European radio stations. For the next decade, he helped arrange hits for artists like Helmut Zacharias and Caterina Valente.
Last released his first album "Non-Stop Dancing" in 1965. The record of brief renditions of popular songs, all tied together by an insistent dance beat and joyous crowd noises. It was a hit and helped make him a major European star. Over the next four decades, Last has released over 190 records, including several more volumes of Non-Stop Dancing. On these records, he varies his formula by adding different songs from different countries and genres, as well as guest performers like Richard Clayderman and Astrud Gilberto.
Though his concerts and albums are consistently successful — especially in England, where he had 52 hit albums between 1967-1986, which made him second to Elvis Presley in terms of number of charting records — he has only had two hit singles with "The Seduction," the theme from American Gigolo (1980) and Biscaya from the album "Biscaya".
He has won numerous polls and prizes, for example Billboard magazine's "Star of the year" trophy in 1976, and has been honored for his lifework with the German ECHO prize in 1994.
The song "The Lonely Shepherd", written by Last and performed by Gheorghe Zamfir and the James Last Orchestra, was featured in the soundtrack to Quentin Tarantino's film "Kill Bill Vol. 1" (2003).
Personally, he divides his time between Florida and Germany. He gives much credit to his wife and son, who helps with the music.
You're Still the One
James Last Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the first time you touched me, I felt love
And after all this time,
You're still the one I love
Looks like we made it
Look how far we've come my baby
We mighta took the long way
They said, "I bet they'll never make it"
But just look at us holding on
We're still together still going strong
(You're still the one)
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 good night
Ain't nothin' better
We beat the odds together
I'm glad we didn't listen
Look at what we would be missin'
They said, "I bet they'll never make it"
But just look at us holding on
We're still together still going strong
(You're still the one)
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 good night
You're still the one
(You're still the one)
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 good night
James Last's "You're Still the One" is a love song about the strength and endurance of a relationship. The opening line, "when I first saw you, I saw love," suggests that the singer experienced love at first sight. He goes on to say that the first time the love interest touched him, he felt love. These two lines demonstrate the depth of the love they share. The first touch ignited a fire that has continued to burn all this time, as evidenced by the refrain, "you're still the one I love."
"Looks like we made it," suggests that they've been through some tough times, but they've come out the other side still together. They "might have took the long way," meaning that their journey has been complicated or difficult, but they knew they would get there someday. The lyrics also provide a backstory about how outsiders thought the relationship wouldn't last. "They said, 'I bet they'll never make it,'" but the couple defied the odds and proved naysayers wrong. When others didn't believe in them, they believed in each other.
The chorus repeats twice and emphasizes the strength of the love interest's presence in the singer's life. They run to each other, belong to one another, and want to be together for life. They are the only one the singer dreams of and kisses goodnight. The final line of the song, "you're still the one," emphasizes the main theme of the song - the enduring quality of their love.
Line by Line Meaning
When I first saw you, I saw love
Upon first sight of you, I knew I was experiencing love
And the first time you touched me, I felt love
From the initial contact, I knew that love was all around me
And after all this time,
You're still the one I love
Despite much time passing by, you are still the person I love
Looks like we made it
It seems as though we have successfully come so far
Look how far we've come my baby
Reflect on the progress we have made, my dear
We mighta took the long way
We knew we'd get there someday
Our journey may have been long and winding, but we always knew we would arrive at our destination
They said, "I bet they'll never make it"
But just look at us holding on
We're still together still going strong
Despite the negative predictions that were made, we have managed to stay together and stay strong
(You're still the one)
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 are the individual who I always seek comfort from, as you are the one who is my other half and the one who I desire to spend my life with
You're still the one that I love
The only one I dream of
You're still the one I kiss good night
You remain the sole person who I love, dream of, and bid goodnight to
Ain't nothin' better
We beat the odds together
I'm glad we didn't listen
Look at what we would be missin'
Nothing can compare to being together, and we have succeeded against all the challenging circumstances we faced while acquiring new experiences. I am grateful that we did not heed the words of naysayers, or else we would have regretted what we missed out on
You're still the one
You are still the only one for me
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ROBERT JOHN LANGE, SHANIA TWAIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind