Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree - wikipedia Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree `` Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree '' Single by Dawn featuring Tony Orlando from the album Tuneweaving B - side `` I Ca n't Believe How Much I Love You '' Released 19 February 1973 Format 7 ``, 12 '' Recorded 1973 Genre Pop Length 3 : 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 ) `` 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 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. It was a worldwide hit for the group in 1973. 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 charts for seven weeks from May to July 1973 and number one on the New Zealand charts 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. Contents 1 Synopsis 2 Origins of the song 3 Chart and sales performance 3.1 Weekly charts 3.2 Year - end charts 4 Cover versions 5 In popular culture 6 Association with the People Power Revolution 7 Association with the 2014 Hong Kong Protests 8 See also 9 References Synopsis The song is told from the point of view of someone who has `` done his time '' but is uncertain if he will be welcomed home. 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 asks the bus driver to check, fearful of not seeing anything. To his amazement, the entire bus cheers the response -- there are 100 yellow ribbons around the tree, a sign he is very much welcome. Origins of the song This is NOT the story of a convict who had told his love to tie a ribbon book to a tree outside of town. I know because I wrote the song one morning in 15 minutes with the late lyrical genius Irwin Levine. The genesis of this idea came from the age old folk tale about a Union prisoner of war -- who sent a letter to his girl that he was coming home from a confederate POW camp in Georgia... Anything about a criminal is pure fantasy... -- L. Russell Brown 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 '', which later inspired the John Wayne movie She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, is a reference to this. 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. In October 1971, newspaper columnist Pete Hamill wrote a piece for the New York Post called `` Going Home ''. 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 ''. Also in June 1972, ABC - TV aired a dramatized version of it in which James Earl Jones played the role of the returning ex-con. 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. 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. 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 ''. Chart and sales performance In April 1973, the recording by Dawn featuring Tony Orlando reached No. 1 in the Billboard Hot 100 ( chart date 21 April 1973 ) in the US, and stayed at No. 1 for four weeks. `` 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 1 million copies in the UK. In New Zealand, the song spent 10 weeks at number one. Weekly charts Chart ( 1973 ) Peak position Australia ( Kent Music Report ) Austria ( Ö3 Austria Top 40 ) Belgium ( Ultratop 50 Wallonia ) Canada RPM Denmark ( Tracklisten ) 9 Ireland ( IRMA ) New Zealand ( Recorded Music NZ ) Norway ( VG - lista ) UK Singles ( Official Charts Company ) US Billboard Hot 100 US Adult Contemporary ( Billboard ) US Cash Box Top 100 Year - end charts Chart ( 1973 ) Rank Australia Canada New Zealand UK U.S. Billboard Hot 100 U.S. Cash Box Cover versions This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( April 2018 ) The song enjoyed duplicate success on country radio, as a cover version by Johnny Carver. Carver 's rendition - simply titled `` Yellow Ribbon '' - was a top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart in June 1973. Carver 's version also reached Number One on the RPM Country Tracks chart in Canada. Musically similar, the only difference in the song is the substitution of the minor expletive `` damn '' ( in the lyric, `` Now the whole damn bus is cheering '' ) with `` darn ''. Bing Crosby recorded the song on 8 June 1973 with an orchestra conducted by Billy Byers for Daybreak Records. Also in 1973, Jim Nabors covered the song on his album The Twelfth of Never ( Columbia KC 32377 ). Also in 1973, Italian singer Domenico Modugno had a minor hit in Italy with a cover in his language : `` Appendi un nastro giallo ''. The lyrics are a very faithful translation of the original, the only difference is that instead of watching the tree from a bus, the Italian singer watches it from a tram. Perry Como - included in his album And I Love You So ( 1973 ). Dean Martin - included in his album You 're the Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me ( 1973 ). In Chile, Roberto Inglez achieved great success with his version, which was number one on the national radio for the 11 September 1973. Lou Sino covered the song which appeared on his Now album ( 1973 ). It was also the B side of his single, `` She 's Got to Be a Saint '' released on Bengal 112873. Kay Starr did a version of this song on the country pop charts in 1974 hitting number 12. Frank Sinatra included the song in his album Some Nice Things I 've Missed ( 1974 ) Max Bygraves included in his album Singalong with Max ( 1975 ). The song was covered by Lawrence Welk, whose orchestra performed it many times on his television program during the late 1970s ; a studio version was released in 1975 on his album Lawrence Welk 's Most Requested TV Favorites ( Champagne Style ). The song was covered by Bobby Goldsboro on a multi-artist compilation album entitled Storytellers released in 1976. Harry Connick Jr. - for his album 30 ( 2001 ). In 2003 Dolly Parton recorded a cover on her patriotic album For God and Country. In popular culture This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( April 2018 ) The song had renewed popularity in 1981, in the wake of the Iranian hostage crisis. Later in 1973, Connie Francis had a minor hit in Australia with an answer song, `` The Answer ( Should I Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Old Oak Tree ? ) ''. Her version remained in the top 40 for three weeks, peaking at number 31. In 1977, the song was sung by Andy Kaufman playing his character Tony Clifton on HBO. The song appeared in the 1982 movie An Officer and a Gentleman, played by a band at the Navy Ball. The song was performed by David Alan Grier over the closing credits of Amazon Women on the Moon ( 1987 ). In 1999 S Club 7 performed the song for their hit TV series Miami 7. It was featured in the second episode. Association with the People Power revolution In the Philippines, the song was best known for its use in the return of exiled politician Benigno Aquino, Jr. to the country in 1983, during which Aquino supporters tied yellow ribbons on trees in anticipation of his arrival. However, Aquino was assassinated upon arrival, sparking the rise of People Power three years later that led to the demise of Ferdinand Marcos ' presidency and subsequent inauguration of Aquino 's widow Corazon Aquino as president. Yellow was also the campaign symbol of Aquino 's son who eventually became President Benigno Aquino III in 2010. Association with the 2014 Hong Kong Protests During the 2014 Hong Kong Protests the song was routinely 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 ) and on social media. Journalists covering the event described use of the tune as a protest song. See also List of number - one singles of 1973 ( Ireland ) List of Hot 100 number - one singles of 1973 ( U.S. ) List of number - one adult contemporary singles of 1973 ( U.S. ) List of number - one singles from the 1970s ( UK ) Preceded by `` The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia '' by Vicki Lawrence Billboard Hot 100 number - one single ( Tony Orlando and Dawn version ) 21 April 1973 ( four weeks ) Succeeded by `` You Are the Sunshine of My Life '' by Stevie Wonder Preceded by `` Dirty Old Man '' by George Hamilton IV RPM Country Tracks number one single ( Johnny Carver version ) 16 June 1973 ( one week ) Succeeded by `` You Always Come Back ( To Hurting Me ) '' by Johnny Rodriguez Preceded by `` Get Down '' by Gilbert O'Sullivan UK Singles Chart number one single 21 April 1973 ( four weeks ) Succeeded by `` See My Baby Jive '' by Wizzard References ^ Jump up to : `` Archived copy ''. Archived from the original on 13 September 2008. Retrieved 2009 - 08 - 29. ^ Jump up to : Gerald E. Parson, `` How the Yellow Ribbon Became a National Folk Symbol '', available at Library of Congress, originally printed in the Folklife Center News ( Volume XIII, # 3, 1991, pp. 9 - 11 ). ^ Jump up to : `` The L. Russell Brown Interview ''. Classicbands.com. Retrieved 2016 - 10 - 08. Jump up ^ Billboard Year - End Hot 100 singles of 1973 Jump up ^ Ami Sedghi ( 4 November 2012 ). `` UK 's million - selling singles : the full list ''. Guardian. Retrieved 4 November 2012. Jump up ^ `` flavour of new zealand - search listener ''. Flavourofnz.co.nz. Retrieved 2016 - 10 - 08. ^ Jump up to : `` Australian Chart Book ''. Austchartbook.com.au. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 2016 - 10 - 08. Jump up ^ `` Austriancharts.at -- DAWN FEAT. TONY ORLANDO -- Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree '' ( in German ). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Jump up ^ `` Ultratop.be -- DAWN FEAT. TONY ORLANDO -- Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree '' ( in French ). Ultratop 50. Jump up ^ `` Danishcharts.com -- DAWN FEAT. TONY ORLANDO -- Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree ''. Tracklisten. Jump up ^ `` Charts.org.nz -- Dawn -- Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree ''. Top 40 Singles. Jump up ^ `` Norwegiancharts.com -- DAWN FEAT. TONY ORLANDO -- Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree ''. VG - lista. Jump up ^ `` Official Singles Chart Top 100 ''. Official Charts Company. Jump up ^ `` Dawn Chart History ( Hot 100 ) ''. Billboard. Jump up ^ `` Dawn Chart History ( Adult Contemporary ) ''. Billboard. Jump up ^ `` Top 100 1973 - UK Music Charts ''. Uk-charts.top-source.info. Retrieved 2016 - 10 - 08. Jump up ^ `` Top 100 Hits of 1973 / Top 100 Songs of 1973 ''. Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 2016 - 10 - 08. Jump up ^ `` Cash Box YE Pop Singles - 1973 ''. Tropicalglen.com. 29 December 1973. Retrieved 2016 - 10 - 08. ^ Jump up to : `` RPM Country Tracks for June 16, 1973 ''. RPM. Retrieved 3 October 2010. Jump up ^ `` A Bing Crosby Discography ''. BING magazine. International Club Crosby. Retrieved 6 October 2017. Jump up ^ `` Jim Nabors - The Twelfth Of Never ( Vinyl, LP ) ''. Discogs.com. Retrieved 2016 - 10 - 08. Jump up ^ Discogs Lou Sino -- Now Jump up ^ `` Discogs.com ''. Discogs.com. Retrieved 6 October 2017. Jump up ^ `` Lawrence Welk - Lawrence Welk 's Most Requested TV Favorites ( Champagne Style ) ''. Discogs.com. Retrieved 2016 - 10 - 08. Jump up ^ `` Iconic yellow ribbon -- why it keeps waving ''. Asian Journal. Retrieved 24 November 2012. Jump up ^ Coleman, Jasmine ( 3 October 2014 ). `` Hong Kong Protests : The Symbols and Songs Explained ''. BBC News. Retrieved 13 October 2014. Jump up ^ Dearden, Lizie ( 5 October 2015 ). `` Hong Kong Protests : A Guide to Yellow Ribbons, Blue Ribbons and All the Other Colours ''. The Independent. Retrieved 13 October 2014. Jump up ^ `` RPM Country Tracks for June 9, 1973 ''. RPM. Retrieved 3 October 2010. Jump up ^ `` RPM Country Tracks for June 23, 1973 ''. RPM. Retrieved 3 October 2010. Tony Orlando and Dawn Tony Orlando Telma Hopkins Joyce Vincent Wilson Albums Candida Dawn 's New Ragtime Follies Singles `` Candida '' `` Knock Three Times '' `` Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree '' `` Say, Has Anybody Seen My Sweet Gypsy Rose '' `` He Do n't Love You ( Like I Love You ) '' Book : Tony Orlando and Dawn Billboard Year - End number one singles ( 1960 -- 1979 ) 1960 : `` Theme from A Summer Place '' -- Percy Faith 1961 : `` Tossin ' and Turnin ' '' -- Bobby Lewis 1962 : `` Stranger on the Shore '' -- Mr. Acker Bilk 1963 : `` Sugar Shack '' -- Jimmy Gilmer and the Fireballs 1964 : `` I Want to Hold Your Hand '' -- The Beatles 1965 : `` Wooly Bully '' -- Sam the Sham & the Pharaohs 1966 : `` Ballad of the Green Berets '' -- S / Sgt. Barry Sadler 1967 : `` To Sir, with Love '' -- Lulu 1968 : `` Hey Jude '' -- The Beatles 1969 : `` Sugar, Sugar '' -- The Archies 1970 : `` Bridge over Troubled Water '' -- Simon & Garfunkel 1971 : `` Joy to the World '' -- Three Dog Night 1972 : `` The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face '' -- Roberta Flack 1973 : `` Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree '' -- Tony Orlando and Dawn 1974 : `` The Way We Were '' -- Barbra Streisand 1975 : `` Love Will Keep Us Together '' -- Captain & Tennille 1976 : `` Silly Love Songs '' -- Wings 1977 : `` Tonight 's the Night ( Gonna Be Alright ) '' -- Rod Stewart 1978 : `` Shadow Dancing '' -- Andy Gibb 1979 : `` My Sharona '' -- The Knack Complete list ( 1946 -- 1959 ) ( 1960 -- 1979 ) ( 1980 -- 1999 ) ( 2000 -- 2019 ) Best - selling singles by year in the United Kingdom 1952 -- 1969 1952 : `` Auf Wiederseh'n Sweetheart '' -- Vera Lynn ( UK ) 1953 : `` I Believe '' -- Frankie Laine 1954 : `` Secret Love '' -- Doris Day 1955 : `` Rose Marie '' -- Slim Whitman 1956 : `` I 'll Be Home '' -- Pat Boone 1957 : `` Diana '' -- Paul Anka 1958 : `` Jailhouse Rock '' -- Elvis Presley 1959 : `` Living Doll '' -- Cliff Richard ( UK ) 1960 : `` It 's Now or Never '' -- Elvis Presley 1961 : `` Wooden Heart '' -- Elvis Presley 1962 : `` I Remember You '' -- Frank Ifield ( UK ) 1963 : `` She Loves You '' -- The Beatles ( UK ) 1964 : `` Ca n't Buy Me Love '' -- The Beatles ( UK ) 1965 : `` Tears '' -- Ken Dodd ( UK ) 1966 : `` Green, Green Grass of Home '' -- Tom Jones ( UK ) 1967 : `` Release Me '' -- Engelbert Humperdinck ( UK ) 1968 : `` Hey Jude '' -- The Beatles ( UK ) 1969 : `` Sugar, Sugar '' -- The Archies 1970 -- 1989 1970 : `` The Wonder of You '' -- Elvis Presley 1971 : `` My Sweet Lord '' -- George Harrison ( UK ) 1972 : `` Amazing Grace '' -- The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards Band ( UK ) 1973 : `` Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree '' -- Tony Orlando and Dawn 1974 : `` Tiger Feet '' -- Mud ( UK ) 1975 : `` Bye Bye Baby '' -- Bay City Rollers ( UK ) 1976 : `` Save Your Kisses for Me '' -- Brotherhood of Man ( UK ) 1977 : `` Mull of Kintyre '' / `` Girls ' School '' -- Wings ( UK ) 1978 : `` Rivers of Babylon '' / `` Brown Girl in the Ring '' -- Boney M. 1979 : `` Bright Eyes '' -- Art Garfunkel 1980 : `` Do n't Stand So Close to Me '' -- The Police ( UK ) 1981 : `` Do n't You Want Me '' -- The Human League ( UK ) 1982 : `` Come On Eileen '' -- Dexys Midnight Runners ( UK ) 1983 : `` Karma Chameleon '' -- Culture Club ( UK ) 1984 : `` Do They Know It 's Christmas ? '' -- Band Aid ( UK ) 1985 : `` The Power of Love '' -- Jennifer Rush 1986 : `` Do n't Leave Me This Way '' -- The Communards ( UK ) 1987 : `` Never Gonna Give You Up '' -- Rick Astley ( UK ) 1988 : `` Mistletoe and Wine '' -- Cliff Richard ( UK ) 1989 : `` Ride on Time '' -- Black Box 1990 -- 2009 1990 : `` Unchained Melody '' -- The Righteous Brothers 1991 : `` ( Everything I Do ) I Do It for You '' -- Bryan Adams 1992 : `` I Will Always Love You '' -- Whitney Houston 1993 : `` I 'd Do Anything for Love ( But I Wo n't Do That ) '' -- Meat Loaf 1994 : `` Love Is All Around '' -- Wet Wet Wet ( UK ) 1995 : `` Unchained Melody '' -- Robson & Jerome ( UK ) 1996 : `` Killing Me Softly '' -- Fugees 1997 : `` Something About the Way You Look Tonight '' / `` Candle in the Wind 1997 '' -- Elton John ( UK ) 1998 : `` Believe '' -- Cher 1999 : ``... Baby One More Time '' -- Britney Spears 2000 : `` Can We Fix It ? '' -- Bob the Builder ( UK ) 2001 : `` It Was n't Me '' -- Shaggy featuring Rikrok ( UK ) 2002 : `` Anything Is Possible '' / `` Evergreen '' -- Will Young ( UK ) 2003 : `` Where Is the Love ? '' -- The Black Eyed Peas 2004 : `` Do They Know It 's Christmas ? '' -- Band Aid 20 ( UK ) 2005 : `` Is This the Way to Amarillo '' -- Tony Christie featuring Peter Kay ( UK ) 2006 : `` Crazy '' -- Gnarls Barkley 2007 : `` Bleeding Love '' -- Leona Lewis ( UK ) 2008 : `` Hallelujah '' -- Alexandra Burke ( UK ) 2009 : `` Poker Face '' -- Lady Gaga 2010 -- present 2010 : `` Love the Way You Lie '' -- Eminem featuring Rihanna 2011 : `` Someone Like You '' -- Adele ( UK ) 2012 : `` Somebody That I Used to Know '' -- Gotye featuring Kimbra 2013 : `` Blurred Lines '' -- Robin Thicke featuring T.I. & Pharrell Williams 2014 : `` Happy '' -- Pharrell Williams 2015 : `` Uptown Funk '' -- Mark Ronson ( UK ) featuring Bruno Mars 2016 : `` One Dance '' -- Drake featuring Wizkid and Kyla ( UK ) 2017 : `` Shape of You '' - Ed Sheeran ( UK ) Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tie_a_Yellow_Ribbon_Round_the_Ole_Oak_Tree&oldid=836553725 '' Categories : 1973 singles Tony Orlando songs Johnny Carver songs Billboard Hot 100 number - one singles Billboard Adult Contemporary number - one singles Irish Singles Chart number - one singles Number - one singles in New Zealand Oricon International Singles Chart number - one singles RPM Country Tracks number - one singles UK Singles Chart number - one singles Songs written by L. Russell Brown Songs written by Irwin Levine Bell Records singles Songs about buses Songs about prison Hidden categories : Use dmy dates from April 2018 Articles with hAudio microformats Singlechart usages for Austrian Singlechart usages for Wallonia Singlechart usages for Denmark Singlechart usages for New Zealand Singlechart usages for Norway Singlechart usages for UK Singlechart usages for Billboardhot100 Singlechart usages for Billboardadultcontemporary Articles needing additional references from April 2018 All articles needing additional references Talk Contents About Wikipedia Deutsch 한국어 日本 語 Norsk Русский Slovenčina Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Svenska ไทย Tiếng Việt 中文 4 more Edit links This page was last edited on 15 April 2018, at 13 : 50. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. 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Question: who sings tie a yellow ribbon around the old oak tree
Answer: Tony Orlando and Dawn