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.
Riders In The Sky
Bobby Vinton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Upon a ridge he resred as he went along his way,
When all at once a mighty herd of red-eyed cows he saw,
A-ploughin' through the ragged skies and up a cloudy draw.
Yippy-I-Ay, yippy-I-oh!
A ghost herd in the sky!
Their horns were black and shiny and their hot breath he could feel.
O bolt of fear went through him as they thundered through the sky,
For he saw the riders comin' hard , and he heard their mournful cry!
Yippy-I-Ay, yippy-I-oh!
Ghost riders in the sky!
Their faces gaunt, their eyes were blurred and shirts all soaked with sweat,
They're ridin' hard to catch that herd, but they ain't caught them yet!
'Cause they've got to ride for ever on that range up in the sky,
On horses snortin' fire, as they ride on hear them cry;
Yippy-I-Ay, yippy-I-oh!
Ghost riders in the sky!
As the riders loped on by him, he heard one call his name,
"If you wanna save your soul from hell a-ridin' on this range,
Then cowboy, change your ways today or with us you will ride,
A-tryin' to catch the devil, sir, acroos these endless skies!".
Yippy-I-Ay, yippy-I-oh!
Ghost riders in the sky!
Yippy-I-Ay, yippy-I-oh!
The song "Riders In The Sky" tells the haunting story of an old cowboy who is traveling on a dark and windy day when he comes across a herd of red-eyed cows with brands still on fire and hooves made of steel, plowing through the ragged skies and up a cloudy draw. The cowboy is filled with fear as he witnesses the riders coming hard behind the herd, hearing their mournful cry. These riders are none other than the ghost riders in the sky, who are endlessly riding on horses spouting fire, trying to catch the herd that they can never catch.
As the riders pass him by, one of them calls out to the old cowboy, warning him to change his ways and save his soul from hell. The story highlights the eternal struggle between good and evil, and the consequences of one's choices in life. The song features a catchy chorus of "Yippy-I-Ay, yippy-I-oh!" which adds to the haunting and mysterious feel of the story.
Line by Line Meaning
An old cowpoke went ridin' out one dark and windy day,
On a dark and windy day, an old cowpoke went out for a ride.
Upon a ridge he resred as he went along his way,
He stopped and took a rest upon a ridge while riding.
When all at once a mighty herd of red-eyed cows he saw,
Suddenly he saw a huge herd of wild, red-eyed cows.
A-ploughin' through the ragged skies and up a cloudy draw.
They were charging through the ragged skies and up a cloud-filled canyon.
Yippy-I-Ay, yippy-I-oh!
Yippy-I-Ay, yippy-I-oh!
A ghost herd in the sky!
He saw a herd of ghostly cows in the sky!
Their brands were still on fire and their hooves were made of steel,
Their brands were still burning hot, and their hooves were like steel.
Their horns were black and shiny and their hot breath he could feel.
Their horns were black and shiny, and he could feel their hot breath.
O bolt of fear went through him as they thundered through the sky,
He was terrified as they thundered through the sky.
For he saw the riders comin' hard , and he heard their mournful cry!
He saw the ghostly riders coming hard, and he heard their mournful cry.
Their faces gaunt, their eyes were blurred and shirts all soaked with sweat,
The riders had gaunt faces, blurred eyes, and sweaty shirts.
They're ridin' hard to catch that herd, but they ain't caught them yet!
The riders were trying hard to catch the herd, but they hadn't caught them yet.
'Cause they've got to ride for ever on that range up in the sky,
They had to keep riding forever on a range in the sky.
On horses snortin' fire, as they ride on hear them cry;
Their horses snorted fire as they rode, and he heard them cry.
Yippy-I-Ay, yippy-I-oh!
Yippy-I-Ay, yippy-I-oh!
Ghost riders in the sky!
He saw ghostly riders in the sky!
As the riders loped on by him, he heard one call his name,
As the riders passed him, he heard one call his name.
"If you wanna save your soul from hell a-ridin' on this range,
The rider warned him to change his ways to save his soul from hell while riding on this range.
Then cowboy, change your ways today or with us you will ride,
The rider asked him to change his ways or join them in riding forever.
A-tryin' to catch the devil, sir, acroos these endless skies!".
They were trying to catch the devil across the endless skies.
Yippy-I-Ay, yippy-I-oh!
Yippy-I-Ay, yippy-I-oh!
Ghost riders in the sky!
He saw ghostly riders in the sky!
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Stanley Jones
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
David Chernofsky
it may not mean anything but you posting this album like a gift for me.I have been a big Bobby Vinton since Blue on Blue which tells you how old I am.One of the most underrated singers of the Rock era.
Haider Ashraf
Love this song!
Wednesday, October 19,2022 1:51 am
Ruth Hildenbrandt
wonderfully, well done. thanks. yippee aye ay.