Saturday, January 16, 2010

Tie a Yellow Ribbon

We had fun with our own photo shoot yesterday and here's just a little sampling of our results. I'm contributing to Mary's Mosaic Monday.

Instead of an oak tree, we thought it would be more fun to tie yellow ribbons around our babies to lovingly show they are missing daddy and awaiting his return.

I'm sure you've seen yellow ribbons displayed as a sign of loyalty to family, friends or loved ones who are away from home. It is often used to welcome home men and women who have been away for a long time under circumstances such as war.

Did you ever wonder where the Yellow Ribbon Tradition came from? The following is what I learned about the history of the yellow ribbon from American Family Traditions.

In 1973 Tony Orlando and Dawn cut their number one song of that year and their all-time classic: “Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree.”

Told as a true story, the incident occurred on a bus bound for Miami, Florida. It seems that one of the passengers had just been released from prison and he was bound for home. He had written his wife and let her know he still loved her and wanted to be with her. He asked her to tie a yellow ribbon around the lone oak tree in the Town Square of White Oak, Georgia, if she still had feelings for him and wanted him to be with her. Everyone in the bus asked the Driver to slow down as they approached, Sure enough, it was there!

The Driver pulled over and phoned the wire services to share the story. It quickly spread throughout the country. Songwriters Irwin Levine and L. Russell Brown wrote the ballad from the news story.


Now a twist to that supposed true story is that L. Russell Brown had the inspiration for writing the song from a civil war soldier, a stagecoach and yellow handkerchiefs. Can you imagine why the handkerchiefs were yellow?? UGH! He changed the handkerchiefs to ribbons so as not to offend anyone with what makes handkerchiefs yellow, updated the stagecoach to a bus and wrote the lyrics with Irwin Levine.

“Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round The Ole Oak Tree” was released in February 1973. It was the number one hit by April 1973.

The song became a hit again in 1981 when the 52 Iran Hostages were returned after 444 days of captivity. The song was played throughout the United States because by then the Yellow Ribbon had become a symbol of loyalty."

27 comments:

podso said...

You did some beautiful photography yesterday and made a wonderful collage. Such talent! ... but the subject makes it even more endearing. And I remember the song well, in fact I probably could still sing all the words!

Glenda/MidSouth said...

Awww! what adorable pictures! Thanks for sharing them.
I do remember the song and still see ribbons on trees and mailboxes around town.

BailiwickStudio said...

I remember reading about that story. I still see yellow ribbons here and there around town. ::Jill

Lenore said...

What beautiful photography and the little ones are darling!
I remember the Tony Orlando song but didn't know the actual story of how it came about.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for that info. I didnot know how it all started. Yes we have them every where. A wonderful photo shoot of your family. Blessings to you all.
QMM

eileeninmd said...

Beautiful babies and mosaic! I remember the song and I see yellow ribbons around here all the time.

Pauline Wiles said...

I love the yellow ribbon song too. And I like where you tied yours!

Ebie said...

How adorable. A very lovely creation.

I remember that song and story behind it.

Now, I feel like humming the song.

Ebie's Mosaic.

Jeanne said...

Beautiful pictures and you put them together in a lovely way. I always loved that song too!

Lana G! said...

Beautiful and totally heartwarming!

Judith @ Lavender Cottage said...

A touching mosaic and beautiful babies.

Anonymous said...

What a beautiful picture! Love the story.

Ceekay-THINKIN of HOME said...

What an adorable photo and precious with the yellow ribbons!

Sandi (Meme) said...

As a professional photographer, I love to see the work of others and your photo mosaic is awesome! I love the yellow ribbon touch and it's so fitting for your family! Have a wonderful week, and come visit me sometime!

Anonymous said...

What beautiful photos you took! Just precious and what a sweet mosaic they make!
Be a sweetie,
Shelia ;)

Faded Charm said...

What beautiful photographs. How special those will be when they are all grown up. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you had a nice weekend.

Kathleen

Christine said...

WOW! Your mosaic is amazing! I bet their Daddy's missing those little bundles of joy like crazy!!! Hoping & praying for his safe return. Thank you for stopping by my blog and Happy MM! Christine :D

Simple Home said...

I only knew the story from the song, I didn't know the original story. Your photos of those sweet babies and your daughter are incredible. Has you SIL seen them yet?
Blessings,
Marcia

Valerie said...

Marsha - what a beautiful blog. I enjoyed scrolling thru some other pages besides the mosaic (that which brought me here).

So much of it connected with me - as I was born in the 60's and remember the song, the events!

Praying for your son and all of our soldiers. What a sacrifice they make for all of us - being away from their precious families!

Tara said...

Thanks so much for taking a moment to visit my blog today--what a nice blog you've begun here and your photography is gorgeous! I'll be back! :0)

Bonnie said...

What a beautiful story and an even more beautiful family.

Carol said...

Stunning portraits! Your little ones are beautiful! I remember the song very well!

SavoringTime in the Kitchen said...

What an adorable photo! It was so interesting reading about the tradition of the yellow ribbon and what a sweet idea to use for a family shot. Those babies are cute as can be. Congratulations on your new little addition!

Mary Bergfeld said...

What wonderful photographic work. Blessings to your family and thanks for the information about the yellow ribbon.

Joyce said...

Thanks for the history of the yellow ribbon. Photo is wonderful s the babies are all so sweet.
Joyce

GratefulPrayerThankfulHeart said...

Sweetest mosaic! I have perused many of your posts and enjoyed visiting with you. You sure do have a precious family!

Kindly, ldh

Mary said...

Oh how sweet! Wonderful! Thanks so much for sharing at MM. :)