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.
Raining In My Heart
Bobby Vee Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There's not a cloud to spoil the view
But it's raining, raining in my heart
The weather man says clear today
He doesn't know you've gone away
And it's raining, raining in my heart
What's gonna become of me
I tell blues they mustn't show
But soon these tears are bound to flow
Cause it's raining, raining in my heart
But it's raining, raining in my heart
And it's raining, raining in my heart
The lyrics to Bobby Vee's song "Raining in My Heart" expresses the internal despair and sadness of the singer despite the sunny weather outside. The contrast between the sunny weather and the singer's internal emotions creates a vivid image of loneliness and heartbreak. The opening lines set the scene with a bright and sunny day, but the chorus clearly juxtaposes it with the melancholic statement: "But it's raining, raining in my heart." This line is repeated throughout the song, emphasizing the ongoing grief that the singer is experiencing.
In the second verse, the lyrics further describe how the singer's misery is not just self-contained. The weatherman reports that it is a clear day, but that news does not change the reality of the situation- that the singer's loved one is no longer with him or her. The chorus repeats again, expressing the thought that the singer is unable to shake off the emotional turmoil- "Oh, misery, misery, what's gonna become of me?" The final verse conveys the helplessness of trying to hide this pain by stating that he's telling his "blues" not to show, but eventually, the tears will come because it's raining in his heart.
Overall, the song captures a powerful sentiment of feeling like an outsider in one's own world. While the sun may be shining on the outside, the rain within the heart symbolizes a deep sense of pain and loneliness that cannot be evaded.
Line by Line Meaning
The sun is out, the sky is blue
The weather outside is beautiful and clear.
There's not a cloud to spoil the view
The sky is completely clear without any visible clouds.
But it's raining, raining in my heart
Despite the beautiful weather outside, the singer is feeling very sad and heartbroken.
The weather man says clear today
The weather forecast predicts a clear and sunny day.
He doesn't know you've gone away
The weather forecast doesn't know that the singer's loved one has left.
And it's raining, raining in my heart
Despite the weather forecast, the singer is feeling very sad and heartbroken.
Oh, misery, misery
The singer is feeling extreme sadness and pain.
What's gonna become of me
The singer is unsure of what their future holds without their loved one.
I tell blues they mustn't show
The singer is trying to put on a brave face and not show their sadness to others.
But soon these tears are bound to flow
Despite trying to hide their sadness, the singer knows that they will eventually break down and cry.
Cause it's raining, raining in my heart
The singer's heart is heavy with sadness and pain, just like the feeling of rain.
But it's raining, raining in my heart
The sadness and pain that the singer is feeling won't go away, just like the rain outside.
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BOUDLEAUX BRYANT, FELICE BRYANT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Irma Vergara
Gracias a los recuerdos levanto mi ánimo en estos momentos terribles que estamos pasando gracias por compartilos🇨🇱🥰🙏🌎
goneoverboard2
No matter what song Bobby Vee sings it`s so dam good.
TheMrRockola
Beautiful song, wonderful singer and genuinely nice person when you meet him.
Laura M.
Love his emotional & subtle voice!! RIP timeless Bobby Vee.
joe radioman
Nothing like undoctored real orchestras.Awsome version.I remember listing to mom's lp's of Bobby Vee Meets the Crickets too
liam holden
Great song really well sung in the style of Holly and Vee,wonderful.
7959225
OMG...I have not heard this song in YEARS....I used to sing this when I was a little girl...:)
marlin kojak
What great entertainment Bobby vee has given us God bless you Bobby vee
robbo comeaux
my all time favorite I still love it 50+ years later
Rudge B
I went to a Jazz night on sunday and that's how I found out about this song, what a great tune and I can identify with the lyrics atm