In 1970, Tony Orlando was a retired cover singer. He had two Top 40 hits in 1961 and another in the later half of the decade as the lead singer for the studio group Wind, but he had not had any further success for the rest of the decade. He stopped singing entirely, publishing music for Columbia Records instead.
Orlando discovered a song, "Candida," which he decided to pass on recording. After an insistence that he dub his voice over the male vocals in the original track, he had the single released on Bell Records as performed by "Dawn", so if the record did not succeed, he would not be known as the lead vocalist. The background singers were Sharon Greane, Jay Siegel, and Toni Wine, who co-wrote the song. After single hit #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, Orlando decided to change career tracks.
While "Candida" climbed the record charts, Orlando discovered that there were six touring groups that called themselves "Dawn". As he assembled his new group, the name "Dawn featuring Tony Orlando" was chosen to be their new name.
He chose singers Telma Hopkins and Joyce Vincent Wilson to sing with him after he recorded "Knock Three Times" which hit #1 in early 1971. The group waited until 1973 for their next #1 single, "Tie a Yellow Ribbon 'Round the Ole Oak Tree." In terms of sales, this single was the most successful in the group's career.
The group's next single,"Say Has Anybody Seen My Sweet Gypsy Rose" (from their concept album Dawn's New Ragtime Follies) went to #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. CBS gave the group a television variety show in the summer of 1974, after The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour ended its run. The show was in the same vein as its predecessor, and became a Top 20 hit. It ran until December 1976.
With a new name ("Tony Orlando and Dawn") and a new record label (Elektra), the group continued their string of hit singles during the show's run hitting the Top 10 on the Hot 100 and/or Adult Contemporary Charts including "He Don't Love You (Like I Love You)" (a reworking of Jerry Butler's "He Will Break Your Heart") which went to #1. A remake of the Sam Cooke song "Cupid", was the group's last Top 40 single on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1976. "Sing" reached #7 on the Adult Contemporary Chart in 1977 and was the last Tony Orlando & Dawn single until 1991's "With Ev'ry Yellow Ribbon (That's Why We Tie 'Em)".
Orlando is still a popular appearance performer. Hopkins made a very successful acting career for herself in series like "Gimme a Break", "Family Matters", and "Half and Half". A DVD compilation from the variety series was released in 2005 along with the group's catalog of albums on CD. Tony Orlando & Dawn released "A Christmas Reunion" that same year.
Candida
Tony Orlando & Dawn Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
'Cause they couldn't match the glow of your eyes
And, oh, who am I?
Just an ordinary guy
Tryin' hard to win me first prize
Oh, Candida
We could make it together
Where the air is fresh and clean
Hmm-hmm, Candida
Just take my hand and I'll lead ya
I promise life will be sweeter
And it said so in my dreams
The future looks bright, the gypsy told me so last night
Said she saw our children playing in the sunshine
And there were you and I in a house, baby, no lie
And all these things were yours, and they were mine
Whoa, my Candida
We could make it together
The further from here, girl, the better
Where the air is fresh and clean
Hmm-hmm, Candida
Just take my hand and I'll lead ya
I promise life will be sweeter
And it said so in my dreams
And oh, who am I?
Just an ordinary guy
You know I'm tryin' hard to win me first prize
Oh, my Candida
We could make it together
The further from here, girl, the better
Where the air is fresh and clean (come with me)
Whoa, my Candida (come with me)
Just take my hand and I'll lead ya
I promise life will be sweeter
And it said so in my dreams
The song "Candida" by Tony Orlando & Dawn is about an ordinary guy trying to win the heart of a girl named Candida. The lyrics suggest that the guy believes he is not worthy of her, but he is willing to do whatever it takes to earn her love. The opening lines, "The stars won't come out if they know that you're about ’Cause they couldn't match the glow of your eyes," refer to the guy's admiration of Candida's beauty. He believes she is so stunning that even the stars would dim in comparison to her eyes.
The chorus of the song encourages Candida to leave with the singer to a far-off place where the air is "fresh and clean." He promises her a sweeter life, telling her it "said so in my dreams." The second verse includes a reference to a gypsy's prophecy that the singer and Candida would eventually marry and have children, living in a house together. The singer sees this as a sign that they are meant to be together, and he urges her to join him on an adventure to a better life.
Overall, "Candida" is a fun, catchy song about the pursuit of love and the desire for a better future. The refrain's upbeat melody and positive lyrics encourage listeners to chase their dreams and believe anything is possible.
Line by Line Meaning
The stars won't come out if they know that you're about
The stars won't show up if they realize how beautiful you are
'Cause they couldn't match the glow of your eyes
They can't shine brighter than the light in your eyes
And oh, who am I ?
I am just an ordinary person
Just an ordinary guy
Just an average man
Tryin' hard to winning first prize
Trying hard to be the best
Oh, Candida
Oh, my love
We could make it together
We can achieve anything together
The further from here, girl, the better
The farther we are from here, the happier we will be
Where the air is fresh and clean
Where the environment is pure and clean
Just take my hand and I'll lead ya
Just hold my hand, and I will guide you
I promise life will be sweeter
I assure you that our life will be happier
Yes it said so in my dreams
I dreamt about it, so it must be true
The future is bright, the gypsy told me so last night
The future looks promising; the fortune teller said so last night
Said she saw our children playing in the sunshine
She visualized us having children playing in the sun
And there were you and I, in a house Baby no lie
You and I were in a house, building our future
And all these things were yours, and they were mine
All our dreams and goals will be fulfilled
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Irwin Levine, Toni Wine
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@orverjhp
The stars won't come out
If they know that you're about
'Cause they couldn't match the glow of your eyes
And, oh, who am I
Just an ordinary guy
Trying hard to win me first prize
Oh, Candida
We could make it together
The further from here, girl, the better
Where the air is fresh and clean
Hmm, Candida
Just take my hand, and I'll lead ya
I promise life will be sweeter
And it said so in my dreams
The future is bright
The gypsy told me so last night
Said she saw our children playing in the sunshine
And there was you and I
In a house, baby, no lie
And all these things were yours and they were mine
Whoa, my Candida
We could make it together
The further from here, girl, the better
Where the air is fresh and clean
Hmm, Candida
Just take my hand, and I'll lead ya
I promise life will be sweeter
And it said so in my dreams
And, oh, who am I?
Just an ordinary guy
You know I'm trying hard to win me first prize
Oh, my Candida
We could make it together
The further from here, girl, the better
Where the air is fresh and clean (come with me)
Whoa, my Candida (come with me)
Just take my hand, and I'll lead ya
I promise that life will be sweeter
@rubenruben4969
Orgulloso de haber crecido, escuchando esta música, otros artistas
@MississippiRebel67
I feel privileged to have grown up listening to 70’s music.
@tedcorey3054
Yea , me too .
@luciamaramellek4216
Simply wonderful!👏👏👏👏👏💯❣️
@bwdrums1
Just a perfect, beautiful pop song. Never get sick of it.
@candidaclarke1
I am named for this song and I cant count how many times in hearing my name, people start to sing this song 😊 makes me feel special! Thank you Tony Orlando xo
@maricelamartinezm1327
Muy cierto, yo cursaba la secundaria y estaba de moda esta hermosa canción.
@BrendaSmith440
That’s awesome one of my favorite songs of him
@cosmicwooo5396
Same here! My mom said it was her favorite song. 🌻 No one has ever sang it to me though. They can’t even pronounce it. 🙄 I’ve been called canada, candelaria, Candice...
@candidaoxendine297
It’s my name too every time I hear it being sung I can’t help but smile