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.
Someday
Bobby Vee Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You're gonna want me
Someday (yeah)
You're gonna miss me
Someday
When I'm gone from you
Someday (someday)
Your poor heart is a gonna be dying
Someday
When I'm gone from you
You're gonna feel like a helpless child
Your poor heart will be running wild
The days a coming, honey
Can't you see?
You'll come running right back to me
Someday (someday)
You'll come a crying
Your poor heart, will be dying
Someday
When I'm gone from you
You're gonna feel like a helpless child
Your poor heart will be running wild
The days a coming, honey
Can't you see?
You'll come running right back to me
Someday (someday)
You're gonna want me
Someday
You're gonna miss me
Someday
When I'm gone from you
The lyrics of Bobby Vee's "Someday" convey a sense of anticipation and inevitability. The repetition of the word "someday" emphasizes the notion that at some point in the future, the subject of the song will come to realize their feelings for the singer. The lyrics suggest that despite any current indifference or distance between the singer and the subject, a time will come when the subject will yearn for and miss the singer.
The lyrics paint a picture of emotional turmoil and longing that the subject will experience once the singer is no longer present in their life. The imagery of the subject crying and their heart dying portrays a deep sense of loss and sorrow that will eventually consume them. The lyrics suggest that the subject will be overwhelmed with emotions and will feel like a helpless child, unable to control the overwhelming rush of feelings.
There is a tone of confidence and assurance in the lyrics, as the singer seems certain that the subject will eventually realize their true feelings and come back to them. The repeated refrain of "someday, you'll come running right back to me" reinforces this belief in the inevitability of the subject's return. The lyrics convey a sense of patience and understanding on the part of the singer, as they seem prepared to wait for the subject to come to their senses.
Overall, the lyrics of "Someday" by Bobby Vee depict a narrative of love, longing, and eventual reconciliation. The song captures the bittersweet essence of waiting for someone to recognize and appreciate the depth of one's feelings, suggesting that true love will ultimately prevail despite any obstacles or uncertainties.
Line by Line Meaning
Someday (someday)
One day in the future
You're gonna want me
You will desire my presence
Someday (yeah)
At some point, for sure
You're gonna miss me
You will feel my absence
Someday
In the future
When I'm gone from you
Once I am no longer with you
You're gonna feel like a helpless child
You will experience vulnerability
Your poor heart will be running wild
Your heart will be in turmoil
The days a coming, honey
The time is approaching, dear
Can't you see?
Aren't you able to perceive?
You'll come running right back to me
You will return to me in haste
You'll come a crying
You will arrive in tears
Your poor heart, will be dying
Your heart will ache
Writer(s): Burt Bacharach, Steven Krikorian
Contributed by Tyler K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@isabellelevy-banchereau3271
Merci pour ce partage
J'aime beaucoup la voix de Bobby Vee
Ici excellent morceau
@BuddyFantastic
My dad was a Bobby Vee fan, in turn i came to like his songs, keeps the memories of my old man alive.
@KathieRopele74
RIP Bobby. Great memories growing up with your music.
@Timepassages
Bobby Vee, Best of the Best.
@tonnacantrell8469
This should have been a big hit
@shatinterry
Believe me Tom, I saw Bobby Vee in Hong Kong in 1960(Dont have exact day) together with Jo Ann Campell & Bob Bogle & Don Wilson of the early Ventures when they were all at the beginning of their pop career on stage at the same time, I was around 12 at that time,I still remember the whole proformance clearly in my head, Great !!
@VeeFan1964
Nice rockin' tune on the flip of a great ballad.
@yardbirdmackay
Love this version so much at the time...and still sounds excellent,,,best wishes to Bobby Vee...hope things improve for you.
@pmann07
I saw Bobby Vee live at the Granada Tooting (South London) in 1962 during his UK tour
@algynon100
many thanks for this tune i saw bobby and the cricketts on there uk tour in 1962 at the kettering granada and will never forget the great experience