THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

886-Tony Orlando and Dawn-Knock Three Times.

1971-Number 1 single.

Best Bit-At 0.36. If the answer is twice on the pipe, then the best thing to do is forget about her, and go and have a cold shower.

Tony Orlando was born Michael Anthony Orlando Cassavitis, on April 3rd, 1944, in New York City, United States, he is a singer, songwriter, music producer, and an actor. He achieved his first hit single as a solo artist in 1961 at the age of 16, with the original version of ‘Halfway to Paradise,’ which peaked at Number 39 on Billboard in America. His follow up single ‘Bless You,’ also charted making Number 17 on Billboard, and charted in the UK at Number 5. Tony Orlando released a further 13 singles between 1961-1979, but they all failed to chart. He has also released eight solo Albums between 1961-2014.

As well as being a recording artist, Tony Orlando became a music producer, and he also worked his way up to become the vice president of the publishing company ‘CBS Music.’ In 1969 he recorded with the studio group ‘Wind,’ and had a Billboard Number 28 hit with ‘Make Believe.’ It was at this time that Orlando accepted a $3,000 advance, and sang lead vocals on a song called ‘Candida,’ as a favour for two producer friends of his called Hank Medress, (1938-2007) and Dave Appell (1922-2014.) When ‘Candida’ was released in 1970, Orlando insisted that his name be left off, as if it failed to chart it might damage his reputation, and there could also be legal issues, as Orlando was signed to ‘CBS Records,’ and ‘Candida’ was issued on ‘Bell Records.’ The name ‘Dawn’ was chosen as Orlando’s pseudonym, which was the middle name of the daughter of ‘Bell Records’ executive Steve Wax. ‘Candida’ became a hit (Billboard Number 3, and UK Number 9) and Orlando recorded the Album ‘Candida,’ which included ‘Knock Three Times.’

‘Knock Three Times’ was co-written by Irwin Levine, (1938-1997) and L Russell Brown, Levine was also responsible for ‘Candida,’ and with Brown, ‘Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree,’ (1973) which is one of the 50 best selling songs in America on Billboard of all time. The ‘Candida’ Album has vocals by Tony Orlando, Toni Wine, Cynthia Weil, Jay Siegal, and Linda November, but all the other ‘Dawn’ releases were performed by Tony Orlando, Telma Hopkins, and Joyce Vincent Wilson. Toni Wine who was the other co-writer of ‘Candida,’ also co-wrote ‘A Groovy Kind of Love,’ (The Mindbenders 1965, and Phil Collins 1988) with Carol Bayer Sager, and she sang vocals on the ‘Archies’ 1969 Billboard, and UK Number 1 ‘Sugar Sugar.’

Tony Orlando and Dawn have released nine studio Albums between 1970-2005, and 26 singles between 1970-1991, there are also 17 official compilation Albums available. In America on the Billboard Hot 100 they have achieved 14 top 40 singles, with three of those songs, including ‘Knock Three Times,’ reaching Number 1, while in the UK, they have charted on six occasions, with ‘Knock Three Times,’ and ‘Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree,’ both making Number 1. Such was the popularity and success of Tony Orlando and Dawn, that in 1974,’CBS’ television gave them there own variety show, which ran until December 1976. The show was scheduled to replace ‘The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour,’ and was made in the same vein, with sketches featuring sarcastic back-and-forth banter between Orlando, Hopkins and Vincent, similar to the sarcastic dialogue between Sonny and Cher (see also best songs 672.)

L. Russell Brown and Irwin Levine, who wrote ‘Knock Three Times,’ were thinking of the song ‘Up on the Roof,’ (see also best songs 1021) and they wanted to write a song with that kind of lyrical flavour, about tenement living.’Knock Three Times’ is about a guy who fancies his downstairs neighbour, and leaves her a note one day saying, that if she is interested, she must knock three times on the ceiling, but if she isn’t interested, she should bang twice on the pipe. We never find out how she responds.

‘Hey girl what ya doin’ down there, dancin’ alone every night while I live right above you. I can hear your music playin,’ I can feel your body swayin,’ One floor below me you don’t even know me
I love you, oh my darling.’