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.
Petticoat White
Bobby Vinton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A pretty little girl came dancing by
She said hello to me
And smiled so tenderly
And asked me what's my name
[Chorus]
And she wore
The sweetest little thing I ever ever knew
Petticoat white and summer sky blue
The sweetest little thing I ever knew
I never will forget the early years
The way we shared the laughter and the tears
And our first precious kiss
Oh, how I'd come to this
When she moved away
[Chorus]
Someday, I'll marry and I'll settle down
I'll see my girl there in her wedding gown
It will recall to me
Our childhood memory
As she walks down the aisle
'Cause she'll wear
Petticoat white and summer sky blue
The sweetest little thing I ever ever knew
Petticoat white and summer sky blue
The sweetest little thing I ever knew
'Cause she wore
Petticoat white and summer sky blue
The sweetest little thing I ever ever knew
The lyrics of Bobby Vinton's song "Petticoat White" tell a story of a young boy who reminisces about his childhood love. He recalls the moment when a pretty little girl introduced herself to him, making a long-lasting impression in his life. The girl is described as wearing a white petticoat and a summer sky blue dress, which portrays her as a sweet and innocent character. The chorus is a simple yet catchy melody that emphasizes the love and admiration that the boy had for the girl, calling her "the sweetest little thing I ever knew."
As the song progresses, the boy recalls the years they spent together sharing joy and sadness, emphasizing the strength of their relationship. However, as life goes on, the girl had to move away, leaving a deep sense of loss and longing within the boy. The song ends with the boy imagining the girl in her wedding dress, reminiscing on their childhood memories and her white petticoat and blue summer dress. The imagery of the white petticoat and blue summer dress throughout the song symbolizes the purity and innocence of their love.
Line by Line Meaning
When I was just a little boy so high,
When I was just a small child, barely standing up,
A pretty little girl came dancing by
A beautiful girl came dancing nearby,
She said hello to me
She greeted me with a friendly hello,
And smiled so tenderly
She smiled at me so affectionately,
And asked me what's my name
And asked for my name so kindly,
And she wore
And she dressed in,
Petticoat white and summer sky blue
A white petticoat and sky blue summer dress,
The sweetest little thing I ever ever knew
The most adorable creature I have ever known,
I never will forget the early years
I will always remember our early years together,
The way we shared the laughter and the tears
The way we laughed and cried together,
And our first precious kiss
And the first time we shared a valuable kiss,
Oh, how I'd come to this
Oh, how I wish for the same now,
When she moved away
When she left and moved away,
Someday, I'll marry and I'll settle down
Someday, I'll get married and settle down,
I'll see my girl there in her wedding gown
I'll see my girl in her wedding dress,
It will recall to me
It will remind me,
Our childhood memory
Of our childhood memories together,
As she walks down the aisle
When she walks down the aisle during her wedding,
'Cause she'll wear
Because she will be dressed in,
Petticoat white and summer sky blue
A white petticoat and sky blue summer dress,
The sweetest little thing I ever ever knew
The most adorable creature I have ever known,
'Cause she wore
Because she dressed in,
Petticoat white and summer sky blue
A white petticoat and sky blue summer dress,
The sweetest little thing I ever knew
The most adorable creature I ever knew,
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DOC POMUS, MORT SHUMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
3rushme
When I was 8 or 9 years old (in the mid 70's) I bought a double album of Bobby Vinton's best songs. I had seen it advertised on TV. 6 to 8 weeks later I had it in hand... and spun it over and over... and sang along with all of the songs. This was the first song of the two record set. Loved it.
Lorelee Furlong
I used to listen to him in the 60's. He had a concert in downtown cleveland around the mid sixties. My friends and I were walking around and saw him walking and asked where the hotel was. A bunch of us girls walked him to the hotel ( luckily one of the girls knew where it was.lol) When we got there he went up to his suite and came back down with autographed pictures . We were beyond happy..
n00se
She said hello to me
And smiled so tenderly
And asked me what's my name
And she wore
Petticoat white and summer sky blue
The sweetest little thing I ever ever knew
Petticoat white and summer sky blue
The sweetest little thing I ever knew
I never will forget the early years
The way we shared the laughter and the tears
And our first precious kiss
Oh, how I'd come to this
When she moved away
And she wore
Petticoat white and summer sky blue
The sweetest little thing I ever ever knew
Petticoat white and summer sky blue
The sweetest little thing I ever knew
Someday I'll marry and I'll settle down
I'll see my girl there in her wedding gown
It will recall to me
Our childhood memory
As she walks down the aisle
‘Cause she'll wear
Petticoat white and summer sky blue
The sweetest little thing I ever ever knew
Petticoat white and summer sky blue
The sweetest little thing I ever knew
'Cause she wore
Petticoat white and summer sky blue
The sweetest little thing I ever ever knew
Marvin Page
Always loved this song.
Zev Feldman
pretty