Orleans found its core audience touring the clubs and college circuit of the Northeast US, crossing paths with other up-and-comers such as Bonnie Raitt, Tom Waits, and Hall & Oates. Rolling Stone called Orleans "the best unrecorded band in America". Showcase performances in NYC gave rise to a recording contract with ABC Dunhill Records and the release of an eponymous debut album in 1973. But it was not until Orleans was produced by Chuck Plotkin, then head of A&R for Asylum Records, that the band scored its first Top 40 hit with "Let There Be Music" in early 1975.
The follow up single "Dance With Me" brought Orleans into the Top 5 and the mainstream of American pop music. Atypical of the high-energy, earthy, R&B/Rock 'n' Roll mix of styles they had been previously identified with, "Dance With Me" cast the band in a more "soft-rock" light and landed them a tour with Melissa Manchester, when they really were more at home on tour with bands such as Little Feat.
It was the smash hit "Still the One" that cemented Orleans' relationship with the American public. While the single was climbing the charts all the way to #2, the band did a major cross-country tour with label-mate Jackson Browne. However, within a year internal stresses prompted guitarist/songwriter Hall to leave the band in search of a solo career, as "Still the One" played ceaselessly as the ABC TV network theme song. Since then it has been used for countless commercials and movie soundtracks.
The Hoppen brothers and Kelly reunited the band and, in 1979, produced the Top 10 hit "Love Takes Time", continuing to tour with the likes of Stephen Stills and Chicago. Collectively, the three Orleans' hits have been aired over 7 million times.
One of the many signatures of Orleans was and still is harmony guitar riffs and two serious players trading rhythm and lead between them, all seamlessly. Larry and John were, for most of this still–active band’s 35-year-and–counting career, those players. When John Hall left for a solo stint in 1977, Orleans found Dennis “Fly’ Amero, a lefty, upside-down Strat player (in the manner of Jimi Hendrix) who took over for several years.
After original drummer Wells Kelly passed away in October 1984, Larry, Lance and John played at his Memorial event. Out of this, they decided to work together as Orleans again, starting with a Nashville album. From 1985 through 2006 (when John got elected to the US Congress – D, NY-19) the group always included the three original members. Over those years, another 8 albums were released, always containing new material.
In 2001 the band added Lane Hoppen, the third brother, as a permanent member. Shortly after, Charlie Morgan – drummer with Elton John for 13 years – also joined the group. Early in 2006, as John Hall began his election campaign, Fly Amero was asked back by the band – including John - roughly 25 years after Fly’s first ‘term’. Fly agreed, and a smooth transition ensued. (Orleans’ 2006 “We’re Still Havin’ Fun” DVD features BOTH John and Fly.)
Fly and Larry’s guitar chemistry is obvious, as is the whole group’s camaraderie. Besides being a great guitarist, songwriter and singer with a strong blues/R&B soulful tilt, Fly is great with a crowd and has a Gold Record for comedy music featuring his parody lyrics.
Here in 2008, John is up for Congressional re-election and Fly is a permanent Orleans member, as are Charlie, Lane and original mainstays Lance and Larry (who is the voice on all the radio hits, by the way).
Thirty-five years in, Orleans’ trademarked slogan couldn’t be more appropriate: “We’re Still Havin’ Fun”. It’s also the title of their new (and debut) DVD and latest CD (related to the DVD). For much more on this classic American band, visit www.OrleansOnline.com
If
Orleans Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Don’t think about it
Here where the Mississippi quits
Where its still got a bit of Minnesota in it
No one will give you a thing these days
They’d rather kill it or throw it away
You don’t ‘do’ dark American streets so
If New Orleans is beat
If New Orleans is beat
If New Orleans is beat
If New Orleans is beat
Where’s that leave you and me?
The river takes takes takes and takes
It doesn’t change and only changes
See it there in a picture with me
There’s a caption beneath
“New Orleans is beat”
and if New Orleans is beat
If New Orleans is beat
If New Orleans is beat
If New Orleans is beat
Where’s that leave you and me?
Where’s that leave you and me?
Where’s that leave you and me?
Your smile is fading a bit so I ration it
Try not to think about it
The song "If" by Orleans is about the changing and uncertain nature of life, embodied by the city of New Orleans. The lyrics discuss the fading of a relationship, represented by a fading smile, and the struggle to maintain hope and positivity in a world that often disappoints. The reference to the Mississippi River, which defines the city of New Orleans, serves as an extension of this theme. The river is always flowing, always taking, and always changing, just like life.
The opening lines, "Your smile is fading a bit so I ration it / Don’t think about it," suggest a bittersweet moment, where the singer wants to savor the remaining joy in a relationship, but also recognizes that it may be fleeting. The reference to the Mississippi is also important because it connects the personal struggles of the singer with the broader struggles of a city. The reference to Minnesota highlights the idea that New Orleans is a mix of cultures, not just one homogeneous place.
The following stanza is a commentary on the contemporary world, where people are often unwilling to help others, instead discarding or destroying what is unwanted. This idea of disregard is juxtaposed with the singer's desire to hold on to something of value (the fading smile). However, the final line of the stanza suggests a question of whether it's possible to maintain positivity in the face of overwhelming negativity.
The chorus repeats the phrase "if New Orleans is beat" several times, emphasizing the idea that even a place with as much cultural significance and vibrancy as New Orleans can be beaten down. The river almost becomes a metaphor for this beating - it is always flowing, but does it have a choice in where it's going? Is it changing or just reacting to external factors? By the end of the song, the repeated question of "Where's that leave you and me?" becomes more pressing, as the uncertainty of life's currents becomes clearer.
Overall, "If" is a contemplation on the impermanence of joy and hope, and the need to hold onto those things despite the overwhelming and sometimes negative nature of the world. Its references to New Orleans and the Mississippi River give the song a sense of place, but the underlying themes of transience and uncertainty make it a universal reflection on the human experience.
Line by Line Meaning
Your smile is fading a bit so I ration it
I am aware that you are not as happy as before, so I don't want to use up all your happiness at once.
Don’t think about it
Please don't dwell on your unhappiness, let's focus on the moment we have right now.
Here where the Mississippi quits
Where its still got a bit of Minnesota in it
We are in a place where the Mississippi river comes to an end, and it still carries influences from the state of Minnesota.
No one will give you a thing these days
They’d rather kill it or throw it away
People nowadays are not very generous or kind, they would rather get rid of something than give it to someone else.
You don’t ‘do’ dark American streets so
You are not familiar with the harsh realities of life in America, especially in rough neighborhoods.
If New Orleans is beat
If New Orleans is beat
If New Orleans is beat
If New Orleans is beat
If New Orleans is beat
If New Orleans is defeated, broken, or overwhelmed (which it often is),
Where’s that leave you and me?
What does that mean for us and our future? How will we be affected by the failure of the city we call home?
The river takes takes takes and takes
It doesn’t change and only changes
The river constantly takes away from us, but it never changes or improves anything in return.
See it there in a picture with me
There’s a caption beneath
“New Orleans is beat”
When I look at a photo of us together, I see a caption that reads 'New Orleans is defeated or broken,' which reminds me that our surroundings are not always positive.
Where’s that leave you and me?
Where’s that leave you and me?
Where’s that leave you and me?
What is our future in this city that is constantly struggling and beating us down? How can we find happiness and success in this environment?
Contributed by Colin J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
tovarisch
I saw them live many times in their early days, when they had it all: three- and four-part harmonies, instrumental virtuosity (and switching instruments!) and a funky backbeat.
Diniz Pereira
Lindíssima, relíquia
Danilo Viveiros
I'm brazilian and here in Sant Louis in the Maranhão in the Brazil, love this music. The great music, I love this. " If " is beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. Sorry my inglish, he is very bad, I'm learning.
Augusto Pesquisador Carvalho
ESTA MUSICA É UMA DAS MINHAS RECORDAÇÕES AQUI, ONDE UE MORO - SÃO LUIS MARANHÃO BRASIL
elaine furtado
tambem nasci ai e cresci ouvindo somente boa musica como essa
Danilo Viveiros
Querido Augusto, essa é tambem uma das minhas preferidas dessa época. Amo música dos anos 70. Agora pouco estava ouvindo " drift away " do Doobie Gray. Ouça essa outra varada. Valeu, um abraço. Danilo Viveiros de São Luís no Maranhão - Brasil, bairro cohatrac.
John Moore
Best album I ever heard, or, will...
Daryl Magill
GREAT ALBUM
MrTommyzen1
Thanks for posting love this tune!
Randy Gates
The only thing to top this was seeing them live. John, Larry, Lance, and one of my favorite drummers...Wells Kelly.