After an unsuccessful first single, the group were signed to Laurie Records. Their breakthrough came when "I Wonder Why" made # 22 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and the group appeared for the first time on the Dick Clark TV show. They followed it with the ballads "No One Knows" (#19) and "Don't Pity Me" (#40).
This success won Dion and the Belmonts their first major tour in late 1958, with The Coasters, Buddy Holly and Bobby Darin, and this was followed up by the "Winter Dance Party" tour with Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper. On 2 February 1959, after playing at Clear Lake, Iowa, Dion decided that he could not afford the $36 cost of a flight to the next venue. The plane crashed, and Holly and the other stars were killed. However, the tour continued, with Jimmy Clanton and Bobby Vee being added to the bill.
In March 1959, Dion and the Belmonts’ next single, "A Teenager in Love", was released, making #5 in the Billboard Hot 100 and #28 in the UK Singles Chart, and this was followed by an album, Presenting Dion and the Belmonts. Their biggest hit, "Where or When", was released in November 1959, and reached #3 on the U.S. chart.
However, in early 1960, Dion checked in to hospital for heroin addiction, a problem he had had since his mid-teens. Further single releases for the group that year were less successful, there were musical and financial disputes between Dion and members of the Belmonts, and in October 1960 Dion decided to quit for a solo career. The Belmonts also continued to release records, but with less success.
Dion and the Belmonts reunited in 1966 for the unsuccessful album Together Again on ABC Records, and again in 1972 for a one-off show at Madison Square Garden, recorded and released as a live album.
I Wonder Why
Dion & The Belmonts Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(Do-do-do-do-don, don)
(Don-don, don, do-do-do-do-do)
Don't know why I love you like I do
(Don, don-don, don)
Don't know why I do
(Do-do)
Don't know why I care
I just want your love to share (don, don-don, don, do-da)
I wonder why, I love you like I do (don, don-don, don, do-da)
Is it because I think you love me too (da-da-da, don, don, do-da)
I wonder why, I love you like I do
Like I do (dan, dan, dan, dan, dan, da-dan)
(Da-da-da-da-dan, dan, dan, da-da-da-dan)
Oh
Oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh
Ooh-ooh-oh-ooh
Ah
Wap
Wap
Wap, wap, wap, wap, wap
I told my friends that we would never part (da-da-da, don, don, do-da)
They often said that you would break my heart (don, don-don, don, do-da)
I wonder why they think that we will part
We will part
Da, da, da, don, da, da, da
Da, Pa, ah, pa, ah
Dero, dero, pa
Duru, pa
Da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da
Pa, pa, pa, ah
Wap
Wap
Wap, wap, wap, wap, wap
When you're with me, I'm sure you're always true (da-da-da, don, don, do-da)
When I'm away, I wonder what you do (don, don-don, don, do-da)
I wonder why I'm sure you're always true
Always true
Da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da
Don't know why I do
Oh
Oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh
Oh-oh-oh
The song "I Wonder Why" by Dion & The Belmonts talks about a love that the singer can't quite explain. He doesn't understand why he loves this person, but he knows that he cares and wants to share his love with them. The song then goes on to question why he feels this way and wonders if it's because he thinks the other person loves him too. The singer also talks about how he has told his friends that they will never part and wonders why they think they will.
The lyrics of the song express a common theme of love and its mysteries. The singer is questioning the reasons behind his feelings for another person and admitting that he doesn't truly understand them. The chorus of the song repeats "I wonder why" multiple times, emphasizing the confusion and bewilderment that the singer feels about his emotions. Overall, the song is a reflection on the inexplicable nature of love.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't know why I love you like I do
The singer is expressing his confusion about why he feels such strong love towards this person
Don't know why I do
The singer is continuing to express his confusion about his feelings
Don't know why I love you
The singer is still questioning why he is so in love with this person
Don't know why I care
The singer expresses that his love for the person is so strong that he not only loves them, but cares about them deeply
I just want your love to share
The singer wants the person to reciprocate his love and for them to share their love with one another
I wonder why, I love you like I do
The singer is questioning the reasons behind his undying love towards this person
Is it because I think you love me too
The singer wonders if his love for the person is based on the idea that the person loves him back
Like I do
The singer is emphasizing the intensity and depth of his love
I told my friends that we would never part
The singer assures his friends that he and the person he loves will never break up
They often said that you would break my heart
The singer's friends express concern that the person he loves will hurt him
I wonder why they think that we will part
The singer is questioning why his friends believe that he and his loved one will eventually break up
When you're with me, I'm sure you're always true
The singer trusts that when the person is with him that they are faithful and honest
When I'm away, I wonder what you do
The singer expresses concern about whether the person will be truthful and loyal when he is not around
I wonder why I'm sure you're always true
The singer is questioning his own blind faith in the person's steadfastness
Don't know why I do
The singer reiterates the confusion and mystery behind his intense love
Oh
An expression of emotion
Oh-oh-oh
A continuation of the expression of emotion
Oh-oh-oh-oh
A continuation of the expression of emotion
Ooh-ooh-oh-ooh
A variation of the expression of emotion
Ah
An expression of realization or understanding
Wap
A rhythmic sound effect included in the song
Wap, wap, wap, wap, wap
A continuation of the rhythmic sound effect included in the song
Da, da, da, don, da, da, da
A series of non-lyrical vocalizations that serve to keep the rhythm of the song
Da, Pa, ah, pa, ah
A variation of the non-lyrical vocalizations that are part of the rhythm
Dero, dero, pa
A variation of the non-lyrical vocalizations that are part of the rhythm
Duru, pa
A variation of the non-lyrical vocalizations that are part of the rhythm
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, BMG Rights Management
Written by: Ricardo Weeks, Melvin Anderson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@vicgallimore6756
1958, THERE AT THE TIME, STILL LISTENING AND ROCKING NOW AT 80, 2024.
@jeffreyrawson3
That's wicked cool!
@somerandomguy9059
Thats really cool
@darkkonblackblade6161
You lucky truck
@tommycraft5699
I’m only a teenager but I love this music much better than stupid tiktok stuff
@alexe227
#metoo
@jakereg0621
Same
@foggymountainmusic3468
I’m ten. At least we know what real music is
@yur1303
Spittin
@acehydro06
I am 39 and love the oldies I thought that the young ones these days wouldn't enjoy this music but I was wrong and im happy about that Both of us werent around during the time when this music was on the charts etc and yet a few generations still going back to the good ol oldies! Love it!