Captain & Tennille

We've been here before
Like a book I read in the hall that leads to your door
And my words hang in the air
Like the smoke when I spoke to you

And I said before you come to bed
Take off your ring
My heart's on a thread
And love's on a shoestring

And I've been down to the wire
That's the way my luck has been
But I can't put out this fire
Let the loser win

I still look for your face
On the overcoat I used to walk to your place
It's good to know that you're doing well
Did you hear, was it clear to you?

When I said before you come to bed
Take off your ring
My heart's on a thread
And love's on a shoestring

And when I look in your eyes
I can hear them sing
There are no ties
With love on a shoestring

And I said before you come to bed
Take off your ring
My heart is on a thread
And love's on a shoestring

And when I look in your eyes
I can hear them sing
There are no ties
With love on a shoestring

There are no ties
With love on a shoestring

In 1972, Toni Tennille was a co-writer of the musical Mother Earth. Daryl “Captain Keyboard” Dragon, who got his nickname while touring with the Beach Boys from his signature skipper’s cap, took a job as the keyboardist for Mother Earth and the two hit it off romantically and musically, forming a nightclub act that charged $70 a night.

When two radio DJs urged the duo to record their cover of the Beach Boys song “Disney Girls” in 1974, they also recorded an original song “The Way I Want to Touch You” which attracted interest from several record labels. A&M Records, home to the platinum-selling male/female duo The Carpenters who had scored ten top 5 hits in the US from 1970-1974, signed them.

Captain & Tennille’s 1975 debut album featured seven originals, three Beach Boys covers and – at the suggestion of A&M’s A&R man – a cover of Neil Sedaka’s “Love Will Keep Us Together”. The latter was released as their first single and found massive success in North America. It reached #1 in the US & Canada, won a Grammy for Record Of The Year, and was the biggest song of of the year in the US. Even their Spanish version of the song “Por Amor Viviremos” reached #49 in the US. A&M followed it up with “The Way I Want to Touch You” and it reached #4 in both the US and Canada. Both songs also found success in New Zealand and the UK. The two married in November 1975.

more tracks from the album

Make Your Move

From the album

Make Your Move (1979)

Captain & Tennille popular songs

Love On A ShoestringCaptain & Tennille

Captain & Tennille

Make Your Move