Candida (song)
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"Candida" is the debut single by American pop music group Dawn, with vocals by Tony Orlando, released in July 1970. The song, written by Irwin Levine and Toni Wine, was produced by Dave Appell and Hank Medress for Bell Records. Appell and Medress originally recorded another singer on the track, but decided that a different vocal approach would be preferable. Medress then approached Orlando to do the vocals. Orlando had been a professional singer in the early 1960s, but now worked as a music publishing manager for Columbia Records. Although initially worried about losing his job at Columbia, Orlando eventually agreed to lend his voice to the track.
"Candida" became a worldwide hit, reaching number one in five countries, and the top ten in many others, including number 3 in the USA.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It was included on Dawn's debut LP in 1970 and later appeared on several compilation albums. Andy Williams, Jesse Winchester, Ray Conniff, and Bernd Spier are among the artists who have covered the song.
Background and recording
In 1970 Hank Medress of the Tokens and Dave Appell were producing a song called "Candida" for Bell Records.<ref name=Childs>Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name=Warner484>Template:Harvnb</ref> The composition was written by Toni Wine and Irwin Levine.<ref name=Warner484/><ref name=NorwegianCharts>Template:Harvnb</ref> For the first recording of the song, the lead vocal was done by blues singer Frankie Paris,<ref name=Childs/> in a style reminiscent of the Drifters.<ref name=Warner484/> Paris's performance was deemed unsatisfactory, and a new singer was sought for the track.<ref name=Childs/><ref name=Warner484/> Medress believed that "an ethnic feel" would suit the song well.<ref name=Orlando91>Template:Harvnb</ref> He asked his friend Tony Orlando, whose heritage is Puerto Rican and Greek, to perform its lead vocal.<ref name=Warner484/><ref name=Bronson>Template:Harvnb</ref>
Orlando, a former professional singer, had had two top-40 hits in the US in 1961,<ref name=hoffman>Template:Harvnb</ref> but later moved into the music publishing business; in 1967 Columbia Records chose him to manage their publishing division, April-Blackwood Music.<ref name=hoffman/><ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> When Medress approached Orlando, he was reluctant to perform on a Bell Records single, as he did not want to jeopardize his job at Columbia.<ref name=Childs/><ref name=Orlando91/> Medress reassured him by saying they would use a band name for the release, and that nobody would know who the singer was.<ref name=Childs/><ref name=Orlando91/> Orlando finally agreed, partly because he believed the song would be unsuccessful and would not attract any attention.<ref name=Orlando92>Template:Harvnb</ref> He went into a studio with Appell and Medress, and sang his lead vocal over previously recorded tracks.<ref name=Orlando92/> Background vocals had been done by Wine and the Tokens' Jay Siegel;<ref name=Childs/><ref name=Warner484/><ref name=Orlando94>Template:Harvnb</ref> Orlando was not present when these were recorded.<ref name=Warner484/> By different accounts, additional background singers may have included Ellie Greenwich,<ref name=Warner484/> Robin Grean,<ref name=Warner484/> Leslie Miller,<ref name=Childs/> and Linda November.<ref name=Orlando94/><ref group=a>Still other sources attribute the background vocals to Telma Hopkins and Joyce Vincent Wilson (see Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb), who were members of Dawn from some point in the early 1970s onwards (see Template:Harvnb). However, in his autobiography, Orlando recounts recruiting Hopkins and Wilson for the group after "Candida" and its follow-up single, "Knock Three Times", were recorded and released (Template:Harvnb).</ref> Tokens drummer Phil Margo and Siegel played instruments on at least one of the versions of the song.<ref name=Childs/><ref name=Warner484/> The music of Orlando's version has been described as having "a lilting, sing-along groove".<ref name=hoffman/>
Release
"Candida" was released as a single in July 1970 under the moniker Dawn, named after the daughter of either Jay Siegel<ref name=Bronson/> or Bell Records executive Steve Wax.<ref name=NorwegianCharts/><ref name=Warner484/> The single reached number one in Brazil,<ref name=BrazilianCharts>Template:Harvnb</ref> Malaysia,<ref name=MalaysianCharts>Template:Harvnb</ref> Singapore,<ref name=SingaporeanCharts>Template:Harvnb</ref> Spain,<ref name=SpanishCharts>Template:Harvnb</ref> and Sweden,<ref name=SwedishCharts>Template:Harvnb</ref> and the top ten in Austria,<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> Canada,<ref name=CanadianCharts>Template:Harvnb</ref> Denmark,<ref name=SwedishCharts/> Mexico,<ref name=SpanishCharts/> New Zealand,<ref name=SingaporeanCharts/> Norway,<ref name=NorwegianCharts/> South Africa,<ref name=SingaporeanCharts/> the UK,<ref name=UKCharts>Template:Harvnb</ref> and the USA.<ref name=BillboardCharts>Template:Harvnb</ref> It also reached the top twenty in Australia,<ref name=Warner484/> Belgium,<ref name=BelgianCharts>Template:Harvnb</ref> and Germany.<ref name=GermanCharts>Template:Harvnb</ref> Billboard ranked the record as the No. 18 song of 1970.<ref>Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1970</ref>
Jay Warner, author of American Singing Groups: A History from 1940 to Today, notes that the group the Corporation released a different version of "Candida" around the same time as Dawn's.<ref name=Warner484/> The Corporation's recording was produced by Bill and Steve James, and released on Musicor Records.<ref name=Warner484/> Warner believes that this version was based on an early, slower piano-and-vocals demo by Toni Wine.<ref name=Warner484/> A July 1970 capsule review in Billboard magazine of both Dawn's and the Corporation's versions categorized the latter's recording as possessing "a strong blues and Tex-Mex flavor", and stated that both singles had "equal sales and chart potential".<ref name="autogenerated1">Template:Harvnb</ref> However, although for a short while it seemed there might be competition between the two, the Corporation's single did not sell well.<ref name=Warner484/>
Dawn's version was released on their debut album, Candida, in 1970,<ref name=Viglione/> and later on the Dawn compilations Greatest Hits, The World of Tony Orlando & Dawn, The Definitive Collection, and The Big Hits.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> It has also appeared on various-artists compilations including Today's Super Hits, AM Gold: 1970, and Real 70's: the Polyester Hits, Disc One.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref>
Covers
Numerous musicians have covered "Candida", among them Andy Williams,<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> Jesse Winchester,<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> Jimmy Velvet,<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> Ray Conniff,<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> and reggae artists Owen Gray<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> and the Pioneers.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> Foreign-language versions have included recordings in Portuguese by the Fevers,<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> in Spanish by La Tropa Loca,<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> and in German by Bata Illic<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> and Bernd Spier.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref>
Chart performance
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Weekly charts
| Chart (1970) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Argentinian Charts<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 1 |
| Australian Charts<ref name=Warner484/> | 13 |
| Belgian Charts<ref name=BelgianCharts/> | 11 |
| Brazilian Charts (Rio de Janeiro)<ref name=BrazilianCharts/> | 1 |
| Canadian RPM Top Singles<ref name=CanadianCharts/> | 2 |
| Canada RPM Adult Contemporary<ref name="govofcanada">Template:Cite web</ref> | 11 |
| German Charts<ref name=GermanCharts/> | 18 |
| Malaysian Charts<ref name=MalaysianCharts/> | 1 |
| New Zealand (Listener)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 2 |
| Norwegian Charts<ref name=NorwegianCharts/> | 4 |
| Singaporean Charts<ref name=SingaporeanCharts/> | 1 |
| South Africa (Springbok Radio)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 3 |
| Spanish Charts<ref name=SpanishCharts/> | 1 |
| Swedish Charts<ref name=SwedishCharts/> | 1 |
| UK Singles Chart<ref name=UKCharts/> | 9 |
| US Billboard Hot 100<ref name=BillboardCharts/> | 3 |
| US Billboard Easy Listening<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> | 8 |
| US Cashbox Top 100<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> | 1 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (1970) | Rank |
|---|---|
| Canada RPM <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 25 |
| U.S. Billboard <ref>Musicoutfitters.com</ref> | 18 |
| U.S. Cash Box <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 24 |
Notes
Footnotes
References
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