"Say, Has Anybody Seen My Sweet Gypsy Rose" is a 1973 song by the American

pop music Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom.S. Frith, W. Straw, and J. Street, eds, ''iarchive:cambridgecompani00frit, The Cambridge Companion to Pop ...

group

Tony Orlando and Dawn Tony Orlando and Dawn (also known simply as Dawn) is an American pop music group that was popular in the 1970s, composed of singer Tony Orlando and the backing vocal group Dawn (Telma Hopkins and Joyce Vincent Wilson). Their signature hits inclu ...

. Written by

Irwin Levine Irwin Jesse Levine (March 23, 1938 – January 21, 1997)
- accessed April 11, 2012 was an American songwriter, who co-wrote ...

and

L. Russell Brown Lawrence "Larry" Russell Brown (born June 29, 1940), known as L. Russell Brown, is an American lyricist and composer. He is most noted for his songs, co-written with Irwin Levine, "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" and "Knock Thre ...

, it was included on the group's 1973 album, '' Dawn's New Ragtime Follies''.

History

The songwriting duo of Levine and Brown had also penned other Tony Orlando and Dawn hits, including "

Knock Three Times "Knock Three Times" is a popular song credited simply to "Dawn", obscuring the actual performers. The song was released as a single which hit No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in January 1971 and eventually sold six million copies. It reache ...

" and "

Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" is a song recorded by Tony Orlando and Dawn. It was written by Irwin Levine and L. Russell Brown and produced by Hank Medress and Dave Appell, with Motown/Stax Records, Stax backing vocalist Telma Ho ...

". According to Orlando, Levine was a fan of singer

Al Jolson Al Jolson (born Asa Yoelson, ; May 26, 1886 – October 23, 1950) was a Lithuanian-born American singer, comedian, actor, and vaudevillian. Self-billed as "The World's Greatest Entertainer," Jolson was one of the United States' most famous and ...

and proposed the concept of "Say, Has Anybody Seen..." to producer Hank Medress. Orlando is quoted as saying: "Irwin Levine, the lyricist of the two, had this love for Jolson. He said, 'Hank, I'd like to write some songs that could have been written in the early 1900s.'"Hyatt, Wesley (1999). ''The Billboard Book of #1 Adult Contemporary Hits'' (Billboard Publications), page 127. With this concept in mind, the songwriters, producers and musicians began creating ''Dawn's New Ragtime Follies.''

Lyric content

The selection is narrated by a husband seeking his wife in New Orleans, Louisiana. Shocked and in disbelief that his wife, named Mary Jo, would abandon him and their children to join a

burlesque A burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects.

show at "The Land Of Dreams," a New Orleans strip joint, where she calls herself "Sweet Gypsy Rose," he devotes himself to searching for her. He hopes to convince her to give up her activities as a stripper and return to their home and family.

Release and reception

Officially credited as being performed by ''Dawn featuring Tony Orlando'' and released as the lead

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

from the aforementioned album, "Say, Has Anybody Seen..." became the group's fourth top ten single on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart in September 1973, peaking at #3. The song spent three weeks atop the ''Billboard''

adult contemporary chart The Adult Contemporary chart is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary radio stations in the United States. The chart is compiled based on airplay data submitted to ''Billboard'' by stati ...

in August and September of that year. It reached #12 on the UK Singles Chart at roughly the same time,Official Charts Company info
OfficialCharts.com. Retrieved 16 June 2009. and made it to #2 on the Australian pop chart. It is now used as the intro song for a section called "Gipsy Rose Dick" as part of the

CBBC CBBC is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast children's television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is also the brand used for all BBC content for children aged 6 to 12. Its sister c ...

programme "Dick and Dom's Hoopla."

Chart history

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Cover versions

Also in 1973, country-pop singer

Terry Stafford Terry LaVerne Stafford (November 22, 1941 – March 17, 1996) was an American singer and songwriter, best known for his 1964 US Top 10 hit " Suspicion", and the 1973 country music hit " Amarillo by Morning". Stafford was also known for his Elvis ...

included the song on the 7" single release of his hit, " Amarillo by Morning."

David Alan Grier David Alan Grier (born June 30, 1956) is an American actor and comedian. Known for his roles on stage and screen, Grier gained popularity playing multiple roles in the American sketch comedy television series '' In Living Color'' (1990–1994) ...

performed it for a sketch in '' Amazon Women on the Moon.''

References

External links

US 7" single info
Discogs.com {{Tony Orlando and Dawn 1973 songs 1973 singles Tony Orlando songs Terry Stafford songs Songs written by L. Russell Brown Songs written by Irwin Levine Bell Records singles