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.
Where or When
Dion & The Belmonts Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We looked at each other in the same way then
But I can't remember where or when
The clothes you're wearing are the clothes you wore
The smile you are smiling you were smiling then
But I can't remember where or when
Seem to be happening again
And so it seems that we have met before
And laughed before
And loved before
But who knows where or when
Dion & The Belmonts's song "Where Or When" is a ballad that explores a sense of déjà vu in a romantic context. The opening lines of the song express the feeling of familiarity that two people share when they meet again after some time has passed. The singer seems to recognize their companion but cannot pinpoint the exact circumstances or location of their previous meeting. This sense of uncertainty is mirrored in the melody, which is nostalgic and wistful.
As the song continues, the singer notes that their companion is wearing the same clothes and smiling the same smile as before. The repetition of these details emphasizes the cyclical nature of memory and the idea that the past often repeats itself in unexpected ways. The chorus of the song suggests that this reconnection is not an isolated event but part of a larger pattern. Love, laughter, and connection have all occurred before, but the singer cannot say where or when.
Overall, "Where Or When" is a poignant exploration of memory and connection. Through its gentle melody and introspective lyrics, the song captures the bittersweet feeling of encountering someone from one's past and the sense of longing that often accompanies such experiences.
Line by Line Meaning
It seems we stood and talked like this before
We have had this conversation and stood in the same position previously
We looked at each other in the same way then
Our gaze towards each other is familiar and similar to a past encounter
But I can't remember where or when
I cannot recall the exact time and place of our previous encounter
The clothes you're wearing are the clothes you wore
The attire you are wearing is the same as that of our previous encounter
The smile you are smiling you were smiling then
Your current expression is comparable to your past expression
But I can't remember where or when
I am unable to recollect the time and place of our prior meeting
Some things that happen for the first time
New experiences can present themselves similarly to past ones
Seem to be happening again
It appears that we are reliving a past experience
And so it seems that we have met before
It seems highly likely that we have encountered each other previously
And laughed before
We have shared moments of amusement in the past
And loved before
We have had feelings of affection towards each other in a past relationship
But who knows where or when
It remains a mystery as to the exact time and place of our previous meeting
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind