Song #103: "There! I've Said It Again" by Bobby Vinton

Date: Jan 3, 1964
Weeks: 2

I've heard it said that rock and roll was a passing fad of the 1950s until the Beatles came along and established it. I've certainly encountered several songs already that made me believe that. But I can't think of a more striking example than this. A soft, 1940s-esque, rock-free, soft song that was at No. 1 the week before the Beatles hit No. 1 with their first song.

In fairness, it seems this song is a deliberate throwback to the 40s. It's actually a cover of a song from the 40s. And throwback songs aren't unique to this era, so I guess it's unfair to throw the "thank goodness the Beatles came along and stopped this" mantle on this song. People in 1964 would have known this wasn't a current sound.

This is one of those big band songs that doesn't make good use of its big band. Despite all the strings and piano and percussion, you never hear more than a couple instruments at once. I have a hard time explaining what's really wrong with it, but this instrumental version of the song really is much better.

The clear showcase is Bobby Vinton's vocals. But even that's not that great. His voice has way too much vibrato, and it's actually kind of irritating. His voice is cloying and there's no genuine emotion. It's too well-rehearsed and comes across as such.

The lyrics are based on a pretty old trope. I love you so much I can't even find the words to express how much I love you. Which is a genuine enough sentiment, I suppose, but I always think songwriters need to do better. You're writing a love song, you need to find the words. You can't just sing about how words are insufficient. Do better, song!

My verdict: Don't like it. It's bad big band music 20 years too late.