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".
Down The Line
Buddy Holly Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Thoughts of my baby runnin' through my mind
She's a-waitin' for me, I gotta be on time
I gotta roll
Well, the white marker's flying off the road below
When I'm really flying low
My baby's waiting, I can't go slow
Well, the big policeman pulled along side of me
He said "Boy, you ain't quite as fast as me"
I showed him a picture of that baby of mine
He said "Boy, you gotta roll on down that line"
The song "Down The Line" talks about a young man driving to meet his girl. The journey is exciting for him, and he can't wait to see his loved one. As he drives, he thinks about her and can't help but feel happy knowing she is waiting for him. He knows he needs to be on time because he doesn't want to keep her waiting. He speeds down the road, and even when a policeman pulls him over, he shows him a picture of his baby girl, and the officer advises him to keep going.
The lyrics reflect youthful love, impulsive behavior, and a sense of urgency. The young man can't wait to see his girl and dreads the thought of keeping her waiting. He takes risks and is willing to face the consequences to be with her. The mention of the police officer highlights the recklessness of his actions but also adds a sense of danger, which makes the entire situation thrilling. The song has a catchy beat, and the lyrics are simple, which makes it easy to sing along.
Line by Line Meaning
Well my old car's a-rollin' down the line
I am driving down the road in my old car
Thoughts of my baby runnin' through my mind
I am thinking about my significant other
She's a-waitin' for me, I gotta be on time
My significant other is waiting for me and I need to be punctual
I gotta roll
I need to keep driving and not waste any time
Well, the white marker's flying off the road below
I am driving so fast that the white markers on the side of the road are blurring
When I'm really flying low
I am driving at a very high speed
My baby's waiting, I can't go slow
My significant other is waiting for me, so I cannot drive slowly
I gotta roll
I need to keep driving and not waste any time
Well, the big policeman pulled along side of me
A police officer is driving next to me
He said "Boy, you ain't quite as fast as me"
The police officer taunts me by saying that I am not as fast as him
I showed him a picture of that baby of mine
I showed the police officer a photo of my significant other
He said "Boy, you gotta roll on down that line"
The police officer instructs me to keep driving and not waste time
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: BOB MONTGOMERY, BUDDY HOLLY, NORMAN PETTY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@tmrezzek5728
Impossible to drive down the highway listening to this song and stay within the speed limit.
@Pzaikovski
HAHAHA! Thanks man. <D
@666superhater
NO LIE!!
@ES4406
Yes!
@HAL-ge9xq
Lol Hell yea brother! Keep rock’roll’n!!
@Maverick4023
What's a speed limit?
@kevinholly5517
Thank God for Buddy Holly! and don’t let us forget Bob Montgomery! 👍👌💕
@BlackRaven156
It doesn't get better than this!
@itacyrsalles-letranumero
Impossível esquecer.
A música o terá para sempre.
@berniecoombs
This is a super lovely song! Thank God for the internet alright and thanks to you very much for sharing as well!