Tony Orlando's Salute to America: A Summer Yacht Special at Mohegan Sun Arena

Tie a Yellow Ribbon is probably the most iconic and best loved song in America. It rocketed to fame as a catchy dance single, and almost grew into the American National anthem in the 1970s at the end of the Vietnam War, with the song being very widely aired as the troops stepped off returning aircraft.

Tony Orland and Dawn were the inspiration, the voice and the music behind this iconic piece of music. Tie a Yellow Ribbon has since spawned a massive growth in the symbolism for the support of particular causes. The symbolism of ribbons dates back to the days of the English Civil War, when ribbons were given as tokens to the knights of the Puritan army. This practice found its way across the ocean and with the help of Tony Orland, this has been adopted somewhat as symbolic importance in the American Armed Forces, especially after the release of the American hostages during the 1979 Iranian hostage situation.

Today this symbolism is seen more so in the medical field than in any other, but its display encompasses the support for any worthy cause, ranging from Alcohol and drug abuse to cancer diseases to yellow symbolizing the support for troop and military home coming, the fight against genocide and the violent and abuse against women. Sales of the song, Tie a Yellow Ribbon Around The Old Oak Tree, sung by Tony Orland in 1973, topped the charts in 8 of the 10 different countries where it was sold. The song sold 3 million records in 3 weeks of release, and was aired on radio stations another 3 million times over a period of some 17 years. The song has been used in numerous films and movies, great and small, and the story behind the song has been made into a movie.