According to Billboard magazine, he had 38 American Hot 100 chart hits, 10 of which hit the Top 20.
Vee was born in Fargo, North Dakota, to Sydney Ronald Velline and Saima Cecilia Tapanila. His first single, "Suzie Baby," was written by Vee with a nod to Buddy Holly's "Peggy Sue" and recorded for the Minneapolis-based Soma Records in 1959; it drew enough attention and chart action to be purchased by Liberty Records, who signed him later that year. His followup single, a cover of Adam Faith's UK number-one "What Do You Want?", charted in the lower reaches of the Billboard pop chart in early 1960. His fourth release, a revival of the Clovers' doo-wop ballad "Devil or Angel", brought him into the big time with U.S. buyers. His next single, "Rubber Ball", made him an international star.
Vee's 1961 summer release "Take Good Care of My Baby" went to number one on the Billboard U.S. listings and number three in the UK Singles Chart. Known primarily as a performer of Brill Building pop material, he went on to record a string of international hits in the 1960s, including "Devil or Angel" (U.S. number six), "Rubber Ball" (1961, U.S. number six, Australia number one), "More Than I Can Say" (1961, U.K. number four), "Run to Him" (1961, U.S. number two), "The Night Has a Thousand Eyes" (1963, U.S. number three), and "Come Back When You Grow Up" (U.S. number three). When Vee recorded "Come Back When You Grow Up" in 1967, he was joined by a band called the Strangers. He also recorded, in 1961, a version of the song "Lollipop", originally by Ronald & Ruby, which also became a success.
Vee was also a pioneer in the music video genre, appearing in several musical films, as well as in the Scopitone series of early film-and-music jukebox recordings.
He received the North Dakota Roughrider Award in 1999.
He is mentioned in the film No Direction Home regarding his brief musical association with Bob Dylan and Dylan's suggestion that he was "Bobby Vee" after Vee's regional hit.
The Very Best of Bobby Vee, released by EMI/UK on May 12, 2008, charted in the UK top five. On January 17, 2011, EMI/UK released Rarities, a double-CD package with 61 tracks, many of which were previously unreleased. Others included were alternate takes and first-time stereo releases as well as tracks from the album Bobby Vee Live on Tour minus the "canned" audience.
On March 28, 2011, he became the 235th inductee into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. In 2014 he was inducted into the Scandinavian-American Hall of Fame.
Vee's career began amid tragedy. On February 3, 1959, "The Day the Music Died", three of the four headline acts in the lineup of the traveling Winter Dance Party—Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper—were killed, along with the 21-year-old pilot, Roger Peterson, in the crash of a V-tailed 1947 Beechcraft Bonanza airplane (Dion, the second headliner, opted not to travel on the plane). It crashed near Clear Lake, Iowa, en route to the next show on the tour itinerary in Moorhead, Minnesota. Velline, then aged 15, and a hastily assembled band of Fargo schoolboys calling themselves the Shadows volunteered for and were given the unenviable job of filling in for Holly and his band at the Moorhead engagement. Their performance there was a success, setting in motion a chain of events that led to Vee's career as a popular singer.
In 1963, Vee released a tribute album on Liberty Records called I Remember Buddy Holly. In the liner notes, Vee recalled Holly's influence on him and the events surrounding Holly's death:
Like so many other people, I became a Buddy Holly fan the very first time I heard him sing. I've been a fan ever since and I guess I always will be. I remember a few years ago when Buddy was scheduled to appear at a dance in my home town of Fargo, North Dakota. It was going to be a big event for the whole town, but even more so for me. I was anxiously looking forward to seeing Buddy in action.
The day he was to arrive disaster struck, taking Buddy's life, along with the lives of two other fine singers, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper. The shocking news spread through Fargo very quickly. The local radio station broadcast a plea for local talent to entertain at the scheduled dance. About a week before this, I had just organized a vocal and instrumental group of five guys. Our style was modelled after Buddy's approach and we had been rehearsing with Buddy's hits in mind. When we heard the radio plea for talent, we went in and volunteered. We hadn't even named the group up to that time, so we gave ourselves a name on the spot, calling ourselves The Shadows. We appeared at the dance and were grateful to be enthusiastically accepted. Soon afterwards, I made my first record. It was called "Suzie Baby" and I was pretty lucky with it; it was a fair-sized hit.
For some time now, I have wanted to make an album in tribute to Buddy, but I wasn't sure it was the proper thing to do. However, during the past year, I have received many requests to do such an album. These requests came not only from my fans and from DJs, but also from Buddy's loyal following---still a large group of devoted fans. It.... gave me the confidence to do the album. From "Suzie Baby" to this present album, I have made many records, but I have never forgotten Buddy Holly and his influence on my singing style and my career.
Vee went on to become a bona fide star and regularly performed at the Winter Dance Party memorial concerts in Clear Lake. His sons are all musicians and have performed with him there.
Early in Vee's career, a musician named Elston Gunnn [sic] briefly toured with the band. "Gunnn", whose birth name was Robert Allen Zimmerman, later went on to fame as Bob Dylan.
Dylan's autobiography, Chronicles, Volume One, mentions Vee and provides complimentary details about their friendship, both professional and personal.
In a concert at Midway Stadium in St. Paul, Minnesota, on July 10, 2013, Dylan said he had been on the stage with many stars, but that none of them were as meaningful as Vee. He said Vee was in the audience and then played Vee's hit "Suzie Baby" with emotion. Dylan said (in an audio recording of the concert),
Thank you everyone, thank you friends. I left here a while back, and since that time, I've played all over the world, with all kinds of people. And everybody from Mick Jagger to Madonna. And everybody in there in between. I've been on the stage with most of those people. But the most meaningful person I've ever been on the stage with, was a man who is here tonight, who used to sing a song called "Suzie Baby". I want to say that Bobby Vee is actually here tonight. Maybe you can show your appreciation with just a round of applause. So, we're gonna try to do this song, like I've done it with him before once or twice.
Vee and Karen Bergen were engaged July 1, 1963, and married December 28, 1963. They had four children: Jeffery Robert Velline (b. Jan 3, 1965), Thomas Paul Velline (b. October 25, 1966), Robert Bryon Velline (b. August 4, 1967), and Jennifer Joanne Velline (b. May 31, 1972). Karen died of kidney failure on August 3, 2015.
On April 29, 2012, Vee announced on his website that a year prior he had been diagnosed with an early stage of Alzheimer's disease and consequently would withdraw from the music business.
On October 24, 2016, Vee died in Rogers, Minnesota, from complications of early onset Alzheimer's disease.
Danke Schoen
Bobby Vee Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Thank you for all the joy and pain.
Picture shows, second balcony was the place we'd meet,
Second seat, go Dutch treat, you were sweet.
Danke schoen, darling, danke schoen,
Thank you for funny cards from Spain.
I recall Central Park in fall how you tore you dress,
Danke schoen, darling danke schoen,
Thank you for walks down Lover's Lane.
I can see hearts carved on a tree
Letters intertwined for all time.
Yours and mine, that was fine.
Danke schoen, darling danke schoen,
Thank you for seeing me again.
Tho' we go on our sep'rate ways
Still the mem'ry stays for always.
The song "Danke Schoen" by Bobby Vee is a tribute to a love that has ended, but the singer thanks his former lover for all the joy and pain they shared together. The lyrics are filled with fond memories of their time together, such as the picture shows they went to and the balcony they would meet on. The mention of going Dutch treats and the sweet nature of his lover enhance the feeling of nostalgia and remembrance.
There is also a mention of a moment where a dress was torn in Central park, and the chaos that ensued. While not all memories are good, the singer confesses that it is a part of the journey they shared together. The walks down Lover's Lane and hearts carved on a tree represent their deep love and the passion it ignited. The song ends on a reflective note, as the singer acknowledges that while they have gone on separate paths, the memories will always stay.
Line by Line Meaning
Danke schoen, darling, Danke schoen,
Expressing gratitude to the person who has brought both happiness and sorrow into the singer's life.
Thank you for all the joy and pain.
The singer is grateful for both the happy and sad moments shared with his lover.
Picture shows, second balcony was the place we'd meet,
Recalling memories of the past, the singer remembers the balcony where he and his lover used to meet.
Second seat, go Dutch treat, you were sweet.
Sitting next to each other and splitting the cost equally, the sweetness of his lover is mentioned.
Thank you for funny cards from Spain.
Grateful for the humorous postcards that his lover sent from Spain.
I recall Central Park in fall how you tore your dress,
Recollecting a moment in Central Park when his lover tore her dress during autumn.
What a mess, I confess that's not all.
Admitting that it wasn't just the dress that was messy, the singer reflects on other moments of disarray between them.
Thank you for walks down Lover's Lane.
Expressing gratitude for the romantic walks taken together on Lover's Lane.
I can see hearts carved on a tree.
The singer remembers seeing their initials carved into the bark of a tree in the shape of a heart.
Letters intertwined for all time.
The letters of their names were carved together, symbolizing a love that would last forever.
Yours and mine, that was fine.
The fact that their initials were intertwined was a perfectly fine moment in their relationship.
Thank you for seeing me again.
Acknowledging a reunion with his former lover, the singer is grateful for the opportunity to see her again.
Tho' we go on our sep'rate ways,
Although they have gone their separate ways, they still share a connection from the past.
Still the mem'ry stays for always.
The memories shared between them will always stay with the singer.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Bert Kaempfert, Kurt Schwabach, Milt Gabler
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind