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.
He Don't Love You Like I Love You
Tony Orlando & Dawn Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If he did, he wouldn't break your heart
He don't love you like I love you
He's try-in' to tear us apart
Fare thee well, I know you're leavin' (I know you're leavin')
For the new love that you've found
The handsome guy that you've been dating, whoa
He don't love you like I love you
If he did, he wouldn't break your heart
He don't love you like I love you
He's try-in' to tear us apart
He uses all the great quotations
Says the things I wish I could say
Whoa, but he's has so many rehearsals
Girl, to him it's just another play but wait
When the final act is over
And you're left standing all alone
When he takes his bow and makes his exit
Girl, I'll be there to take you home
He don't love you (and he never will) like I love you
If he did, he wouldn't break your heart
Oh, he don't love you, girl, like I love you
He's try-in' to tear us apart
Whoa, he don't love you
like I love you is a song by Tony Orlando and Dawn released in 1975. The lyrics are about a man trying to convince his lover that the new guy she's seeing doesn't love her like he does. He insists that if the new guy had any genuine feelings for her, he wouldn't intentionally cause her any pain. The chorus reiterates the theme of the song by insisting that the new guy is deliberately trying to tear them apart.
The song has an intense, soulful melody that flows perfectly with the emotion conveyed by the lyrics. The song's skilled arrangement, which includes a melodic guitar, violin, and saxophone, as well as an infectious percussion beat, complements the vocals, making it a hit song that continues to resonate with listeners even today.
The lyrics convey various emotions, such as love, jealousy, and pain. They express the kind of intense and crazy love that is typical in romantic relationships, showing how a person can go to great lengths to fight for the one they love. However, the song also exposes how people cling to each other, hoping that the other will choose them as their partner in life. This becomes evident when the man says he will "be there to take you home" when the woman's relationship with the new guy falls apart.
Line by Line Meaning
He don't love you like I love you
If he truly loved you, he wouldn't hurt you like he does.
If he did, he wouldn't break your heart
If he cared for you the way I do, he wouldn't do anything to cause you pain or distress.
He's try-in' to tear us apart
His actions are designed to split us up and damage our relationship.
Fare thee well, I know you're leavin'
I understand that you're moving on from our relationship.
The handsome guy that you've been dating, whoa
You've met someone new who you find physically attractive.
I got a feelin' he's gonna put you down 'cause
I have a sense that he will disappoint or hurt you.
He uses all the great quotations
He can say all the right things and seem impressive to you.
Says the things I wish I could say
He is able to articulate your desires and express them in a way that I cannot.
Whoa, but he's had so many rehearsals
He's had a lot of practice with romance and relationships, giving him an advantage over me.
Girl, to him it's just another play but wait
He doesn't take this relationship as seriously as you do, but just wait and see.
When the final act is over
When this relationship ends, as it inevitably will.
And you're left standing all alone
When this other guy inevitably disappoints and hurts you.
When he takes his bow and makes his exit
When this other guy inevitably leaves or causes the relationship to end.
Girl, I'll be there to take you home
I'll always be there to support you and help you through the difficult times.
Oh, he don't love you, girl, like I love you
He can't care for you as deeply and unconditionally as I do.
Whoa, he don't love you
It's clear that this other guy doesn't feel the way I feel about you.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Curtis Mayfield, Calvin Carter, Jerry Butler
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@fredricardo3272
I miss the era when singers actually sung. I’m glad that I’m old enough to remember that time. Now thanks to computers and different tastes everyone sounds alike and the idea of good singing has been replaced with an emphasis on video and graphics.
@thomastimlin1724
Yeh as a former school music teacher and musician/singer...emphasis on video and graphics. and computers and autotuned robot sounds...makes you sick to your stomach doesn't it?
@pontiacgrandprix733
I open the sunroof in my 73 Grand Prix and play this song, it's 75 all over again
@ecouture33
You just took me back!! Thank you!!!
@TaborTalk
Love the visual!!! 70s 4ever!!!
@kennethhamlett166
This is the best version ever recorded of this great song. It is also by far the best Tony Orlando and Dawn recording.
@girlwalkerII
I was a young girl back then but heard his music from my teenaged sister
@donearl6675
😍🥰
@Arborist1959
Jerry Butler did it originally,it is close,THe girls in harmony and chorus give it the edge!
@toddfox3293
Definitely the best version of this song. I'm not sure if it is their best, but it is definitely my favorite.