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 PartyβBuddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopperβwere 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.
How Many Tears
Bobby Vee Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And how many tears can you cry when someone makes you blue?
That's a question I'm still unable to answer
'Cause I can't stop my cryin' over you
(Yum diddy dum diddy um)
How many lies can you can you count when you just can't sleep at
And how many lies can you count before your heart is free?
That's a question I'm still unable to answer
'Cause I'm still countin' the lies you told to me
(Yum diddy dum diddy um)
There's just no end to all the broken promises that I recall
I was a fool to fall for you
It hurts to know you played a game and went and had yourself a ball
And through it all made me blue
(Yum diddy dum diddy um)
How many tears can you cry when it all is over?
And how many tears can you cry when you want someone new?
That's a question I'm still unable to answer
'Cause I can't stop my love for you
(Yum diddy dum diddy um)
(Yum diddy dum diddy um)
That's a question I'm still unable to answer
'Cause I can't stop my love for you
The lyrics to Bobby Vee's song "How Many Tears" explore the painful experience of heartbreak and the difficulties associated with moving on from a failed relationship. The first verse of the song poses a series of questions about the nature of sadness and loneliness, asking how many tears one can cry when feeling these emotions. The singer acknowledges that he is unable to answer this question because he is still crying over the lost love. The chorus then repeats the question in a different context, exploring the pain of being lied to and the difficulty of moving on from a broken promise. The final verse returns to the theme of heartbreak, asking how many tears can be cried when all is said and done and the singer has moved on.
The repetition of the chorus and the phrase "that's a question I'm still unable to answer" underscores the sense of confusion and helplessness that is so common in the aftermath of a failed relationship. The use of the nonsense syllables "yum diddy dum diddy um" creates a playful contrast with the seriousness of the lyrics, offering a counterpoint to the sadness and heartbreak expressed in the verses. Overall, "How Many Tears" is a powerful exploration of the complexities of love and loss, and the enduring impact that a failed relationship can have on a person's emotions and sense of self.
Line by Line Meaning
How many tears can you cry when you're sad and lonely?
It's hard to quantify how much sadness and loneliness can make someone cry.
And how many tears can you cry when someone makes you blue?
Similarly, it's hard to really gauge how much sadness one can experience due to the actions of another person.
That's a question I'm still unable to answer
The singer is unable to provide a definitive answer to these difficult questions.
'Cause I can't stop my cryin' over you
However, the reason why the singer can't provide an answer is because they are currently sad and unable to control their tears over someone they are missing.
How many lies can you can you count when you just can't sleep at night?
When you're unable to sleep due to heartbreak, it can be difficult to quantify just how many lies were told by the person who broke your heart.
And how many lies can you count before your heart is free?
Similarly, it's hard to say how many lies someone has to endure before they can move on and begin to heal.
That's a question I'm still unable to answer
The singer is still struggling to provide an answer because they are still dwelling on the lies they were told.
'Cause I'm still countin' the lies you told to me
The reason why the singer can't provide an answer is because they are too busy counting all of the lies they were told by the person who broke their heart.
There's just no end to all the broken promises that I recall
The singer is having trouble moving on because they are constantly reminded of all the promises that were broken in their relationship.
I was a fool to fall for you
The singer acknowledges that they were naive to fall for the person who hurt them.
It hurts to know you played a game and went and had yourself a ball
The singer is hurt to realize that the person who broke their heart was just playing a game and having fun at their expense.
And through it all made me blue
The singer feels sad and unhappy due to the entire ordeal they went through with the person who broke their heart.
How many tears can you cry when it all is over?
Even after a relationship ends, it's hard to say how much sadness and heartbreak someone will experience.
And how many tears can you cry when you want someone new?
Similarly, it's hard to predict how much someone will cry when they're looking for a new relationship after experiencing heartbreak.
That's a question I'm still unable to answer
Once again, the singer can't provide a definitive answer to these difficult questions.
'Cause I can't stop my love for you
The reason why the singer can't answer is because they still love the person who broke their heart, making it difficult for them to move on.
Lyrics Β© O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: CAROLE KING, TONI STERN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Milton Moore
Back in the day,
it seemed like his
hits would never
end. It was always painful for me as
one by one, the hits dried up for
all my faves in pop and county,
and the rock stars
that sang a lot of
pop and country.
Just seeing Vee in
that album cover
wearing a "powder blue" sweater makes me want to run out and buy one right now! NOTHING looks
better on a guy than a "powder
blue" sweater. I'm
sure lots of gals
would agree with me!π This song
was one of his best. (I am unaware of any
singers who have
died from Alzheimer's disease other than Bobby Vee and Glenn Campbell.
Makes me feel ill
just thinking about it, how they managed to be the unlucky ones.)
Steve C
What a great artist, so many excellent songs.
lifeisonehugedream
A great song from Bobby Vee. Thanks for posting it.
webaroos
It doesn't get more early 60's than this Bobby Vee song, just magic.
Ruth Boykin
So many memories wrapped in his songs!
Darick Ellsworth
RIP Bobby. Great Singer, Great Person.
Roger Alsop
Great song.
Milton Moore
Back in the day,
it seemed like his
hits would never
end. It was always painful for me as
one by one, the hits dried up for
all my faves in pop and county,
and the rock stars
that sang a lot of
pop and country.
Just seeing Vee in
that album cover
wearing a "powder blue" sweater makes me want to run out and buy one right now! NOTHING looks
better on a guy than a "powder
blue" sweater. I'm
sure lots of gals
would agree with me!π This song
was one of his best. (I am unaware of any
singers who have
died from Alzheimer's disease other than Bobby Vee and Glenn Campbell.
Makes me feel ill
just thinking about it, how they managed to be the unlucky ones.)
Ruth Boykin
Oh, Milton, run out and buy yourself a powder blue sweater, if you can find one! To be young again....Thanks!
Kathie Wasylow
My heart is broken. Bobby will always be my favorite.
Pilar Rivadeneira
GRAN CANCION DEL RECUERDO CANTADO POR BOBBY VEE