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Rating: Charles Hardin Holley, known as Buddy Holly, was born on September 7, 1936, in Lubbock, Texas. From a young age, influenced by artists like Hank Williams, Jimmie Rodgers, Bill Monroe, Lightnin' Hopkins, John Lee Hooker, and Ray Charles, he decided to dedicate himself fully to music.
It's 1953, and the young Holly, called so because his original surname lost the "e" due to a transcription error on a poster of one of his early performances, forms a country-western and hilly-billy vocal duo, Buddy & Bob, with a schoolmate. An apparently ephemeral group that, thanks to a very popular radio program of the time bearing their name, achieves a satisfactory public response, allowing the duo to make some recordings. It's 1955, and the performance at the Cotton Club in Lubbock of a young and dynamic Elvis Presley pushes Buddy Holly towards rockabilly. This is the initial spark of a brief and dazzling career, among the most important and influential in original rock'n'roll. An artistic journey so eclectic and fundamental that it had a huge impact even on the Beatles. It was also in that year that some performances of Buddy & Bob, including one opening for Presley, attracted the interest of a talent scout, Eddie Crandall, who decided to take Holly to Decca at the same time Elvis Presley was making a significant move to RCA. Decca wanted the young Texan to follow the path paved by Presley, and so in 1956, Buddy Holly recorded a series of songs at the Nashville studios, including a raw version of "That'll Be The Day," which were released under the name Buddy Holly & The Three Tunes without success. These tracks, including "Blue Days Black Nights" and "Modern Don Juan," failed to satisfy anyone, leading to an immediate end to the relationship with that record label. It was at this point that Holly decided to turn to Norman Petty, in charge of a recording studio in New Mexico, who was completely captivated and fascinated by the repertoire of the smart and young musician. Petty had him rerecord the old "That'll Be The Day," already recorded for Decca but inexplicably unreleased. Norman Petty also decided to become Buddy Holly's full-time manager, helping him set up a permanent band, the Crickets, featuring Niki Sullivan on guitar, Joe Mauldin on bass, and Jerry Allison on drums.
With this legendary band, Holly began recording songs that became a rightful part of rock'n'roll history for the Coral and Brunswick record labels, both Decca affiliates. Additionally, to avoid legal issues with Decca, Buddy Holly's manager imposed a curious marketing strategy: the group's recordings would be released under Crickets for Brunswick and Holly for Coral. Within a few months, the first recordings of a unique and hugely successful repertoire were released, based on simple rhythmic patterns that softened rock'n'roll's sharpest edges and mixed the usual country coordinates with the more sensitive rhythm'n'blues ones. Immortal tracks with lyrics recounting quintessentially adolescent tales sung by Holly with his inimitable syncopated or hiccupping style, which would be highly influential in the following Sixties.
Titles like the aforementioned "That'll Be The Day," which topped the charts in both the United States and Britain in 1957, "Peggy Sue", "Not Fade Away", "Oh Boy", "Words Of Love", "Maybe Baby", and "Everyday" immediately demonstrated the vast talent, intuition, and genius of this bespectacled, shy, and sweet Texan. A unique and innate talent that made him one of the most important and sensitive authors of the entire rock saga. That faraway year of 1957 was when Buddy Holly managed to reap the rewards of success pursued for years and additionally marked by a famous performance on December 10 at the prestigious Ed Sullivan Show. An innovative style, that of this great artist, which found its culmination the following year with another series of unforgettable songs titled "Rave On", "Think It Over", "It's So Easy", "Listen To Me", "Early In The Morning", "Heartbeat" and "Well... All Right". All successful musical postcards humbly showcasing Holly's guitar technique with his Fender Stratocaster, his very peculiar vocal timbre, and the innovative use of vocal and guitar overdubs. All revolutionary and essential elements in the evolution of rock'n'roll and of enormous influence for artists like the Beatles, Everly Brothers, and Beach Boys.
At this point, Buddy Holly is a major star who has long been asking for more creative freedom and feels a strong artistic need to explore other musical genres. Thus, the Texan musician, after secretly marrying a young Puerto Rican girl and settling in New York, decided to break his artistic partnership with both Norman Petty and the Crickets. So in October 1958, Buddy Holly's last official session took place, producing songs like "True Love Ways", "Moondreams", "Raining In My Heart", and the innovative piece composed by Paul Anka, "It Doesn't Matter Anymore", enriched by the elegant presence of a string section. These are the last gems of an artist who, for several decades, would represent an inexhaustible treasure and source of inspiration for the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Kinks, Grateful Dead, Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, Elton John, Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Costello, Linda Ronstadt, Joe Ely, and dozens of other musicians. Buddy Holly's bright comet would indeed end its short but luminous journey on a cold February night in 1959 due to a tragic plane crash that also claimed the lives of fellow musicians Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens. Holly's sudden and untimely death left the entire rock world in disbelief and trapped in negative sensations that would be wonderfully simplified in Don McLean's song "American Pie".
Published in 2008, "The Very Best Of Buddy Holly And The Crickets" is the ideal collection for anyone wishing to approach the music of this important musician. A complete and well-structured collection that, in its fifty tracks, contains much of the history of the first and true rock'n'roll. Listening to these historic songs one after another, it's easy to perceive the talent of this young man who perfectly combined rhythm, melody, and immediacy. A talent that, unfortunately, vanished too quickly but, in the brief span of less than two years, managed to change the rules of rock'n'roll, revolutionizing the composition style of the tracks, enriching them with melody and giving rock its most pop aspect. Besides his work, there remains only the question of what other artistic goals he might have achieved had he not boarded that cursed plane on that unfortunate night in February 1959. It is the same unanswered question we ask ourselves every time we think of Otis Redding, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Stevie Ray Vaughan, who share the same tragic fate with Buddy Holly.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 Heartbeat (02:11)
Heartbeat
Why do you miss when my baby kisses me
Heartbeat
Why does a love kiss stay in my memory
Piddly pat
I know that new love thrills me
I know that true love will be
Heartbeat
Why do you miss when my baby kisses me
Heartbeat
Why do you skip when my babies lips meet mine
Heartbeat
Why do you flip and give me a skip each sign
Piddly pat
And sing to me love's story
And bring to me love's glory
Heartbeat
Why do you miss when my baby kisses me
02 That'll Be The Day (02:17)
verse 1
well, you give me all your lovin' and your turtle dovin',
all your hugs and kisses and your money too;
well, you know you love me, baby,
still you tell me, maybe,
that some day, well, i'll be through!
chorus
well, that'll be the day
when you say good bye,
yes, that'll be the day,
when you make me cry,
ah, you say you're gonna leave,
you know its a lie,
'cause that'll be the day when i die.
well
verse 2
when cupid shot his dart,
he shot it at your heart,
so if we ever part and i leave you,
you say you told me an' you told me boldly,
that some day, well, i'll be through,
chorus
well, that'll be the day
when you say good bye,
yes, that'll be the day,
when you make me cry,
ah, you say you're gonna leave,
you know its a lie,
'cause that'll be the day when i die.
well that'll be the day (whoo oh)
well that'll be the day ( whoo oh)
well that'll be the day (whoo oh)
well that'll be the day
03 Peggy Sue (02:31)
If you knew Peggy Sue, then you'd know why I feel blue
About Peggy, 'bout Peggy Sue
Oh well, I love you gal, yes I love you Peggy Sue
Peggy Sue, Peggy Sue
Oh how my heart yerns for you
Oh Peggy, my Peggy Sue
Oh well, I love you gal, yes I love you Peggy Sue
Peggy Sue, Peggy Sue
Pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, Peggy Sue
Oh, my Peggy, my Peggy Sue
Oh, well, I love you gal and I need you, Peggy Sue
I love you, Peggy Sue, with a love so rare and true
Oh, Peggy, My Peggy Sue
Oh well, I love you gal, yes I want you, Peggy Sue
Peggy Sue, Peggy Sue,
Pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, Peggy Sue
Oh, Peggy, my Peggy Sue
Oh well, I love you gal, yes I need you, Peggy Sue
I love you, Peggy Sue, with a love so rare and true
Oh Peggy, My Peggy Sue
Oh well, I love you gal, yes I love you, Peggy Sue
Oh well, I love you gal and I want you Peggy Sue
05 Rave On (01:50)
Well the little things you say and do
Make me want to be with you
Rave on it's a crazy feelin and
I know its got me reelin
When you say, I love you
Rave on
The way you dance and hold me tight
The way you kiss and say goodnight
Rave on it's a crazy feelin and
I know its got me reelin
When you say, I love you
Rave on
Well rave on
Its a crazy feelin
and I know
Its got me reelin
Im so glad
That you're revealin your love for me
Well rave on
Rave on and tell me
Tell me
Not to be lonely
Tell me
You love me only
Rave on to me
Well rave on
Its a crazy feelin
and I know
Its got me reelin
Im so glad
That you're revealin your love for me
Well rave on
Rave on and tell me
Tell me
Not to be lonely
Tell me
You love me only
Rave on to me
06 Think It Over (01:47)
Think it over what you just said
think it over in your pretty little head
are you sure that I’m not the one
is your love real or only fun
you think it over - yes, think it over
a lonely heart grows cold and old
Think it over and let me know
think it over but don’t be slow
just remember all birds and bees
go by twos through life’s mysteries
you think it over - yes, think it over
a lonely heart grows cold and old
Think it over and think of me
think it over and you will see
a happy day when you and I
think as one and kiss the blues goodbye
you think it over - yes, think it over
a lonely heart grows cold and old
07 Brown Eyed Handsome Man (02:05)
Arrested on charges of unemployment
He was sitting in the witness stand
The judge's wife called up the district attorney
Said, "Free that brown-eyed man
You want your job, you better free that brown-eyed man"
Flying across the desert in a TWA
I saw a woman walking across the sand
She been a-walkin' thirty miles en route to Bombay
To reach a brown-eyed handsome man
Her destination was a brown-eyed handsome man
Way back in history, three thousand years
Back ever since the world began
There's been a whole lot of good women shedding tears
Over a brown-eyed handsome man
A lot of trouble - was a brown-eyed handsome man
The beautiful daughter couldn't make up her mind
Between a doctor and a lawyer man
Her mother told her, "Darling go out and find yourself
A brown-eyed handsome man
That's what your daddy is - a brown-eyed handsome man"
Marlo Venus was a beautiful lass
She had the world in the palm of her hand
But she lost both her arms in a wrestling match
To win a brown-eyed handsome man
She fought and won herself a brown-eyed handsome man
Well, 2-3 the count an' nobody on
He hit a high fly into the stands
a-rounding third he was headed for home
It was a brown-eyed handsome man
That won the game - it was a brown-eyed handsome man
09 True Love Ways (02:50)
Just you know why
why you and I
will by and by
know true love ways
Sometimes we'll sigh
sometimes we'll cry
and we'll know why
just you and I
know true love ways
Throughout the days
our true love ways
will bring us joys to share
with those who really care
Sometimes we'll sigh
sometimes we'll cry
and we'll know why
just you and I
know true love ways
repeat
10 Raining In My Heart (02:48)
The sun is out
The sky is blue
There's not a cloud
To spoil the view
But it's raining
Raining In My Heart
The Weather Man
Says "Clear today"
He doesn't know
You've gone away
And it's raining
Raining In My Heart
Oh misery - misery
What's gonna become of me
I tell my blues
They mustn't show
But soon these tears
Are bound to flow
Cause it's raining
Raining In My Heart
Raining In My Heart
Raining In My Heart
11 Everyday (02:08)
Everyday, it's a gettin' closer,
Goin' faster than a roller coaster,
Love like yours will surely come my way, (hey, hey, hey)
Everyday, it's a gettin' faster,
Everyone says go on up and ask her,
Love like yours will surely come my way, (hey, hey, hey)
Everyday seems a little longer,
Every way, love's a little stronger,
Come what may, do you ever long for
True love from me?
Everyday, it's a gettin' closer,
Goin' faster than a roller coaster,
Love like yours will surely come my way, (hey, hey, hey)
Everyday seems a little longer,
Every way, love's a little stronger,
Come what may, do you ever long for
True love from me?
Everyday, it's a gettin' closer,
Goin' faster than a roller coaster,
Love like yours will surely come my way, (hey, hey, hey)
Love like yours will surely come my way.
12 Wishing (02:02)
Wishing - that I could see you every day
wishing - that I could steal your heart away
Dreaming - of the time I can hold you tight
wishing - that the time would come tonight
I’ve been hoping all along - things would turn out right
if I could find a wishing star - then I could spend the night
Wishing - that I could see you every day
wishing - that I could steal your heart away
13 It's So Easy (02:11)
It's so easy to fall in love
It's so easy to fall in love
People tell me love's for fools
So here I go breaking all of the rules
Well it's so easy, so dog-on easy
Well it's so easy
Where you're concerned my heart's concerned
It's so easy to fall in love
It's so easy to fall in love
It's so easy to fall in love
It's so easy to fall in love
Look into your heart to see
What your love book has set apart for me
Well it's so easy, so dog-on easy
Well it's so easy
Where you're concerned my heart's concerned
It's so easy to fall in love
It's so easy to fall in love
14 Listen To Me (02:22)
Listen To Me and hold me tight
And you will see our love so right
Hold me darling
Listen closely to me
Your eyes will see what love can do
Reveal to me your love so true
Listen To Me, Listen closely to me
I've told the stars you're my only love
I want to love you tenderly
Those same bright stars in heaven above
Know now how sweet - sweethearts can be
Listen To Me hear what I say
Our hearts can be nearer each day
Hold me darling, Listen closely to Me
15 It Doesn't Matter Anymore (02:04)
There you go and baby here am I
Well, you left me here so I could sit and cry
Golly gee, what have you done to me?
Well, I guess it doesn't matter anymore
Do you remember, baby, last September
How you held me tight each and every night
Whoopsie daisie, how you drove me crazy
But I guess it doesn't matter anymore
There's no use in me a-crying
I've done everything and now I'm sick of trying
I've thrown away my nights and wasted all my days over you
Now you go your way and I'll go mine
Now and forever 'til the end of time
And I'll find somebody new and, baby, we'll say we're through
And you won't matter anymore
There's no use in me a-crying
I've done everything and now I'm sick of trying
I've thrown away my nights and wasted all my days over you
Now you go your way and I'll go mine
Now and forever 'til the end of time
And I'll find somebody new and, baby, we'll say we're through
And you won't matter anymore
You won't matter anymore
You won't matter anymore
19 Bo Diddley (02:20)
Bo Diddley buy baby a diamond ring
if that diamond ring don't shine
he gonna take it to a private eye
if that private eye can't see
he better not take that ring from me
Won’t you come to my house back at home
take a-my baby on away from home
love a-that photo, where ya been
up to your house and gone again
Bo Diddley caught a fat cat
to make a-pretty baby a Sunday hat
Bo Diddley caught him a nanny goat
to make a pretty baby a Sunday coat
Bo Diddley, Bo Diddley have you heard
my pretty baby says she wants a bird
23 Midnight Shift (02:11)
If you see old Annie better give her a lift
cause Annie’s been a-workin on a midnight shift
If Annie puts her hair up on her head
paints them lips up bright, bright red
wears that dress that fits real tight
starts stayin’ out 'til the middle of the night
says that a friend gave her a lift
well, Annie’s been workin’ on a midnight shift
If she acts a little funny - seems a little strange
starts spendin’ your money for brand new things
tells you that she wants to use the car
never explains what she wants it for
brother, there just ain’t no “ifs�?
cause Annie’s been workin’ on a midnight shift
Early in the morning when the sun comes up
you look at old Annie and she looks kinda rough
you tell her “honey, get on out of that bed�?
she says “leave me alone - I’m just about dead�?
brother, there just ain’t no “ifs�?
cause Annie’s been workin’ on a midnight shift
If you got a good mama that’s stayin’ at home
you’d better enjoy it - cause it won’t last long
when you think everything’s all right
she starts slippin’ round in the middle of the night
brother, there just ain’t no “ifs�?
cause Annie’s been workin’ on a midnight shift
25 Crying, Waiting, Hoping (02:05)
Crying, waiting, hoping, that you'll come back
I just can't seem to get you off my mind
Crying, waiting, hoping, that you'll come back
You're the one I love and I think about you all the time
Crying, my tears keep fallin' all night long
Waiting, I feel so useless, I know it's wrong
To keep crying, waiting, hoping, that you'll come back
Maybe someday soon things will change and you'll be mine
Crying, my tears keep fallin' all night long
Waiting, I feel so useless, I know it's wrong
To keep crying, waiting, hoping, that you'll come back
Maybe someday soon things will change and you'll be mine
Crying, waiting, hoping
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