Bobby Vinton (born April 16, 1935) is an American pop music singer. At 16, … Read Full Bio ↴Bobby Vinton (born April 16, 1935) is an American pop music singer. At 16, Vinton formed his first band, which played clubs around the Pittsburgh area. With the money he earned, Vinton helped finance his college education at Duquesne University, where he studied music and graduated with a degree in musical composition. While at Duquesne, he became proficient on all of the instruments in the band: piano, clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, drums and oboe.

After a brief spell in the US Army, Vinton was signed to Epic Records in 1960 as a bandleader: "A Young Man With a Big Band." Two albums and several singles were not successful however, and with Epic ready to pull the plug, Vinton found his first hit single literally sitting in a reject pile. The song was titled "Roses Are Red (My Love)." It spent four weeks at No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Arguably, his most famous song is 1963's "Blue Velvet" that also went to No.1. 23 years later, David Lynch named his movie Blue Velvet after the song. In 1964, Vinton had two #1 hits, "There! I've Said It Again" and "Mr. Lonely", the latter now being the basis for Akon's hit "Lonely."

In the 1970s, the "Polish Prince" continued to hit the Top 40, notably with "Ev'ry Day of My Life" and "Sealed With a Kiss" in 1972. That same year, Epic Records decided to end its relationship with Vinton and ended his recording contract. Undeterred, Vinton spent $50,000 of his own money on a self-written song sung partially in Polish: "My Melody of Love." After Vinton was turned down by 7 major labels, ABC Records bought Vinton's idea, and the result was a multi-million selling single that hit #1 on the AC charts in 1974. A gold album, Melodies of Love, followed as well as a successful half-hour variety show "The Bobby Vinton Show" (which aired from 1975 to 1978). He also starred in two John Wayne movies: Big Jake and The Train Robbers.

In the course of his career, Vinton has sold over 75 million records (singles, albums, compilation inclusions, etc) and is still performing on tour and at the Bobby Vinton Blue Velvet Theatre in Branson, Missouri.

For Once in My Life
Bobby Vinton Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

For once in my life I have someone who needs me
Someone I’ve needed so long
For once unafraid I can go where life leads me and somehow I know I’ll be strong

For once I can touch what my heart used to dream of
Long before I knew
Someone warm like you
Who have my dreams come true

For once in my life I won't let sorrow hurt me
Not like it's hurt me before

For once I have someone I know won't desert me
I’m not alone anymore

For once I can say
This is mine you can’t take it
As long as I know I have love I can make it
For once in my life I have someone who needs me

For once I can say
This is mine you can’t take it

As long as I know I have love we can make it
For once in my life I have someone who needs me

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Bobby Vinton's song For Once in My Life are a testament to finding love and a sense of security after a long period of feeling alone and vulnerable. The opening lines "For once in my life I have someone who needs me" symbolize relief and joy that comes with finally finding someone who appreciates and cares for them. The reference to someone they've needed for a long time further emphasizes the feeling of loneliness and lack of love that they have experienced in the past.

The lyrics go on to express a sense of courage and strength that comes with this newfound love. "For once unafraid I can go where life leads me and somehow I know I’ll be strong" highlights the sense of security and confidence that comes when one has someone they know is there to support them no matter what. The song moves from describing the emotional state of the singer to describing the actual qualities of their partner, someone who is warm and who has helped make their dreams come true.

The lyrics continue to express gratitude and relief for the positive impact that this person has had on their life. "For once I won't let sorrow hurt me" reflects the resolve to move past past traumas and emotional pain. The final verse sums up the feelings of security and contentment that come with this newfound love. "As long as I know I have love we can make it" conveys the sense that love is the one thing that truly matters, and that with it, anything is possible.

Line by Line Meaning

For once in my life I have someone who needs me
After feeling lonely for so long, I finally have someone who depends on me for support and companionship.

Someone I’ve needed so long
I have been searching for this person for a long time, and finally found them.

For once unafraid I can go where life leads me and somehow I know I’ll be strong
Finally, I have no fear of the future and I know I have the strength to face any challenge that comes my way.

For once I can touch what my heart used to dream of
The things that I have always wished for in my heart, I can now actually experience because of this person's influence.

Long before I knew someone warm like you, who have my dreams come true
I didn't even know that this type of warmth and love existed before I met this person, and now my greatest dreams have been fulfilled because of them.

For once in my life I won't let sorrow hurt me
Because of the support of this person, I feel like I can overcome any sadness that I may encounter.

Not like it's hurt me before
In the past, I've experienced a lot of emotional pain that I didn't think I could handle, but now I'm stronger and more resilient.

For once I have someone I know won't desert me
Finally, I have someone who will stick with me through thick and thin, and I don't have to worry about being abandoned again.

I’m not alone anymore
Now, I have someone to go through life with, and it has made all the difference in the world.

For once I can say, This is mine you can’t take it
I feel like I finally have something that is truly my own, something that others can't take away from me.

As long as I know I have love I can make it
As long as I feel loved and supported in my life, I know that I can accomplish anything.

For once in my life I have someone who needs me
I can't stress it enough - this person truly depends on me, and it is one of the most fulfilling feelings in the world.

As long as I know I have love we can make it
Not only can I make it as an individual with this love, but together, we are unstoppable.

For once in my life I have someone who needs me
This is the chorus, and it sums up exactly how I feel - I finally have someone who needs and loves me, and it has transformed my entire life for the better.

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Ronald N. Miller, Orlando Murden

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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