Tony Orlando: Tied One On

It was a hit song that became a cultural phenomenon.

Tony Orlando and Dawn hit #1 on the Pop charts on this day in 1973 with “Tie A Yellow Ribbon ‘Round The Old Oak Tree”

The story of a prison inmate released and curious to know if his lover is still interested in him (evidenced by that yellow ribbon) became the symbol of families whose loved ones were away at war---or, in the case of the Iranian hostage crisis, were being held against their will.

Those stuck in a room listening to this song against their will could also be considered hostages, but I digress.

Yes, I admit the song is catchy, but it is also a wee bit CORNY, no? AOL Radio ranked this massive hit as #78 on its list of the “Top 100 Worst Songs Ever”

Here’s a video of Tony Orlando and the ladies belting out their huge hit:




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBL2kzKg4nY

The song stayed on top of the U.S. and British charts for 4 weeks—and spawned millions of single sales. It was even a hit in Australia!

Cashing in on the “agreed-upon-signals” formula, Tony Orlando and Dawn later scored another hokey hit with “Knock Three Times”, whereby the prospective lover would slam something on the ceiling three times if she wanted the young and frisky Tony—and banging twice on a pipe would signal rejection.

How about a restraining order?


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