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.
I Fall to Pieces
Bobby Vinton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Each time I see you again
I fall to pieces
How can I be just your friend?
You want me to act like we've never kissed
You want me to forget (to forget)
Pretend we never met (never met) And I've tried and I've tried
But I haven't yet
You walk by and I fall to pieces
I fall to pieces
Each time someone speaks your name
I fall to pieces
Time only adds to the flame
You tell me to find someone else to love
Someone who'll love me too (love me too)
The way you used to do (used to do)
But each time I go out with someone new
You walk by and I fall to pieces
You walk by and I fall to pieces
The lyrics to Bobby Vinton's song "I Fall to Pieces" express the pain and heartbreak of a person who cannot move on from a past love. Despite their efforts to forget, whenever they see their ex-lover, they can't help but fall apart. The singer acknowledges that they have tried to act like they've never kissed and pretend they never met, but it hasn't worked. Every time they see their ex-lover, they fall apart and their heart breaks into pieces.
Furthermore, the lyrics also reveal how just hearing the ex-lover's name can cause the singer's heart to ache. Time has only added fuel to the flame of their love. Even though their ex-lover has moved on and told them to find someone else to love, whenever the singer tries to date someone new, they still can't forget about their past love. When they see their ex-lover walking by, they fall to pieces once again.
Overall, the lyrics to "I Fall to Pieces" show the intense pain and difficulty of moving on from a past love. Despite the singer's efforts to forget, they are constantly reminded of their ex-lover and their heart breaks into pieces whenever they see them.
Line by Line Meaning
I fall to pieces
The singer experiences emotional distress and a sense of falling apart when they encounter the person they are in love with.
Each time I see you again
The cause of this emotional distress is the presence of the person he is in love with.
How can I be just your friend?
Despite the pain that comes with seeing the person he loves without being able to express his feelings, the singer still desires to continue a relationship with them.
You want me to act like we've never kissed
The person he loves wants to maintain a platonic relationship and erase any romantic history between them.
You want me to forget (to forget)
The person he loves wants him to remove all memories of their past romantic encounters.
Pretend we never met (never met)
The person he loves wants to distance herself from him and make it seem as if they had never even met.
And I've tried and I've tried
But I haven't yet
The singer has attempted to move on and forget their romantic past, but has not yet been successful at doing so.
You walk by and I fall to pieces
The mere presence of the person he is in love with causes him to experience severe emotional pain and turmoil.
Each time someone speaks your name
Even hearing the person's name mentioned by someone else can trigger an emotional response from the singer.
Time only adds to the flame
Despite time passing, the singer's love for the other person continues to grow stronger and more intense.
You tell me to find someone else to love
The person he is in love with is advising him to move on and find someone else to love.
Someone who'll love me too (love me too)
This new person should be someone who will love him back in the same way that he loves the person he is currently in love with.
The way you used to do (used to do)
This new person should love him in the same manner that the person he is currently in love with once did.
But each time I go out with someone new
Despite trying to move on and find someone new, he can't help but compare them to the person he is in love with.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: HANK COCHRAN, HARLAN HOWARD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
RC
on Venus
Frankie Avalon is the best-known version of this song.