“Candida” – Single by Tony Orlando & Dawn from the album Candida
B-side “Look At…”
Released July 1970
Label Bell Records
Songwriters Toni Wine, Irwin Levine
Producers Hank Medress, Dave Appell
Charted No.3 in US, No.1 in Sweden, No. 1 in Sweden, No.18 in West Germany, No.2 in Canada, No.9 in UK
“Candida” became a worldwide hit, reaching number one in five countries, and the top ten in many others, including number 3 in the USA. It was included on Dawn’s debut LP in 1970 and later appeared on several compilation albums.
In 1970 Hank Medress of the Tokens and Dave Appell were producing a song called “Candida” for Bell Records. The composition was written by Toni Wine and Irwin Levine. For the first recording of the song, the lead vocal was done by blues singer Frankie Paris, in a style reminiscent of the Drifters. Paris’s performance was deemed unsatisfactory, and a new singer was sought for the track. Medress believed that “an ethnic feel” would suit the song well. He asked his friend Tony Orlando, whose heritage is Puerto Rican and Greek, to perform its lead vocal.
