Candida by Tony Orlando & Dawn

Album: Candida (1970)

Charted: 9 3

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Songfacts®:

This was written by New York songwriters Toni Wine and Irwin Levine, who were signed by Don Kirshner as teenagers and wrote for his Screen Gems publishing company, which became EMI. In the song, "Candida" is the name of a girl. In a Songfacts interview, Toni Wine said: "I came up with the name 'Candida.' We knew we wanted a Spanish girl's name. Rosita had been taken. Juanita was a hit. Maria had happened. We knew we wanted to write a Latin-flavored song, because of the areas that we grew up in, a lot of Latin and R&B music were being combined, and I grew up in Spanish Harlem. Loved the music, just loved that whole feel. We needed a three-syllable word, and all those girls were gone. So Candida had been a name that I had toyed with, and there she became a reality.

We just immersed ourselves into that feel, that vibe, that time period, and just flowed with it. They were all beautiful images that we thought would be interesting, as well as it was a musical lilt, the way it was phrased. We just rolled with those lyrics and music, and it worked for us."
Toni Wine told us how Tony Orlando came to record this: "Tony had a couple of hits, big wonderful hits. 'Halfway To Paradise,' 'Bless You,' in the northeast region, and actually all over the country. They were big, big records. Then he went to work as what a lot of people refer to as a song plugger, but he truly was more than a song plugger. He ran the New York offices of April Blackwood Music, which at that time was headed by Clive Davis. Tony not only is a great singer, but he has great ears. He really does. As a person that could marry a song to an artist. And that was what he did. So he had a very successful career as a music publisher/rep, but he still had that great voice that he wasn't singing.

And 'Candida' had been recorded by a group. The group had a lead singer which was not that fabulous [Frankie Paris]. It really was a nice record, but the lead singer was not adored by the record label. And the Tokens had produced it, Hank Medress and the Tokens. And Hank asked Tony to re-do that record, to sing lead. And Tony, of course, did. But he was very, very skeptical, and very worried that it would be found out by Clive, or the offices. And he would lose his job, because it could be a conflict of interest. But he didn't want to put his job in jeopardy. You know, the music business... you just can't tell if it's going to work for you. Well, he put his lead on, and in actuality, myself, Jay Siegel from the Tokens, and another singer out of New York besides Jay and myself, Robin Grean, we did the background vocals.

So there we were, Tony put his lead on, and the record was released by this group called Dawn, which had been named after one of Bell Records' promotion man's daughter. And that was cool. So Dawn came out with 'Candida,' and just incredibly, it was this huge record. And we then wound up doing the album. And of course there still was no Dawn, meaning Telma and Joyce - the entire first album, really, was Tony and myself and Jay and Robin Grean, or down the road, some other singers... Linda November. But there was still no real Dawn. It was after the first album, which included 'Knock Three Times,' and 'What Are You Doing Sunday?' which I also wrote with Irwin. And after that first album Dawn became a true reality, and there were Joyce and Telma and Tony, and they became Tony Orlando & Dawn. At that point, after 'Candida' and 'Knock' were as huge as they were, Tony was not worried about losing his day job." (For more, check out our interview with Toni Wine.)
"Candida" might be a lovely name for a girl, but we wouldn't suggest it: The word actually refers to a parasitic fungus associated with yeast infections.

Comments: 24

Tim from ChicagoCandida is of Latin origin and means “white” or “pure” or “innocence.” That makes a whole lot more sense with the song than the Spanish meaning. The songwriters wanted that Latin feel.
Jim from WyThere used to be one of those questionable buy here/pay here use car lots on Riverton. Wyoming. I had a friend who needed to drop off some parts there so I went in with him and was looking at their bulletin board of Polaroids congratulating people who had bought cars from them, complete with the cheesy salesman shaking their hand. They would write names on the white part of the Polaroid and one of them said in big red letters, Congratulations Chlamydia! and it was like jeez, who names their kid that???
George Pope from British ColumbiaI dated a girl who had bad candida (the fungal yeast). . . good thing I hadn't head this song yet or I might've dedicated it to her at some point. . . when it was my turn to restart the fight (we were both quite immature yet)
Cam from OhioThis song is a lot of fun to sing along to and one main reason is the catchy name, “Candida” with its hard K sound which gives it high energy followed by “dee-da” giving it the sing-songy feel. Softer sounding names like “Maria” or “Juanita” simply would not have had the same effect. The song starts with smooth, sweet lyrics then takes a leaping jump into the chorus with the perfect vehemence of “Oh my Candida!”. Tony’s vocals are warm and sincere. As to any flare up over the name and its meaning, plenty of guys walking around named Peter and Dick, so there’s that.
Pedro Opeleña Taghoy Jr. from Makilala CotabatoMy favorite song in jukebox
Dianne from MiOk. So, to set the record straight, Candida' is not a parasitic infection. Candida is a yeast that grows in the INTESTINE. It lives in harmony with different strains of bacteria that is partly responsible for digesting and allowing your body to absorb food and nutrients. When you eat a diet of a bunch of junk food, too much sugar, etc. which feeds the candida and causes it to grow out of control. It can actually grow tiny roots and puncture the intestinal walls creating microscopic holes. These holes allow partially undigested food that is in the intestine to escape through the holes in the intestinal wall and enter the bloodstream. This is what is referred to as leaky gut. A lot - if not, most people have leaky gut, unfortunately. It can cause inflammatory conditions throughout the body like MS, rheumatoid arthritis, chronic headaches, etc. It can also elevate the candida that is naturally in the vagina as well. That is what people may think of it being parasitic. It's not parasitic, it's always been there - it's just that between diet, stress, low immune system, etc. the candida has grown to higher levels. A candida overgrowth can be the culprit of many undiagnosed, unexplained conditions and ailments. It can be deadly, if severe enough.

Get yourself on a regular plan of taking QUALITY pre-and probiotics. Stop eating a bunch of junk. Get off sugar and sugar substitutes that's in everything. Eat some fermented foods. You'll end up living a better quality of life and your Candida will stay in check.

Hope this helps.
George from Vancouver, CanadaCandida comes from a root meaning "shining" so it's not altogether a bad name for a girl, Miss Candida from Texas. . . Unless one of your parents infected the other with this STD on their first date & thats the REAL reason you got the name! ;) (J/King)
Candida from TexasI love this song! My parents heard it in on their first date. Then named me after it ;)
Robbo from Brielle, NjDavid from Youngstown, OH: Listen to "in-the-clear" recordings (no audience noise to obscure the sound) of Candida and Knock Three Times and you'll discover that those two instrumental intros are by no means identical. I know whence I speak, having been a radio personality for over 30 years. Cheerio!
Arthur from New Jersey"Candida" is a great song, except for the girl's name in the title. Candida is an infection that you do not want to get! Any girl's name would be better. Too bad they rejected Rosita, Juanita, and Maria. They gave up too soon. What name should they have changed it to? Anita would work but it's too common a name. How about something more unusual like Melina? Not really a Hispanic name, I know. Suggestions?
Seventhmist from 7th HeavenGlad they didn't also perform a song called Chlamydia.
Stephanie from KznI loved this song. Candida is quite a common name in the Portuguese culture and has nothing to do with the fungus. It's a beautiful name for my beautiful daughter.
Moanin' Lisa from Chillicothe Mo.I remember the Tony Orlando & Dawn TV show when I was a mere tot. My brothers were nuts over the big hits "Candida" and "Knock 3 Times" mainly because of the Latin feel to them. And then their hits just kept on coming thru the years. I was older when "Tie A Yellow Ribbon" hit #1 as a monster hit. But it was always "Candida" that I loved for the Latin flavoring & the brass horns. Only wish they could've been louder in the production. Their "greatest hits" compilation is great for their fans too. Oohhh! Ooooo! Ahhhh!
Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn July 19th 1970, "Candida" by Dawn entered Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart at position #97; and September 22nd, 1970 it peaked at #3 (for 2 weeks) and spent 18 weeks on the Top 100...
It reached #8 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary Tracks chart...
The first week it was at #3, the #1 record was "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" by Diana Ross and #2 was "Lookin' Out My Back Door" by Creedence Clearwater Revival...
And its second week at #3, the #1 record was "Cracklin' Rosie" by Neil Diamond and #2 was "I'll Be There" by the Jackson 5.
Elmer from Westville, OkWow! This song "Candida" is still OUTASIGHT (as we used to say)! Still love this & other Tony Orlando & Dawn songs. For me & my friends, it was the tempo and the production that were the icing-on-the-cake. And don't forget, Tony, Telma, & Joyce's big hit TV variety show. They had a good run with a zany & fun show. Oh yes, kids, don't worry about those negative comments. They're ignorant & not worth your attention! Candida rocks & don't you forget it!
Esskayess from Dallas, Txcandida— any yeastlike parasitic fungus of the genus Candida, esp C. albicans, which causes thrush ( candidiasis )
James from Diamond Bar, CaCandida- A smash- What a smash- The public responded to Tony's great voice, the great background vocals and the great lyrics- Candida is a Spanish Girl's name- It's a Spanish name , period. The song is so unforgettable- To me, a Spanish Harlem influence. Which has been proven right- " The gypsy told me so last night, said she saw our children playing in the sunshine- " That line did it for me- I became a huge fan of Tony Orlando And Dawn, mainly because of that line and this song- Candida Rocks, aren't we all glad Tony decided to put his vocal track down ? We sure are.
Candida from Richmond, CaMy mother loves/loved this song so much she named me after it. Years before I was a thought, she named the family dog, a white samoyed candida also.
Rick from Belfast, MeCandida was always my fav tony orlando song
Michelle from North Brunswick, NjHow in the world, such nasty comments can be made about this beautiful song, is totally beyond me! Not long after the song was released, I acquired the sweetest dog ever created. She was a Keeshond and I named her "Candida". The lyrics, ironically, became more a reality, than a song! I look forward to seeing her again, in Heaven..."...Where the air is fresh and clean..."
Jason from KaitangataI rate songs by sing-ability. It has a catchy tune, if you cant remember the words you can always join in the chorus and when you are traveling in a car you dont need songs that you and only you know the words. Candida is such a song. try it out see how many people know the words to Candida or Knock three times, tie a yellow ribbon its just got singability. Just enjoy the song
Pearl from Mayer, Azi love this song
and why does everyone always have a negative comment to post?
David from Youngstown, OhThe opening is identical to Knock Three Times. It's like they didn't bother to even make it sound slightly different.
Darrell from EugeneThis song sounds lousy when it is played on anything other than a turntable brought up to 45 RPM for an LP or 78 RPM for a single. As for the name, it sounds like the name of a well-known vaginal yeast infection.

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