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.
Say Has Anybody Seen My Sweet Gypsy Rose
Tony Orlando & Dawn Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Well at least I thought we were
Can't somebody tell me
What's got into her
A house, a home, a family
And a man who loves her so
Who'd believe she'd leave us
To join a burlesque show?
Say has anybody seen my
Sweet Gypsy Rose?
Here's her picture when she was my
Sweet Mary Jo
Now she's got rings on her fingers
And bells on her toes
Say has anybody seen my
Sweet gypsy Rose?
Oh, I know when Mary Jo's been dancin'
Here in New Orleans
In this smoke-filled honky-tonk
They call the land of dreams
Whoah, here she comes a-struttin'
In her birthday clothes
Say has anybody seen my
Sweet gypsy Rose?
Whoah, baby, baby,
Won'tcha come home
Say, we all miss ya
And every night we kiss your picture
Whoiah Rose, one night the lights go dim,
And the crowd goes home
That's the day you wake up
And you find you're all alone
So let's say goodbye to Gypsy
Hello Mary Jo
Say has anybody seen my
Sweet Gypsy Rose
(Instrumental)
So take those rings off your fingers
And bells off your toes
Say has anybody seen my
Now you know just what I mean by
Has anybody seen my Sweet Gypsy Rose
The lyrics of "Say Has Anybody Seen My Sweet Gypsy Rose" by Tony Orlando & Dawn tell a story about a woman named Mary Jo who leaves her husband and family to join a burlesque show. The singer, who thought they were happy, is confused and hurt by her actions. He sings of looking for her and asking if anyone has seen her by showing them her picture as a young girl called "Sweet Mary Jo." Although Mary Jo is now dressed up and dancing in the smoky burlesque clubs of New Orleans, the singer still misses her and hopes she will come home.
The lyrics evoke a sense of longing and heartbreak over a lost love. It's clear that the singer is still in love with Mary Jo, even though she has left him and their family behind. The song's nostalgic tone is reinforced by the upbeat, almost cheerful melody that accompanies the lyrics. The instrumental break also heightens the emotion of the lyrics and underscores the idea that Mary Jo's life has taken on a different direction without those who love her.
Line by Line Meaning
We were very happy
We had a lot of good times together.
Well at least I thought we were
I believed we were happy, but now I'm not sure.
Can't somebody tell me
I want to know why she left and what happened.
What's got into her
What has caused her to change and do something unexpected?
A house, a home, a family
She had a stable and loving domestic life.
And a man who loves her so
She was in a committed relationship with someone who cared for her deeply.
Who'd believe she'd leave us
It's hard to imagine that she would abandon her family and relationship.
To join a burlesque show?
It's surprising and unexpected that she would pursue a career in burlesque.
Say has anybody seen my
I'm searching for my lost love.
Sweet Gypsy Rose?
This is the name she goes by now that she's in burlesque.
Here's her picture when she was my
This is what she looked like when we were together.
Sweet Mary Jo
Her old name, before she became a burlesque performer.
Now she's got rings on her fingers
She's wearing jewelry to accentuate her burlesque persona.
And bells on her toes
She's wearing additional accessories to enhance her performance.
Oh, I know when Mary Jo's been dancin'
I can tell from her appearance when she's been performing burlesque.
Here in New Orleans
The location where she performs.
In this smoke-filled honky-tonk
The kind of venue where she performs.
They call the land of dreams
Burlesque is often associated with a fantasy world.
Whoah, here she comes a-struttin'
She has a confident and sexy walk when she performs.
In her birthday clothes
She's wearing revealing clothing and showing a lot of skin.
Whoah, baby, baby,
An expression of affection or longing.
Won'tcha come home
I want her to return to our domestic life.
Say, we all miss ya
Everyone in her former life is feeling her absence.
And every night we kiss your picture
We are nostalgic and romanticizing our memories of her.
Whoiah Rose, one night the lights go dim,
The end of the burlesque show, when everything is darkened.
And the crowd goes home
The audience has left the venue.
That's the day you wake up
When the glamour and excitement has subsided.
And you find you're all alone
Realizing that the true cost of her new career is isolation and loneliness.
So let's say goodbye to Gypsy
It's time to let go of the fantasy persona and return to reality.
Hello Mary Jo
Reintroducing her former name and identity.
Say has anybody seen my
I'm still looking for her.
Sweet Gypsy Rose
The final acknowledgement of her burlesque identity, while still searching for her true self.
(Instrumental)
Music without lyrics.
So take those rings off your fingers
It's time to relinquish the superficial aspects of the burlesque persona.
And bells off your toes
And get rid of the excess accessories.
Say has anybody seen my
Still searching for the real person underneath the persona.
Now you know just what I mean by
Now you understand the deeper implications and themes of this song.
Contributed by Ruby Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.