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.
Love's Made a Fool of You
Bobby Vee Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You do anything it wants you to.
Love can make you feel so good
When it goes like you think it should
Or it can make you cry at night
When your baby don't treat you right.
[Chorus]
You know love's made a fool of you.
You know love makes fools of men
But you don't care, you're gonna try it again.
Time goes by, it's a-passing fast
You think true love has come at last.
But by and by you're gonna find
Your crazy love has made you blind
[Chorus: x2]
Love can make a fool of you,
You do anything it wants you to.
Love can make you feel so good
When it goes like you think it should
Or it can make you cry at night
When your baby don't treat you right.
[Chorus]
The song Love's Made a Fool of You by Bobby Vee is a classic portrayal of how love can make a person feel on top of the world, or completely devastate them. The lyrics speak of the different emotions one may experience when in love, how one can feel elated when things are going well and completely heartbroken when they are not. Bobby Vee sings about how love can make a person do just about anything, even if it may not be in their best interest. When someone is in love, they are willing to overlook the flaws, shortcomings, and hurtful actions of their loved one, which can lead them to feel foolish and vulnerable, ultimately becoming the fool.
The chorus of the song repeats the line "When you're feeling sad and blue, you know love's made a fool of you," emphasizing the fact that love has a way of making people feel vulnerable and helpless. The second verse talks about how you may think that you have found true love, but then you realize that it has made you blind to the reality of your situation, and that your love interest may not feel the same way that you do. Even though you may know that love has made you a fool, you are still willing to try again and hope for a better outcome.
Overall, Love's Made a Fool of You is a poignant and relatable song that speaks to the universal experience of love and its transformative power.
Line by Line Meaning
Love can make a fool of you,
Love has the power to make you act foolishly.
You do anything it wants you to.
You will go to great lengths to satisfy love's desires.
Love can make you feel so good
Love has the ability to bring immense joy and satisfaction.
When it goes like you think it should
When everything seems to be going perfectly in the relationship.
Or it can make you cry at night
Alternatively, love can bring immense pain and despair when things don't go as expected.
When your baby don't treat you right.
When your significant other mistreats you and breaks your heart.
When you're feeling sad and blue
When you are consumed with sadness and depression.
You know love's made a fool of you.
You understand that love has caused you to act foolishly and has brought you immense pain and heartbreak.
You know love makes fools of men
You are aware that love has the ability to make anyone act foolishly, not just yourself.
But you don't care, you're gonna try it again.
Despite the pain, you are still willing to pursue love and take the risk of being hurt again.
Time goes by, it's a-passing fast
Time moves quickly, and you realize that life is too short to not take chances on love.
You think true love has come at last.
You believe that you have finally found your soulmate.
But by and by you're gonna find
However, eventually you will discover.
Your crazy love has made you blind
That your intense love has blinded you to the reality of the situation and led you astray.
Love can make a fool of you,
Once again, emphasizing that love can make you act foolishly.
You do anything it wants you to.
Reiterating the idea that love can make you go to great lengths to satisfy it.
Love can make you feel so good
Reprising the idea that love has the ability to bring immense joy and satisfaction.
When it goes like you think it should
Returning to the idea that love is wonderful when everything is going well in the relationship.
Or it can make you cry at night
Emphasizing that love can also bring immense pain and despair when the relationship is not going well.
When your baby don't treat you right.
Finalizing the idea that a mistreating partner can lead to heartbreak.
When you're feeling sad and blue
A repeating of the idea that love can bring immense sadness and depression.
You know love's made a fool of you.
Reiterating that love has caused you to act foolishly, despite immense pain and heartbreak.
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BOB MONTGOMERY, BUDDY HOLLY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind