{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2025}} {{Infobox album | name = Just Today | type = studio | artist = Bobby Vee | cover = Just Today.JPG | released = April 1968 | genre = Pop | length = 25:58 | label = Liberty | producer = Dallas Smith | prev_title = Come Back When You Grow Up | prev_year = 1967 | next_title = Do What You Gotta Do | next_year = 1968 | misc = {{Singles | name = Just Today | type = studio | single1 = Beautiful People | single1date = October 21, 1967 | single2 = Maybe Just Today | single2date = January 18, 1968 | single3 = "Medley: My Girl/Hey Girl | single3date = March 26, 1968 }} }} '''''Just Today''''' is the seventeenth studio album by American singer Bobby Vee and released in April 1968 by Liberty Records.<ref name="AMG" /> Dallas Smith arranged and produced the album.
According to Robert Reynolds, in ''The Music of Bobby Vee'', the executives at Liberty Records believed they were on to something with Bobby's rhythm and blues hit medley and several Motown flavored tunes were recorded. However instead of releasing an entire R&B album, they put out a disjointed mix of similar Motown-like recordings and the rest more in line.<ref name=":2" />
The album debuted on the ''Billboard'' Top LPs chart on April 28, 1968, remaining on the album chart for seven weeks and peaking at No. 187.<ref name="albumchart">{{Cite book |last=Whitburn |first=Joel |url=https://archive.org/details/joelwhitburnstopp00whit/page/814/mode/2up |title=Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Albums: 1955–1996 |date=1996 |publisher=Record Research |isbn=978-0-8982-0117-8 |location=Menomonee Falls, Wis. |pages=814}}</ref> It was Vee's last album to make it onto the Billboard charts.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |last=Reynolds |first=Robert |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ko6LDgAAQBAJ&dq=bobby+vee+just+today&pg=PA80 |title=The Music of Bobby Vee |date=2016-04-19 |publisher=Lulu.com |isbn=978-1-365-05412-9 |language=en}}</ref>
The album was released on compact disc by Beat Goes On on February 14, 2001, as tracks 1 through 11 on a pairing of two albums on one CD with tracks 12 through 22 consisting of Vee's 1968 album, ''Do What You Gotta Do''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Just Today/Do What You Gotta Do |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/just-today-do-what-you-gotta-do-mw0000111841 |access-date=16 September 2024 |work=allmusic.com |publisher=}}</ref>
== Singles == The first single from the album, "Beautiful People", made its debut on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart on November 18, 1967, spending three weeks at No. 37 during its seven-week stay,<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Whitburn |first=Joel |url=https://archive.org/details/joelwhitburnstop00whitbur/page/742/mode/2up |title=Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles: 1955-2002 |date=2002 |publisher=Record Research |isbn=0898-2-0155-1 |location=Menomonee Falls, Wis. |pages=742}}</ref> No. 27 on the ''Cash Box'' singles chart.<ref name=":02">{{Cite book |last=Downey |first=Pat |url=https://archive.org/details/cashboxpopsingle00down/page/362/mode/2up |title=Cash box pop singles charts, 1950-1993 |date=1994 |publisher=Libraries Unlimited |isbn=1-56308-316-7 |location=Englewood, Colo. |pages=362–363}}</ref> The second single, "Maybe Just Today", debuted on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart on February 10, 1968, spending one week at number forty-six during its six-week stay,<ref name=":0" /> and No. 38 on the ''Cash Box'' singles chart.<ref name=":02" /> The third single, "Medley: My Girl/Hey Girl" made its debut on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart on April 20, 1968, spending one week at No. 35 during its nine-week stay<ref name=":0" /> and No. 17 on the ''Cash Box'' singles chart.<ref name=":02" /> Vee's Medley Cover Version's of those song marked his last of fourteen appearances in the US top-forty singles Billboard charts, the first being "Devil or Angel" in 1960.<ref name=":0" />
== Reception == {{Music ratings | rev1 = AllMusic | rev1score = {{rating|3.5|5}}<ref name="AMG"/> | rev2 = ''Record Mirror'' | rev2score = {{rating|3|5}}<ref name="RM">{{Cite magazine |last1= Mirror |first1= Record | date=13 July 1968 |title=Bobby Vee: ''Just Today'' |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Record-Mirror/60s/68/Record-Mirror-1968-07-13.pdf |magazine=New Record Mirror |issue=141 |page=08|access-date=28 April 2024}}</ref> | rev3 = ''The Encyclopedia of Popular Music'' | rev3score = {{rating|2|5}}<ref>{{cite book |last1=Larkin |first1=Colin |title=The Encyclopedia of Popular Music |date=2007 |publisher=Omnibus Press |page=1446 |isbn=9781846098567 |url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofpo0000unse_v3u2/page/1446/mode/2up |accessdate=22 August 2024}}</ref> }}
Bruce Eder of AllMusic said that the album "showed [Vee's] sincere cover of "Sealed with a Kiss," which is his look back on his own early-'60s past. "Beautiful People" is an upbeat piece of late-'60s pop/rock with a catchy melody, and "Maybe Just Today" and "Sunrise Highway" are nicely contemporary (yet gently nostalgic) pieces by an artist a decade out of his era and still competing for a softer listenership".<ref name="AMG">{{Cite web |title=Bobby Vee – ''Just Today'': Album Review |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/just-today-mw0000856469 |access-date=2024-04-08 |publisher=AllMusic}}</ref>
''Billboard'' called it "His tribute to durability", and stated that "[Vee] has a disciplined style and incorporates the best features of the rock and standards singer."<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T0UEAAAAMBAJ&dq=bobby+vee+just+today&pg=PA86 |title=Billboard |date=1968-03-16 |publisher=Nielsen Business Media, Inc. |pages=86 |language=en}}</ref>
''Record Mirror'' wrote that "Bobby retains his some what courteous charm and knack of dealing with a tuneful song in straight forward and ungimmicky style".<ref name="RM" />
''Variety'' described the album as "a swinging set of contemporary rockers"<ref name=":1322">{{Cite magazine |date=April 3, 1968 |title=Variety Record Reviews: Jacques Brel, Bill Cosby, Matrino, Goulding, Nat'l Gallery, Bobby Vee, Sly, Van Ronk, Aliza Love Top New LPs |url=https://archive.org/details/sim_variety_1968-04-03_250_7/page/60/mode/2up |magazine=Variety |pages=60 |volume=250 |issue=7}}</ref>
''Meriden Journal'' called it "a good listening in the pop music vein. and stated that "he sings well, read lyrics well, is very good looking, and a pleasant performer".<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uUdIAAAAIBAJ&dq=just+today+bobby+vee&pg=PA6 |title=The Journal's Popular Music Survey: Written specially for the Meriden Journal by Wrop by Bob Paiva |date=March 28, 1968 |publisher=Meriden Journal |language=en}}</ref>
The ''Surrey Mirror and County Post'' stated that "it follows recent visit to this country and his voice is improving all the time and his relaxed vocal style comes over well".<ref>{{Cite web |date=1968-08-16 |title=The Surrey Mirror and County Post, etc. from Reigate, Surrey, England |url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/903044081/ |access-date=2024-04-28 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en-US}}</ref>
== Track listing == {{Track listing | all_writing = | headline = Side one | title1 = Maybe Just Today | length1 = 2:08 | writer1 = Martha Sharpe | title2 = Get Ready | length2 = 2:35 | writer2 = Smokey Robinson | title3 = Medley: My Girl/Hey Girl | length3 = 2:32 | writer3 = Smokey Robinson, Ronald White, Carole King, Gerry Goffin | title4 = Sunrise Highway | length4 = 2:27 | writer4 = Bobby Bloom, John Linde, Pete Andreoli, Vini Poncia | title5 = Just Keep It Up (And See What Happens) | length5 = 2:07 | writer5 = Otis Blackwell }} {{Track listing | headline = Side two | title1 = The Girl I Left Behind | length1 = 2:42 | writer1 = Carole Bayer, Neil Sedaka | title2 = The Way You Do the Things You Do | length2 = 2:20 | writer2 = Smokey Robinson, Robert Rogers | title3 = Nobody's Home To Go Home To | length3 = 2:24 | writer3 = Carole Bayer, Toni Wine | title4 = Sealed with a Kiss | length4 = 2:02 | writer4 = Peter Udell, Gary Geld | title5 = Tiffany Rings | length5 = 2:15 | writer5 = Alan Gordon, Garry Bonner | title6 = Beautiful People | length6 = 2:08 | writer6 = Kenny Gist Jr. }}
== Charts == {| class="wikitable" !Chart (1964) !Peak<br/>position |- |US ''Billboard'' Top LPs<ref name="albumchart" /> |align="center" |187 |- |} ; Singles
{| class="wikitable" !Year !Single !Chart !Peak |- | rowspan="3" |1967 | rowspan="3" |"Beautiful People" |US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 | align="center" |37 |- |US ''Cash Box'' | align="center" |27 |- |Canada CHUM RPM | align="center" |19 |- | rowspan="6" |1968 | rowspan="3" |""Maybe Just Today" | align="center" |US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 | align="center" |46 |- |US ''Cash Box'' | align="center" |38 |- |Canada CHUM RPM | align="center" |35 |- | rowspan="3" |"Medley: My Girl/Hey Girl" |US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 | align="center" |35 |- |US ''Cash Box'' | align="center" |17 |- |Canada CHUM RPM | align="center" |7 |}
== References ==
{{reflist}}
{{Bobby Vee}}
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Category:1968 albums Category:Bobby Vee albums Category:Liberty Records albums