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"ORANGE BLOSSOM SPECIAL": HOW THE VOCAL VERSION IS DIFFERENT
In the vocal version of "Orange Blossom Special," the song starts in the key of E and establishes tonality unambiguously with a 12-bar blues verse, using the three principal chords, E, A, and B7:
Look a-yonder comin’, comin’ down the railroad track Hey, look a-yonder comin’, comin’ down the railroad track It’s the Orange Blossom Special, bringin’ my baby back
It then moves to the key of A major and establishes tonality for the main (instrumental) melody. Then it returns to E for another long vamp and repeats the cycle.
In both versions, it’s those long excitement-building vamps on the V7 chord of the key of A that make “Orange Blossom Special” one of the all-time great fiddle tunes.