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".
Girl On My Mind
Buddy Holly Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Please come back to me
I love you with all my heart
With you I want to be
I want you to be near me
Is that too much to ask
Whoa, girl on my mind
Please say you will be mine
You are mine to have and to love
No one could ask for more
You're mine to adore
Girl on my mind
Please say you will be mine
Buddy Holly's song "Girl On My Mind" is a heartfelt plea to his lover to come back to him. Holly starts by emphatically expressing his love and the depth of his feelings by stating, "I love you with all my heart." He then begs her to come back to him to be near him again. Holly's passionate request comes through in the repeated line "girl on my mind, please say you will be mine." By emphasizing that his lover is the one and only for him, he reveals that he has no desire for anyone else.
The song is not overly complex, but its simplicity makes it all the more tender. Holly's smooth, clear voice and the understated accompaniment of guitar, bass and drums make the message of his song more poignant. The singer tells the girl that she is the one he wants to be with, and no one could ask for more. The lyrics show that Holly's intent is not to control or manipulate his lover, but rather to convey the weight of his emotions to her.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, girl on my mind
The person is having thoughts about a girl.
Please come back to me
The person wants the girl to return to them.
I love you with all my heart
The person has strong feelings of love towards the girl.
With you I want to be
The person desires to be with the girl.
I want you to be near me
The person desires the girl's presence.
Is that too much to ask
The person is unsure if their desires are unreasonable.
Whoa, girl on my mind
Repeating the first line, emphasizing the person's thoughts about the girl.
Please say you will be mine
The person is asking the girl to commit to a romantic relationship.
You're the one and the only
The person believes the girl is unique and irreplaceable.
You are mine to have and to love
The person believes they have a right to possess the girl's love.
No one could ask for more
The person is content and satisfied with the love they have for the girl.
You're mine to adore
The person wishes to show the girl affection and admiration.
Girl on my mind
Repeating the first line, ending the song with the person's thoughts about the girl.
Please say you will be mine
Repeating the eighth line, ending the song with the person's request for the girl's commitment.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DON GUESS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
MYKe1217
I love the use of his iconic singing style in this song and how it makes it sound like he’s crying his eyes out as he pleads the girl on his mind to be his girl. Buddy’s lyrics were pretty simple like most of the genre those days, but the nature of his singing tells a story words simply can’t tell. Bravo 👏
Rich Menadue
Even though I was born in 1968 I have always felt a connection to Buddy. When I visited the crash site I cried. Part of me always asks what were they thinking. I understand how miserable it was then compared to the buses of today. But we lost 3 legends that night. Rip Buddy Ritchie and bopper.
André La Soares
Old Buddy lives in my heart😎
Monika Środoń
Buddy Holly Richite Valens, Ricky Nelson little Richard, the every brothes Eddie chorcan, Gene Vincent Wanda Jackson, Chuck Berry Stevens Shakin, Conawy Twitty Cliff Richard, Biran Sterzer Jerry Williams.
Mr steal Your girl
All his song connects To me lol somehow does anyone else feel like that
BENJAMIN LACERDA
One of the 10 greatest songs of all time
Sean Phelan
Love this song
alejandro
I love this buddy holly song
karri tolvanen
Thats how rockabilly goes ;)
karri tolvanen
Buddy just was amazing....