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.

Why
Bobby Vinton Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Lonely Lonely
The "L" is for the laughter, we shared from the start
"O" is for the only girl in my heart
The "N" is for the night, you told me we were though
For you had found somebody new

"E" is for the end of my world, a place I shared with only you
Empty, my world is dark

Loneliness has just begun

The "L" is for the Love that was meant for me only
And "why" Why did you leave me lonely. Lonely

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Bobby Vinton's song L-O-N-E-L-Y describe the experience of a man who has just ended a relationship with the woman he loves. The song is structured around the letters of the word "lonely," with each letter symbolizing a different aspect of the man's experience. The first verse, for example, uses the letter "L" to represent the laughter that the couple shared at the beginning of their relationship. The second verse uses the letter "O" to stand for the woman who was the only one in his heart. The third verse uses the letter "N" to represent the night when she told him they were through, and the final verse uses the letter "Y" to ask why she left him lonely.

The song's chorus, in which Vinton sings the word "lonely" repeatedly, perfectly captures the feeling of isolation and despair that the man is experiencing. The lyrics suggest that he feels a sense of emptiness and darkness, and that his world has been shattered by the loss of the woman he loves. Although the song is sad and melancholy, Vinton's beautiful voice, combined with the gentle orchestration, makes it a beautiful and moving piece of music.

Line by Line Meaning

The "L" is for the laughter, we shared from the start
The letter 'L' represents the happy moments we had together from the beginning

"O" is for the only girl in my heart
The letter 'O' indicates that you were the only girl I loved

The "N" is for the night, you told me we were through
The letter 'N' signifies the night when you ended our relationship

For you had found somebody new
You found someone else, and that's why you ended things between us

"E" is for the end of my world, a place I shared with only you
The letter 'E' denotes the end of my world, a world that I had created with only you

Empty, my world is dark
Without you, my world is empty and dark

Loneliness has just begun
I am feeling lonely now, and it's just the beginning

The "L" is for the Love that was meant for me only
The letter 'L' signifies the love that was only meant for me

And "why" Why did you leave me lonely. Lonely
I am asking why did you leave me alone and lonely

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Bobby Vinton, Gene Allan

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it