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.
it
Bobby Vee Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Standin' all alone lookin' sad and shy
We began to dance, swaying' to and fro
And soon I knew I'd never let him go
Blame it on the bossa nova with its magic spell
Blame it on the bossa nova that he did so well
Oh, it all began with just one little dance
Blame it on the bossa nova
The dance of love
(Now was it the moon?)
No, no, the bossa nova
(Or the stars above?)
No, no, the bossa nova
(Now was it the tune?)
Yeah, yeah, the bossa nova
(The dance of love)
Now I'm glad to say I'm his bride to be
And we're gonna raise a family
And when our kids ask how it came about
I'm gonna say to them without a doubt
Blame it on the bossa nova with its magic spell
Blame it on the bossa nova that he did so well
Oh, it all began with just one little dance
But then it ended up a big romance
Blame it on the bossa nova
The dance of love
(Now was it the moon?)
No, no, the bossa nova
(Or the stars above?)
No, no, the bossa nova
(Now was it the tune? )
Yeah, yeah, the bossa nova
(The dance of love)
(Now was it the moon?)
No, no, the bossa nova
(Or the stars above ?)
No, no, the bossa nova
The lyrics of Bobby Vee's song, "Blame It on the Bossa Nova," tell the story of a woman who meets a man at a dance where he is standing alone, looking sad and shy. As they begin to dance, they soon become mesmerized by the bossa nova's magical spell, which leads to a blossoming romance that culminates in their marriage and starting a family. The woman credits the bossa nova dance for bringing them together, as they get married and raise their children.
The song's chorus repeats “Blame it on the bossa nova”, suggesting that the magic of the music and dance was responsible for the couple's deepening emotions and eventual commitment. The verses allude to the romantic and sensual beat of the bossa nova, with the lyrics painting a picture of a dimly lit dance floor while the couple sways to and fro in each other’s arms. The lyrics also suggest the role of fate and destiny, as the woman muses that she was never going to let her partner go and that the bossa nova was almost like a supernatural force pulling them together.
Overall, "Blame It on the Bossa Nova" is a whimsical and upbeat love song, full of clever wordplay and catchy rhythms. The lyrics and the music blend together seamlessly to create a joyful and carefree picture of falling deeply in love.
Line by Line Meaning
I was at a dance when he caught my eye
I first saw my future partner at a dance
Standin' all alone lookin' sad and shy
My future partner appeared lonely and shy
We began to dance, swaying' to and fro
We started dancing together with a gentle movement
And soon I knew I'd never let him go
I knew quickly that I wanted to keep my future partner close
Blame it on the bossa nova with its magic spell
The magic of the bossa nova is the reason for our love
Blame it on the bossa nova that he did so well
My partner’s excellent bossa nova dancing skills caused our love
Oh, it all began with just one little dance
Our love started with just one dance
But then it ended up a big romance
That one little dance led to a big romance
The dance of love
Our love started with dancing to this particular bossa nova song
(Now was it the moon?)
Did the moon have anything to do with it?
No, no, the bossa nova
No, it was the bossa nova
(Or the stars above?)
Did the stars have anything to do with it?
No, no, the bossa nova
No, it was the bossa nova
(Now was it the tune?)
Did the tune have anything to do with it?
Yeah, yeah, the bossa nova
Yes, it was the bossa nova tune that sparked our love
(The dance of love)
Our love dance was the bossa nova
Now I'm glad to say I'm his bride to be
I'm happy to say that I'm engaged to him
And we're gonna raise a family
We're planning to have a family together
And when our kids ask how it came about
If our children ever ask how our love story started
I'm gonna say to them without a doubt
I'll tell them without hesitation
Blame it on the bossa nova with its magic spell
Our love story began with the magical bossa nova
Blame it on the bossa nova that he did so well
My partner’s excellent bossa nova dancing skills caused our love
Oh, it all began with just one little dance
Our love story started with just one dance
But then it ended up a big romance
That one little dance led to a big romance
Blame it on the bossa nova
Our love story wouldn't have happened without the bossa nova
The dance of love
Our love dance was the bossa nova
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@natashachapin1567
This was my dads song to me, we danced to it at my wedding and shared many memories of listening to it together. I lost my dad in may to cancer, just 2 months after my daughter, his first grandchild was born. Today I shared this song with her the first time and while my heart hurt and the tears streaked my face I also laughed and smiled as I danced with her to it as I did with my daddy.
@michaelamilesmiles2097
He will be dancing up there ❤
@Harp_and_Guitar_Moving_Forward
🎶🎶❤
@guadalupemichaels1817
God this made me cry.
@astrogeraldo2836
Que história linda de pai e filha!
@peterdefabio9470
Well, I was going to comment on what a great video this is, with Bobby looking magical alone on the screen, but your story was so touching and beautiful, that I defer to you.
@patriciafallis3354
I loved this song as a teenager and love it just as much today at 69
@sophias7030
And I love it today too at 22 years of age 😊❤
@macram22
Me the same...
@mrellen5
Me too at age 75!