Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree

Last updated

"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree"
Dawn - Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree.jpg
Single by Dawn featuring Tony Orlando
from the album Tuneweaving
B-side "I Can't Believe How Much I Love You"
ReleasedFebruary 19, 1973
RecordedJanuary 1973
Genre Pop
Length3:20
Label Bell
Songwriter(s) Irwin Levine, L. Russell Brown
Producer(s) Hank Medress, Dave Appell
Dawn featuring Tony Orlando singles chronology
"You're a Lady"
(1972)
"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree"
(1973)
"Say, Has Anybody Seen My Sweet Gypsy Rose"
(1973)

"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" is a song recorded by Tony Orlando and Dawn. It was written by Irwin Levine and L. Russell Brown and produced by Hank Medress and Dave Appell, with Motown/Stax backing vocalist Telma Hopkins, Joyce Vincent Wilson and her sister Pamela Vincent on backing vocals. [1] It was a worldwide hit for the group in 1973.

Contents

The single reached the top 10 in ten countries, in eight of which it topped the charts. It reached number one on both the US and UK charts for four weeks in April 1973, number one on the Australian chart for seven weeks from May to July 1973 and number one on the New Zealand chart for ten weeks from June to August 1973. It was the top-selling single in 1973 in both the US and UK.

In 2008, Billboard ranked the song as the 37th biggest song of all time in its issue celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Hot 100. [1] For the 60th anniversary in 2018, the song still ranked in the top 50, at number 46. [2] This song is the origin of the yellow color of the Liberal Party of Cory Aquino, the party that ousted the Marcos dictatorship in the People Power Revolution of 1986. [3]

Synopsis

The song is told from the point of view of someone who has "done his time" in prison: "Now I've got to know what is and isn't mine" and is uncertain whether his girlfriend will welcome him home: "I'm really still in prison and my love, she holds the key".

He writes to his love, asking her to tie a yellow ribbon around the "ole oak tree" in front of the house (which the bus will pass by) if she wants him to return to her life; if he does not see such a ribbon, he will remain on the bus (taking that to mean he is unwelcome) and understand her reasons ("put the blame on me"). He is afraid to look himself, fearful of not seeing anything, and asks the bus driver to check.

To his amazement, the entire bus cheers the response there are 100 yellow ribbons around the tree, a sign he is more than welcome. Just what he's been in prison for remains unknown.

Origins of the song

The origin of the idea of a yellow ribbon as remembrance may have been the 19th-century practice that some women allegedly had of wearing a yellow ribbon in their hair to signify their devotion to a husband or sweetheart serving in the U.S. Cavalry. The song "'Round Her Neck She Wears a Yeller Ribbon", tracing back centuries but copyrighted by George A. Norton in 1917, and later inspiring the John Wayne movie She Wore a Yellow Ribbon , is a reference to this. [4] [5] The symbol of a yellow ribbon became widely known in civilian life in the 1970s as a reminder that an absent loved one, either in the military or in jail, would be welcomed home on their return.

During the Vietnam War, in October 1971, newspaper columnist Pete Hamill wrote a piece for the New York Post called "Going Home". [6] In it, he told a variant of the story, in which college students on a bus trip to the beaches of Fort Lauderdale make friends with an ex-convict who is watching for a yellow handkerchief on a roadside oak in Brunswick, Georgia. Hamill claimed to have heard this story in oral tradition. In June 1972, nine months later, Reader's Digest reprinted "Going Home". According to L. Russell Brown, he read Hamill's story in the Reader's Digest, and suggested to his songwriting partner Irwin Levine that they write a song based on it. [7] Levine and Brown then registered for copyright the song which they called "Tie a Yellow Ribbon 'Round the Ole Oak Tree". At the time, the writers said they heard the story while serving in the military. Pete Hamill was not convinced and filed suit for infringement. Hamill dropped his suit after folklorists working for Levine and Brown turned up archival versions of the story that had been collected before "Going Home" had been written. [4]

In 1991, Brown said the song was based on a story he had read about a soldier headed home from the Civil War who wrote his beloved that if he was still welcome, she should tie a handkerchief around a certain tree. He said the handkerchief was not particularly romantic, so he and Mr. Levine changed it to a yellow ribbon. [8]

Levine and Brown first offered the song to Ringo Starr, but Al Steckler of Apple Records told them that they should be ashamed of the song and described it as "ridiculous". [7]

The 2008 film The Yellow Handkerchief , conceived as a remake of the original Japanese film, uses a plot based on the Pete Hamill story. [9]

Chart and sales performance

In April 1973, the recording by Dawn featuring Tony Orlando reached No. 1 in the Billboard Hot 100 (chart date April 21, 1973) in the US, and stayed at No. 1 for four weeks. [1] "Tie A Yellow Ribbon" sold 3 million records in the US in three weeks. It also reached No. 1 on the Adult Contemporary chart, and BMI calculated that radio stations had played it 3 million times from seventeen continuous years of airplay. Billboard ranked it as the No. 1 song for 1973. It also reached No. 1 in the UK and Australia, and has sold one million copies in the UK. [10] In New Zealand, the song spent 10 weeks at number one. [11]

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA) [33] Gold1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Cover versions

Yellow ribbon tied around a southern live oak in Perry, Florida. Yellow ribbon around Oak Tree, Veterans Memorial Park (Perry, Florida).JPG
Yellow ribbon tied around a southern live oak in Perry, Florida.

Association with the Iranian Hostage Crisis

On November 4, 1979, amid the turmoil in Iran following the flight of the Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi to exile in Egypt, a group of students stormed the U.S. embassy in Tehran. [37] seizing more than 60 American hostages. Over the 444 days of the crisis, the song became a national inspiration in America, encouraging Americans to use yellow ribbons as a way to keep the hostages in their hearts and to maintain pressure on President Jimmy Carter to negotiate for their release. [38] With negotiations lagging, Carter ordered a military rescue of the hostage on April 24, 1980, which failed when two helicopters collided; eight U.S. soldiers died in the collision. [39] [ circular reference ]

The crisis was not resolved until after the 1980 United States Presidential Election; on November 10, 1980, six days after Ronald Reagan won the election, negotiations resumed under U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Warren Christopher, with an agreement signed on January 19, 1981. [40] [ circular reference ] By that time, the yellow ribbon was ubiquitous across America. Twenty minutes after Reagan's inauguration, the hostages were flown to West Germany by way of Algeria. Five days after their release, Super Bowl XV was played at the Louisiana Superdome, adorned with a massive yellow bow. [41]

Association with the People Power Revolution

Liberal party standard bearer Mar Roxas, as he took on Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte for the presidency in 2016 Mar Roxas launches presidential campaign 7.31.15.jpg
Liberal party standard bearer Mar Roxas, as he took on Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte for the presidency in 2016

In the Philippines, the song was best known for its use in the return of exiled politician Benigno Aquino Jr. in 1983, when supporters tied yellow ribbons on trees in anticipation of his arrival. However, Aquino was assassinated at Manila International Airport. This sparked protests and the People Power three years later that led to the overthrow of President Ferdinand Marcos' regime, and the accession of his opponent, Aquino's widow Corazón. Yellow was also the campaign symbol of their son, Benigno Aquino III, who eventually became president in 2010 following his mother's death the previous year. [42]

Association with the 2014 Hong Kong Protests

During the 2014 Hong Kong Protests the song was performed by pro-democracy protestors and sympathetic street musicians as a reference to the yellow ribbons that had become a popular symbol of the movement on site (tied to street railings or trees) and on social media. [43] Journalists covering the event described use of the tune as a protest song. [44]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Shopping Bag</i> 1972 studio album by The Partridge Family

Shopping Bag is the fifth studio album by TV-linked pop project The Partridge Family. Released in March 1972, just as the second season of the TV series was finishing in North America, the album entered Billboard's Top LP's chart in late March, peaking at no. 18 in late April. The album remained in the Top 200 for 17 weeks and was certified gold. The vinyl release of the album contained a novelty plastic shopping bag.

The yellow ribbon is used for various purposes. It may be worn on a person, placed on a vehicle, around a tree, or for a neck tie.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Knock Three Times</span> 1970 single by Tony Orlando and Dawn

"Knock Three Times" is a popular song credited simply to "Dawn", obscuring the actual performers. The song was released as a single which hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in January 1971 and eventually sold six million copies. It reached No. 2 on 'Billboard's "Easy Listening" survey. Outside the US, "Knock Three Times" also claimed the No. 1 spot on the UK Singles Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tony Orlando and Dawn</span> American pop group

Tony Orlando and Dawn is an American pop music group that was popular in the 1970s, composed of singer Tony Orlando and the backing vocal group Dawn. Their signature hits include "Candida", "Knock Three Times", "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree", "Say, Has Anybody Seen My Sweet Gypsy Rose", and "He Don't Love You ".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tony Orlando</span> American singer (born 1944)

Michael Anthony Orlando Cassavitis is an American pop/rock singer, songwriter, and music executive whose career spans nearly seven decades. He is best known for his work as part of Tony Orlando and Dawn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Tokens</span> American male doo-wop vocal group

The Tokens were an American doo-wop band and record production company group from Brooklyn, New York City. The group has had four top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, all in the 1960s, their biggest being the chart-topping 1961 hit single "The Lion Sleeps Tonight". "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" borrowed heavily from the 1939 song "Mbube" by South African singer Solomon Linda. They are also known for having Neil Sedaka as an original member, before he pursued a solo career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Let's Get It On (song)</span> 1973 song by Marvin Gaye

"Let's Get It On" is a song by soul musician Marvin Gaye, released June 15, 1973, on Motown-subsidiary label Tamla Records. The song was recorded at Hitsville West in Los Angeles, California. The song features romantic and sexual lyricism and funk instrumentation by The Funk Brothers. The title track of Gaye's album of the same name, it was written by Marvin Gaye and producer Ed Townsend. "Let's Get It On" became Gaye's most successful single for Motown and one of his most well-known songs. With the help of the song's sexually explicit content, "Let's Get It On" helped give Gaye a reputation as a sex symbol during its initial popularity. "Let's Get It On" is written and composed in the key of E-flat major and is set in time signature of common time with a tempo of 82 beats per minute.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia</span> 1972 ballad by Bobby Russell

"The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia" is a Southern Gothic murder ballad, written in 1972 by songwriter Bobby Russell and first recorded by his then-wife singer, comedian, and actress Vicki Lawrence. Lawrence's version, from her 1973 album of the same name, went to number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart after its release. Of several cover versions, the one recorded by Reba McEntire for her 1991 album For My Broken Heart peaked at number 12 on the Hot Country Songs chart.

<i>Forrest Gump: The Soundtrack</i> 1994 soundtrack album by various artists

Forrest Gump: The Soundtrack is the soundtrack album for the 1994 Academy Award-winning Tom Hanks film Forrest Gump, and contains music from many well-known American artists. The score, composed by Alan Silvestri, was released separately on the same day. The album was reissued in 2001 with two additional tracks, namely "Running on Empty" by Jackson Browne and "Go Your Own Way" by Fleetwood Mac.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kodachrome (song)</span> 1973 single by Paul Simon

"Kodachrome" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Paul Simon. It was the lead single from his third studio album, There Goes Rhymin' Simon (1973), released on Columbia Records. The song is named after Kodak's now-discontinued reversal film brand, Kodachrome.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joyce Vincent Wilson</span> American singer

Joyce Vincent Wilson is an American singer, best known as part of the group Tony Orlando and Dawn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Cisco Kid (song)</span> 1973 single by War

"The Cisco Kid" is a song performed by War, and written by Thomas Allen, Harold Brown, Morris "BB" Dickerson, Charles Miller, Howard Scott, Lee Oskar and Lonnie Jordan, all members of War at the time. It is the first song on their 1972 album The World Is a Ghetto, and is the group's highest-charting song on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number two.

Lawrence "Larry" Russell Brown, known as L. Russell Brown, is an American lyricist and composer. He is most noted for his songs, co-written with Irwin Levine, "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" and "Knock Three Times"—international hits for the 1970s pop music group Tony Orlando and Dawn. He also co-wrote "C'mon Marianne" for The Four Seasons, and The Partridge Family 1971 song, "I Woke Up In Love This Morning".

Rob Fusari, also known as 8Bit, is an American record producer and songwriter. He has worked with Destiny's Child, Kelly Rowland, Will Smith, Whitney Houston and Lady Gaga.

John David Carver is an American country music artist. Between 1968 and 1977, he charted 15 Top 40 hits on the Billboard country chart. His highest-charting single was a cover of Tony Orlando's "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree", a cover that reached No. 1 for him in 1974. He also had cover success with his version of the Starland Vocal Band's "Afternoon Delight." Carver lives today in rural Wilson County, Tennessee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Say, Has Anybody Seen My Sweet Gypsy Rose</span> 1973 single by Tony Orlando and Dawn

“Say, Has Anybody Seen My Sweet Gypsy Rose” is a 1973 song by the American pop music group Tony Orlando and Dawn. Written by Irwin Levine (lyrics) and L. Russell Brown (music), it was included on the group's 1973 album, Dawn's New Ragtime Follies.

<i>And I Love You So</i> (Perry Como album) 1973 studio album by Perry Como

And I Love You So is the 21st long-play album by Perry Como, released by RCA Records in 1973.

Irwin Jesse Levine was an American songwriter, who co-wrote the song "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" with L. Russell Brown. The song was a worldwide hit for Tony Orlando and Dawn as it reached number one on both the US and UK charts for four weeks in April 1973 and number one on the Australian charts for seven weeks from May to July 1973. It was the top-selling single in 1973 in both the US and UK. In 2008, Billboard ranked the song as the 37th biggest song of all time in its issue celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Hot 100.

<i>Tie a Yellow Ribbon</i> (Dawn album) 1973 studio album by Dawn featuring Tony Orlando

Tuneweaving is the third album by American popular music group Dawn released in 1973 by Bell Records. The title track reached number one in both the US and UK. In terms of sales, this single was the most successful in the group's career, starting a string of seven consecutive Hot 100 appearances. Another track, "You're a Lady" by English singer/songwriter Peter Skellern, reached number 70 on the US charts. The group changed their name to "Tony Orlando and Dawn" later in 1973.

Tony Orlando and Dawn is a television variety show that aired from 1974 to 1976 on CBS. The show featured the American pop music group Tony Orlando and Dawn. The show was titled The Tony Orlando and Dawn Rainbow Hour during the 1976–1977 television season.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Billboard Hot 100 Chart 50th Anniversary – All-Time Top Songs". Billboard . Archived from the original on September 13, 2008. Retrieved August 29, 2009.
  2. 1 2 "Billboard Hot 100 60th Anniversary". Billboard . Retrieved August 6, 2018.
  3. Cruz, Efren. "The yellow ribbon". The Philippine STAR .
  4. 1 2 3 Parsons, Gerald E. (Summer 1991). "How the Yellow Ribbon Became a National Folk Symbol". Folklife Center News. 13 (3). Library of Congress: 9–11.
  5. Norton, George A. (1917). "'Round Her Neck She Wears A Yeller Ribbon". Leo Feist, Inc. Retrieved April 26, 2019 via Levy Music Collection.
  6. Hamill, Pete (October 1971). "Going Home". New York Post. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  7. 1 2 James, Gary (c. 2009). "The L. Russell Brown Interview". Classicbands.com. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
  8. "Irwin Levine, 58; Wrote 'Yellow Ribbon'". The New York Times. January 27, 1997.
  9. "Cohn buys up Yellow Handkerchief remake rights". Screen Daily. September 10, 2003. Retrieved July 17, 2010.
  10. Sedghi, Ami (November 4, 2012). "UK's million-selling singles: the full list". The Guardian . Retrieved November 4, 2012.
  11. "flavour of new zealand - search listener". Flavourofnz.co.nz. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
  12. "Cash Box - International Best Sellers" (PDF). worldradiohistory.com. Cash Box. 18 August 1973. p. 42.
  13. 1 2 "Australian Chart Book". Austchartbook.com.au. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
  14. "DAWN FEAT. TONY ORLANDO – Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  15. "DAWN FEAT. TONY ORLANDO – Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" (in French). Ultratop 50.
  16. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. May 12, 1973. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
  17. "DAWN FEAT. TONY ORLANDO – Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree". Tracklisten.
  18. "Nederlandse Top 40 – Dawn" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  19. "Dawn feat. Tony Orlando – Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Ole Oak Tree" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  20. "Dawn – Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree". Top 40 Singles.
  21. "DAWN FEAT. TONY ORLANDO – Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree". VG-lista.
  22. "SA Charts 1965–March 1989". Rock.co.za. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
  23. "Dawn: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
  24. "Tony Orlando Dawn Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  25. "Tony Orlando Dawn Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard.
  26. "Image : RPM Weekly". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. December 26, 2017.
  27. "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1973". Dutch Top 40 . Retrieved September 5, 2020.
  28. "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1973". Single Top 100 . Retrieved September 5, 2020.
  29. "Top 20 Hit Singles of 1973". Rock.co.za. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  30. "Top 100 1973 - UK Music Charts". Uk-charts.top-source.info. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
  31. "Top 100 Hits of 1973/Top 100 Songs of 1973". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
  32. "Cash Box YE Pop Singles - 1973". Tropicalglen.com. December 29, 1973. Archived from the original on July 15, 2014. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
  33. "American single certifications – Dawn – Tie a Yellow Ribbon". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  34. "RPM Country Tracks for June 16, 1973". RPM . Retrieved October 3, 2010.
  35. "A Bing Crosby Discography". BING magazine. International Club Crosby. Retrieved October 6, 2017.
  36. "Hakutulos kappaleelle Nosta lippu salkoon". Aanitearkisto.fi. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
  37. "Iran Hostage Crisis ‑ Definition, Results & Facts". April 23, 2024.
  38. ""Tie a Yellow Ribbon:" the Origin of the National Response to the Iran Hostage Crisis". January 19, 2021.
  39. Timeline of the Iranian hostage crisis
  40. Timeline of the Iranian hostage crisis
  41. "Remembering Super Bowl XV and its connection to the Iran Hostage Crisis 40 years later". NFL.com .
  42. "Iconic yellow ribbon–why it keeps waving". Asian Journal. Archived from the original on 17 January 2013. Retrieved 24 November 2012.
  43. Coleman, Jasmine (October 3, 2014). "Hong Kong Protests: The Symbols and Songs Explained". BBC News. Retrieved October 13, 2014.
  44. Dearden, Lizie (October 5, 2015). "Hong Kong Protests: A Guide to Yellow Ribbons, Blue Ribbons and All the Other Colours" . The Independent. Archived from the original on May 7, 2022. Retrieved October 13, 2014.