‘Tie a yellow ribbon’ with Tony Orlando

I’m comin’ home, I’ve done my time
Now I’ve got to know what is and isn’t mine
If you received my letter telling you I’d soon be free
Then you’ll know just what to do
If you still want me
If you still want me

Whoa, tie a yellow ribbon ‘round the old oak tree
It’s been three long years
Do ya still want me (still want me)
If I don’t see a ribbon ‘round the old oak tree
I’ll stay on the bus
Forget about us
Put the blame on me
If I don’t see a yellow ribbon ‘round the old oak tree

(Tie a yellow ribbon ‘round the old oak tree)
(Tie a yellow ribbon ‘round the old oak tree)
(Tie a yellow ribbon ‘round the old oak tree)

(Tie a yellow ribbon ‘round the old oak tree)
(Tie a yellow ribbon ‘round the old oak tree)
(Tie a yellow ribbon ‘round the old oak tree)

I am sure the above lyrics are quite familiar to Funfare readers and other music fans. They can easily belt out the entire song with all its stirring rhythm and joyous harmony.

Underneath its stark simplicity, however, lies a poignant tale of love, hope and renewal that celebrates the triumph of the human spirit over adversity, a universal message that carried the hit song on the wings of worldwide acclaim to the top of pop music.

The song tells the story of a prisoner who was about to be released from jail after serving his sentence. He wrote his sweetheart to inform her of his homecoming, reminding her to tie a yellow ribbon ‘round the old oak tree "if you still want me," but he’ll "forget about us" and "put the blame on me" if he doesn’t see a yellow ribbon ‘round the old oak tree.

The prisoner was ecstatic with joy when he saw not just one but "a hundred yellow ribbons ‘round the old oak tree."

Since its 1973 debut, Tie A Yellow Ribbon ’Round The Old Oak Tree has taken the music world by storm, attaining worldwide acclaim not only as a pop gem but as a universal anthem of hope, homecoming and reunion in America and other parts of the globe, including the Philippines, where togetherness and close family ties are of paramount importance.

Well, let me share with Funfare readers this exclusive piece of news courtesy of our DPA at Steve O’Neal Productions: Twenty-three years after its successful release, the man – or better still, the voice – behind this iconic song is coming home to the hearts and musical consciousness of his thousands of Pinoy fans when Tony Orlando, the lead vocalist of the renowned Tony Orlando and Dawn, visits Manila for a concert on Oct. 20, 8:30 p.m. at the Araneta Coliseum.

Billed as Tony Orlando: Greatest Hits Live!, the one-night-only musical treat to be mounted by Steve O’Neal Productions, will officially kick off the popular singer’s nine-nation Asian tour that will also cover Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Beijing, Taipei, Tokyo and Seoul.

The show brings to the local concert scene one of America’s most endearing and enduring stars whose warmth and exhilarating energy on stage have always generated a wave of excitement and ecstasy among audiences.

A performer who has conquered every facet of show business, the New York-born (to a Greek father and a Puerto Rican mother) Tony Orlando started his musical career with the Five Gents, a doo-wop group he formed, and began hitting the charts at the age of 16 with Halfway to Paradise and Bless You as the first vocal artist to sign with Epic Records.

During his stint as one of the youngest vice presidents of CBS Records in 1970, he was asked to put his voice on a demo record for a song entitled Candida, which was released under the band name Dawn (after a record executive’s daughter) where he was joined by the voices of singers Telma Hopkins and Joyce Vincent Wilson. Within eight weeks, the song climbed the Billboard charts until it hit No. 1.

It was followed by Knock Three Times, which became No. 1 and the top song of 1971 in Billboard’s Hot 100 list, with sales of over six million copies worldwide and whose immense popularity is still evident today.

Realizing it was probably safe to give up his successful career at CBS Records, Orlando decided to seize the momentum of what was already a meteoric rise to the top and, along with Hopkins and Wilson, officially launched the pop group Tony Orlando and Dawn which became an instant international sensation.

Orlando had barely scratched the surface of his stardom when he recorded in 1973 the megahit, Tie A Yellow Ribbon ’Round The Old Oak Tree, which not only became No. 1 that year but also his theme song that ultimately evolved into an American anthem of hope and homecoming, reunion and renewal.

The yellow ribbon has since been used as a symbol of welcome for returning POWs from Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam, the hostages from Iran and the troops from the Desert Storm campaign during the Iran-Iraq war.

He Don’t Love You (Like I Love You) (1973) completed the group’s trio of No. 1 songs in Billboard’s Hot 100 charts.

By 1973, Tony Orlando and Dawn has emerged as the second biggest seller of singles in America without the benefit of a major concert tour or appearance on TV. Its very first live appearance was at Carnegie Hall after it had already sold nine million records.

In the next few years, the group scored a string of other big hits, including Sweet Gypsy Rose, Who’s In The Strawberry Path With Sally, Cupid, Steppin’ Out (Gonna Boogie Tonight) and Mornin’ Beautiful.

With a successful recording career, Orlando set his sights on TV which resulted in his top-rated weekly variety series on CBS, a ground-breaking Sonny and Cher-styled show that mixed song and dance with light slapstick comedy.

As the first multi-ethnic variety program on TV, it made an instant hit of Orlando (of Hispanic and Greek origins) and Hopkins and Wilson (both African-Americans), who welcomed the biggest names in show business each week as guests, including his boyhood idols, Jackie Gleason and Jerry Lewis, during its four-season (1974-1976) run.

Acknowledged as an artist who weaves in each performance colorful emotions set to music that touches the deepest part of the human heart, Orlando is a popular headliner in Las Vegas, Atlantic City, Reno, Biloxi and Laughlin.

As one of America’s best-loved entertainment personalities, he has been a recipient of three American Music Awards and a People’s Choice Award. He was also awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1990 in recognition of his outstanding achievements in the entertainment industry.

His universal appeal to fans of all ages and generations is legendary, and he was one of the first entertainers to be featured in VH1’s Behind The Music in 1998, with the episode continuously being aired and receiving one of the network’s highest ratings for the series.

Since 1993, Orlando has been a resident – together with his wife Francine and their son Jon and daughter Jenny Rose – of Branson, Missouri, where he has performed over 2,000 shows, initially in the Tony Orlando Yellow Ribbon Music Theater and later in The Osmond Family Theater, his current performing home.

He has been named Branson’s Entertainer and Vocalist of the Year.

(Tickets for Tony Orlando: Greatest Hits Live! are priced at P2,500 (yellow ribbon section), P2,000 (patron), P1,600 (lower box), P1,200 (upper box A), P600 (upper box B) and P300 (general admission) and available at Ticketnet outlets and at the Araneta Center box-office. For details, call 911-5555.)

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