1998 Power Ballad Became the Longest-Running No. 2 Hit in Country Music History 

Not only the Queen of Country Pop, Shania Twain is the queen of charting records. One of her biggest achievements has quietly been sitting in the Billboard record books for decades. Twain’s 1998 power ballad, “You’re Still the One” remains the longest-running No. 2 hit in country music history, a testament to the crossover smash’s enduring popularity nearly 30 years later. 

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As Twain gears up to host the 61st Academy of Country Music Awards this Sunday, May17, from Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena — and prepares to release her new album, Little Miss Twain, on July 24 — there’s never been a better time to revisit the historic song.

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Written with her then-husband, record producer Mutt Lange, the song is an ode to enduring love. Built on an arrangement of organ, piano, and guitar, and lifted by soaring harmonies, the tender ballad struck a deep emotional chord with fans.

So much so that Twain has since called the ode to love her “most important song,” noting the irony that the ballad about lasting love was written with a partner she’s no longer with. Over time, the song has taken on new meaning for her — one shaped less by permanence and more by resilience and triumph.

“‘You’re Still the One’ is the favorite song I’ve ever written because it means so much to so many other people,” Twain told TODAY in 2023. “That just really makes it the most important song I’ve ever written. … You get married because you think it’s going to last forever. So, the song no longer applied to me in that sense.”

Released on Jan. 27, 1998, “You’re Still the One” was a unique choice, because it was also marketed to pop and adult contemporary radio stations. And it was wildly successful in doing so. According to NBC News, the song spent 42 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 2 for nine weeks.

The country star shares thesecond longest-running record with Donna Lewis’ pop hit “I Love You Always Forever.”

On May 2, 1998, “You’re Still the One” hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. A year later, she nabbed two Grammys for the hit off her landmark Come On Overalbum. The crossover gamble changed Twain’s career forever. Now a staple at weddings and karaoke nights, “You’re Still the One” has become the “ultimate love song” for fans, enduring in popularity all these years later. 

Speaking with The Boot in 2023, the queen put it best: “[‘You’re Still the One’] was a magic moment.”

Related: 1964 Heartbreak Ballad Became the Most Played Song of the 20th Century