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.

The Shadow Of Your Smile
Bobby Vinton Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

The shadow of your smile
When you have gone
Will color all my dreams
And light the dawn

Look into my eyes my love and see
All the lovely things you are to me

Our wistful little star
It was far, too high
A teardrop kissed your lips
And so did I

Now when I remember spring
All the joys that love can bring

I will be remembering
The shadow of your smile

Overall Meaning

Bobby Vinton's song "The Shadow Of Your Smile" is a poignant ballad that speaks about the empty feeling one experiences after they have lost a loved one. The opening line, "The shadow of your smile, when you have gone", sets the tone for the rest of the song. The singer of the song is urging his lover to look into his eyes so she can see all the beautiful things that she means to him. The melody and lyrics perfectly convey the sense of longing and sadness that comes with losing someone you love.

The next verse takes us back to a moment in time when the singer's lover was still alive, and they shared a touching moment together. The line, "A teardrop kissed your lips, and so did I" is an evocative way of describing a moment of shared pain and intimacy. The final verse is a reminder of the happy memories that they shared together, and how those memories will continue to linger even after his lover has gone.

Overall, "The Shadow Of Your Smile" is a beautifully crafted piece of music that captures the essence of loss and longing. With its gentle melody and heartfelt lyrics, it is a song that is sure to resonate with anyone who has known the pain of losing someone they love.

Line by Line Meaning

The shadow of your smile
The memory of your smile

When you have gone
After you have left

Will color all my dreams
Will influence and affect all my dreams

And light the dawn
And inspire a new day

Look into my eyes my love and see
Look at me and realize

All the lovely things you are to me
All of the wonderful qualities that you possess

Our wistful little star
Our melancholic, nostalgic memory

It was far, too high
It was beyond our reach

A teardrop kissed your lips
You were crying and a tear landed on your lips

And so did I
I also shed a tear

Now when I remember spring
Now when I think of the past