Singer Tony Orlando told Newsmax that his decades-old hit "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" brings feelings of déjà vu after seeing the results of war after war.
Speaking with "Saturday Report," Orlando says, "It's a little bit of déjà vu going on because the first time that song ever brought anybody home was for our hostages on a world scale. Of course, it was the POWs before that, but in a very similar way, the world had hostages for those 444 days; for those who are held in Iran reminds me of that."
"And when I was in Israel in 2014 for the last war," Orlando continues, "where Hamas killed three young boys who were kidnapped from school, ribbons were being tied then too. So, I know it's on a broader scale now. I have friends in Israel. They send me pictures, and it's really an honor and a privilege to have been the mailman that delivered the letter to such an unbelievable symbol of hope and freedom."
The song, popularized by the group Tony Orlando and Dawn, was written by Irwin Levine and L. Russell Brown and tells the story of a POW returning home. Before he returns home, he writes to his love, asking her to tie a yellow ribbon around the old oak tree in front of her house if she still wants him. If he doesn't see a ribbon, he'll stay on the bus and understand that she doesn't want him back. But upon his return, he finds not just one but a "hundred yellow ribbons" tied around the tree.
"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" topped the U.S. pop charts on April 21, 1973.
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Nick Koutsobinas ✉
Nick Koutsobinas, a Newsmax writer, has years of news reporting experience. A graduate from Missouri State University’s philosophy program, he focuses on exposing corruption and censorship.