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.
Wooden Heart
Bobby Vinton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Please don't break my heart in two
That's not hard to do
'Cause I don't have a wooden heart
And if you say goodbye
Then I know that I would cry
Maybe I would die
There's no strings
Upon this love of mine
It was always you from the start
Treat me nice, treat me good
Treat me like you really should
'Cause I'm not made of wood and
I don't have a wooden heart
Muss I denn, muss I denn
Zum Stdtele 'naus
Stdtele 'naus und
Du mein Schatz bleibst hier
Muss I denn, muss I denn
Zum Stdtele 'naus
Stdtele 'naus und
Du mein Schatz bleibst hier
There's no strings
Upon this love of mine
It was always you from the start
Treat me nice, treat me good
Treat me like you really should
'Cause I'm not made of wood and
I don't have a wooden heart
'Cause I don't have a wooden heart
In Bobby Vinton's song Wooden Heart, the singer imploringly asks his lover not to break his heart because he loves her deeply. He declares that he is not made of wood and thus, is capable of being hurt. The lyrics suggest that the singer's love is genuine and comes from the heart. He emphasizes that he doesn't have a wooden heart, suggesting that his feelings are sincere, and he is vulnerable to being hurt. If his lover were to say goodbye, he knows that he would be heartbroken and may even die because his love is real and deep for his partner.
The song is based on a German folk song, "Muss i denn zum Städtele hinaus," that gained popularity in the 19th century. Elvis Presley brought the song to the United States in 1957, and Bobby Vinton recorded an English version of the song in 1961. Wooden Heart is a classic pop song with a catchy melody and simple lyrics that make for a perfect sing-along tune. The song is somber and melancholic, but at the same time, it is charming and endearing. The singer's love is pure, and he wants to be treated well and respected because he is not made of wood and, therefore, can be hurt.
Line by Line Meaning
Can't you see I love you
I love you and want you to understand my feelings.
Please don't break my heart in two
I am vulnerable and don't want my feelings to be hurt.
That's not hard to do
It won't take much to hurt me emotionally.
'Cause I don't have a wooden heart
I have real emotions and can't hide them.
And if you say goodbye
If you leave me, it will be very hard for me.
Then I know that I would cry
I will be devastated and cry if you leave me.
Maybe I would die
The thought of losing you is unbearable and might even kill me.
'Cause I don't have a wooden heart
I am not emotionless and can't handle losing you without it affecting me.
There's no strings
My love for you is unconditional and doesn't come with any strings attached.
Upon this love of mine
This is the true and pure love that I have for you.
It was always you from the start
You are the one that I have always loved and wanted to be with.
Treat me nice, treat me good
Please treat me well and with kindness.
Treat me like you really should
I expect to be treated with love and respect.
'Cause I'm not made of wood and
I have real feelings and can be hurt just like anyone else.
Muss I denn, muss I denn
Do I have to, do I have to?
Zum Stdtele 'naus
Go to the town?
Stdtele 'naus und
Go to the town and
Du mein Schatz bleibst hier
You, my darling, stay here.
'Cause I don't have a wooden heart
I am a sensitive person and don't want to argue or fight.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Berthold Kaempfert, Kay Twomey, Ben Weisman, Fred Wise
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Larry Mugrage
When I hear this song I'll think about G.I. Blues with Elvis Presley movie.
The puppet show was so cool & funny.
I have this song on Elvis Presley CD.
I have Bobby Vinton's version
of Wooden Heart on a record.
The other side is Polka Pose.
My late grandmother Betty bought me this record.
I'll play this in her honor.
Both Elvis Presley CD & this record
still plays good yet today
no skips at all.
Jordi Ventura
Great version. As usual by Bobby Vinton, that was (and is) just a wonderful song!!!
Cody Wizman
Love the Polish chorus! ❤️😇🙏
DianeAtch
Thank you! I remember listening and singing this song when I was a young girl. Oh, such happy memories!
Janet Ordway
Love bobby vinton grew up listening to him my mom is polish and she listened to him alot 57 years later i still love him too
Lorraine Huntsman
Thank you for the great music!!!
CarlDuke
Another good release LimeP. This appeared in the Elvis movie G. I. Blues, was a hit for Joe Dowell in 1961 and in recent years was part of a CD from the great Belgian performer Helmut Lotti, under its original German name Muss I Denn. This is the first time I've heard the Vinton version.
Timothy Blake
That was very nice I loved bobby vintin
valley girl
omg memories! I was 15 when this came out...my parents thought I was nuts...in this speaker we have kiss, ted nugent, aerosmith...and...bobby vinton??? Yep!
tammyramey
valley girl: I share a similar memory along with you. I was 9 or 10 when I heard this song. Everyone said I was a nerd for listening to this kind of music. They also said this isn't the 'real' version of this song..that comes from Elvis. Well I love Elvis, but I LOVE Bobby Vinton's version of this song best!
Roustabout
This song suits Bobby I love Elvis’s version the original