He was born in Lubbock, Texas, to a musical family during the Great Depression, and learned to play guitar and sing alongside his siblings. His style was influenced by gospel music, country music, and rhythm and blues acts, and he performed in Lubbock with his friends from high school. He made his first appearance on local television in 1952, and the following year he formed the group "Buddy and Bob" with his friend Bob Montgomery. In 1955, after opening for Elvis Presley, he decided to pursue a career in music. He opened for Presley three times that year; his band's style shifted from country and western to entirely rock and roll. In October that year, when he opened for Bill Haley & His Comets, he was spotted by Nashville scout Eddie Crandall, who helped him get a contract with Decca Records.
Holly's recording sessions at Decca were produced by Owen Bradley. Unhappy with Bradley's control in the studio and with the sound he achieved there, he went to producer Norman Petty in Clovis, New Mexico, and recorded a demo of "That'll Be the Day", among other songs. Petty became the band's manager and sent the demo to Brunswick Records, which released it as a single credited to "The Crickets", which became the name of Holly's band. In September 1957, as the band toured, "That'll Be the Day" topped the US "Best Sellers in Stores" chart and the UK Singles Chart. Its success was followed in October by another major hit, "Peggy Sue".
The album Chirping Crickets, released in November 1957, reached number five on the UK Albums Chart. Holly made his second appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show in January 1958 and soon after, toured Australia and then the UK. In early 1959, he assembled a new band, consisting of future country music star Waylon Jennings (bass), famed session musician Tommy Allsup (guitar), and Carl Bunch (drums), and embarked on a tour of the midwestern U.S. After a show in Clear Lake, Iowa, he chartered an airplane to travel to his next show, in Moorhead, Minnesota. Soon after takeoff, the plane crashed, killing him, Ritchie Valens, The Big Bopper, and pilot Roger Peterson in a tragedy later referred to by Don McLean as "The Day the Music Died".
During his short career, Holly wrote, recorded, and produced his own material. He is often regarded as the artist who defined the traditional rock-and-roll lineup of two guitars, bass, and drums. He was a major influence on later popular music artists, including Bob Dylan, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, Weezer, and Elton John. He was among the first artists inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, in 1986. Rolling Stone magazine ranked him number 13 in its list of "100 Greatest Artists".
Blue Days Black Nights
Buddy Holly Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Blue tears keep on fallin', for you dear
Now you're gone
Blue days, black nights
My heart keeps on calling for you dear
And you alone
Memories of you make me sorry
But now you're gone and I am left here all alone
With blue memories, I think of you
Blue days, black nights
I didn't realize I would miss you
The way I do
And now somehow I know I will pay
For the times I have made you blue
The song "Blue Days, Black Nights" by Buddy Holly is a classic example of the sad love song genre. The lyrics describe the feeling of loneliness after a breakup, and the regret and sadness that come with it. The use of color imagery throughout the lyrics - blue tears, blue memories, black nights - adds to the melancholic tone of the song.
The first verse sets the scene with the opening lines "Blue days, black nights, blue tears keep on fallin', for you dear, now you're gone". These lines indicate that the singer is experiencing a deep sense of sorrow in the wake of a breakup. The chorus then repeats the lines "Blue days, black nights, my heart keeps on calling for you dear, and you alone". This highlights the desire for the lost love to return, as the singer's heart is still pining for them.
The second verse reveals some of the underlying reasons for the breakup, as the lyric "Memories of you make me sorry, I gave you reason to doubt me" suggests that there were trust issues in the relationship. The verse also highlights the irony of the situation - the singer didn't realize how much they would miss their partner until they were gone. The final lines "And now somehow I know I will pay, for the times I have made you blue" underline the sense of regret, and the knowledge that the actions of the past have led to this present state of loneliness.
Line by Line Meaning
Blue days, black nights
The singer is experiencing sadness and loneliness because of the absence of someone dear.
Blue tears keep on fallin', for you dear
The singer is crying because they miss their loved one.
Now you're gone
The singer's loved one has left them, causing them great pain.
My heart keeps on calling for you dear
The artist's heart is longing for their loved one who is no longer with them.
And you alone
The artist only wants to be with their loved one and no one else.
Memories of you make me sorry
The singer regrets their actions towards their loved one that may have caused them to leave.
I gave you reason to doubt me
The singer may have acted in a way that made their loved one question their trustworthiness.
But now you're gone and I am left here all alone
The artist is feeling the full extent of their loneliness and sadness now that their loved one has departed.
With blue memories, I think of you
The artist constantly remembers their loved one, even though it causes them pain.
I didn't realize I would miss you
The artist did not anticipate the depth of their feelings for their loved one until after they were gone.
The way I do
The singer is experiencing intense feelings of sadness and longing for their loved one.
And now somehow I know I will pay
The artist believes that they will face consequences for their previous actions towards their loved one.
For the times I have made you blue
The singer acknowledges that they have caused their loved one pain and sorrow in the past.
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BEN HALL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind