Orleans, Minnesota And Today's Tunes

Cavalier, North Dakota

September 6, 2024

I drove by this road sign yesterday. It's by far not the only Orleans in the USA.

• Orleans, California

• Orleans, former name of Orleans Flat, California

• Orleans, Indiana

• Orleans, Iowa

• Orleans, Massachusetts, a New England town

  • Orleans (CDP), Massachusetts, village in the town

• Orleans, Minnesota

• Orleans, Missouri

• Orleans, Nebraska

• Orleans, New York

• Orleans, Vermont

• New Orleans, Louisiana, terminus with Orleans Parish

But that's not important. What is are these two songs by the band Orleans -- including the original Miss Grace -- yes, it was Miss.

This song was written by John Hall of the band Orleans, with lyrics by his wife at the time, Johanna. The Halls were the hit songwriters for Orleans, responsible for "Still The One" and "Dance With Me." Johanna wanted to write a doo-wop song, as she was a big fan of tunes like "Duke Of Earl" and "Oh What A Nite." The result was not suitable for Orleans, so they had their publisher find it a good home. She pitched it to The Tymes, a Philadelphia vocal group that had a #1 US hit in 1963 with "So Much in Love and were looking to make a comeback.

The Tymes released the song on their 1974 album Trustmaker and toured the UK. Their song "You Little Trustmaker" got them back on the charts, going to #12 in America and #18 in the UK. The next single, "Ms. Grace," was surprisingly successful in the UK, going all the way to #1.

• The song is about a guy who falls madly in love with Ms. Grace the moment he sees her. She seems sophisticated, as something about her "satin and perfume and lace" drives him wild.

• The song was written as "Miss Grace," but The Tymes changed it to "Ms. Grace." At the time, the "Ms." designation was becoming popular among women who didn't feel the need to declare their marital status (after all, men are "Mr." whether they are married or single). This implies that the lady in the song is rather progressive.

• John Hall's band Orleans sometimes played this song live, and Hall released a studio version on his 1998 solo album, Recovered.