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".
Good Rockin
Buddy Holly Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yeah I heard the news, there's good rockin' tonight
I wanna hold my baby as tight as I can
Well tonight she'll know I'm a mighty-mighty man
I heard the news, there's good rockin' tonight
I wanna meet you in a hurry behind the barn
Don't you be afraid you know I'll do you no harm
I want you to bring along my rockin' shoes
I heard the news, there's a-good rockin' tonight
Well, hey we're gonna rock, we're gonna rock
Hey, hey let's rock, come on and rock
We gonna rock all our blues away
Have you heard the news, there's good rockin' tonight
Have you heard the news, there's good rockin' tonight
I wanna hold my baby as tight as I can
Well tonight she'll know I'm a mighty-mighty man
I heard the news, there's good rockin' tonight, hey
Well hell, we gonna rock, we gonna rock, rock
Hey, hey let's rock, rock
C'mon and rock, rock, rock, rock
We gonna rock all our blues away
The lyrics of Buddy Holly's song "Rockin' in 2-3" express the excitement and urgency of wanting to dance and rock away one's blues. The opening lines, "Well I heard the news, there's good rockin' tonight. Yeah, I heard the news, there's good rockin' tonight," speak to the contagious energy of this cultural phenomenon. The desire to dance so intensely that one is no longer aware of the world around them is eloquently conveyed through the lines, "I want you to bring along my rockin' shoes. 'Cause tonight I wanna rock away all your blues." The repetition of the phrase "there's good rockin' tonight" reinforces the power of this joyful, liberating experience.
The lyrics are infused with a sense of romantic longing as well, exemplified by the lines, "I wanna hold my baby as tight as I can. Well tonight she'll know I'm a mighty-mighty man." The desire to hold one's partner close and bask in the raw emotion and energy of the music is a fundamental aspect of the rock and roll genre.
Overall, the lyrics to "Rockin' in 2-3" capture the essence of rock and roll. They express the passion, energy, and freedom inherent in the genre, making it clear why it became such a cultural phenomenon.
Line by Line Meaning
Well I heard the news, there's good rockin' tonight
I just found out that we have a great opportunity to have a good time listening to some rock music tonight.
Yeah I heard the news, there's good rockin' tonight
I heard the same news from someone else and now I'm even more excited to rock out tonight.
I wanna hold my baby as tight as I can
I want to hold my significant other very closely while we dance to the rhythm of the music.
Well tonight she'll know I'm a mighty-mighty man
I want to impress my partner with my dance moves and show her that I am a confident and powerful dancer.
I heard the news, there's good rockin' tonight
I heard the news again and I can't stop thinking about how much fun we're going to have tonight.
I wanna meet you in a hurry behind the barn
I want to sneak away and meet my partner in a private location so we can enjoy the music and each other's company without interruption.
Don't you be afraid you know I'll do you no harm
Don't worry, I won't hurt you or do anything to make you uncomfortable. I just want to be with you and share this experience together.
I want you to bring along my rockin' shoes
Please remember to bring my special shoes that are perfect for dancing and moving to the rock music tonight.
Cause tonight I wanna rock away all your blues
I want to dance and have fun so much that all the sadness or worries you may have will go away and you'll feel happier just being here with me.
Well, hey we're gonna rock, we're gonna rock
Hey, let's do this! We're going to have a great time dancing and enjoying the music.
Hey, hey let's rock, come on and rock
Let's get into the groove and dance to the music like there's no tomorrow!
We gonna rock all our blues away
We're going to dance so hard that we'll forget about all our problems and anything else that may be weighing us down.
Have you heard the news, there's good rockin' tonight
I'm excited to see you and share this experience together. I hope you've heard the good news about the rock music tonight!
Well hell, we gonna rock, we gonna rock, rock
We're not just going to dance, we're going to rock! It's going to be an amazing experience.
C'mon and rock, rock, rock, rock
Let's keep the momentum going and continue to dance and enjoy ourselves for as long as we can.
We gonna rock all our blues away
We're going to have so much fun dancing and listening to the music that any sadness, frustration, or problems we had before won't matter anymore.
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, BMG Rights Management
Written by: Roy Brown
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Appalachian Outcast
An interesting fact:
look almost just like him. I’m from Texas, have a bit of a similar voice, and play guitar and some other instruments. I remember singing a while ago and my parents and everybody said I reminded them of Buddy Holly. Then my parents looked at my family tree. There he was. On my family tree. I’m also same religion as him. I’m a baptist he was too. And I realized that my father looked like buddy too. I am happy to be related to him. I impersonate him
Some information about Buddy Holly:
Buddy Holly was only 22 when he died and sang since he was around 13. He was in a country and western duo with bob Montgomery for a while then he joined the crickets in late 1957. They had good songs together, such as, Oh Boy!, Peggy Sue, That’ll be the day, Everyday, and words of love. He was no doubt great at a lot. I don’t like him because he’s my relative, I like him because he has talent. I was a fan of him before I figured out I was related to him. But his band was mainly friends but he had his 3rd cousin by marriage join. Niki Sullivan was in there but then quit because he wasn’t a fan of the traveling. Then it was stuck with Buddy Holly, Joe B Mauldin, and Jerry Allison. Then the crickets got in a argument because Buddy wanted to record in New York. But Jerry and joe wanted to stay in Clovis New Mexico. Also Joe and Jerry were drinking a little bit. Then Buddy on a tour that took his life along with Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper. Maria Elena Holly had a miscarriage and lost the baby. She was devastated and she never remarried again. February 3rd 1959 was then nicknamed The Day The Music Died. And there is some theories that Buddy shot The Big Bopper but there was no way it was possible for Buddy, Ritchie, or The Big Bopper to live. The last thing I want to say is....
R.I.P
jet727vans
Buddy rules...thanks for the posting!
the king
Pure rock n roll 🎸🎸🎸
Hew Grebe
the king yes this song was.
Eduardo Espinosa
Yeah rock and roll
Danny B
A pretty good rendition
Appalachian Outcast
An interesting fact:
look almost just like him. I’m from Texas, have a bit of a similar voice, and play guitar and some other instruments. I remember singing a while ago and my parents and everybody said I reminded them of Buddy Holly. Then my parents looked at my family tree. There he was. On my family tree. I’m also same religion as him. I’m a baptist he was too. And I realized that my father looked like buddy too. I am happy to be related to him. I impersonate him
Some information about Buddy Holly:
Buddy Holly was only 22 when he died and sang since he was around 13. He was in a country and western duo with bob Montgomery for a while then he joined the crickets in late 1957. They had good songs together, such as, Oh Boy!, Peggy Sue, That’ll be the day, Everyday, and words of love. He was no doubt great at a lot. I don’t like him because he’s my relative, I like him because he has talent. I was a fan of him before I figured out I was related to him. But his band was mainly friends but he had his 3rd cousin by marriage join. Niki Sullivan was in there but then quit because he wasn’t a fan of the traveling. Then it was stuck with Buddy Holly, Joe B Mauldin, and Jerry Allison. Then the crickets got in a argument because Buddy wanted to record in New York. But Jerry and joe wanted to stay in Clovis New Mexico. Also Joe and Jerry were drinking a little bit. Then Buddy on a tour that took his life along with Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper. Maria Elena Holly had a miscarriage and lost the baby. She was devastated and she never remarried again. February 3rd 1959 was then nicknamed The Day The Music Died. And there is some theories that Buddy shot The Big Bopper but there was no way it was possible for Buddy, Ritchie, or The Big Bopper to live. The last thing I want to say is....
R.I.P
KING $OLOMON 👑
That's Awesome.
BUDDY HOLLY: FOREVER 🎸 🎸 🎸
Videos
This sounds like two different songs mixed together, Holly Hop and Good Rockin' Tonight. I think it is.
tabby jamil
To me Buddy Holly is the king of rock n roll along with Chuck Berry and little Richard.
RetroGurl73
Yes. Buddy's version is the best! :)